Maya POV:
I stared at the two pink lines until they blurred into a smudge of condemning color.
My wolf whined, a low, mournful sound vibrating against my ribs. She wanted to be happy. A pup was a blessing. But under this roof, with this Alpha? It was a sentence.
He cannot know, I told her, my mental voice sharp with panic. He will use this. He will take the pup and give it to Ava to raise.
The thought made me nauseous.
I dressed quickly, pulling on oversized sweats and a hoodie to hide a figure that hadn't even changed yet. I slipped out the back entrance of the pack house, avoiding the guards. I needed air. I needed to think.
I ended up at a small coffee shop on the edge of our territory. It was a neutral zone, quiet, a place where I used to feel human.
I sat in the back, nursing a herbal tea that had long since gone cold. Then, I heard a voice that made my blood freeze.
"Alpha, are you sure about this?"
It was Marc. Liam's Beta.
I sank lower in my seat, pulling my hood further down. They were in a booth behind a decorative partition, close enough that I could hear the leather creak as Liam shifted.
"Ava is pushing for the announcement," Liam's voice replied. It was cold, detached, purely business-like. "She wants the Luna ceremony before the pup shows too much."
My hand flew to my mouth to stifle a gasp.
"And Maya?" Marc asked, hesitation heavy in his tone. "She's your fated mate, Liam. The pack loves her."
"Maya is... convenient," Liam said. I heard the clink of a cup hitting a saucer. "She's a good administrator. But she's boring, Marc. She has no fire. No ambition. Ava brings connections. Ava brings an alliance. And she's giving me an heir."
"What will you do with Maya?"
"I'll set her up in a nice house somewhere. Keep her as a mistress, maybe. She's domestic. Or just let her fade away. She's too weak to fight back. She'll accept whatever I give her."
Too weak.
Tears pricked my eyes, but they were hot, angry tears now.
"Besides," Liam laughed, a cruel sound that scraped against my nerves. "The Luna position requires strength. It requires a queen. Maya is just a library mouse."
I put my hand over my flat stomach, protectively. We are not weak, I thought. And we will not be your spare parts.
I waited for them to leave, counting the seconds until the bell above the door chimed. Then I pulled out my phone and messaged the contact from the Phoenix Initiative.
Me: I'm pregnant. Can I still sever the bond?
The reply was instant, as if they were waiting for me to break.
Phoenix: It is dangerous. The pain will be doubled. The child will survive, but the connection to the father will be destroyed. He will not sense the child. He will not feel you.
Me: Good. Do it.
Phoenix: We need you to initiate the Rejection publicly. It weakens his claim. Then we extract you.
I walked back to the pack house. My legs felt heavy, but my spine was steel. Every step was a promise.
That night, Liam came home late. He smelled of expensive perfume, stale whiskey, and sex.
"Hey," he said, loosening his tie as he walked into the bedroom. "Missed you."
The lie hung in the air, thick and suffocating.
"Did you?" I asked, not looking up from my book.
"Of course." He sat on the bed, the mattress dipping under his weight. "You look pale."
"Just a bug."
He didn't touch me. He didn't check my temperature. Instead, he picked up his phone-the secret one-and typed a message.
Ava: She suspects nothing. Soon, my queen.
I closed my eyes, feigning sleep so he wouldn't see the hatred burning in them.
Soon, I agreed silently. Soon you will lose everything.
