Janine's POV
The moment I crossed the threshold of the pack manor, my feet carried me instinctively toward Lester’s private den—the chamber he had always barred me from, insisting it held confidential Alpha affairs and clan ledgers I “wouldn’t understand.”
I didn’t hesitate this time. I shoved the door open and stepped inside.
My wolf’s senses immediately caught something off. I scanned the shelves lining the walls until I noticed a faint metallic glint hidden behind a row of ancient wolf-history tomes. Pulling them aside revealed a thick steel vault embedded in the wall.
So this was where he hid his truths.
I stared at the keypad, jaw tightening, then keyed in Avery’s birthday on a whim.
The mechanism clicked open.
A bitter laugh escaped me. Of course. He could never remember my birth-moon, or the night we were marked as mates beneath the Lunar Flame—but her numbers lived in his bones.
Inside lay stacks of files: medical scrolls stamped with healer sigils, transfer receipts, payment trails routed through shell pack accounts. I flipped through them, my claws itching as rage surged hotter with every page.
It was all here.
The bribes. The forged diagnoses. The carefully orchestrated plot that ensured Tommy’s death would look like a casualty of cross-pack warfare.
Then I found the final document—the organ transfer decree, sealed by the infirmary’s head healer.
Recipient: Avery Blackward.
Donor: Tommy Campbell.
The world dissolved into a blur of tears.
He hadn’t just destroyed my family. He had erased my future, gutted my trust, and stolen the very breath from my life.
I forced myself to keep moving. This was no time to fall apart. I photographed every page with my phone, making sure nothing was missed, then returned the files exactly as I found them and locked the vault back into silence.
From the den, I drifted into the bedroom like a ghost. My hands went instinctively to my stomach.
I had imagined this child as redemption—a second chance granted by the Moon Goddess after my boy was taken from me. But what kind of world would I be bringing a pup into? A pack ruled by lies, blood, and betrayal?
My fingers trembled as I dialed the clinic in Whispering Pines, the one that treated wolves discreetly.
“Evergreen Pack Infirmary, how may we assist you?”
“I need to arrange… a termination,” I said quietly, each word carving into my chest.
“Of course. Are you able to come in tomorrow at first light?”
“Yes.”
“Name?”
“Janine Blackward.”
I used my maiden name—Janine Campbell would raise too many questions, and I couldn’t afford eyes on me yet.
There was a pause, the faint tapping of keys.
“Confirmed. Ten in the morning.”
The line went dead.
I stood there gripping the phone, drawing in shaky breaths until I felt the shift in the air behind me.
“Heading out?” Lester asked.
I stiffened, sliding the phone into my pocket. “Just going for a routine check,” I replied, my voice distant even to my own ears.
His gaze sharpened, brows knitting. “A check? You didn’t mention feeling unwell.”
“I’m fine,” I snapped, brushing past him toward the wardrobe.
He watched me too closely. “Janine… something’s off. Talk to me.”
I paused and looked back, a hollow smile curving my lips. “Everything’s perfect, Alpha Campbell. Exactly how it’s meant to be.”
He didn’t press the issue. “I’ll shower and meet you in bed.”
The bathroom door closed behind him, steam beginning to fog the mirror. Moments later, his phone vibrated on the nightstand.
I didn’t think. I picked it up and keyed in Avery’s birth date again.
Unlocked.
My heart stalled when I saw the top contact:
Avery
I opened the thread and nausea churned in my gut.
Avery: I already miss you. When can I come over again? I’ll just tell Killian I want to spend time with my sister.
Lester: Tomorrow. I’ll say I’ve got Alpha business to deal with.
Tears slid down my cheeks, splashing onto the screen.
Avery: I hate pretending. I want us out in the open.
Lester: Soon. Once I take my father’s seat as pack lord, I’ll claim you properly. No one will stand between us again.
I pressed a hand to my mouth to keep from crying out.
They had been together every time she visited—every false hug, every smile meant for me. My mate had never stopped loving her. He had only used me as a substitute while waiting for the moment he could reclaim his “true” Luna.
I locked the phone and returned it to the nightstand, my whole body shaking.
Avery had always been his first choice. She left to study beyond the northern ranges and met Killian there, marrying him under a foreign moon. When Lester learned of it, he shattered—and turned to me for comfort.
Late-night talks became stolen glances. Glances became confessions. Within a year, I was his wife.
Seven years of marriage later, I finally understood.
I was never his Luna.
I was his placeholder.
The bathroom door creaked open. Lester emerged, towel slung low across his hips, water still clinging to his hair.
“You really okay?” he asked softly.
I lifted my gaze and offered a smile that held no warmth at all.
“I’m fine, Richie.”
