The Heir He Denied

The weeks bled into one another.

My life became a blur of grease and steam and exhaustion. I woke up at five in the morning. I vomited in the bathroom of Zoe's apartment. I drank the ginger tea Liam forced on me. I walked to the diner. I scrubbed plates until my hands were raw. I walked home. I slept.

It was a grueling routine. It was the hardest I had ever worked in my life. And I had been a servant for years.

But I loved it.

I loved it because nobody here cared about my bloodline. Nobody cared that I could not shift into a wolf. To Sal I was just the girl who kept his dishes clean. To the customers I was just a shadow in the kitchen doorway.

I was free.

"Order up!" Sal yelled. He slapped a plate of pancakes onto the metal counter. "Aria quit daydreaming and run these to table four. Zoe is busy with the coffee machine."

"On it," I said.

I wiped my hands on my apron and grabbed the plate. The smell of the maple syrup made my stomach turn slightly but I was getting better at hiding it.

I was ten weeks pregnant now.

I had no baby bump yet. I was still too thin from years of malnutrition. But I could feel the changes. My sense of smell was sharper. My emotions were like a live wire. And I was constantly hungry.

I walked out into the dining area. It was Saturday morning and the place was packed. The air was loud with the clatter of silverware and the hum of conversation.

I set the pancakes down in front of a trucker who winked at me. I offered a polite smile and turned to leave.

That was when I saw it.

There was a small television mounted in the corner of the diner above the pie display case. It was usually tuned to the local sports channel or the weather report.

Today it was on the national news.

The bold red banner across the bottom of the screen caught my eye.

BREAKING NEWS: BLACKWOOD TECH MERGER & ROYAL ENGAGEMENT.

My blood froze in my veins. The world around me seemed to stop. The noise of the diner faded into a buzzing silence.

I stared at the screen.

There he was.

Damon stood at a podium. He was surrounded by flashing cameras and microphones. He looked devastatingly handsome. He wore a charcoal grey suit that fit his broad shoulders perfectly. His hair was styled back. He looked powerful. He looked like the King he was born to be.

But his eyes were cold.

"We are entering a new era," Damon said into the microphones. His voice played tinny and small through the diner speakers but it still sent a shiver down my spine. "Blackwood Tech is acquiring Silva Corp to expand our reach into the global market. And to ensure stability for our shareholders I am pleased to announce my personal union."

He stepped aside.

Tiffany stepped into the frame.

She looked perfect. She wore a white designer dress that hugged her curves. Her blonde hair was arranged in intricate waves. She linked her arm through Damon's and beamed at the cameras.

She held up her left hand. A diamond the size of a grape glittered under the lights.

"I am thrilled to stand beside Alpha Damon," Tiffany purred. "We will lead the Blood Moon Pack into a golden age."

The camera zoomed in on Damon. He did not smile. He looked like a statue carved from ice.

"The wedding will take place in six months," Damon stated. "Thank you."

The image cut back to the news anchor.

I stood frozen in the middle of the diner aisle. The tray in my hand trembled.

He had done it.

He had actually done it.

It had been less than three months since he rejected me. He had moved on. He had replaced me with the very woman who had tormented me for years. He was going to marry her. He was going to make her his Luna.

A sharp pain sliced through my chest. It was not the mate bond this time. It was pure heartbreak.

Part of me had stupidly hoped. I had hoped that maybe he would realize his mistake. I had hoped he would wake up one morning and miss the scent of vanilla and rain.

But he did not miss me. He was building an empire.

"Aria?"

Zoe's voice broke through my trance. She was standing next to me. She followed my gaze to the TV screen.

Her eyes narrowed. She saw the headline. She saw the man in the suit.

She looked back at me. She saw the tears swimming in my eyes that I refused to let fall.

"Is that him?" she whispered. Her voice was low and dangerous.

I could not speak. I just nodded once.

Zoe's grip on her coffee pot tightened until her knuckles turned white.

"That absolute trash," she hissed. "Look at him. He looks like a plastic ken doll."

"He is the Alpha," I whispered. "He is powerful."

"He is a fool," Zoe corrected. "He traded a diamond for a piece of glass."

She stepped in front of me to block my view of the screen.

"Go to the back," she ordered gently. "I will cover your tables. Go splash water on your face."

I fled.

I ran back into the safety of the kitchen. I leaned against the cool metal of the refrigerator and slid down to the floor. I pulled my knees to my chest.

He was getting married.

He was going to have other children. Legitimate heirs. Children who would be celebrated and loved. Children who would inherit his company and his pack.

My hand drifted to my stomach.

"I am sorry," I whispered to the tiny life inside me. "I am so sorry you are a secret."

The back door opened. Liam walked in. He was wearing his blue scrubs and carrying his backpack. He stopped when he saw me on the floor.

He did not ask what was wrong. He must have seen the news or talked to Zoe.

He walked over and sat down next to me on the dirty kitchen floor. He did not care about the grease.

"He does not deserve you," Liam said quietly.

"He is marrying her," I choked out. "He is happy."

"He did not look happy," Liam said. He adjusted his glasses. "I study psychology as part of my nursing rotation. I saw his body language Aria. His jaw was clenched. His hands were in fists. That is not a happy man. That is a man doing a duty."

"It does not matter," I said. "He made his choice."

"Yes," Liam agreed. "He did. And now you have to make yours."

He reached into his backpack and pulled out a bottle of prenatal vitamins and a protein bar.

"You have a daughter to think about," Liam said.

I looked at him. "A daughter? How do you know?"

Liam smiled. It was a gentle smile. "Call it a nurse's intuition. Or maybe I just know that the universe owes you a strong female warrior after everything you have been through."

He opened the water bottle he had brought and handed it to me.

"Drink," he commanded. "Cry for five more minutes. Then get up. You are not a victim anymore Aria. You are a mother."

The word settled over me like a shield.

Mother.

I took a sip of the water. The cold liquid shocked my system. I took a deep breath.

Liam was right. Damon had made his choice. He chose money. He chose status. He chose the easy path.

I looked at the vitamins in Liam's hand. I looked at the kitchen door where Zoe was fighting for me.

I had chosen the hard path.

I wiped my tears with the back of my hand. I stood up. My legs were shaky but they held me.

"I am okay," I said.

Liam stood up too. He patted my shoulder. "You are more than okay. You are a survivor."

I smoothed down my apron. I checked my reflection in the stainless steel fridge. My eyes were red but my jaw was set.

I was done crying over Damon Blackwood.

He wanted a perfect Luna? Fine. Let him have Tiffany. Let them be miserable in their castle of glass.

I was going to build something real.

"Liam?" I asked as he turned to leave.

"Yeah?"

"If it is a girl," I said softly. "I want to name her Nova."

Liam smiled. "Nova. Like an exploding star. Bright and powerful."

"Exactly," I said.

"I love it," he said. "Now get back to work before Sal has a heart attack."

I walked back out onto the floor. I ignored the TV screen. I ignored the murmurs of the customers talking about the royal wedding.

I picked up a fresh pot of coffee.

I had tables to serve. I had money to make.

I had a daughter to raise.

And one day when she was old enough and strong enough we would make the world tremble.