My Mate Claimed Her Bastard and Sacrificed Our Son

My mate, Caleb, chose his pregnant childhood sweetheart over me.

“Lyra, my loyalty has always been to you! Can’t you make a small sacrifice for me and Sloane?”

He demanded I sacrifice our unborn child’s honor to save his childhood sweetheart’s bastard.

That “small sacrifice” cost me my baby.

While he was away playing the devoted father to her child, his family’s cruelty left me broken and bleeding.

When he returned, the truth finally exploded from his lips.

“Tell them, Sloane. Tell everyone that your child is the bastard, not Lyra’s.”

But his regret meant nothing.

“The baby is dead. Everything between us is over.”

And Caleb, the man who asked for my sacrifice, is the one on his knees, begging.

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1

I was at the Stonecrest Infirmary for my pregnancy checkup when I saw him—my mate, Caleb, with his childhood sweetheart, Sloane.

“Caleb, feel it, our baby is moving,” Sloane said, her voice bright with excitement.

Caleb pressed his ear to Sloane’s belly, a gentle smile on his face. When he looked up, his amber eyes met my violet ones.

“Lyra?!” He was shocked. He immediately crossed the room and seized my arm.

“Caleb, let go of me.” My voice trembled, on the verge of shattering.

“Lyra, let me explain! Sloane’s baby isn’t mine.”

Tears streamed down my face, refusing to be controlled.

“Lyra, please don’t cry. Believe me, I’m loyal to you.”

“Her baby isn’t mine!”

He tried to pull me into his arms, but Sloane interrupted, approaching him with a pitiful look.

“Caleb, you promised to keep our secret, you promised to be this child’s father. How could you tell her?”

Caleb wiped my tears away and then turned to Sloane.

“Lyra is my mate; she has the right to know the truth!”

“In that case, we should tell Lyra the whole truth. Let her know that for the sake of our reputation, the baby in her womb must be considered illegitimate for now!” Sloane said with a smug smile.

“What?!” Confusion and rage instantly burned away my sadness.

“What does she mean by that?” I demanded of Caleb.

“I’m sorry, Lyra…” Caleb stammered.

“Sloane doesn’t have a mate yet. If the Regional Alpha Council discovers she’s pregnant out of wedlock, they’ll exile her from the Stonecrest Pack! I have to help her!”

“Then what about our child!” I screamed. “Are you going to abandon our baby to be a father to hers?”

“Calm down and listen to me, Lyra!” Caleb hugged me tightly. “I’m the Alpha Heir of the Stonecrest Pack. If the council finds out I cheated and got two women pregnant, they could strip me of my inheritance.”

“So, you’ll sacrifice my honor and tell everyone my child is illegitimate?” I struggled to break free from his embrace.

“Lyra, my loyalty has always been to you! Can’t you make a small sacrifice for me and Sloane? I promise, once I become Alpha, I’ll mark you and make you my Luna! Our child won’t be illegitimate forever.”

I shook my head and smiled bitterly.

If you truly loved someone, how could you desecrate her reputation?

Yes, Caleb had broken things off with Sloane when he discovered I was his mate.

But even after two years together, he still hadn’t marked me.

I should have known then that he had always loved Sloane.

Our argument drew a crowd of onlookers.

“I’ll take you home,” Caleb said, putting his arm around my shoulder as he led me out.

Sloane followed, boldly sliding into the front passenger seat.

I noticed a soft, black bear fur throw draped over the back of her seat.

“Caleb prepared this for me, so I wouldn’t be uncomfortable in the car,” Sloane boasted.

“Stop talking nonsense!” Caleb glared at Sloane.

“Don’t scold me, our baby might get scared!” Sloane pouted.

Caleb actually fell for Sloane’s pathetic act. He nervously touched her stomach and softened his tone.

“It’s only a three-month-old fetus, Sloane, how could it be scared?”

I silently watched them and gently closed the car door.

On the way, Caleb kept trying to explain.

“Lyra, Sloane’s father is my father’s Beta, and he’s incredibly strict with her. If I don’t claim this baby, her father will force her to have an abortion! Sloane wants to keep this baby; we have to help her!”

“Then she should get the abortion! Why should my mate be the father of her child?” I said sarcastically, my gaze fixed out the window.

“You…” Sloane cried out in frustration.

Caleb hurried to comfort her. “No, Sloane. Don’t be sad. I promised I would protect you and the baby, and I will.”

He then looked at me in the rearview mirror, his voice sharp with reproach.

“Lyra, how can you be so cruel? I hurt Sloane for you two years ago. I can’t abandon her again.”