"Two pink lines," I whispered to the empty bathroom, tracing the plastic edge of the pregnancy test. "We're finally having a pup, Ethan."
Joy bubbled in my chest. I shoved the test into my pocket and hurried down the hallway to find my Alpha husband. He had wanted an heir for years.
"Ethan?" I called out, stepping into the kitchen.
He wasn't there. But my best friend, Sophia Hart, had left her phone sitting face-up on the marble island. We had invited her to stay with us a month ago when her apartment flooded.
The screen illuminated with a sharp ping.
*Ethan:* *Leave the door unlocked tonight.*
My blood ran cold. I stared at the glowing letters. My fingers trembled as I picked up the device. Sophia never used a passcode. I swiped up.
A long thread of messages loaded on the screen.
*Sophia:* *Make sure your boring little wife is asleep first. I want you all to myself.*
*Ethan:* *Don't worry about Olivia. She just lies there like a piece of wood anyway. Zero passion. You're the only one who knows how to ride my cock right.*
*Sophia:* *Then when are you making me your Luna? I'm tired of sharing my Alpha.*
*Ethan:* *Soon, baby. Just be patient.*
"No," I choked out, dropping the phone onto the counter. "No, this is a joke."
But the timestamps didn't lie. Months of texts. Pictures of them together in his office. My husband and my best friend.
I pressed a hand to my flat stomach. The nausea hitting me had nothing to do with morning sickness.
***
"Drink your milk, Liv," Ethan said softly, handing me a steaming mug. "You've been looking so tired lately."
I sat propped against the headboard, fixing my eyes on the man I had loved since we were teenagers. His dark hair looked perfectly tousled. His expression showed nothing but gentle concern.
A liar. A perfect, beautiful liar.
"Thanks," I murmured, keeping my voice flat. I brought the rim to my lips but didn't swallow.
"I'm going to take a quick shower," he announced, turning toward the bathroom. "Finish that and get some sleep."
The moment the water turned on, I dumped the milk into the large fern sitting on my nightstand. I set the empty mug down and slid under the covers, squeezing my eyes shut.
Ten minutes later, the mattress dipped. Ethan settled in beside me. I kept my breathing even, mimicking the deep rhythm of sleep.
A soft creak echoed from the bedroom door.
"Ethan?" a female voice whispered. Sophia.
"Right here," Ethan murmured back.
The rustle of fabric sliding to the floor made my stomach twist. I cracked my eyelids just a fraction. The moonlight spilling through the window illuminated them perfectly. They stood right next to my side of the bed.
Sophia was already naked. Ethan grabbed her hips and pulled her hard against his groin.
"Fuck, you're wet," Ethan growled, his voice dropping into a filthy register he never used with me.
"I've been thinking about your dick all day," Sophia purred, wrapping her fingers around his erection. "Put it in me. Now."
Ethan didn't hesitate. He hoisted her up by the thighs. Sophia wrapped her legs around his waist, and he slammed into her pussy with a wet, heavy thud.
"Fuck!" Sophia hissed, digging her nails into his shoulders. "Yes, Alpha. Just like that. Fuck my tight cunt."
"You love taking my knot, don't you, you dirty slut?" Ethan grunted, thrusting his hips violently. The sound of flesh slapping against flesh filled the quiet bedroom.
He was pounding into her right next to my head. If I reached out my hand, I could touch Sophia's bare ass.
"Is this the thrill you want?" Sophia gasped between rough thrusts. "Aren't you worried your Luna will wake up?"
Ethan let out a harsh laugh, driving deep inside her. "Relax. I put a heavy dose of sleeping pills in the milk I give her every night. She won't wake up."
My heart stopped. The blood roared in my ears.
"Are you sure?" Sophia whined, bouncing harder on his cock.
"Positive," Ethan sneered, gripping her hair and pulling her head back. "Besides, don't you love this sneaking around? Fucking right under her nose?"
"I love it when you stretch me out," Sophia moaned loudly. "Fuck me harder, Ethan. Ruin my pussy."
Tears burned my eyes. I bit down on my lower lip so hard the metallic taste of blood flooded my tongue.
The sleeping pills.
For weeks, I had been dizzy. Lethargic. I thought it was the early stages of pregnancy. I thought my wolf was just exhausted from creating new life.
He was drugging me. My own mate was poisoning me every single night just so he could fuck my best friend beside my unconscious body.
"I'm going to cum," Ethan snarled, his pace turning frantic. "Take my seed, Sophia."
"Fill me up, Alpha!" she cried out.
I shut my eyes tight, unable to watch the final, degrading moment. Disgust crawled over my skin like a thousand spiders. Despair clawed at my throat, threatening to rip a scream from my chest.
They were destroying me. They were laughing at my corpse while I was still breathing.
Suddenly, a sharp pressure spiked in my temple. The familiar hum of a long-distance wolf telepathy link vibrated through my skull.
*Olivia?*
The deep, frantic voice belonged to my father, Victor Ashbourne, half a world away in Europe.
*Dad?* I thought back, my mental voice cracking with raw agony.
*My pup, what is wrong?* Victor demanded, his protective Alpha aura bleeding through the connection. *I felt a spike of pure terror and grief. It woke my wolf. Tell me what is happening right now.*
Beside me, Ethan groaned loudly as he finished inside Sophia, their sweaty bodies collapsing against the edge of my mattress.
*Olivia, answer me!* my father roared in my mind. *Who is hurting you?*
I kept my face buried in the dark pillows as tears finally slipped down my cheeks.
*It's Ethan, Dad,* I replied through the link, my soul shattering into a million jagged pieces. *He's trying to get rid of me.*
*I am booking the next flight,* Victor snarled. *Do not let him know you are awake. Can you survive the night?*
Before I could answer my father, Ethan’s heavy hand reached out and rested right on top of my stomach—right over the tiny life growing inside me.
"Look at her," Ethan whispered to Sophia, his thumb stroking my skin. "Completely clueless."
I froze. If he pressed any harder, would he feel the shift in my womb? Would he realize I wasn't just a discarded wife, but the mother of his heir?
"What should we do with her when I become Luna?" Sophia asked, her tone dripping with malice.
Ethan’s fingers tightened on my stomach. "I have a plan for that. Tomorrow, Olivia is going to have a terrible accident."
