Surprise! My Alpha Mate’s Secret Pups Were Never HIS Chapter 08
(Magnus’s POV)
The rival Packs were having a field day with the gossip—
Nightshade’s Alpha cheated on his Luna. Called her barren. Sneaked around with an Omega. And the pups he’d been raising? Rogues’ blood. All of it.
Aldric and Elara screamed at Magnus at first. Then they got so sick they collapsed. Pack guards carried them to the healer’s den.
By the time the Elders coaxed Magnus out of his den, Nightshade Pack had lost half its territory. Rival Packs had snatched up two hunting grounds. Several allies had pulled their supply contracts.
Magnus didn’t care. He handed Pack affairs to the Elders, threw a bag over his shoulder, and left.
He couldn’t wait any longer. A month had passed. If he didn’t find Sigrid now, he was afraid she’d never look back.
—
(Sigrid’s POV)
A month later, Magnus showed up at Ironfang Pack’s border. Wind whipped sand into his face. His fur was matted and filthy. Tail hanging low. Hollowed-out eyes.
I was sitting in a half-built command tent, helmet on my head, hand on a border map, tracing patrol routes along Ironfang Pack’s northern canyon with a few patrol leaders.
I’d lost weight. But my back was straight.
Magnus stood in the entrance. His voice was clogged, like he had a bone stuck in his throat. Finally, he got it out. “Sigrid… I missed you.”
Tears hit the ground. Splattered on the muddy dirt in front of the tent.
The patrol leaders glanced at me, rolled up their maps, and slipped out.
I looked up at him. Frowned. “What do you want? I’m busy. Not in the mood for catching up.”
Magnus shuffled forward, eyes wet. His voice shook like a pup going through its first shed.
“Kael getting hurt… that was my fault. I shouldn’t have laid a paw on you. I should’ve believed you.”
I let out a small laugh. “Forget it. It’s done.”
Magnus froze. Then his voice cracked. “Sigrid, I was tricked too. I didn’t know Freya was like that. Kael and Iris… they’re not mine. She lied to me.”
He buried his face in his hands. Shoulders heaving.
I leaned back in my chair and watched him. A half-smile on my face.
He thought I’d run to him like I did twenty years ago. Wrap my arms around him. Tell him it wasn’t his fault.
He’s wrong.
Magnus saw I wasn’t moving. He wiped his face fast, grabbed my arm. Voice desperate and soft.
“Sigrid, I know I broke you. But we have time. I’ll make it up to you. You wanted to see the Northern Lights, right? Let’s go. Now.”
“I left the Pack with the Elders. I’ll follow you anywhere. If you want pups, we’ll find a healer. We’ll have our own pups. Okay?”
He nodded after every sentence. Waiting. Hoping.
I looked at him for a long moment. Pulled out my phone and tapped it once. A second later, a small head poked through the tent flap.
Two crooked braids. Half a meat pie in her paws. Round, rosy cheeks.
“Mom!” Elva bounded to my side, shoving the pie at my mouth. “That handsome wolf uncle gave it to me! I saved it for you!”
I took a bite and smiled. Rubbed the fuzz on top of her head.
Magnus’s eyes nearly popped out. “Wha—who is this? You have a pup?”
I snorted. “She’s adopted. Her name’s Elva.”
When I first got to Ironfang Pack, I’d stopped in town with a few of my wolves to restock supplies.
Elva was huddled in an alley. Ragged clothes. Curled into herself, watching us eat. Her eyes were full of fear. Claws scratching at the wall. Stomach growling loud.
I held out two skewers of roasted rabbit and shook them. The little she-pup crept forward, cautious. Snatched them and bolted.
She was back a few minutes later. Same corner. Same hungry eyes locked on whatever we had left.
I had the shop owner make her a bowl of hot bone-broth noodles. When I handed it to her, her paws were shaking. She buried her whole face in the bowl. Drank every drop.
The shopkeeper told me later that Ironfang Pack was poor. A lot of mothers dumped their female pups at the town gate. If they survived to weaning, they were the lucky ones.
So I brought her back to the den. Named her Elva.
That was barely a month ago. Back then, she was all ribs and hollows. Now she had round cheeks. A different pup entirely.
Everyone on the border said Elva got lucky meeting me.
Truth is, it was the other way around. Elva showed up when I had nothing left.
I looked up at Magnus. “I’m doing fine now. I’m done living on anyone else’s terms. Go home.”
Magnus panicked. Grabbed my wrist. Held on.
“No—no more, Sigrid. I swear. I’ll tell the whole Pack the truth. It was me. I was the one who didn’t want pups. Not you. Just come back. We’ll find a healer. We’ll have pups of our own.”
I used to want pups. If he’d said that a year ago—hell, a month ago—I would’ve howled with joy.
But now?
Too late.