When I learned once again that the pup growing in my womb was actually conceived from my mate's seed and his new lover's egg through the Moon-Rite, I didn't lose control like before.
I didn't let my wolf surface in a violent frenzy, didn't claw at my own belly until the pregnancy failed.
Instead, I chose to be obedient. I carried the pup to term. I gave birth to him.
From that moment on, I became the subject of whispers throughout the entire upper pack circles, feeding gossip to countless Howl-Channels across the territories.
Every unfaithful Alpha hoped to find a mate as accommodating as me.
Omega mistresses throughout the dens burned offerings to the moon, praying they could seduce my mate.
Pack matriarchs looked upon me as a disgrace to our kind.
Until the tenth moon passed, and I safely delivered the pup.
The moment I emerged from the birthing chamber, Fenris Hawthorne kissed my forehead with the same gentle tenderness he always displayed in public.
"Lyra fears the pain of whelping, and you can no longer carry pups of your own. It works out perfectly—you can bear our young for us."
"Don't worry. She only wants to be a mother. She won't threaten your position as the Alpha's mate. You're still the one I love most."
Everyone said I had loved Fenris so deeply, so completely, that when I couldn't defeat the other Omega, I simply joined them.
But only I knew the truth.
This pup was forced upon me by Matriarch Morwen Hawthorne, who invoked the Blood-Debt I owed her from years ago.
Now the Hawthorne Pack's firstborn heir had arrived.
The Bond Rejection she promised me should finally take effect.
——
The numbing herbs wore off, and pain dragged me from unconsciousness.
The moment I opened my eyes, Fenris stood there cradling the pup, his face bright with joy.
"My mate, the Matriarch has already chosen a name for our pup. Just add your claw-mark here, and he can be registered in the pack records."
He handed me the birth registry.
When I saw the name inscribed there—Rowan Ashvale—my foggy mind snapped into sharp clarity.
Rowan.
A name meaning steadfast growth, unwavering roots.
That was the beautiful hope I had held for my own unborn son.
It represented everything we once dreamed our love could become.
It was the name written into the Hawthorne bloodline records, reserved for thirteen generations of firstborn heirs.
Years ago, to save Fenris from the rogues who had captured him, I took a blade meant for him. The wound damaged something deep inside me. After that, I could never carry pups naturally again.
Our first Moon-Rite pup—the one that came later—was lost when I caught him tangled with my half-sister Lyra Ashvale on our mating bed. He shoved me in his rage. I bled too much. The healers had no choice but to force an early birth.
That pup had already taken form. A male.
After my recovery, I planned to build him a cairn and have his name-stone placed in the ancestral grounds.
But the moon-seers said he hadn't reached full term before his spirit departed. The timing was unfavorable. We needed to wait.
That wait stretched beyond a full year.
Throughout this pregnancy, Fenris had whispered in my ear countless times, saying he wanted to give this pup—this child of his betrayal—the name Rowan.
I never agreed.
But now, seeing the eager anticipation in his eyes, I felt only disgust at the memory of my own desperate tears from before.
I knew the Matriarch would never have chosen this name herself.
It was simply Lyra, who loved to steal everything that belonged to me, whispering her wishes into Fenris's ear.
The Bond Rejection was already sealed and certain. The surname of a faithless Alpha-father meant nothing to me anymore.
"Whatever you want. Call him whatever you like."
"I have only one condition. Don't list me as the pup's mother. My true-born son's spirit would be displeased."
Fenris paused. A flicker of guilt crossed his eyes.
"Selene, don't worry. I only used her because she shares half your bloodline. She and I—"
Before he could finish, a crash echoed from beyond the door.
"You scheming little wretch! Who gave you permission to be here!"
Lyra had been knocked to the ground. She lay there sobbing.
"I only wanted to see the pup."
Matriarch Morwen struck her repeatedly with her walking staff, the carved wood cracking against flesh.
"Get out!"
In that instant, Fenris reacted like a wolf caught in a hunter's trap. Without even handing the pup to the attendant, he simply dropped the newborn onto my body and bolted from the room.
The freshly sealed wound across my belly tore open under the sudden weight. A searing, bone-deep agony ripped a scream from my throat.
But he left as though he heard nothing at all.
