His Cleaner Mate Is the Alpha Heiress

I am one of the heirs to the Alpha King. By pack law, all heirs must live in hiding, their lineage a secret, until the succession is decided. The first of us to conceive a pup earns the right to return home and claim the Alpha King's throne. The day I found out I was pregnant, I was over the moon. I couldn't wait to tell my mate, Joey. He wouldn't have to work himself to the bone for that small company of his, or stress about our rent. He could come back with me to my family and inherit a world of wealth. But when I ran home, I found his first love, Valerie, sitting on our sofa in his shirt, looking like she owned the place. Joey’s expression was glacial. He slid the mate bond dissolution papers across the table. "Sign them. I love Valerie." "Besides," he added, "I'm sick of having a lowly cleaner as my mate." Seeing the undisguised disgust in his eyes, I took the papers in silence and signed my name. Fine. I'll take the throne with my child. He was never worthy of me anyway. Chapter 1 The report in my hand confirmed it: "Two Months Pregnant." My heart soared. This meant my trial was over. I could finally tell Joey the truth: his wife wasn't some cleaner scraping by on minimum wage. She was the heir to the Alpha King, the supreme ruler of all North American packs. I pushed open the door to our apartment, beaming. "Joey, I have a surprise—" The words died in my throat. There was a woman on the sofa. Valerie Quinn. Joey’s first love. I’d seen her picture once, tucked away in a hidden album on his phone. She was wearing the white button-down he wore all the time, the hem barely grazing her thighs. Her bare legs were slung possessively over Joey's lap. Joey didn't push her away. He didn't even look flustered. He just picked up a file from the coffee table and tossed it at my feet. "Sign it, Cersei." I looked down. The header was printed in bold letters: MATE BOND DISSOLUTION AGREEMENT. "What is this?" I stared into his eyes, my own wide with disbelief. "Valerie's back," Joey said, his arm wrapping around her waist without a shred of shame. "My company just landed a massive contract. I'm moving up into the big leagues, and I can't have a cleaner dragging me down. You'd be a stain on my reputation." It was absurd. How did he think his company landed those top-tier contracts? If I hadn't secretly pulled strings with my family's connections, who would have ever trusted his little startup, worth only a few million? I opened the agreement. The terms were brutal. Our savings, the car—it all went to Joey. All I got was a paltry twenty-thousand-dollar payout. "And don't you dare complain it's not enough, Cersei," Valerie purred, leaning forward. The collar of her shirt slipped, revealing an angry red mark on her collarbone. "Twenty grand is more than enough for a decent basement in the slums." She admired her fresh manicure and sighed dramatically. "Honestly, I didn't want to take your mate. I know how cruel that is for a low-ranking wolf," Valerie said, her eyes dripping with fake pity. "But Joey just doesn't love you. You can't force feelings." I watched her performance, my face an unreadable mask. My calm seemed to annoy her. She leaned in close, her voice a venomous whisper in my ear. "You know, Joey told me something last night. He said every night with you for the past three years was pure torture. Said he had to close his eyes and picture me just to get through it." My heart clenched painfully. My hand in my pocket tightened around the pregnancy report. The love I thought we'd built through hardship was nothing but a lie. The pure joy I’d felt just moments ago now seemed like a bitter, cruel joke. "I'll sign." If he didn't want me as his mate, then he didn't deserve to know about this child. From now on, this pup was mine and mine alone. Joey blinked, surprised by my quick agreement, and handed me a pen. I bent over the coffee table and swiftly signed my name. The moment the ink was dry, Valerie let out a triumphant laugh. She cupped Joey’s face and, right in front of me, sank her teeth playfully into the side of his neck, leaving a mark. "That's wonderful, darling," she cooed. I emotionlessly capped the pen and tossed the agreement back into Joey's lap. The instant the mate bond shattered, a tearing pain ripped through my soul. I clenched my jaw, swallowing the metallic taste of blood that rose in my throat, and kept my back ramrod straight. Joey, however, looked utterly relieved. He pulled out his phone and opened his contacts. I watched as he deleted the contact saved as "My Mate." In its place, he saved Valerie's number. "Joey, I want some coffee," Valerie said, kicking her legs playfully from her perch on the sofa. "The kind you make by hand. No sugar." "Of course. Just wait here, baby." Joey squeezed her cheek fondly and stood up to walk to the kitchen. I stared at his back, my eyes cold as ice. In three years of marriage, he'd never so much as poured me a glass of water. He always said, "My hands are for signing contracts and building an empire, not for housework." Now, those same hands were expertly grinding coffee beans for another woman. I didn't waste another second. I strode into the bedroom and grabbed my smallest suitcase, packing only a few of my own old clothes. I didn't touch a single thing we had bought together. As I dragged the suitcase to the door, Valerie fanned her nose dramatically. "Seriously, Cersei, you should really take a shower. The reek of cheap cleaning chemicals on you is making me sick." I ignored her, closed the door behind me, and left the apartment I had called home for three years. Standing in the hallway, I looked down and gently touched my flat stomach, a cold smile playing on my lips. Then let's see how your precious company does without this "lowly cleaner," Joey. Chapter 2 The door to the cheap motel room creaked open, and the stench of moldy carpet hit me. I tossed the small suitcase on the bed and sat on the edge, counting the cash in my wallet. Five hundred dollars. For three years, every cent I earned from my grueling job as a cleaner went straight to Joey, all to prop up his fledgling company. Now, I was kicked out with nothing but pocket change. My phone screen lit up. It was Joey. "Cersei, I'm just calling to inform you that I've revoked your fingerprint access at the company," he said, his voice cold and detached. "Don't come looking for me at the office anymore. It would upset Valerie." He seemed to think I would come crawling back. Before I could tell him not to flatter himself, I heard Valerie's whining voice in the background. "Joey, I saw that limited-edition bag I wanted! You promised you'd buy it for me yesterday!" "We'll buy it. I'll take you tomorrow," Joey's voice instantly softened into a sweet coo. It had been a long time since he’d spoken to me like that. Three years ago, Joey had collapsed from exhaustion while desperately trying to secure funding. I happened to find him, gave him some medicine, and watched over him. Seeing his shirt soaked with sweat, I took pity on him. I called the owner of that company—a friend of my father's—and told him to give Joey a chance. He thought I was just a cleaner at the company, and that's how we met. Maybe because he thought I came from nothing, he never believed I was worthy of anything expensive. I glanced down at the cheap silver ring on my left hand. It was the only gift he’d given me on the day of our bonding ceremony. "Cersei, once the company gets through this rough patch, I swear I'll replace this with the biggest diamond ring," he had vowed, his hand over his heart. But three years later, his company had landed multi-million-dollar contracts, and he was turning around to buy his first love a limited-edition handbag. "Do whatever you want, Joey," I said coldly and hung up. Without a second thought, I pulled the silver ring off my finger, walked to the bathroom, and dropped it into the toilet. With the sound of the flush, that ridiculous chapter of my life was washed away for good. The next morning, the shrill ring of my phone woke me up again. This time, it was Joey's mother. "Cersei, Valerie wants the recipe for that essential oil you blend. Give it to me," she demanded, her tone dripping with the same arrogance as her son's. She was talking about the oil I custom-blended for Joey to soothe him during his anxiety phases. It was a secret family recipe, incredibly effective. "And why would I do that?" I scoffed. "Don't be so stingy! It's just a recipe. You should feel honored that Valerie even wants it! Do you have any idea who she is? She's the daughter of a hotel magnate, a thousand times more noble than a cleaner like you! She's the only one worthy of my Joey!" his mother shrieked into the phone. "If it wasn't for Joey's charity in taking you in these past three years, you would have starved on the streets! Now send me the recipe!" "You want the recipe? You can have it in your dreams," I said and hung up, blocking her number immediately. Did they really think Joey had gotten this far on his own merit? Last winter, his company's servers were hacked. The system crashed, and he was on the verge of bankruptcy. He was pacing the living room like a caged animal. I was the one who secretly contacted my father's elite team of hackers to fix the breach overnight. Joey just thought he got lucky. And when his cash flow dried up in the early days, I was the one who found an investor to inject capital. Without me, Joey Thorne was nothing. Half an hour later, a text from Joey came through: [My mom said you were rude to her. Even if we severed our bond, you don't have to be so disrespectful. Apologize to her.] I ignored it. I rested a hand on my still-flat stomach. I'd already mind-linked my father with the news and my location. He would be here soon. I would finally take my place as the sole heir to have completed the trial. Joey's little company, which he had worked so hard for, wasn't even a rounding error compared to the Alpha King's fortune. That evening, I got another call from Joey's number. This time, it was Valerie's voice. "Oh, Cersei, I hope I'm not disturbing you," she said, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "I found a bottle of fertility medication in the bathroom cabinet. Is it yours?" I frowned. Why would Valerie ask about this? Did she know I was pregnant? Was she testing me? "I don't know what you're talking about. It has nothing to do with me," I said, forcing a calm tone, and quickly ended the call. Touching my belly, I felt a knot of unease tighten in my gut. Chapter 3 The next day, I went to the hospital alone for an ultrasound. I carefully tucked the report into my bag. The healer said the pup was healthy, the vitality of a top-tier pureblood already showing. Relieved, I was about to leave when a sharp voice stopped me around the corner. "Cersei, what are you doing here?" Valerie blocked my path, her eyes fixed on me. "Why are you in the maternity ward? Don't tell me you're pregnant." "It's none of your business." "Of course it's my business," she sneered. "If it's Joey's pup, then it's my business." "No wonder you signed the papers so quickly yesterday. You were planning to secretly have that bastard child so you could come back and blackmail Joey for money, weren't you?" she hissed, stepping closer. "Get out of my way. I don't have time for you," I said, my face hardening as I tried to walk past her toward the stairs. "You stop right there!" The moment my foot hit the first step, a powerful shove slammed into my back. Valerie had actually put her hands on me, trying to push me down the steep staircase. A normal wolf would have tumbled down the stairs, the fall enough to make her miscarry. But she had no idea who she'd just pushed. She'd messed with the Alpha King's daughter. My Alpha blood screamed a warning. I twisted, my training kicking in as my hand shot out and gripped the railing in a death grip, stopping my fall. But the sudden movement made me twist my ankle hard, and a sharp pain shot through my abdomen. I clutched my stomach, gasping for air, and turned to glare at Valerie. She was clearly shocked that I'd managed to catch myself. A flash of panic crossed her eyes, but she quickly masked it with a look of innocence. "Oh my, Cersei, you're so clumsy! You should watch where you're going. You almost got yourself killed," she said, covering her mouth with a fake gasp. "Aren't you afraid I'll tell Joey what you just did?" I straightened up, gritting my teeth against the pain in my stomach. "Tell Joey?" Valerie laughed as if it were the funniest joke in the world. She smugly patted her own flat stomach. "You think he'll believe you? There aren't any cameras here. Besides, do you really think he cares about your little mutt? Even if you told him I pushed you, he'd probably thank me!" She walked down two steps, looking down on me. "You want to know why?" she purred, pulling a pregnancy report from her designer purse and waving it in my face. "Because I'm pregnant, too. And Joey told me himself that the only child he will ever care about is mine." I stared at the report, my heart feeling like it was being squeezed in a vise. "Oh, and he said something else," Valerie leaned in, her smile twisting into a cruel sneer. "He said he's so glad a low-life cleaner like you didn't get pregnant. It would have been such a mess to get rid of you." The pain in my abdomen intensified. Not from the push, but from the absolute cruelty of the man I once loved. He used to touch my stomach and say that if we had a child, he would give them the entire world. It was all just a string of empty, pathetic lies. Seeing my pale face, Valerie's lips curved into a satisfied smile. "So, a little friendly advice: get rid of that bastard, or else..." She gave me a threatening wink and turned to leave. Chapter 4 The next morning, the door to my cheap motel room was pounded on so hard it sounded like it would splinter. I opened it to find Joey and his mother standing there, their faces cold with fury. Joey stormed in, his face dark. "Cersei, what did you do to Valerie at the hospital yesterday?" I looked at him, so ready to accuse me, and found it utterly laughable. "I think that's my question to ask. She tried to push me down a flight of stairs, a crime I haven't yet reported," I said, my eyes like ice. "You're still lying!" Joey roared, the veins in his forehead bulging. "Valerie came home last night in tears! She said her stomach hurt so much she couldn't sleep. You must be jealous she's carrying my pup, so you tried to hurt our baby!" I laughed, but there was no humor in it. "I told you, I didn't do anything." "Enough!" Joey cut me off, refusing to listen. "Valerie wouldn't even hurt a fly, let alone push you. And I'm not here to listen to your excuses." He pulled a check from his pocket and threw it contemptuously on the table. "Fifty thousand dollars." His eyes, devoid of any warmth, flickered to my stomach. "Take it and get rid of that mutt." I stared at the check, a deep chill spreading through my entire body. This was the man I had loved for three years. For another woman, he was willing to order the death of his own flesh and blood. "I'm not getting an abortion," I said, my fists clenched. "This is my pup." "Have you no shame?" his mother chimed in, her face twisted in disgust as she surveyed the shabby room. "Valerie is about to officially bond with Joey. She is his true mate! A pup from a cleaner like you would be a bastard, unblessed by the Moon Goddess! Its very birth would be a disgrace!" "A disgrace?" I looked at her mockingly. "Is there anything more disgraceful than Valerie getting pregnant before she's even bonded to Joey?" "Shut up!" Joey snapped, enraged. He took a step closer. "Cersei, I'm not negotiating with you. This is my final offer." "If you don't get rid of that bastard, I will use my legal team to fight for custody after it's born." "You have nothing now, not even a decent job. The court will never grant you custody." "And when I get custody, I'll give the pup to Valerie to raise. He'll call another woman 'mother,' and you will never see him again for the rest of your life." Give my pup to him? To be raised by that vicious woman who tried to kill me? That threat crossed a line. I looked at Joey's cruel face, my hand gently resting on my belly, feeling the faint heartbeat of my pup. I realized I couldn't stay silent any longer. For my child, I had to crush these worthless people before they could truly harm my pup. I didn't scream or cry. I calmly took out my phone, and right in front of them, I sent a mind-link, my voice steady. "Father. I need you to come get me. Now." After I sent the message, Joey's mother let out a shrill, exaggerated laugh. "Oh, listen to you, putting on a show!" she pointed at me, laughing so hard she bent over. "What are you going to do? Call your poor daddy from the slums to come and back you up? What's he going to do? Get on his knees and beg us for mercy?" Joey also sneered and shook his head, looking at me like I was insane. "Cersei, you're hopeless. I'll wait right here. Let's see what kind of 'big shot' you can summon." I stood my ground, my back straight, looking at them as if they were already dead. "Fine. Then you'd better not blink."