Stolen Identity – 1
Thea’s POV
I gripped the edges of my chair, waves of dizziness washing over me as I struggled to process what Kane had just told me. First, Derek and Margaret Sterling weren’t my biological parents, and second, this man who’d been sleeping with me for months claimed to be my brother.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” I finally found my voice, anger making my entire body shake. “So you knew all this and still slept with me? That’s sick as hell!”
Sebastian shot to his feet, his Alpha presence instantly filling the room. Even Sheriff Hawthorne instinctively took a step back. “You slept with him? You let this bastard touch you?” he snarled.
“That’s none of your business. You don’t get to have opinions about my private life,” I snapped, glaring coldly at him, though inside I was consumed by disgust and shame. Kane’s words felt like a boulder crushing my chest. I couldn’t accept it. Even if he claimed we weren’t blood-related, the whole thing still made me want to throw up. What kind of person does something like this?
“We’re not blood relatives,” Kane said, his voice unnervingly calm. “You’re not my biological sister.”
“But you just said Seraphina and Maximus are your parents!” My voice was close to breaking.
“Remember when I told you my father was executed by cops? That bastard was my biological father. I was adopted. Seraphina and Maximus are my adoptive parents.” Kane’s face twisted into a cold smile as he leaned forward, his gaze cutting into mine like ice. “Though I must say my seduction skills were pretty impressive, since you couldn’t get enough of me, right? Every time you moaned beneath me, I wondered how you’d react if you knew the truth.”
Sebastian erupted with a deep werewolf growl, his eyes instantly turning golden, the air thick with the pressure of his barely contained rage. Roman quickly moved to restrain him, his arm muscles bulging with the effort. Shame burned my cheeks as I lowered my head, avoiding everyone’s eyes.
“If Seraphina’s pup actually died, how can you be sure Thea is that baby?” Hawthorne interrupted the brewing storm, skepticism heavy in his voice.
“Exactly, this doesn’t make sense,” Damien added, his voice unnaturally calm, though I could see the fury rolling behind his eyes.
It was true. Seraphina and Maximus couldn’t possibly be my biological parents. If doctors told them their baby died, then it probably did. Kane said the baby showed no signs of life, and Seraphina witnessed it herself before losing consciousness.
“That’s what she was told and believed,” Kane explained. “She even performed the moonlight ritual to send the pup to the afterlife, burying her according to her Pack’s ancient werewolf traditions. For them, especially for Seraphina, it was months of agonizing torture.”
“After losing her pup, she completely fell apart. Her wolf refused to emerge, slipping into total silence. Years passed, and she still couldn’t move beyond the shadow of her loss. Maximus stayed by her side, their mate bond almost the only thing keeping her alive.”
Though I didn’t know this woman, as a mother, I understood how losing Leo would destroy me completely. A werewolf’s love for their pups is stronger than any other species, and losing a child is practically spiritual death for a mother wolf.
“After a long time, with Maximus’s love and his parents’ support, she finally began to recover. They officially married when they were 22, and everything seemed to be improving. However, when they prepared for a second pregnancy, doctors told her that due to her first pregnancy at such a young age and the difficult birth, her body had suffered permanent damage. She couldn’t bear pups anymore.”
“After learning she couldn’t have more children, she was devastated but eventually decided to adopt. That’s when they took me in, giving me everything, including their surname, Kincaid.”
The room fell silent for a beat. My heart raced. The Kincaid family… that was…
“Maximus’s parents were ambushed and killed by a rival Pack during a territory dispute,” Kane continued, a flash of grief crossing his eyes. “I later learned that before their deaths, they’d been investigating their missing grandchild. They suspected something fishy about the pup’s death but didn’t tell Seraphina and Maximus to spare them unnecessary pain. It was then I discovered they’d left a blood oath—the entire Pack’s Alpha leadership would belong to their first descendant, who could take over once Maximus stepped down or passed away. This blood oath proved how much they anticipated and loved the grandchild who was supposed to arrive. Only the Pack elders knew about this covenant.”
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