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007 | A Beautiful Stranger
Last Updated:
2023-10-02 23:59:14
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The Alpha's Rejected Mate is the True Heiress 008 | Reunited by Mistake
Aurora’s POVMy heart pounded as I hurried inside. When I’d seen Ethan’s car, I’d been worried I’d bump into him – but I hadn’t thought I would so soon, and so literally. I sat down heavily on the edge of the bed and let my head fall into my hands. I sucked in shuddering deep breaths, trying to calm myself down enough to think clearly.Because all I could do right now was panic.He’d recognised me. It was the only explanation for his behaviour. He’d looked into my eyes, my green eyes, eyes I should’ve bought contacts for. The rest of me looked different, but this was my mate, my ex-husband. We’d spent hours gazing into each other’s eyes. He knew mine better than anyone.Even in the shadows of the porch, his eyes looked exactly the same. All of him did, from his carefully dishevelled head of dark hair to his brown eyes, such a dark brown they almost looked black. He was maybe more muscular; his biceps had strained against his shirt.Why had I even noticed that? This man was evil incar
Last Updated : 2023-10-03The Alpha's Rejected Mate is the True Heiress 009 | Up All Night
Aurora’s POVHis knock was a death knoll. It made my knees shake. Panic consumed me.Should I hide? Should I run? I could go away again, change my name, dye my hair, get contacts this time–But he’d already seen me. He knew I was in here and, the longer I delayed, the more suspicious I’d become. Gritting my teeth, I edged my way over to the front door.His brow was tight with concern as he eyed me, and then the broken glass scattered across the floor. “Are you all right?” “Fine.” My voice came out all high-pitched and weird sounding. I coughed. “I’m fine. I’m sorry if I disturbed you.”“No, you didn’t.” He looked at me expectantly, but hell was more likely to freeze over than I was to invite him in. His shoulders sagged. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”“Well, I am.”He lingered. “The glass didn’t cut you, did it?”I shook my head.“What happened?” He toed his boot towards my foot, angling his body towards the open door behind me.I crossed my arms. “I tripped. Anyway, it’
Last Updated : 2023-10-05The Alpha's Rejected Mate is the True Heiress 010 | Master of Deceit
Ethan’s POVFor the second time in less than eight hours, I found myself staring longingly at Doctor Aria as she walked away.I needed to pull myself together.I leant back against the front door, its maple-leaf wreath jabbing me in the back, and watched as she hurried towards the car park with her son. She slowed, glanced around, and, when she thought nobody could see, she dropped the coffee I’d bought her in the bin.But why? She had no reason to hate me, and yet it seemed like she did. Maybe she was in a relationship with someone, and saw my friendliness as unwanted advances. My chest pinched at the idea of her with another man, which was even crazier than the fact I’d got up before the dawn to get her a coffee.What was wrong with me?Sterling coughed out a laugh. ‘Where do I even start?’I groaned. ‘Not now. I need to think.’‘What, about how that beautiful woman wants nothing to do with you?’Pinching the bridge of my nose, I said, ‘Why wouldn’t she drink the coffee?’‘Why did y
Last Updated : 2023-10-06The Alpha's Rejected Mate is the True Heiress 011 | Doctor Aria Black
Aurora’s POV“Mummy, what’s going on?” Sammy asked as I bundled him into his car seat.As promised, Zoe had arranged for an Omega to park a rental out here for me. She’d given me the key last night before she’d left. I’d barely glanced at it, and it was a shock to me to see that my borrowed car was a sleek, matte grey G Wagon. It was practical for Sammy and I, sturdy enough to traverse the country roads surrounding the Eternal Bonds Pack yet not too big for driving around Midnight City, but it was more expensive than every car I’d ever had combined.There was no doubt that it was for me, though. Someone had stuck a note under the windscreen wiper, with my fake name written in fancy script across it; inside was a quick introduction to the car, telling me where the fuel cap was, the start button, and a reminder to keep any gas receipts as the pack would reimburse me for my petrol costs. “I just think it would be better if you came to work with me today,” I said, worrying my bottom lip
Last Updated : 2023-10-07The Alpha's Rejected Mate is the True Heiress 012 | Seeing Things
Aurora’s POVI raced back to the Eternal Bonds Pack, my heart pounding, blood rushing in my ears. I could barely breathe; my thoughts whirred. Selene’s face was imprinted on my mind’s eye.Sammy tried to talk to me, but I couldn’t hear him over the static muffling my ears. I’d been so stupid to come back here, let alone with my son.“We’re going home,” I told Sammy, my eyes fixed on the road, still unsure what he’d said to me. “We’re going to get our things, and then we’re going to leave.”“But we only just got here.”“I know, sweetheart.”“Who was that lady?”My lip curled. “Selene Snowfield.”“I think I’ve heard her name before. Who is she?”“She’s not a very nice person. She…”In the rear-view mirror, I saw Sammy’s face scrunch up. “She was mean to you, wasn’t she?”“She was.” I nodded. “I didn’t want to talk to her. I’m sorry for rushing you out of there.” I met his eyes in the mirror, then flicked my gaze back to the road. “If you don’t like her, I don’t like her either,” he dec
Last Updated : 2023-10-08The Alpha's Rejected Mate is the True Heiress 013 | Too Many Maybes
Aurora’s POV“Maybe,” Zoe said, looking at me with so much worry in her familiar eyes that I couldn’t believe she’d ever deceive me, “you’re exhausted, worried, and seeing things that aren’t really there. You’re terrified of bumping into Selene. That fear, combined with your late night, travelling here, seeing Ethan…” She trailed off, but she didn’t need to keep listing my worries. “I get it. You think I’m hallucinating.”“Not exactly. I think you did probably see a blonde woman, maybe even one with green eyes, but not Selene. I mean, she’s not in Midnight City.” She shrugged, and then she looked at me, really looked at me, and her arms went limp at her sides. “Are you okay, Rory?” she whispered.My skin prickled. I wanted to just come out and ask her for the truth. It felt wrong, keeping secrets from her – even if I was sure she was keeping more than a vague, creeping suspicion from me.She took a half-step towards me, the movement more timid than any I’d ever seen from her before,
Last Updated : 2023-10-09The Alpha's Rejected Mate is the True Heiress 014 | Eavesdropping Never Ends Well
Aurora’s POVEthan raised an eyebrow at me. I swallowed noisily, terrified to hold his gaze, terrified to break it.But he wasn’t shouting, or calling guards over, or outing me publicly. He almost looked amused by my snooping. I pulled myself up to my full height, steeling myself for whatever he was about to say or do next. So far, his behaviour had been the opposite of everything I’d expected.He leant in close, his lips brushing the shell of my ear. I shivered. “Should I ask what you’re up to, Doctor?”What did he mean, saying my title like that? Was my true identity some in-joke to him? Was he here to tease me? To push me and push me until I caved? Until I flew off the handle and outed myself?Well, screw that.I pasted on a look of confusion – which wasn’t hard, given the situation – and said, “I got lost. Then I found signs to Zoe’s office,” I nodded to the stairwell, “and thought I’d see if she could take me back to the guest quarters.”‘You’re getting better at lying,’ Violet s
Last Updated : 2023-10-12The Alpha's Rejected Mate is the True Heiress 015 | A Game With No Rules
Aurora’s POVInwardly, I berated myself for my stupidity while, outwardly, I stammered out an explanation.“It was years ago,” I babbled, “but I’ve never been able to drink anything I didn’t make since. It was cyanide,” I wanted to wince at my idiocy but didn’t dare, “but, luckily for me, I was at work, and I had an antidote nearby…”“Oh my god,” he breathed, his hands hovering near me, like he wanted to help but couldn’t for the life of him figure out how. “That’s awful, Aria. I’m so sorry. If I’d known…”“You weren’t to know. How could you?” Before he could answer that, I added, “Anyway, it was nothing to do with you. I didn’t want you to see.”“Of course.” He nodded, but there was something in his eyes that looked hesitant, like he didn’t quite trust me. I’d not exactly given him a lot of reasons to, but I couldn’t stand being around him any longer than I absolutely had to be. “Did they catch the bastard that did it?”“Yes. He’s serving a life sentence.” Wait, no, what if Ethan loo
Last Updated : 2023-10-13
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The Alpha's Rejected Mate is the True Heiress 082 | Progression
Aurora’s POV I rushed to my son. I couldn’t hear over the rush of blood in my ears, but I could feel the tearing of my throat as I screamed. “Sammy,” I choked, grabbing him just as he hit the floor. I scrambled to keep him upright, clutching his head to my chest and stroking his clammy forehead. “Is he okay?” Zoe croaked, trying to sit up to see. “I don’t know.” My hands flapped uselessly. “I don’t know what’s happened to him.” ‘Calm down,’ said Violet, her voice firm. ‘You aren’t helping him by panicking.’ ‘You’re right. I can deal with this,’ I said, more to myself than to her. I was exhausted, and my nerves had been frayed to their ends - but dwelling on that wouldn’t help Sammy. “His heartbeat is strong, but too fast.” I spoke aloud, both to steady myself and to keep Zoe informed. “He’s breathing, but each breath is shallow.” I took a deep breath. “He’s alive.” I ran my eyes over him, giving myself one last second to be a caring, terrified mother. He looked so small
The Alpha's Rejected Mate is the True Heiress 081 | No Natural Cause
Aurora’s POV I knew it was Zoe - but if I hadn’t been made aware of her condition beforehand, I never would have recognised my dear friend. She sat hunched in the bed, frail shoulders curved in on themselves. She’d aged years since I’d last seen her; wrinkles carved into the skin of her face, like gorges left behind years after the rivers had evaporated. Zoe wore no makeup. Her eyes looked softer without her signature eyeliner, creased and small and sad. Her black bob hung limply about her shoulders, dishevelled and left to grow out longer than I’d ever seen it. Grey streaked through its lengths.“Zoe?” I breathed, my voice lodging in my throat. This couldn’t be her. It didn’t matter that her father was stood beside her bed, his expression drawn. It didn’t matter that she looked up at me when I said her name.This couldn’t be my friend.“Hi, Aria,” she croaked. “Hey, Sammy. You both look well.”I swallowed hard. “I wish I could say the same about you.”Alpha Brutus shot me a men
The Alpha's Rejected Mate is the True Heiress 080 | Back to Eternal Bonds
Aurora’s POVSammy slept the whole way to the Eternal Bonds pack. My heart throbbed painfully every time I looked at him. I was terrified for my friend, but I still had no answers about what had happened to my son.At least I finally felt peace about Ethan. He knew who I was and he knew that Sammy was his son. My shoulders were lighter after baring those truths to him.I just wished he could have come with me.Violet perked up like she had something to say. I spoke before she could. ‘I know why he couldn’t,’ I sighed. ‘I just wish he was here. We’ve just…’‘I know,’ she said softly. Sammy woke up just before I pulled into the car park. I’d told him what was happening and where we were going before we’d left, but he still looked around with a confused furrow to his brow.“Are you okay?” I murmured, reaching over to smooth his hair back from his forehead.He was too warm. He wasn’t sweating, but I could feel heat pooling in front of his skin. I held a worried hand there a moment longer
The Alpha's Rejected Mate is the True Heiress 079 | Telling Selene
Ethan’s POVI stood outside my house, balling my hands into fists. ‘How do you want to do this?’ asked Sterling.‘No idea,’ I replied. I’d never been scared to go inside my own house before. Dawn had broken over the horizon, painting the sky in eerie shades of grey and purple. It swelled like a bruise over the quiet expanse of my pack.My heart felt too full to go and face Selene. Telling her I was leaving her for Aurora - no, I had to make sure I said Aria - was going to be hideous. ‘Do you have to say Aria?’ said Sterling. ‘I’m pretty sure Selene knows who she is. She keeps nearly saying Aurora when she’s meant to say Aria.’I cracked my knuckles. I wasn’t a coward; I wouldn’t hesitate out here a second longer. ‘Let’s go and find out.’I thought of my Aurora as I went inside. I was doing this for her, and for our son. I wouldn’t make Sammy grow up in a broken home. No more broken than it already had been…A tiny prickle of anger ran down my spine. I let it warm me.I held the ima
The Alpha's Rejected Mate is the True Heiress 078 | Emergency Call
Ethan’s POVI couldn’t stop staring at Sammy. I’d been pummelled by revelations today - Aurora was alive, and here, and she was willing to forgive me - and, perhaps even more incredible than that…I had a son. We had a son.The woman I had pined for was here, her warm body pressed to mine, our son slumped against us, asleep, and I couldn’t believe it. My life had been turned upside down. That didn’t mean I wasn’t angry. Damn it, I was furious. She’d kept my boy from me. ‘You can’t blame her for that,’ sighed Sterling. ‘I know. Don’t make me remember,’ I replied, but it was too late. My mind was spinning down the one path I wanted to always avoid.I’d been swayed by idiocy and left my mate out in the cold. The fact she’d lost our other baby because of me…I wasn’t the same man I’d been then. I couldn’t believe I’d treated her like that.But I had.I’d pushed her to make those crazy choices. She’d gone to extremes to keep herself, and our child, safe from me. It made my throat fill
The Alpha's Rejected Mate is the True Heiress 077 | I Am Both
Aurora’s POVThe words lingered in the air between us. I could’ve reached out and plucked them with my fingertips. They were a palpable thing - a curse I wished I could recall.Then Ethan let out a single, sharp breath.My chest squeezed as I watched the emotions racing across his handsome, chiselled face. His jaw tensed, then relaxed, then tensed again.I waited on tenterhooks for him to speak.“I knew it,” he said eventually, the words rough around the edges. “Not for sure, but… I felt a connection to him. And, damn it, Aurora, he looks just like me.” His brow creased; he refused to meet my eyes. “I wondered why I wanted to be close to him. Separate from wanting to be close to you, I mean. I-“ He cut himself off and dragged a shaking hand through his dark hair. I had so much to say, but I held my tongue. He needed to process this. He finally looked at me. “You kept my son from me.” It wasn’t an accusation. It was simply a fact. A cruel, horrible, awful fact.“I had no choice. I wo
The Alpha's Rejected Mate is the True Heiress 076 | Fatherhood
Aurora’s POV Ethan spent the night. Not in the way I’d anticipated or even hoped - and yet it was infinitely better. I longed to share a bed with him, skin on skin, a melding of bodies and minds as we kissed and talked and made love… But instead he was here, taking care of us. I had a front row seat to watch my son’s relationship with his father bloom. Before everything had happened, I’d dreamt about bringing up a child with Ethan. Then I’d feared him ever finding out the truth. Now, telling him the truth felt like the most natural thing in the world. How he hadn’t seen it for himself I didn’t know. They looked so alike, sat together on the sofa, heads bowed as they spoke. Ethan ruffled Sammy’s hair; my heart squeezed painfully. ‘It’s only a matter of time until he works it out,’ Violet said. ‘He knows who you are now, and he knows how old Sammy is. It wouldn’t take a genius to put two and two together.’ I bit my lip. ‘I hadn’t thought of that. I’ve had so much else to think
The Alpha's Rejected Mate is the True Heiress 075 | Who Took Him?
Aurora’s POV I glanced back at Ethan. He nodded, his jaw set. He stepped closer to me, a silent promise that he - quite literally - had my back, no matter what I opened the door to reveal. I opened it. Sammy lay crumpled on the floor. I dropped to my knees with a cry. “Sammy, sweetheart, look at me,” I pleaded with him. He mumbled something incoherent. I scooped him into my arms; Ethan held the door open for me so I could bring him inside. His eyelids flickered as I laid him down on the sofa. “Sammy?” I whispered, pushing a lock of dark hair off his forehead. He looked so pale, but I could see the steady rise and fall of his chest and hear the soft intake of his breaths. “Shit,” Ethan cursed, running both hands through his hair. He looked between me and the still-open door. “They only just knocked. Whoever took him has to still be close, Aur. I can go after them, or I can stay here with you and Sammy.” I cradled Sammy’s icy cheek. I wanted him to stay, to comfort
The Alpha's Rejected Mate is the True Heiress 074 | Sammy is Missing
Aurora’s POVWith shaking fingers I clicked on the light. The cold white flash burnt my retinas. “Sammy?” I called out softly, still hoping he was in the bed, still hoping he was where he was meant to be. I took a step closer.The duvet had been pulled back. A book had been left abruptly, as if dropped, face-down with its spine groaning. Sammy would never leave a book like that.My gut churned.“Sammy!” I cried, panic flaring in my voice.I tore around the room, flinging back the curtains and opening the wardrobe. There were no thoughts in my head, nothing concrete or sensible that would help me find him. There was just terror, raw and biting.Ethan was drawn into the room by my shout. “Is everything okay?”“Sammy’s gone.” I spun around to face him. My bottom lip wobbled. “He’s not in here.”Ethan nodded, reaching out a hand to comfort me even as his expression hardened. I knew that look; that was the Alpha in him stepping forward, the part of him designed to deal with any crisis. H
