Gloria POV:
The Sacred Lake was beautiful. The water was a sheet of black glass reflecting the full moon. It was a holy place for our kind, where pups were presented to the Pack and where mates exchanged vows.
It was fitting that it would be the place where everything ended.
I arrived first. I walked onto the wooden pier, the old boards creaking under my boots. The air was crisp, smelling of pine and deep water.
"You actually came."
The voice didn't belong to Darwin.
I turned slowly. Elyssa stepped out from the shadows of the boathouse. She was wearing a black dress, tight enough to show off her tiny baby bump. She looked like she was dressed for a funeral.
"Where is he?" I asked calmly.
"He's coming," Elyssa smiled, walking toward me. "He just needed to gather his courage. It's hard for an Alpha to put down a loyal dog, even if it is useless."
"Is that what I am?" I asked, keeping my hands in my pockets. "A dog?"
"You're worse," Elyssa sneered. "You're a placeholder. A warm body to keep the bed sheets neat until the real Luna arrived." She patted her stomach. "My son is the future of the Dark Moon Pack. You are nothing but a footnote in our history."
"You are carrying a mutt, Elyssa," I said softly. "And you know it."
Her smile faltered. "What did you say?"
"I said," I took a step closer, letting a fraction of my Alpha aura leak out. "You are weak. And your child is weak. Darwin is a fool for thinking a high-value Alpha heir comes from a low-born Omega with no lineage."
"Shut up!" Elyssa shrieked. Her face twisted in ugliness. "Darwin loves me! He chose me!"
"He chose a breeding mare," I corrected. "And once you drop that pup, he'll tire of you too."
Elyssa's eyes flashed yellow. She lunged at me.
It was pathetic. I simply sidestepped. But as she stumbled past me, she didn't try to regain her balance. Instead, she threw herself toward the railing.
"Ahhh! No! Gloria, don't!" she screamed, gripping the railing and sliding down as if I had pushed her.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"
The roar came from the treeline.
Darwin burst onto the pier. He had been watching. Waiting.
"She tried to push me!" Elyssa wailed, pointing a shaking finger at me. "She tried to kill the baby, Darwin! She's crazy!"
Darwin didn't ask questions. He didn't check the scent for the truth. He saw his pregnant mistress on the ground and his "jealous" wife standing over her.
His eyes turned crimson. The Red Haze. It was the state an Alpha entered when their territory or bloodline was threatened. Reason vanished. Only violence remained.
He charged.
He moved faster than any normal wolf. My training kicked in instantly. I saw the shift in his weight, the bunching of his muscles. I knew he was going to strike.
I prepared to dodge. A simple pivot to the left, and he would sail past me. I had to protect the child inside me.
But as I moved, Darwin roared a single word.
"SUBMIT!"
It wasn't just a shout. It was a concentrated blast of Alpha Command, fueled by the Red Haze and the twisted remnants of our bond. It hit me like a physical hammer to the brain.
My wolf, confused by the order from her Mate, locked up. My muscles seized. I was frozen in place, a prisoner in my own body.
"No!" I screamed internally, trying to break the paralysis.
But it was too late.
Darwin didn't shift, but he channeled the power of his wolf into his human leg. He delivered a front kick, aiming straight for my center mass.
It was an executioner's blow.
BAM!
His boot connected with my lower abdomen.
Time seemed to freeze.
I felt the impact ripple through my body. I felt ribs crack. But worse, far worse, I felt a delicate, glowing tether inside my womb snap.
The pain was blinding. It wasn't just physical; it was spiritual. It was the sound of a future being erased.
My baby. My White Wolf pup.
I was lifted off my feet by the force of the blow. I flew backward, crashing through the wooden railing of the pier.
For a split second, I hung in the air.
I locked eyes with Darwin.
The Red Haze in his eyes flickered. He looked at his foot, then at me. He saw the way I clutched my stomach. He saw the look of absolute, hollow devastation on my face.
"Gloria?" he whispered, the Alpha rage suddenly replaced by confusion.
Then, gravity took me.
I hit the freezing water.
The cold was a shock, but the warmth spreading between my legs was worse. Blood. So much blood. It swirled around me in the dark water like red smoke.
My pup... my inner wolf howled, a sound of such pure agony that I thought my skull would fracture. He killed our pup!
Above the surface, I heard Elyssa sobbing hysterically. "Is she dead? Oh god, Darwin, hold me! I'm so scared!"
I heard Darwin's footsteps retreating from the edge. "Shh, I've got you. You're safe. The baby is safe."
He didn't jump in. He didn't call for help. He comforted the liar while his Mate bled out in the dark.
I sank deeper. The water filled my nose, my lungs.
Let go, I told myself. Gloria Ellis dies tonight.
I closed my eyes and let the darkness take me.
