Rejected By My Ex, Claimed By The Alpha King

KAIA DAWSON POV:

I slid into the driver's seat of my beat-up sedan and slammed the door, cutting off the sounds of the mansion behind me.

The silence in the car was a physical presence. I rested my forehead against the steering wheel, my heart hammering against my ribs. The calm I'd shown them was a mask, and now that I was alone, the sharp edges of betrayal began to press in.

My phone buzzed on the passenger seat. The screen lit up with Rhys's name. I stabbed the silence button and tossed it aside.

I didn't start the car. Instead, I reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a small, worn velvet box. The edges were frayed, the color faded.

Inside, nestled on the stained lining, was a tiny, silver baby bootie charm. An almost invisible letter 'A' was engraved on its sole.

It was the only thing I had left of him.

Five years ago, in a haze of pain and confusion during my first Heat, I'd given birth to a son.He suddenly disappeared before I even had time to hug him.

My family and boyfriend have all been expressing their deep sadness and grief. But in fact, no one calls the police, no one tracks them down, and no one stays up all night. Only I have lived alone in the pain of losing my child for five years.

Maybe the root of the problem is that this child is not mine and Rhys's.

That was an unplanned encounter with a stranger, resulting from my oestrus.

So my family never really accepted this child. They don't care about him, even regard him as a shame, and think it is evidence of my disorderly life.

It was also from that time that Rhys' feelings for me became weaker and colder. It was not until later that I happened to find that he and Janine had already come together behind my back.

This charm was all I managed to keep. The memory was a constant, dull ache in my chest.

The Hicks family had dangled the search for him over my head for years. Barton had promised to help, but his efforts were always half-hearted, his updates vague.

I clenched my fist around the small, cold charm. The last of my weakness burned away. I needed money, and I needed the truth. This marriage was my only leverage.

The next day, I walked back into the Hicks mansion. Barton, Sharon, and Janine were waiting in the living room. Rhys was nowhere in sight. I didn't waste time on greetings. I walked to the coffee table and placed a document I'd drafted myself on its glass surface.

Barton picked it up. The color drained from his face as he read. Sharon shrieked, "Is that your condition? Fifty million dollars? Are you insane?"

I looked at her, my expression unmoving. "That's the 'dowry' the Argent Pack is giving this family to save your company. I want half. It's fair compensation for taking Janine's place."

Janine stared at me, her eyes burning with jealousy. "Sister, how can you be so greedy? We're family!"

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. "Family? You didn't seem to think we were family when you were pushing me onto the sacrificial altar."

Barton put the papers down, his gaze dark. "The money is negotiable, but fifty million is too much."

"Then there's nothing to negotiate." I reached to take the agreement back.

"Wait!" Barton's voice was sharp. He knew he had no other cards to play. "What else do you want?"

My heart leaped into my throat. This was the real price. "I want to know where my son is. You promised me five years ago, Barton."

And he sighed, putting on a somber expression. "Kaia, I didn't want to tell you.Over the years, I've been saying that the child has gone missing, and that I've been sending people to look for him. But that's all just lies. He was simply too weak at birth and couldn't survive."

He looked at me, his voice softened: "I kept this from you because you weren't strong enough at the time. I needed to give you a reason to live, a reason to keep going. If it weren't for you forcing me today, I would have taken this secret to my grave."

He spoke as if he were bearing my pain, as if a father were making the most difficult sacrifice.

The words, even though I'd expected a lie, felt like a physical blow. An invisible hand squeezed my heart, and for a moment, I couldn't breathe. I stared at him, searching for a crack in his performance, but he was a master of deceit.

But the immense pain didn't break me. It forged me. If he was going to give me a dead end, I would take everything else he had to give.

I forced the tears back, my voice as cold as ice. "In that case, the fifty million dollars is non-negotiable. It's what I'm owed. For my 'dead' child, and for the life I'm about to throw away."

Barton’s jaw tightened, but before he could argue, I kept going.

"And before you try to bargain with me, you should know something. I did my homework after I ever agreed to this marriage. I needed to know what kind of family I was walking into—and what kind of family I was being used to save. So I looked into the Sinclair family."

I let the silence stretch.

"The Sinclair due diligence team already has a file on Hicks Industries. The second ledger. The offshore accounts. The bribes. The silver shipments hidden in your medical contracts. They haven't taken action yet, as they still hoped the marriage would go through. If I were to marry Blackston, I would gain access to the inner circle of this family. And without money, it wouldn't be possible to truly navigate the Sinclair family."

My words left them with no way out. Even Sharon and Janine had nothing to say, because there was nothing they could do.

After a long, tense silence, Barton finally nodded, his jaw tight. "Fine. I agree. But you have to meet with the Sinclair's lawyer immediately and sign the papers."

I had won. I had used their desperation to secure my price, even if it came with a dose of heartbreak.

I pulled my gaze away from their ugly, triumphant faces. "Have the lawyer contact me."

I walked out of the Hicks mansion for the second time. The sun was bright, but I felt like I was stepping out of a dark prison. I knew Barton was lying. One day, I would find my son.

I drove to my small, rented apartment and began to pack the few belongings that were truly mine. Everything here was simple, but it was mine.

I put the silver bootie charm on a chain around my neck, tucking it under my shirt. It rested against my skin, a cold, constant reminder of my purpose.

My phone rang. A number I didn't recognize. I answered.

A crisp, professional voice on the other end introduced himself as Mr. Hayes, the Sinclair Pack's lawyer.