Aria POV:
I woke to the sharp bite of antiseptic and bleach. Pack Hospital.
My throat felt like shredded glass. I forced my eyes open against the blinding ceiling lights.
"Oh, Alpha! She's awake!" A soft, whiny voice.
I turned my head. Faye sat in the corner, dabbing a tissue at dry eyes. Fake-crying. Jaxon stood beside my bed, staring down at me with dark, complicated eyes.
"I won't let anyone hurt our pup, Faye," he said firmly, but his gaze never left my face. "I'll find the truth."
I ignored them both. Past Jaxon, I spotted a Healer in a white coat.
"Water," I croaked.
The Healer hurried forward with a plastic cup. Jaxon snatched it from his hands and leaned over my bed, bringing the straw toward my lips.
My stomach heaved. His closeness triggered not the old electric thrill, but a wave of nausea so visceral I had to turn my face away. I grabbed the cup from his hand myself and drank, letting the cool water soothe my burning throat.
Faye rose and drifted to the foot of my bed, releasing her Omega pheromones—that sweet, sickening scent designed to inspire pity.
"Luna Aria," she whispered, letting a single tear roll down her cheek. "I know you're angry that the Alpha chose me during his heat. But please—I beg you—don't take your anger out on an innocent baby. Please stop hurting him."
I set the empty cup on the table. I looked at Faye with absolute stillness, my hands resting placidly on the starched white sheets.
I said nothing. I just stared at the wall, focused on my breathing, waiting for the all-clear to leave. Let them think what they wanted. My real fight would begin the moment I walked out of this room.
Jaxon watched me, jaw tight. My silence clearly unnerved him more than any screaming match could have.
"I need to check on the baby," Faye said quickly, her act faltering under my cold gaze. She practically fled the room.
Jaxon's muscles twitched. He wanted to chase after her.
"Go," I said simply.
He turned back to me, his wolf pacing restlessly behind his eyes. The bond was broken on my end, but he could still feel the hollow space where I used to be. It made him uneasy.
He stepped closer and placed his hand over mine. "Aria. You're my fated mate. The only Luna of this pack. Faye is just the mother of my heir. Nothing will change your position."
I looked down at his hand covering mine. He was using the mate bond as a cage—trying to trap me with the Moon Goddess's own design.
I forced the corners of my mouth to lift. "Okay, Jaxon," I whispered. The last shred of hope I hadn't even known I was holding onto evaporated.
He exhaled, looking relieved. He actually thought I was submitting. "Good. Rest well. I'll come back tonight."
The moment the door clicked shut, I pulled my phone from the bedside drawer. I didn't need to argue. I needed proof.
I opened a secure messaging app and typed a single line to a contact labeled Shadow Net:
Security footage. Blood Moon Pack vault room. Two nights ago. Priority one.
Minutes later, a video file appeared. Grainy, but clear enough. Faye, alone in the vault, rubbing a dark liquid from a small vial onto the gold amulet just before it was taken to the banquet hall.
Jaxon's crime wasn't just protecting her lies. It was refusing to even look for the truth.
I forwarded the file to his phone with a single message: You wanted the truth. Here's the evidence you pretended to seek.
I set the phone down and stared at the ceiling. One battle won. The war was just beginning.
