My Mate Rejected Me, Now His Uncle Is My Alpha

My mate keeps me in bed until dawn, then shoves me onto the floor. "You're boring. You know that?" I stare up at him, stunned. Three years ago, Mason spent half his fortune to take me home and make me his mate. Since then, I've spent night after night soothing his restless anger with my body, often until sunrise. I gave him twins. He used to pull me against him and bare his teeth at any male who looked my way. Everyone knew better than to touch Mason Blackwood's mate. Now he looks at me with nothing but contempt. "You are merely a womb to bear my children. What else do you have to offer besides sex?" "Vivian actually knows how to make me happy." My chest aches. I feel cold all over. "Mason, we have a family. The children need us. You need me—" His face twists, and he knocks me back as I try to stand. "Having my pups doesn't mean you own me." He looks away. "I won't throw you out. You did give me children. But you're moving into Ronan's guesthouse today." Ronan. His father's younger half brother. Even now, Mason thinks he gets to decide where I belong. Later, in the main hall, Alpha Edmund sits at the head of the room, looking from Mason to me before letting out a heavy sigh. "Are you certain? Once this bond is broken, you can't simply take it back." "I'm certain." Mason's voice softens as he looks at Vivian. "She's the one I've always loved. Ella was..." His eyes pass over me as if I'm something he's finished using. "A bet. That's all." My heart clenches. A bet. My adoptive parents put me up for sale at an underground auction. I still remember the way the men below the stage stared at me. Mason outbid every one of them, spending half his fortune before carrying me out in front of the stunned crowd. I thought he wanted me. Later, when he asked me to be his mate, I believed him. It was a bet. I bite my lip until I taste blood. "Then say it," Edmund tells him. Mason faces me. "Ella, I reject you as my mate." I force the words past my lips. "I accept your rejection." Pain tears through the mark at my shoulder. My knees buckle, and I sink onto the carpet, fighting for breath as the bond between us breaks. Mason reaches for Vivian's hand while I press mine over the fading mark. I don't make a sound. "Vivian is my chosen mate now," Mason says. Edmund sighs. "You'll stay in Ronan's guesthouse. He's away, but the house is available." I push myself off the carpet and gather my twins into my arms. They're both in wolf form, their warm little bodies trembling against me. I turn toward the door. "Wait." I stop without looking back. "No one's been staying out there. It's in bad shape." Mason hesitates. "You could stay here tonight. Leave tomorrow." Before I can answer, Vivian's eyes fill with tears. "You can't let her go, can you? You still want her in your bed." "I should've known. You're just like every other man. All you want is a breeding machine." She pulls away from him. "Let go of me. I'm leaving." Mason grabs her hand, suddenly frantic. "Vivian, you're the only one I love. How can you doubt that?" He glances at me. "She's good in bed, and she can give me pups. Keeping her around doesn't mean anything." "If she stays, I leave." Vivian wrenches her hand free. "All I've ever asked is for you to love me. Is that too much?" His face crumples at her tears. When he turns back to me, whatever hesitation he had is gone. "Go. But the pups are mine. They stay." Vivian stops crying. She walks toward me, looking down at the twins. "So these are the pups everyone's making such a fuss over." She reaches into my arms. Her fingers pinch my son's skin beneath his fur. He lets out a sharp yelp and snaps at her hand, catching her finger with his tiny teeth. Vivian screams. A bead of blood wells up on her skin. Mason hits me before I can move. The blow sends me crashing into the doorframe. Both pups slip out of my arms and hit the floor, tumbling together with thin, frightened whimpers. I crawl toward them. Mason kicks my shoulder, then pins me down. His eyes are bloodshot. "You bitch. No wonder your pups are vicious little brats. How dare they bite her?" He looks down at the twins. "If you can't raise them properly, Vivian will." He picks them up one at a time and hands them to her. She covers her mouth, hiding a smile. I lie on the floor and watch my babies kick their little legs in the air. Three days ago, Mason held my hand and promised he'd never let anyone hurt me. He said forever. Forever lasted three days.

Vivian carries the twins toward the bedroom by their scruffs. Her nails dig into their skin, and their little bodies shake. I move after her, but Mason blocks me with his arm. "They're pups, Ella. They need to toughen up. Stop making a scene." I can only follow as Vivian kicks open the bedroom door. Her eyes land on the unmade bed, and her face hardens. "What is this? Are you trying to show me how good you are in bed?" Mason turns on me. "Change the sheets." While I strip the bed, Vivian sets the twins on the floor and settles against the headboard. "I know your type, Ella. I've met plenty of women who think getting a man into bed makes them special. Still, I'll give you credit. You certainly kept Mason busy." She tilts her head, smiling. "You should teach a class. Show the other she-wolves how to keep a man satisfied. You'd make a fortune." Mason lets her talk. He doesn't defend me. Doesn't tell her to stop. He doesn't even look back. My chest hurts so badly I can barely breathe, let alone speak. Then Vivian notices the wedding ring on the nightstand. Mason made it himself. When he gave it to me, he said he wanted every male who saw me to know I was taken. I remember him slipping it onto my finger, his arm tight around my waist as he kissed my ear. "You're mine, Ella. For the rest of our lives." Vivian picks up the ring. "Why is this still here?" Mason looks at it, and for a second his expression changes. Then it's gone. He takes the ring from her and closes his fist around it. The setting snaps. He tosses the broken ring and loose stones into the fireplace. "I'll get rid of the trash. You shouldn't have to look at it." He bends to soothe her, his voice unbearably gentle. I stare at what's left of my ring among the burning logs. I'm suddenly so cold. Something he once gave me as a promise is trash now. Once Vivian is smiling again, Mason glances at me. He seems to be waiting for tears. For me to beg him to take it back. I keep folding the blanket. "She-wolves are territorial. She didn't mean anything by it." I nod without answering. He watches me for another moment, frowning. Maybe I'm not crying enough for him. Under his stare, I finish gathering my things and carry the keepsakes I no longer want to the trash can. He follows and catches my wrist. "You're throwing those away?" I ease my hand out of his grip. "There's no reason to keep things that don't matter." Vivian's gaze drops to my throat. "Oh, you're still wearing that?" She points at my pendant. "Saving it for when you sneak back into his bed?" Mason carved it from a fang he'd shed when he reached adulthood. He told me he wanted me wearing something of his wherever I went. Vivian reaches for the pendant, and I step back before she can grab it. Her smile vanishes. The twins have been huddled in the corner. When she reaches for me again, they scramble toward us, little teeth bared. They catch her skirt and pull. Mason snatches them up. "Let go!" They struggle, refusing to release the fabric. He hesitates for a fraction of a second. Then Vivian cries out, and he throws them down. They land near the steps outside the bedroom. My son lets out a broken little sound and starts dragging himself toward me. Mason stares at his own hand. His mouth opens, but nothing comes out. At last, he turns away. "Control your pups. Keep them away from Vivian." I scoop them into my arms. "Come on, babies. We're leaving." The moment I step through the front door, Mason's voice rises behind me. "Ella! Don't you dare leave!"

Mason goes still, as if he can't believe he just said it. Vivian's eyes fill immediately. "You still want her. You want her and those pups, don't you?" She presses a hand to her chest. "After you left me, I scrubbed toilets to survive. I worked outside in the freezing cold. Later, the doctors told me I'd never have children." "Is that why? Because I can't give you pups?" Mason turns to catch her arm. "Don't say that. You know it doesn't matter to me." "Then why won't you let her leave?" Tears spill down Vivian's face. "Look at those beautiful pups. I could've had that, too, if things had been different." Her voice breaks. "Just let me go, Mason. I should never have come back." He looks stricken. Then he turns to me, his expression hardening. "Get out." I hold the twins tighter and walk into the cold without looking back. Ronan's guesthouse stands at the far edge of the Blackwood grounds. It's in worse shape than I expected. It takes me a while to clear a place where we can sleep. The twins keep nudging my hands, hungry. "Mommy's going to get you something to eat." At the convenience store, I find I can't afford even one proper meal for the three of us. I ask the owner if I can pay for the rest later. The man behind the counter looks me up and down. "There are other ways to pay. Be nice to me, and I'll make sure you and your pups don't go hungry." He reaches for me. I step aside, yank the pendant from my neck, and press its point against his throat. "Touch me, and I'll make sure you never touch anyone again." He stops smiling. Then he backs off, muttering under his breath. I pay for the little milk and bread I can afford and hurry back. After feeding the twins, I knot the pendant's broken cord around my neck and curl up in the corner of the bed. I've barely closed my eyes when the door flies open. Mason storms in, reeking of alcohol. He crosses the room and slams me against the cold wall. "That desperate already, Ella?" "You've barely left my bed, and you're out looking for another male?" "I wasn't—" "Vivian saw you. Are you calling her a liar?" His breath burns against my neck. "If you need it that badly, you could've asked." He forces his mouth against mine. I twist away, fighting him, dragging my nails down his neck hard enough to draw blood. The noise wakes the twins. They blink at us from the bed, still sleepy. Then they hear me crying. Both scramble down and sink their teeth into Mason's pants, pulling with all their strength. "Get off!" He grabs my son by the throat and pins him to the mattress. "Let go, you little bastard!" My baby's legs kick wildly. His eyes start to lose focus. "No!" I tear the pendant from my neck and drive its point toward Mason's back. He twists aside and throws up a hand. The sharp fang cuts across it. Blood drips onto my son's white fur. Mason freezes. He looks down at the tiny body trapped beneath his hand, and the anger drains from his face. The room falls silent. Finally, he lets go. "Keep them under control." He turns and walks out into the cold. I slip the pendant into my pocket, gather both pups against me, and sit on the bed, watching the door. My son is breathing, but I can't stop checking. Every sound makes me flinch. Every gust through the broken seal around the door makes me hold them tighter. I stay awake all night. By dawn, I can't keep my eyes open anymore. They close for a second. Then the door crashes inward.