Ethan crossed the room and knelt beside me, resting his hand on my swollen stomach.
As he always did, he spoke softly to the pups within, his voice low and patient as though they could already understand him.
In the past, scenes like this had filled me with happiness.
I would have watched him with a smile, believing that I was the luckiest she-wolf in the world.
Now, all I felt was pain.
It was as though invisible claws were tearing my heart apart.
I clenched my fists tightly, struggling to keep my composure, but I could not stop the sting gathering behind my eyes.
Ethan noticed nothing.
Or perhaps he simply did not care enough to notice.
"The elders have called an urgent council gathering tonight," he said as he rose to his feet. "I may return late. Stay home and take care of yourself."
I forced a smile onto my face and nodded.
"All right."
After he left, I slowly climbed the staircase.
My stomach had grown so large that I could no longer see my own feet. After the fifth month, the healers had forbidden me from using the upper floor too often, and I had moved into a guest chamber on the ground level for safety.
I had not entered our bedroom for a long time.
The moment I pushed open the door, I froze.
The lingering scent of another female still clung to the room.
The bedsheets were creased in ways that made my stomach twist.
And hanging above the stone hearth was the large portrait from our mating ceremony.
Ethan and I stood side by side in the image, smiling beneath the Moon Goddess's blessing.
The sight was unbearably ironic.
A sharp ache pierced my chest.
Tears slipped down my cheeks before I could stop them.
For a long moment, I stood there staring at the portrait before finally forcing myself to look away.
I wiped my face and began gathering everything that belonged to me.
Identity documents, inheritance records, pack certificates, the contract that named me Luna.
Anything important.
When I finished, I headed toward the door.
Yet for some reason, I paused beside the window and looked outside.
A carriage stood beneath the moonlight near the edge of the courtyard.
It had not left.
The rhythmic movement coming from within was impossible to misunderstand.
My stomach lurched violently.
I closed my eyes at once.
I could not bear to look any longer.
That night, Ethan returned long after midnight.
The faint scent of Lily Sinclair's moonflower perfume lingered on his clothes.
He approached the bed quietly, believing I was asleep.
Then he rested his hand on my stomach and gently stroked it.
His movements were careful.
Almost reverent.
Yet instead of warmth, all I felt was revulsion.
I kept my eyes closed and pretended to sleep.
Countless memories flooded my mind.
The promises he had made.
The years I had spent loving him.
The dreams I had built around our future.
My tears soaked into my hair unnoticed.
I still could not understand how the mate I loved had become someone so cruel.
But perhaps understanding no longer mattered.
The following morning, I went alone to see the chief healer.
After examining me, the elderly healer frowned deeply.
"Luna Sophia, you are nearly seven moons along. Terminating the pregnancy now carries tremendous risk. We rarely perform such a procedure unless absolutely necessary."
My expression remained calm.
I offered an excuse I had prepared beforehand.
After a lengthy evaluation and several examinations, the healer finally agreed.
The ritual was scheduled three days later.
When I returned home, exhaustion weighed heavily on my body.
Three days.
That was all the time I had left.
Three days to prepare everything.
Three days to leave.
And before I left, I intended to give Ethan Carter a gift he would never forget.
That evening, when Ethan returned, I was sitting in the nursery I had spent months preparing.
Almost everything inside had been chosen by me.
Some items had been selected by Ethan himself.
Four tiny cradles lined one wall.
Small blankets embroidered with different patterns.
Tiny shoes no larger than the palm of my hand.
Little outfits folded neatly in wooden chests.
Every corner of the room reflected the anticipation and love I had poured into it.
For months, I had counted the days until the pups arrived.
Because I believed they were the living proof of my love for Ethan.
Now, looking around the room, it felt as though someone was carving open my chest with a blade.
A sudden kick came from inside my stomach.
Then another.
The pups seemed to sense my emotions.
I lowered my hand to my belly.
Conflicting feelings churned inside me.
Sadness.
Resentment.
Grief.
For a moment, I almost wavered.
Then, slowly, I lowered my hand.
These pups had never truly belonged to me.
"Sophia?"
Ethan's voice sounded from behind.
I quickly wiped away my tears.
He walked into the nursery and frowned when he saw my face.
"Why are you crying?"
I forced a smile.
"It's nothing. I was just thinking that in a few months we'll finally meet them. I got emotional."
His expression immediately softened.
He wrapped an arm around my shoulders.
"I'm looking forward to meeting our pups too."
Our pups.
The words nearly made me laugh.
But in the end, I simply lowered my eyes and said nothing.
