Rejected as Wolfless, Chosen by the Alpha’s Pup Short…

She was thrown out for being wolfless — but the Alpha who hired her is about to discover a truth that will make her ex regret everything.

Maeve Calloway hit the mud hard. Her bag landed beside her, the door slammed in her face, and her Alpha husband Caleb's words still rang in her ears: nobody wants a wolfless Omega who does nothing but cry and make everyone miserable.

She had nowhere to go. So she dragged her suitcase down the road, dead inside, until a wet flyer flapped against a utility pole beside her. Room and board. A caretaker for a wolf pup.

She tore it down. That flyer was the first thing in a long time that didn't call her defective.

From Mud to a Mansion — and a Contract Instead of a Paycheck

That night, Maeve followed the address to the Silvermore pack house, home of Ronan Ashford — one of the most powerful Alphas in the Northeast. His Beta, Theo, met her at the door with a warning: Alpha Ashford needs a caretaker for the pup, nothing more. Don't get any ideas.

As if. After Caleb, the last thing she wanted was another Alpha.

"I'm only here for the job," she said.

Then she walked into the dining room and saw the problem. Milo, Ronan's son, was a small wolf pup flattened under the table, ears back, tail curled around himself, swatting away every spoon his father offered. Ronan could silence an entire pack with one word. He couldn't make one tiny wolf eat.

Maeve took the bowl. Milo lunged at her hand. She jerked back — and swallowed her annoyance, because he wasn't mean, he was scared. Then she spotted a superhero plush on the floor, sat down a few feet away, and tried a different angle.

"Superheroes need dinner, too."

Milo stopped growling. His ears twitched. He crept closer, belly low, and took one bite. Then another. A minute later, the pup who'd tried to bite her was pressed against her knee, eating eagerly while Ronan's shoulders finally relaxed.

That night she moved in. Theo pointed upstairs: third floor is private, don't go up unless the Alpha invites you. Fine by her.

Then Ronan sat her down and said the thing she wasn't ready for. Milo's mother was killed in an attack, and Milo saw it happen. He hadn't shifted back since. Some days he barely let his own father near him — but he trusted her. He needed someone who'd stay.

He meant legally. A marriage contract. Separate rooms, separate finances, everything in writing.

"Sex isn't part of this marriage," he said.

"Good. That's what I want."

The word marriage dragged Caleb right back into her head — the man who kept every account in his own name and left her with nothing when he broke their bond.

So Maeve did something she'd never dared before. She negotiated. If this ends, do I keep what you've already paid me? It's yours, he said. A hundred thousand a month, hers the moment it hit her account.

Three days after her divorce, she became Miss Ashford. No wedding. Just signatures — like before, except this time she walked away with something.

At dinner, Ronan slid a heavy silver ring across the table, carved with a black wolf. The Ashford family ring. She almost refused it. Caleb had never given her the Whitmore family ring — he said the crest belonged to real wolves, not a defective Omega like her. But Ronan had an answer ready: it's for Milo. You'll need it while you're caring for him.

That made it easier to accept.

The Pup Who Chose Her — and the Alpha Who Noticed

Milo became her little shadow.

That first night, her door shook open and there he was with a picture book between his teeth. Can't sleep. She lifted the blanket, and he curled against her side while she read. Halfway through the story, his eyes closed and his head sank against her shoulder. He stayed there all night.

The next morning, Ronan added fifty thousand to her monthly salary for reading him a story. She told him that was way too much. He said she earned it, and it wasn't up for debate.

For the next month, Ronan was buried in business, so Maeve and Milo built their own world. They ran around the courtyard with his toys until they were both out of breath. Each day she ran a little farther, and her wrists hurt a little less. At night, whenever a nightmare made his paws twitch, she woke before he made a sound — her hand already on his fur before the shaking started.

Then came her follow-up appointment, and Theo warned her not to take Milo. Leaving the pack house could trigger a panic attack. She crouched down and promised she'd be back in an hour. Milo caught her sleeve between his teeth and wouldn't let go. When she told him he couldn't come, he darted past her and jumped straight into the back of the pack SUV.

Milo looked at her and dipped his head. He was really going outside. Theo sounded stunned. Maeve could have cried.

At the clinic, the doctor frowned at her chart. Her wrists were healing faster than expected. She was stronger, too. Is that bad? No — just unusual. Take it easy for another couple of weeks.

Back in the lobby, Milo was waiting beside Theo with his superhero plush pinned between his front paws. He dropped a wrapped candy into her palm. She tried to give it back — Milo, that's yours — but he pushed it against her hand until she took it.

Caleb always said I was faking my pain for attention. But Milo had seen the medicine bag and given me his only piece of candy. Tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Thanks, buddy. I'll be okay."

Outside, a black SUV idled at the curb. Ronan was leaning against the driver's door, waiting for them. Theo told him Milo had gotten into the SUV on his own. Ronan crouched as Milo ran over, then looked at Maeve. Her senses were different — the doctor noticed it too, and nobody knew why. Let me get you in with a bond specialist, he said. I want to make sure you're okay.

At dinner, he slid a black card across the table. Use it for anything you need. She refused — absolutely not. Fine, he said. What do you need? A used car. Nothing fancy, five grand tops, so she could take Milo out without a driver. Pick one from my garage. Your cheapest car costs more than a house. I'm not driving one of those.

The next morning, an old blue sedan was parked beside Ronan's black Bentley.

The Park, the Growl, and the Name She Never Wanted to Hear Again

Maeve took Milo to a quiet lakeside park. He stayed close until he spotted leaves blowing across the grass and chased them behind a row of trees. Then they stopped at an outdoor farm market, Milo following her between the stalls, carrying one of her bags. He stayed calm all afternoon.

They were almost back at the car when Milo stopped and growled.

Maeve looked down, confused. Then she caught the scent behind her.

Caleb.

"Maeve."

The man who threw her in the mud, who told her no one wanted a wolfless Omega, who swore she was faking every bruise — he's standing right there. And he has no idea what he's walked into. Because the pup at her side isn't the only thing that's changed. Something inside Maeve is waking up, something Caleb insisted she never had.