Dorian's crystal communicator vibrated across the carved oak nightstand.
The moment I saw the name glowing across the enchanted screen, disgust twisted inside me.
My Love.
That was how he had saved her name.
We had been bound for two years under the Moon Goddess, yet the future Alpha of the Blackthorn Pack had never even tried to hide his affair.
He never believed I would uncover the truth.
My trembling fingers unlocked the communicator.
The image on the screen stole my breath.
A healer's moon-scan.
A pregnant she-wolf.
If Seraphina hadn't already sent me the very same image, I would have believed it was my own unborn pup.
That had always been their plan.
I opened their message thread.
Dorian: Little wolf, I heard pregnant she-wolves crave sour berries. I had Elias bring some from the Southern Forest. I'll deliver them tonight.
Seraphina: Won't your Beta become suspicious?
Dorian: Suspicious of what? He'll think they're for Selene.
Seraphina: Would you really give her any? I thought I was the only one you loved.
Dorian: Of course not. She's too particular to appreciate anything I bring her. You're the only woman I've ever loved. I would've dissolved our mate bond months ago, but after she lost our first pup, the entire pack pitied her. Leaving then would've damaged your reputation, so I kept her beside me a little longer.
Seraphina: You're wonderful. But I'm lonely, and I suddenly want honey cakes.
Dorian: I'll be there soon.
Every word carved another wound into my heart.
I bit my lip until I tasted blood, fighting back the sob threatening to escape.
So that was all my pups had ever meant to him.
Not children.
Not blessings from the Moon Goddess.
Only heirs.
Only bloodlines.
Only the future of the Blackthorn Pack.
My vision blurred, but I forced myself to continue reading.
Then something unexpected caught my eye.
An attached document.
My heartbeat stopped.
I opened it.
The Moonstone Valley.
The Silver Lake hunting grounds.
The sacred herb fields.
The ancestral lands my father, Alpha of Ravenfall Pack, had entrusted to me before he died.
My entire body went numb.
Then numbness became fury.
I stared at the transfer seals in disbelief.
Every territory my parents had left me had already been transferred.
To Seraphina.
Months ago, Dorian had claimed our pack was on the verge of collapse.
The winter hunts had failed.
Food stores were shrinking.
Neighboring packs had cut off trade.
He said temporarily transferring my territories would protect the Blackthorn Pack until the crisis passed.
And I believed him.
Like a fool.
I surrendered everything because I believed mates stood together.
Because I believed he was my family.
In the end, everything my parents left me had become his lover's property.
My entire body trembled.
The pup inside my womb shifted uneasily.
A sharp kick.
As if sensing my anguish.
"I'm sorry," I whispered, pressing a shaking hand against my stomach.
Then I began gathering evidence.
One image after another.
Their messages.
The land transfer records.
Purchase ledgers.
Deliveries sent to Seraphina's woodland lodge.
The lodge built on Ravenfall territory.
White fox pelts.
Moonstone jewelry.
Rare enchanted robes.
Every luxury had been purchased with wealth that belonged to my pack.
My father's legacy.
Stolen by my own mate.
When I finished, I placed the communicator back exactly where it had been.
Then I climbed into bed.
Pulling the fur blanket over my head, I buried my face in the pillow and cried without making a sound.
He could never see me break.
A few minutes later, I heard footsteps outside.
The chamber door opened.
Dorian walked inside.
He picked up his communicator and smiled as he read Seraphina's newest message.
A smile he hadn't given me in years.
Eventually, he sat beside me.
His hand rested gently against my swollen belly.
"Little wolf," he said softly, "the elders have called a council tonight. Rogues have crossed into our western border, and I need to meet with the warriors."
The lie came as naturally as breathing.
"I won't return until tomorrow."
As he rose to leave, I reached for his wrist.
My strength was fading.
But I couldn't stop myself.
"I've been waiting for you all day."
My voice trembled.
"Can't you stay with me tonight?"
Even then, part of me still wanted to believe.
Still wanted to believe the boy who had sworn himself to me beneath the Full Moon would never betray me like this.
For our unborn pup.
For our mate bond.
For everything we had once shared.
Dorian looked down at me.
For a brief moment, guilt crossed his face.
His fingers brushed away the tears on my cheeks.
But he couldn't meet my eyes.
"I..."
He hesitated.
"What is it, Selene..."
His communicator chimed.
Everything changed instantly.
His attention shifted.
His expression softened.
His priorities became painfully clear.
Just as they always had.
"I can't place you above the pack."
His voice was calm.
"You understand that."
After a brief pause, he added,
"I'll ask your mother to stay with you."
When I said nothing, he finally looked at me again.
His expression faltered.
Because I was no longer looking at him as my mate.
I was looking at a stranger.
"Selene..."
"Go."
My voice was steady.
Too steady.
The final chance I had offered him had been thrown away without hesitation.
Just like everything else between us.
He stood motionless for a heartbeat.
Then he turned and left.
The chamber door closed quietly behind him.
Moments later, the heavy gates of the Alpha's Hall opened.
Then closed again.
Silence settled over the ancient keep.
It felt as though something had left forever.
Slowly, I forced myself to my feet.
I called for a carriage.
Old Gareth answered.
As always.
His weathered voice carried quiet warmth.
"Where to, Lady Selene?"
"The Moonstone Valley."
I swallowed hard.
"The Ravenfall estate."
When we arrived, Dorian's black carriage was already waiting outside.
From the shadows beneath the ancient pines, I watched him step down and carefully scan the surrounding forest.
Like a warrior making sure no rival pack was watching.
Then he knocked on the door.
It opened.
Seraphina ran straight into his arms.
My hands tightened around the recording crystal.
I captured everything.
The embrace.
The smiles.
The kiss.
The tenderness.
The way his hand settled naturally against the small of her back.
Exactly as it once had with me.
Tears blurred my sight.
Still, I kept recording.
Then Dorian slowly knelt before her.
With unbelievable tenderness, he pressed a kiss against her swollen belly.
Against the pup she carried.
A pup he welcomed.
A pup he cherished.
Pain twisted violently through my womb.
Sharper than before.
Yet I couldn't move.
Couldn't speak.
Couldn't even cry.
I simply sat inside the carriage, watching my mate bond shatter.
A short while later, Dorian helped Seraphina into the carriage himself.
He wrapped a warm wolf-fur cloak around her shoulders with careful hands.
Their laughter drifted through the quiet forest.
Another wave of pain struck me.
Stronger.
More urgent.
Slowly, my fingers brushed the silver mate ring on my hand.
Not to seek comfort.
To say goodbye.
Soon, the bond would be broken.
Just like us.
"Gareth."
My voice was barely audible.
"Follow them to the Moon Healers' Sanctuary."
Gareth met my eyes.
One look was enough.
Deep concern softened his expression.
Without asking another question, he guided the horses forward.
When we reached the sanctuary, he helped me down from the carriage.
"My Lady."
He spoke gently.
"Bringing a pup into this world is a blessing."
"A she-wolf deserves peace, not a mate who abandons her."
He paused.
"Please don't carry this burden alone."
My throat tightened.
This old warrior had shown me more kindness in a single evening than my own mate had in years.
I nodded.
"Thank you, Gareth."
Then I rested my hand on my belly.
A strange calm settled over me.
For the first time that night, my thoughts became clear.
I would no longer live for Dorian.
I would live for my pup.
"Don't worry."
My voice was firm.
"He means nothing to me anymore."
I lifted my eyes toward the glowing sanctuary beneath the moonlight.
For the first time, I truly believed my own words.
"Soon, both my child and I will be free."
