The Mad Alpha's Substitute Bride-Chapter 40: Another Man’s Mark

(CORRINE)

The way he looks at me makes me want to weep. It’s as if I’ve broken his heart. As if I said something so utterly cruel that he can’t wrap his head around it.

"Tell me how to prove it to you," he finally says. "Whatever it is you want—"

I shake my head. "I just want you to leave us alone. I want you to leave me and my son alone. I want nothing to do with you or the North. Finn and I live among humans now. My son will never have to suffer for having my blood running through his veins. He will never have to worry for his life because his father and his father’s people think he’s not good enough." Each word is another slash on my already battered heart. "You have the real princess now, your pureblooded woman, Locke. Go to her. Go to your queen. She’s waiting for you. Have a child with her. Make that child your heir."

"If you think I’m going to walk away from you or my son—" Locke begins.

I give him a hard look. "I accepted Erik’s proposal, Locke. I’m going to become his mate. My son will be his heir. I will protect my child from you and the people around you at any cost to myself." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"Erik’s mate?" He gives me a dazed look. "How can you be with another man when you have a fated mate? You can’t accept another man’s mating mark!"

"Can’t I?!" I demand fiercely. "What would you have me do? Skip hand-in-hand with you back to the Northern castle where you imprison me and kill my son? Where you let Ravenna exact her twisted revenge on me? You want me to trust you?"

He stares at me, speechless, and I let out a bitter laugh.

"I’m finally free, Locke. I no longer have to let you humiliate me just so that I can survive. I no longer have to live in a world where my only worth came from being a substitute for another person." Hot tears spill onto my cheeks as I grab him by the front of his shirt, my voice breaking. "Nobody calls me worthless here. Nobody treats me as if I have no dignity. I work hard in this world. I’m respected. I have built a life for myself. And most of all, Locke, I’m free. From everyone. I don’t have to lean on you to survive. I don’t have to worry about what I might say to piss you off and make you finally get rid of me. For the first time in my life, I’m free. I’m never going to give this up."

I don’t know why I’m crying. Maybe it’s my wolf. The devastation inside me at knowing what could have been.

"Do you know what it’s like to suffer your whole life and then find your fated mate, only to be told that even they don’t want you? Do you know how small I felt when you said such cruel things to me? I can’t even put it into words. I can’t explain to you what it did to me knowing that I had no value as a person. Erik’s not going to mistreat me. I know his people won’t harm my son.

I want to give Finn everything I never got. Starting with love. I didn’t even know what love was because I never experienced it, but I know the love I have for my son. He will never go without. I’m going to make sure he values himself, that he knows he’s important and cherished, and that the purity of his blood doesn’t matter."

"Corrine—"

I hold up my hand. "Thank you for saving me, Locke, but it doesn’t change anything between us. I want you to go. I want you to leave me and my son alone. Stay away from us."

"Why won’t you believe that I never—"

"I don’t want to believe it!" I snap at him. "I’m not going to give you a chance. I don’t know what you’re trying to do, but I won’t let you succeed. I have my child to protect!"

Locke gets to his feet, and I feel both relief and a flicker of disappointment. "Finn is my heir, Corrine. I have just as much right to him as you do, if not more—"

My head whips up to look him in the eyes. "If you even think about taking him from me, you have no idea the hell I will unleash upon you. You will never take my child away from me. He’s my son, not yours. Finn is going to be Erik’s child and his heir. Erik gave me his word that he will make it happen."

"Gave you his word, did he?" Locke stares at me, his voice hard. "And you trust him so much because...?"

"He doesn’t look at me and see a substitute, Locke."

"Do you love him?"

His question takes me aback. "What if I do?" I demand. "What if I do love him? It’s got nothing to do with you. It has been eight years, Locke. I owe you nothing. You have your princess. Go home to her."

"You love Erik," he says the words out loud as if he needs to hear them. "Why? What does he have that I don’t? I can give you everything. Status, wealth."

"Can you give me back my pride? Can you erase what Bella did to me? Can you go back in time and heal my wounds?" I glare at him.

"Till the very end, I believed in you. I thought that maybe, just maybe, she was lying. But the seal on the letter—Rothan confirmed it. And how could Bella have done everything she did to me if not with your consent? No, you were complicit in it. And even now, you want me to pay for daring to give birth to your child and tainting your bloodline, don’t you? That’s why you’re here. You’re angry I didn’t die the way you wanted me to—"

"That’s enough!" he roars. "Enough! I never did anything—yes, I admit I was a bastard to you in the beginning, but I was changing. You changed me! I cared for you, and if you still can’t see that, then that’s on you!"

"You called me a tool!" I scream at him, agony sweeping through me. "I heard you tell Bella I was nothing but a tool. So, why the hell are you standing here, Locke?! You have the real thing now. Go to Ravenna! Fuck her! Have your children with her!"

"She is not you!"

We stare at each other, our chests heaving.

My body trembles with rage and grief. "I won’t—I won’t let you hurt me again. I have far too much to lose this time around. Just get out of my house."

I don’t know if I expected him to argue with me any further, but he doesn’t. Getting to his feet, he gives me one last look. "Eight years, Corrine. I’m willing to accept my blame in everything that happened, but I’m not going to let another man take you. If Erik so much as looks at you, I don’t care if I have to wage war against the Human Kingdom; I will not hand you over to him. You can fight this all you like, but you’re still my mate. That’s never going to change."

With that, he walks out the door, leaving me trembling behind him.

How dare he make a threat like that?! Who does he think he is?

I hear the front door close, and I struggle to my feet, only to collapse with a pained whimper. My abdomen hurts.

Curling up on the floor, I groan loudly.

There are hurried footsteps, and Maya rushes in, her face white. "What are you doing down there? What did he do to you?!"

"N–Nothing," I gasp out. "Help me up!"

She supports my weight, and when I’m finally sitting on the bed, I ask, "Where is Finn?"

"He’s sleeping again. Your ex didn’t want him to see you like this. Locke kept him occupied for a while till he fell back asleep. That brute has been by your side since then. What did you ever see in a beast like that?"

I ignore her question, trying to think past the pain. "What time is it?"

Mays checks her watch. "Three in the morning. I’ve been napping with Finn. I didn’t want to leave him alone."

You left him alone long enough for Locke to figure out that Finn is his son, I think bitterly. There’s no way I can undo that damage. I don’t think Maya realizes what has occurred.

"What are you even doing here?" I look at her weakly now, all the anger and excitement drained from me.

"It’s a long story." She sighs. "Healer Jerry is on his way, though. I just got a call from him."

As she catches me up on what happened, I’m only half listening. If Locke is serious and decides to wage war against the Human Wolf Kingdom, I don’t think Erik will go to bat for me. What am I going to do? How do I get out of this situation? I could take Finn and run. That’s one option, but now that Locke knows about his son and the fact that I’m alive, I have a feeling he’s not going to give up. He’ll track me down to the ends of the Earth if he has to.

I close my eyes. What have I gotten myself into?