My friend Caitlyn accompanied me to the Pack Healer’s clinic for my prenatal checkup. Halfway through, she stepped out to take a phone call. I waited for ten minutes. When she didn’t return, I got up to look for her. “Alpha Marcus, are you sure you want Sophia to raise the heir? What about Elena’s pup?” I couldn’t hear the voice on the other end, but Caitlyn’s next words froze me in my tracks. “Alright, alright, I get it. The pup in her womb is your official heir, but the child you actually want is the one Sophia is giving birth to. Don’t worry, my lips are sealed.” She hung up, turned around, and saw me. Her face drained of all color. She stammered for a while before finally telling the truth. “He’s been with that human for five years, Elena. We all knew.” “We didn’t tell you because we didn’t want to stress you during your pregnancy.” I leaned against the cold wall, slowly sliding down to the floor. All this time, I was nothing but a breeding tool to Alpha Marcus. A vessel to carry his bloodline.
Caitlyn helped me over to a bench at the end of the hallway. She kept her head down as she spoke. “Elena, don’t blame me for keeping it from you. I did it for your own good.” “That human has been with Marcus for five years. She wants nothing—no title, no money. She only wants the baby to stay by his side.” “You are the true Luna of the Redwood Pack. You’re the one carrying his pup.” “Marcus promised me he would never reject you. If you just pretend you don’t know, your life can go on exactly as it is.” I clutched the crumpled ultrasound report, my fingernails digging deep into my palms. “Pretend I don’t know?” “Yes. It’s normal for an Alpha to have a few mistresses, isn’t it? She doesn’t threaten your position.” Her tone became disgustingly casual. “Look at how big your belly is. Making a scene now will only hurt you and the baby.” “Valerie and the others have all met the human. We all agreed that as long as your status as Luna isn’t threatened, it’s fine.” My stomach churned, and sour bile rushed up my throat. “So everyone knew… except me? I was the only fool kept in the dark. But how? How did he hide his scent from me?” I had never smelled another woman on him. Not once. “He masks his scent every time before coming home. And he makes sure to keep his distance from you. He did it to protect your feelings.” So that was why. Because he kept his distance, I never felt the agonizing sting of betrayal through our bond. And they called that “protecting my feelings.” I laughed. He cheated on me, everyone helped him cover it up, and they had the audacity to say it was for my own good. “You know where she lives, don’t you?” Caitlyn lowered her eyes and didn’t answer. I opened PackNet, our pack’s private SnapChat forum, and found a post uploaded just today. It was a photo of a hospital wristband from a delivery room. I stared at it and recognized the logo of a human hospital. How careful of him. To keep me in the dark, he didn’t even dare bring her to our healer. He took her to a human hospital instead. Marcus’s childhood friend, Dylan, commented: *Hidden for five years. Finally out in the open.* Marcus’s sister, Valerie: *Thank you, Sophia, for giving Marcus his first child.* Caitlyn had replied below: *Don’t tag the one who shouldn’t see this. She’s pregnant and can’t take the shock.* I scrolled down, reading one familiar username after another. Right then, my screen lit up. Incoming call: Marcus. I swiped to answer. “Babe, is the checkup done?” His voice was deep, warm, and carried just the right amount of exhaustion. “How is our pup growing? What did the healer say?” I stared at the bustling clinic hallway. “Where are you?” “I just got off the plane. There’s an urgent pack matter I need to handle out of town.” His voice was filled with mock apology. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be there with you today. Did you eat well?” “Is your morning sickness still bad? I had Beta Ethan buy some of those ginger candies and crackers you like.” “I’ll be back in a few days to accompany you to the next checkup, okay?” I listened to his steady, calm breathing. The timestamp on that SnapChat post was 9:43 AM today. At that exact time, I was trying to call him, crying alone in the corner of this very hallway because I couldn’t reach him. “Marcus.” “Yes, babe? What’s wrong? Your voice sounds off.” “Are you really out of town?” The line went dead silent for two seconds. “Of course, babe. The business partners here are a bit difficult. I might have to stay a couple more days. Why do you ask?” “It’s nothing. I’m just tired.” “Go home and rest. I had Gamma Owen warm up some milk for you. Good girl. Wait for me to come home.” The call ended. I stood up, my knees buckling before I managed to steady myself. I hailed a cab. Using the address Caitlyn had reluctantly let slip, I drove to the villa Marcus had rented for Sophia outside our territory.
It was a beautiful single-family villa with a spacious yard. By the gate, Marcus was holding a newborn wrapped in a blanket, soaking in the sun. Sophia sat gracefully in a wicker chair beside them. As I walked closer, my eyes fell on the baby’s blanket. It was the exact same custom-designed blanket I had bought for my own pup. Marcus looked up and saw me. The smile on his face vanished instantly. His first instinct was to thrust the baby back into Sophia’s arms. He stood up, blocking the entrance. “Elena? What are you doing here?” I stared at the man I had shared a bed with for seven years. My mate. “I came to see your newborn half-blood pup.” Sophia’s face went pale. She clutched the baby and shrank back into the house. Marcus immediately turned to soothe her, then turned back to me, his brow furrowing deeply. “Elena, she just gave birth. She’s fragile. You are pregnant too, don’t make a scene here.” “If you want to talk, let’s go somewhere else.” I looked directly into his eyes. “Marcus, when you told me this morning that you were out of town handling pack business, you were actually in this house, delivering her baby?” Silence fell over the yard. Valerie walked out of the house and cleared her throat. “Elena, what’s done is done. Don’t be so dramatic.” “Sophia has been with Marcus for five years. She just gave him a child.” “He can’t just abandon his own flesh and blood, can he?” I turned my cold gaze to her. “So, your entire family knew, and I was the only fool kept in the dark?” Sophia’s tears began to stream down her cheeks. “Elena, please don’t blame Marcus. It’s all my fault.” “I don’t want anything. I just want my baby to have a father.” She sobbed, looking down at the infant in her arms. “Elena, your pup is still so small, but my baby is already born… Please, don’t ruin his home on his very first day in this world.” How ridiculous. I was the one whose home had been shattered, yet I was being painted as the villain trying to ruin theirs. Footsteps echoed from behind. Caitlyn walked out of the villa. Seeing me, her expression shifted. She hurried over and grabbed my arm. “Elena, let’s go back first. Don’t do this here…” “It’s not a bad thing for an Alpha to have two children. Marcus can easily afford to raise both.” Dylan followed close behind, chiming in. “Yeah, Elena. It’s not like Marcus is rejecting you.” I looked at these people. Just yesterday, they were leaving sweet comments under my posts, wishing me happiness. I wrenched my arm free from Caitlyn’s grip and pulled the ring off my ring finger. *Clink.* The ring hit the stone pavement, bouncing a few times before resting in the dirt. “Since the three of you make such a perfect family, I’ll step aside. Marcus, I’m rejecting you.” I turned to leave. But my wrist was suddenly gripped with terrifying force. Marcus stared at me, his eyes bloodshot with rage and panic. “I will not accept your rejection, Elena. The pup in your womb is my blood too.”
Marcus’s grip was so tight my knuckles turned white. Ignoring my struggles, he shoved me into his car and locked the doors. We drove back in agonizing silence. The moment we entered our house in the Redwood Pack territory, I felt like I couldn’t breathe. In the corner of the living room sat the wooden crib I had assembled with my own hands. On the sofa was the hospital bag I had meticulously packed. Marcus took off his coat and stepped forward to hug me, but I stepped aside, avoiding his touch. His hand froze in mid-air. He let out a heavy sigh. “Elena, what happened today was my fault.” “But I had no choice. Sophia’s delivery was high-risk. I had to be there.” His voice was calm, devoid of any guilt for being caught. “She just gave birth and can’t handle any stress. A newborn needs a father.” “You are the Luna of the Redwood Pack. No one can ever take that away from you. Sophia is just a human. She is no threat to you.” “Your pup will be the official heir. Don’t ruin your own future over a moment of impulse.” I stared at his arrogant, righteous face. “Marcus, do you honestly believe that as long as you throw me a few crumbs of affection, I’ll just fall in line and be your good little girl?” His brow furrowed. “Elena, I will provide the best resources for you and our pup. Just focus on your pregnancy. Leave everything else to me.” He packaged his control as a blessing. He wanted to keep two women, and two pups, firmly under his thumb. I didn’t argue. I turned around and walked into the bedroom. Pulling open the drawer, I unearthed a thick, old photo album. Five years ago, he told me he was patrolling the borders. But in the corner of one photo, there was a sliver of a pink dress. Three years ago, on his Amazon purchase history, he bought two identical pregnancy pillows. One was shipped to Sophia’s address three days before mine. During my early pregnancy, he sent me a playlist of prenatal music. In the description, there was a small letter “S”. At the time, I thought it stood for “Special.” With every page I turned, the nausea inside me grew. Marcus walked in carrying a glass of warm milk, placing it on the nightstand. “Elena, stop overthinking.” “Your unstable emotions are bad for the pup.” “For the sake of the heir’s health, stop causing trouble.” He was so sure I could never leave him. He was certain that the title of Luna and the future of my unborn child would keep me bound to him forever. I stared at him, refusing to utter a single word. That night, Marcus slept in his study. As I lay in bed, my phone buzzed with a message from an unknown number. It was a video. I tapped it open. In the video, Marcus was cradle-rocking the newborn, cooing softly. “Hush, sweet boy. Daddy’s here.” Off-camera, Sophia’s smug voice drifted in. “Elena, Marcus loves me. Even if your pup is born, he might not become the Alpha.” “Do you really think Marcus will hand the pack over to the child of a woman he doesn’t love?” The video cut off. My hands clenched the bedsheets in a white-knuckled grip. Suddenly, a sharp, stabbing pain flared in my abdomen. I gasped, clutching my stomach as cold sweat drenched my nightgown.
Marcus decided to hold a grand celebration for Sophia’s baby at the Redwood Pack’s Great Hall, inviting the entire pack. When the news spread through the pack’s private communication channels, I was confined to the healer’s clinic, fighting to save my baby. I tried calling Marcus to ask if this was really happening. He didn’t pick up. I called again. Still no answer. On the third try, it went straight to voicemail. The betrayal of the mate bond struck me like a physical blow. Even though Marcus had been keeping his distance, his public acknowledgment of Sophia shattered the final protective barrier of our bond. I felt as though sharp claws were tearing my chest open, followed by a wave of excruciating pain in my belly. The Healer rushed in. After a quick examination, he declared I was showing severe signs of a threatened miscarriage. When Marcus finally arrived, he didn’t offer a single word of comfort. Instead, he coldly ordered the healer to secure the pup at all costs. He turned to me, his voice commanding: “This pup must survive. Until it is born, you are not allowed to go anywhere.” He stationed guards outside my door and confiscated my phone, effectively placing me under house arrest in the clinic. While administering my medicine, the Healer asked quietly, “Why isn’t the Alpha here to comfort you? His scent would help soothe you and the pup…” I had no energy to answer. A nurse sighed and muttered under her breath, “Alpha Marcus is over at that human’s villa. He isn’t even picking up his phone…” Under the same night sky, at the exact same hour. My pup was fighting for its life, while he was playing happy family with another woman. I lost track of time before the door creaked open. It wasn’t Marcus. Sophia stood at the threshold, cradling her baby, with Caitlyn hovering behind her. Sophia wore a pristine dress. Her postpartum weakness was gone, replaced by the triumphant glow of a victor. “Elena, I heard you almost miscarried. I came to check on you.” She gestured for Caitlyn to shut the door, then strolled to my bedside, tilting her baby toward me. “Look, doesn’t he look just like Marcus?” “I’m sure the baby in your belly will be just as cute.” She paused, her smile widening into something wicked. “That is… if you can actually carry it to term.” I grit my teeth, turning my face away from her. Caitlyn pulled a gold-embossed invitation from her bag and tossed it onto my nightstand. “Elena, the Redwood Pack has officially announced the celebration for Sophia’s baby.” “The invitation lists Marcus and Sophia as the hosts.” “Everyone already views this baby as Marcus’s true firstborn.” She looked down at me with cold pity. “The timing of your pregnancy really couldn’t be worse.” I glared at the woman who used to be my best friend. “Get out.” Sophia whimpered in mock terror, taking a step back. “Elena, please don’t be mad. I only wanted you to see the baby.” Suddenly, she stumbled, her elbow slamming violently into my IV stand. *Crash!* The glass bottle of my fetal-stabilizing medicine shattered on the floor, the liquid pooling everywhere. The IV needle was violently ripped from the back of my hand, and blood began to gush out. An excruciating cramp seized my abdomen. My body convulsed, and I scrambled to reach for the emergency call button on the wall. But Caitlyn snatched the cord, ripping it from the socket and throwing it onto the floor. “Stop acting, Elena. You’re not that fragile.” Sophia held her baby tight, looking down at me as I writhed in agony. “Elena, Marcus loves me. Even if your baby is born, it will be nothing but an unloved heir.” “Do you really think he would ever favor your child over my son?” A warm, terrifying rush of wetness seeped beneath me. The white bedsheets stained a deep, horrifying crimson. The pain was so intense I couldn’t even trigger a mind link. I dragged myself off the bed, my knees crashing onto the hard floor as I tried to crawl toward the door. My arms gave out, and my face slammed against the tiles. Summoning the last ounce of my strength, I grabbed the fetal monitor probe that had fallen beside me and hurled it at the door. The door flew open. Marcus rushed in. But the scene he beheld was Sophia trembling in the corner, clutching her baby, and Caitlyn holding her arm, screaming, “Elena, you’ve gone mad!” While I lay in a pool of my own blood, clutching the broken probe. Marcus’s expression morphed into pure rage. Without hesitation, his first move was to leap in front of Sophia and the baby, shielding them. “Elena! Have you lost your mind? The baby is right here!” Lying in my own blood, I looked up at him and laughed. The next second, the fetal monitor blared a continuous, deafening alarm.
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