Six Months Left, My Mate’s Life In My Hands

Six months into my pregnancy, I finally found him at the headquarters of the Stonecrest pack—Leon Lockwood, my fated mate, who had been missing for five months.

"How could a powerful Alpha like me be fated to you?" he sneered, his gaze chillingly indifferent.

"That pup you're carrying has nothing to do with me. Stay away from me, and don't give my chosen mate the wrong idea."

No matter how much I pleaded, he remained completely unmoved.

Just as I was leaving, heartbroken, I overheard a conversation between Leon and his Betas in the garage.

"Leon, pretending not to know her was a brilliant move."

"You knocked her up and ran. You got to dodge all responsibility and had your fun for a year! Aren't you curious what a pregnant Omega tastes like?"

Leon's crude laughter bounced off the garage walls.

"What's she like? Before the pregnancy, she was a log in bed. Afterward, she wouldn't even let me touch her."

"If you guys want her, go ahead. Whoever gets a picture of her looking slutty gets a reward."

I bit my lip so hard the taste of blood filled my mouth.

Just then, the phone in my pocket vibrated.

My professor's anxious voice crackled through the speaker. "Willow, the test results are back. The pup you're carrying has inherited the 'Moon's Decay' curse from its father's bloodline."

"Leon Lockwood needs immediate treatment, or his inner wolf will begin to dissipate. He has six months, at most..."

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1

Mocking laughter surrounded me.

A chill shot up from the soles of my feet, freezing the blood in my veins.

I clenched my jaw, forcing the words through my teeth.

"Arrange for the abortion."

"Does Leon Lockwood need to receive treatment?"

"He doesn't need it," I seethed. "Let him die for all I care."

The piercing jeers were relentless, each word crushing my dignity and that of my unborn pup.

Every sentence was a needle, stabbing me until I was raw. I balled my fists, nails digging into my palms, fighting the urge to storm in and tear them apart.

"Leon, are you really willing to just give Willow away?"

"I heard Alpha Alistair gave her a black card just to get her to leave you."

"That Willow has some backbone. Snapped the card in half and said that even if you didn't acknowledge her, she'd wait for you forever. Such a devoted she-wolf."

"Hahaha, Leon, you have no idea. Back in school, I had my eye on Willow for a long time... If you're tired of her, let your brothers have a taste..."

The man's voice trailed off as he saw Leon's expression darken.

Leon leaned lazily against the car, blowing a casual smoke ring before his long fingers gently stubbed out the cigarette.

"Just kidding."

His voice was quiet, but it made everyone in the garage hold their breath.

"Just because I'm tired of something," he said, his voice dropping low, "doesn't mean anyone else gets to touch it."

Just as the threat settled in the air, Leon's phone rang.

He answered instantly, his tone softening with an affection he didn't bother to hide.

The corners of his mouth lifted. "Okay, okay. I'll be right there to pick you up."

The moment the call ended, the tenderness vanished from his face.

He got in the car, and his gaze swept coldly over the others. "If any of you dare to breathe a word of this to Tessa..."

He didn't finish, but the implication sent a shiver down everyone's spine.

As Leon's car sped away, I started my own engine and headed for the Professor's private hospital.

I parked at the hospital entrance and sat there for a long time.

My hands rested limply on the steering wheel as silent tears streamed down my face.

My mind went blank. The only thing I could feel was the warmth of my hand on my belly.

I gently caressed my swollen abdomen, feeling the faint stirrings of life within.

"Baby, Mommy loves you so much."

"But Mommy can't let you be born into a loveless family. I can't let you have a bastard for a father."

My decision made, I pushed open the car door. My legs were unsteady, but my steps into the hospital were determined.

Lying on the cold operating table, I closed my eyes against the glaring lights, fresh tears tracing paths down my temples.

The lead Healer for the procedure was Jenna, a senior colleague of mine. She leaned over and whispered, "Willow, are you sure? Our medicine is very advanced now. The pup would have a good chance of being cured after birth..."

I remained silent. It was only when I felt the life being stripped from my body that I finally let out a long-suppressed sob.

Leon's deception was a cruel, sharp blow.

I had come looking for him with a sliver of hope, wanting to face the pup's treatment together.

I never imagined this was the "surprise" he had in store for me.

He had told me he was just like me—a lone wolf, cast out from his pack, who had struggled to survive on his own.

When I was a month pregnant, I was overjoyed, thinking I had finally found a family.

But that was the exact moment Leon announced he'd found his long-lost relatives and was leaving to reunite with them.

Then, he vanished.

I cried until I had no tears left, worrying day and night for his safety.

I couldn't let the pup in my belly be born without a father.

Then, during a check-up, the Professor told me the pup might have a rare hereditary curse, one that could only be passed down from the father. The father would need to be examined and treated immediately.

In that moment, I felt both relieved and helpless.

Relieved, because this rare curse was the very subject the Professor and I had been researching for years. With us on the case, Leon would get the best possible treatment. Helpless, because I searched everywhere he might be and couldn't find a single trace of him.

I searched like a madwoman until I finally saw his picture in a business report—the once-poor, driven man I knew had transformed into the Alpha heir of the Stonecrest pack.

In the photo, he had his chosen mate on his arm, a woman of equal social standing, and he was smiling with an air of nonchalant grace.

In that case, he could just go die.

He didn't need any treatment.