Ava POV
The ultrasound image was grainy, just a tiny speck of static drowning in a sea of black. But to me? It looked like a hurricane.
My thumb traced the edge of the thermal printout.
"Are you sure?" Ben asked again, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Ava, hiding a pregnancy from an Alpha... it's treason. If he finds out..."
"He thinks Chloe is carrying his heir," I said, my voice steady despite the tremors rattling my bones. "He won't be looking at me."
I snatched a bottle of chemicals from the shelf—a strong, corrosive acid.
"I need you to fake a medical record," I told Ben. "Create a file under my name. Schedule a D&C procedure. An abortion."
Ben recoiled as if slapped. "Ava!"
"Not a real one!" I snapped. "On paper. I need a paper trail that says I terminated a pregnancy due to genetic defects. If he ever suspects, he needs to find a dead end, not a heartbeat."
Ben exhaled, nodding slowly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Okay. I can do that. I'll backdate the consultation."
"And I need legal papers," I added. "Separation papers. Rejection of the Mate bond."
"He'll never sign them," Ben warned. "Alphas are possessive. Even if he doesn't want you, his wolf won't accept another male having you."
"He will if he thinks I'm useless to him," I said coldly.
Suddenly, my head pounded, a sharp spike of pressure behind my eyes.
*Ava.*
It was Ethan. His voice in my head was heavy, suffocating.
*I'm listening, Alpha,* I responded. I slammed my mental shields into place, getting better at hiding the hatred.
*I need you in the conference room in ten minutes,* he said. *The Elders are asking questions about the new gene therapy. You need to translate the technical jargon so I can... manage the narrative.*
He didn't say "take the credit," of course. He didn't have to. He implied it.
*I'll be there,* I said.
I looked at Ben. "Hide the blood samples. If anyone asks, I have a stomach virus."
I strode out of the lab and toward the main Pack House.
As I approached the Alpha’s office, the door was slightly ajar. I stopped mid-step.
"It's annoying, Ethan," Chloe’s voice whined, grating against my ears. "Why is she still here? I thought you said you'd kick her out."
"I can't just kick her out yet," Ethan replied, sounding bored. "She holds the keys to the lab data. Once she hands over the encryption codes for the new patent, she's gone."
"Promise me," Chloe demanded.
"I promise," Ethan said. "I'll give her a nice severance package. Enough money to go live among the humans. She'll be out of our hair before the baby arrives."
My hand clenched into a fist at my side, nails biting into my palm.
*Go live among the humans.* He was going to strip me of my Wolf, my Pack, and my home.
I took a deep breath, smoothed my skirt, and knocked on the door.
"Come in," Ethan called.
I walked in. Ethan was sitting behind his massive mahogany desk. Chloe was perched on the edge of it, her hand resting possessively on his shoulder.
When she saw me, her lips curled into a smirk.
"Oh, hello Ava," Chloe said, her tone dripping with faux sympathy. "You look... tired. Doesn't she look tired, Ethan?"
Ethan barely glanced at me. "Just give me the codes, Ava."
"I don't have them memorized, Alpha," I lied, keeping my face blank. "They are on a secure drive in the lab. I came to tell you that the Elders will have to wait until tomorrow. The data is still compiling."
Ethan frowned. His Alpha aura flared, a crushing pressure in the room meant to force submission.
"I gave you an order, Ava."
"And science follows its own timeline, Alpha," I said, meeting his eyes.
For a second, he looked surprised. I never talked back.
"Are you okay?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. "You smell... different."
My heart hammered against my ribs. I hadn't taken the suppressants in six hours. My scent was shifting, sweetening with the pregnancy.
"It's the stomach flu," I said quickly. "I've been vomiting all night."
Chloe wrinkled her nose. "Ew. Ethan, make her leave. I don't want to get sick. Think of the baby."
Ethan’s face softened when he looked at Chloe’s stomach.
"Get out, Ava," he said, waving his hand dismissively. "Go fix yourself up. You look like a wreck. And bring me those codes by morning, or there will be consequences."
"Yes, Alpha," I said.
I turned to leave.
"Oh, and Ava?" Chloe called out.
I paused, hand hovering over the doorknob.
"Try not to be late to my Welcome Ceremony tomorrow night," she said. "Ethan is giving me a special gift. You wouldn't want to miss it."
I walked out, closing the door softly.
As soon as I was in the hallway, I leaned against the wall, shaking uncontrollably.
*Consequences.*
He had no idea.
I went back to the lab. Ben was waiting, pacing the floor.
"Did you do it?" I asked.
"The abortion paperwork is filed in the confidential system," Ben said. "And I found this."
He handed me a thick manila folder.
"What is it?"
"It's Chloe’s medical file from her old Pack," Ben whispered, glancing at the door. "I hacked into their database while you were gone."
I opened the file. My eyes scanned the pages, skipping over the jargon until I hit the surgical history.
I stopped. I read it again.
"This can't be right," I said.
"It is," Ben said. "She had a procedure two years ago. A hysterectomy. Due to a severe infection."
I looked up at Ben, the room spinning.
"She has no uterus," I said.
"Exactly," Ben said grimly. "Ava... Chloe isn't pregnant. It's physically impossible."
I laughed. It was a dark, jagged sound that scraped my throat.
"She's faking it," I said. "She's faking the heir to steal the Luna title."
"And Ethan is too blinded by his ego to check," Ben added.
I looked at the fake belly in the photo on my phone.
"He's going to announce a fake pregnancy tomorrow," I said, a dangerous calm settling over me. "And I'm going to be there to watch it blow up in his face."
