The Mate He Didn’t Deserve Chapter 04

The Mate He Didn’t Deserve Chapter 04

On the day I was discharged, Caleb showed up to pick me up—unusually so.

He arrived with flowers and gifts, fully prepared.

“Happy anniversary.”

I wasn’t surprised he remembered it was our fourth year since mating.

After all, this day held special meaning for him and Nadia too.

I finally understood why he’d always insisted on including Nadia in our anniversary celebrations.

I took the items from him calmly, no yelling, no scene.

We were as peaceful and harmonious as we’d ever been.

Except everyone now called him Alpha.

The ring on his finger had been swapped for a matching band with Nadia’s.

He’d cut his hair short, fully transforming himself into Finn.

Caleb opened the passenger door for me.

I slid into the back seat instead.

He froze for a second, his voice soft. “Sit up front.”

It was as if the man who’d admitted his betrayal mid-surgery had never existed.

“I’m used to the back,” I said flatly. “Drive.”

Whenever the three of us went out before, I always let Nadia sit upfront because she got carsick.

I naturally took the back.

I was quiet, always listening to them chat and laugh up front.

Once I’d fallen asleep by accident, and they’d completely forgotten I was there—locking me inside the car when they got out.

Afterward, Nadia had explained that Caleb had asked her to help pick out flowers for a surprise.

She’d even teased me to cherish him, saying what a good man he was.

But I’d recognized that bouquet. It was one I’d bought and left at her place while she was traveling.

The car jolted to a stop, snapping me out of my memories.

Caleb didn’t move. He stared at me through the rearview mirror.

“Today is my mating ceremony with her.”

I lifted my head. We were outside a banquet hall.

“She says you’re her only friend,” he went on. “She wants you to be her maid of honor.”

“Your dress is in the bag. Go change.”

Now I understood why he’d come to pick me up in person.

It came with a price.

I curled my lip.

“You two make me sick.”

I made to step out of the car, but before my foot even touched the ground, I was dragged into a room.

Several black-clad bodyguards stripped me roughly and forced the dress onto me.

Caleb sauntered in after them, unhurried.

“Aurora, Nadia cried all night worrying you wouldn’t agree to be her maid of honor.”

I struggled through gritted teeth. “You feel sorry for her?”

“Dragging me here to watch you two commit incest as uncle and sister-in-law?”

In an instant, Caleb squeezed my jaw hard. “Aurora Lewis, my patience is thin.”

“If you keep acting up, I won’t hesitate to cut Blackthorn Pack’s ties with your family.”

“You know full well your family’s company hasn’t been doing well these past few years.”

My eyes widened. I stopped struggling.

He smiled in satisfaction.

When Nadia saw me, her eyes reddened at once. She rushed over and took my hands.

“Aurora, I’m so happy you came.”

I turned my face away coldly.

Caleb slipped an arm around Nadia, gentle. “The ceremony is about to start.”

The two walked onto the stage like a real couple, accepting everyone’s blessings.

Just then, my phone rang.

The second I looked down to answer it, a white-haired woman grabbed me by the hair.

“You jinx! My eldest son finally comes back, and you drive my youngest away!”

She shrieked, “Someone hold her down! Bring my whip!”

“I’ll teach you the rules of Blackthorn Pack in front of everyone today!”

“You can’t give me a grandson, and you drive my son away. I’ll beat this useless bitch to death!”

Everyone backed away. No one dared stop Mrs. Cater.

They all knew she was unstable, and feared offending the Blackthorn Pack.

When the first lash landed on my back, I instinctively looked at Caleb.

He only pressed his lips together, kept his arm around Nadia, and watched coldly.

In that moment, the last shred of hope I’d held for him died completely.

I struggled desperately, but bodyguards pinned me to the floor.

No one dared plead for me.

In the huge banquet hall, all that could be heard was the crack of the whip and my weakening breaths.

After what felt like an eternity, my back was torn open and bloody.

The white tulle dress stained red, the air thick with the smell of blood.

Someone finally murmured, “You can’t beat her anymore. She’ll die.”

I stared daggers at the two on stage.

Caleb met my gaze, frowned, and shifted his feet slightly.

But Nadia took his hand right then.

She picked up a microphone and announced to everyone, “Mom, there’s more good news. You’re going to have another grandson.”

Mrs. Cater froze, then exclaimed in excitement, “Really?”

Nadia looked at Caleb with affectionate shyness. “Yes, one month along. The night Alpha came back, we—”

Mrs. Cater cheered repeatedly.

At that exact moment, the banquet hall doors burst open.

A tall man in a cap stepped inside, scoffing, “Is that so? I didn’t know I was having another child.”

When he removed his cap and revealed his face, everyone gasped in shock.

Caleb’s face drained of color. He barely managed to choke out, “Finn?”