My Mate Who Watched Me Die

The sound of laughter faded into the forest, swallowed by the wind.

They had gone.

Only one man remained—a beta warrior stationed at a distance, his arms crossed, his eyes fixed on the treetops rather than me. As if looking at me might turn him to stone. Or worse, force him to feel.

I was alone. Suspended by cruel bindings, my limbs stretched apart until they throbbed. Rough rope cut into raw skin, and each gust of wind sent knives of cold slicing through me. The sweat on my skin turned to frost, and the night gnawed at my bones like hunger left too long unfed.

And then—pain.

Deep. Sharp. Twisting. It started low in my belly and rippled outward like fire moving through dry grass.

A wet heat began to trickle down my thighs.

No…

Not now.

“Help,” I whispered—barely sound, more breath than voice. “Please…”

A contraction slammed into me, tearing a gasp from my throat. I arched against the restraints, the ropes burning into my skin. The cold was nothing now. The pain eclipsed everything.

Still, the beta didn’t turn. Not a glance.

Another wave surged through me, and I cried out, louder this time. “Help me!”

No response.

My vision blurred. My lungs strained to pull air. My baby was coming—too fast. Too soon.

I twisted in the ropes, frantic, sobbing. My hands bound. My legs spread. I couldn’t even protect the life inside me.

A scream tore from my chest as the final contraction crashed through me. I tried to hold on, to clench, to delay—but there was nothing I could do.

And then, it happened.

Something passed through me—warm, alive, heartbreakingly small.

Then the sound.

A wet, heavy slap against frozen earth.

The world held its breath.

I couldn’t see. I didn’t want to.

But I knew.

My child had fallen.

---

Hours earlier, Rydan had stood beneath me—his fury burning like a torch in the darkness.

His eyes, once familiar, now held nothing but contempt. His fists were clenched so tightly the veins in his forearms bulged like ropes.

“This is justice,” he announced to the gathered pack, his voice hard as steel. “For attempting to kill Amara.”

“I didn’t!” My voice cracked as I shouted down at him. “Rydan, I swear on everything—I never touched her! She slipped—she—”

“You always lie, Marian,” he cut in, disgust curling his lip. “You cry, you cling, you spin stories and pretend you’re the victim. But this time, you went too far.”

“Please,” I begged, choking on the words. “You know I loved her. I accepted her. I tried—”

“No!” His voice lashed out like a whip. “You couldn’t bear to see her happy with me. You wanted her gone because she carried the heir you couldn’t give.”

My tears blurred the torchlight, turning their faces into shadows. I couldn’t see who believed him. Maybe none of them did. Maybe it didn’t matter.

“She’s not even breathing,” I whispered. “How could you think I’d do this?”

Rydan stepped closer, his voice lower, more venomous. “You were always a burden. I tolerated you because I had to. You gave me a child, but even that—” he scoffed. “A daughter.”

“She’s still yours,” I whispered, heart breaking.

“I needed a son. And Amara will give me one.”

He turned and walked away then, not bothering to look back. The others followed, silent. No one questioned him. No one helped me.

They left me there, alone. Pregnant. Bound. Condemned.

And when my body betrayed me—when the pain arrived with all the fury of life forcing itself into the world—no one was there to catch her.