Chapter 1The heat between us hit its peak right on our bed when my Alpha abruptly commented on my waist.
He traced his hand around my midsection, then promptly ended our intimate moment.
"I never noticed before, but your waist has gotten quite thick."
Meeting my confused gaze, Leonard turned away silently.
"Don't overthink it. I'm just exhausted from the border negotiations and not really in the mood. But you should consider training with the pack warriors - that thick waist isn't doing you any favors."
Something felt off. While he slept, I checked his phone.
Everything seemed normal except for one new photo in his gallery.
It was blurry but clearly showed the pack company's new intern - barely in her twenties, dressed in Dior, with a waist you could encircle with your hands.
That night, I tossed and turned.
I couldn't figure out what was happening between them.
Nor could I decide whether to tell him that my "thicker" waist was actually carrying the pup we'd been hoping for over the past eight years.
After eight years as his fated mate, Leonard and I had maintained not just a stable bond but an impressively passionate one.
Even past thirty, we couldn't keep our hands off each other.
Every time he returned from pack territory business, he would take me until I could barely walk the next morning.
I'd always tease him about being insatiable.
He'd counter that the wolf in him simply missed its mate.
But this time was different. Despite wearing the lace lingerie he'd once torn off me with his teeth, all I got was his cold back.
My Luna's intuition screamed that something had changed during his two-week trip.
I couldn't help myself - while he slept, I checked his phone.
The password remained unchanged: the date of our mating ceremony.
Messages, pack briefings, work chat, even his travel logs - nothing suspicious.
I relaxed slightly.
Just as I was about to dismiss my paranoia, I discovered that photo in his gallery.
I recognized the girl. Nadia, the new intern from the pack's enterprise.
He'd mentioned her several times, always with a smile, praising her talents.
I knew a photo and some compliments didn't necessarily mean anything.
But I also knew that an Alpha's excessive attention often marked the beginning of something more.
After a sleepless night, I still had no answers.
I got up to prepare for the day, dark circles prominent under my eyes.
I reached for sunglasses to hide them, but Leonard suddenly grabbed my hand.
"These are for Nadia."
When I stared at him questioningly, he added, "Consider it a reward for helping me secure the Parker territory deal."
"You're giving a $1,200 pair of Dior sunglasses to an intern as a reward? Since when are you so generous with pack staff?" I couldn't hide my sarcasm.
Leonard's momentary frown transformed into a casual smile.
"Gifts should match the recipient's taste. She loves this brand."
"Don't overthink it. I'm just motivating the team. If everyone worked as efficiently as she does, I could return to our den earlier to be with you."
His nonchalant attitude left me speechless, as if pushing further would make me seem unreasonable and paranoid.
But that sense of unease only grew stronger.
Unable to focus on pack duties, I retreated to my quarters and called Leonard's Beta assistant.
After some careful probing, I learned that three people had traveled together.
Leonard and Nadia were never alone. There had been nothing inappropriate between them.
"Luna, you know the Alpha better than anyone. He's the most disciplined male in this pack. He barely glances twice at any she-wolf who isn't you."
All evidence suggested I was overthinking things.
But was I really?
Then what about that random photo in his phone?
Leonard is meticulous to a fault. He wouldn't keep a poorly-shot, meaningless photo without reason.
My heart pounded as I considered confronting him directly.
Before I could decide, his message arrived through the pack link.
Open the door. Surprise waiting.
I opened it to find his Beta holding the latest Louis Vuitton handbag.
"See, Luna? The Alpha was frantic when he sensed your distress. Said only 'handbag therapy' would cure you. This one was nearly impossible to get - he really went all out for you."
The bag was vibrant with a distinctive design.
Though slightly young for my age, it perfectly matched Leonard's predictable taste in fashion. He'd clearly spent time choosing it.
I felt a twinge of guilt for my suspicions and smiled as I accepted it.
But when I opened the bag, I froze.
It was second-hand. Inside lay a pair of polka-dot stockings and a photograph.
The stockings matched the ones Nadia wore in the blurry photo.
And the photograph showed them embracing intimately in his office.
Chapter 2
In that moment, my blood rushed to my head as everything spun around me.
Only one word kept flashing through my mind. Rejection.
I drove frantically to the healer's ward at the edge of pack territory, but the moment my foot touched the ground, a flutter from the pup inside me made me pause.
Looking down at my belly, my emotions cooled. My resolve wavered.
This pup. I'd waited eight years for this miracle.
In six months, I'd be a mother.
After some thought, I closed my eyes, swallowed the rising rage, and reached out through the mate bond.
Ten seconds. I'd give him ten seconds to decide our pup's fate.
The bond pulsed, but Leonard - who usually answered instantly - didn't respond.
Ten, nine, eight, seven... I counted silently, my wolf stirring uneasily beneath my skin.
Three... two...
One.
Ice flooded my veins as I slammed the bond shut.
The next moment, a black SUV raced toward me.
CRASH.
With the impact came searing pain in my abdomen. Through blurred vision, I saw Leonard leap from the passenger side, cradling Nadia as they rushed into the healer's ward.
Nadia's face was tear-streaked, her scent reeking of manufactured vulnerability.
"Alpha, I hit someone! What if the Council locks me up? I don't want to be imprisoned. I'd never scent you again!"
Leonard pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Don't worry. Whatever happens, whoever you hit, I won't let anyone take you from me."
I watched their retreating figures in lonely silence as blood and amniotic fluid streamed down my legs.
The pain spread from my abdomen to my chest as I tried calling his name through the bond. But he was completely focused on comforting the trembling omega in his arms, deaf to everything else.
By the time pack members carried me into the healer's ward, I could hear Leonard arguing with the healers.
"This pregnant she-wolf is clearly in worse condition! How could you assign all the pack healers to my case? What if something happens to her?"
"I'll take responsibility if anything happens. No one is more important than my Nadia!"
My Nadia.
Hearing those words, my wolf went silent inside me.
A healer suddenly shouted, "She's hemorrhaging severely! If we don't act now, we can't save the pup!"
Leonard, completely oblivious, simply closed the treatment room door behind him.
Effectively cutting off any chance for our pup to survive.
I laughed bitterly and closed my eyes.
"Don't try to save it. Terminate the pregnancy."
The healer checked my medical history, her wolf's eyes full of sympathy.
"Are you certain, Luna? This pregnancy was hard-won..."
What I wanted was a pup born from love between Leonard and me. Not one delivered into a world of lies and betrayal.
With my last bit of strength, I signed the consent form.
When I woke, my long-awaited pup had become formless tissue.
Eight years of hoping. Ended by betrayal.
My heart was too numb to feel pain.
A healer asked how I wanted to handle the remains.
Suddenly, I remembered countless nights when Leonard had caressed my belly, his expression full of hope, his wolf rumbling contentedly against my skin.
Since he wanted a pup so badly... then I'd give him both the pup and his freedom.
After leaving the operating table, I contacted the pack's legal counsel to prepare dissolution papers.
Carrying the small box with the fetal remains, I exited the healer's ward.
Across the street at a café, I spotted two familiar figures.
Leonard - my cleanliness-obsessed Alpha - was eating cake from Nadia's fork.
One bite for him, one for her. Like fated mates who'd been together forever.
When he saw me, Leonard immediately released Nadia's hand.
"Ivanna! What are you doing here... you look terrible. Are you still unwell?" He reached to feel my forehead, the sickly-sweet scent of her clinging to him like a mark.
I turned away from his touch, indicating the box in my hands.
"Our anniversary is coming up. I got you a gift."
Leonard visibly relaxed, reaching for it.
"You're always so thoughtful. What'd you get me?"
"It's a surprise. You'll find out at the ceremony."
Leonard insisted on peeking early, and Nadia suddenly leaned in. Her scent deliberately brushing against my space.
Chapter 3
"The Alpha is so sweet to his Luna. I wish I could find a mate like that."
I fixed her with an icy smile. "Is it 'find' or 'steal'?"
She nervously retreated behind Leonard, playing the trembling omega.
"At least handle your actual job before trying to seduce a mated male. Have you prepared lunch for the Alpha and me?"
Nadia froze, tears glistening in her eyes.
"What's wrong? Can't I ask an intern to do her job? Or are you only skilled at pleasing males?"
She clutched Leonard's sleeve, her expression stubborn and defiant. "I'm the Alpha's personal assistant, not your slave!"
Leonard frowned and pulled her back to her seat. His tone remained calm.
"She just survived a car accident and got injured. Don't be hard on a young she-wolf - I'll get lunch myself."
With that, Nadia's face lit up in victory.
Lounging in Leonard's jacket, she reclined like she already owned the place.
"See that? The Alpha truly cares about ME!"
"By the way, did you like your gift? Satisfying, right?"
She pulled out her phone, scrolling through photos.
"He's so generous with me. Any designer bag or jewelry you have - he'll get me the exact same one if I ask."
"So what do you think? Did he give you mine by mistake, or was it intentional?"
"And once he has someone young and beautiful like me, how long do you think you'll keep your position as Luna?"
I crossed my arms, coldly watching Nadia's little performance.
She was so young. Empty-headed. Thinking she could rule the pack by batting her lashes at an Alpha.
What she didn't understand was that with my bloodline and my bond to Leonard, with the alliances between our families, he would never reject me unless I initiated it.
No matter how slim her waist. No matter how young her face. She couldn't threaten my position.
And if I wanted to deal with her, I had countless ways without getting my claws dirty.
Young omegas always lose their patience easily.
I hadn't even done anything yet. My cold indifference was already making her unravel.
She suddenly stood up, deliberately pouring scalding tea on her own face, then bowing repeatedly to me.
"Luna, I'll get your lunch right away! Please don't banish me! My family has nothing. I have a sick mother to care for - I can't lose this position..."
"Nadia!" Leonard rushed forward.
Before he could even start growling at me, I dumped the takeout lunch over Nadia's head.
"Leonard, you know me well."
"If I really wanted to do something to your little plaything, she wouldn't have the chance to beg."
Leonard's brow furrowed.
"Ivanna, there's truly nothing between Nadia and me."
Even now, he casually purred her name. The familiarity had become second nature.
I was too exhausted to argue. My aching body and the dull throb in my abdomen made me want to just return to the den and rest.
As I turned to leave, Leonard suddenly grabbed my hand.
"You're still unwell. Where are you going? Let me take you."
I was about to refuse when he added:
"But before we go, you need to apologize to Nadia. She's just starting her career - how will she face everyone at the pack office after being humiliated like this?"
How laughable. He expected me to worry about a homewrecker's professional future?
I yanked my hand away and pointed at her.
"An intern with mediocre skills who disrespects her Alpha's Luna - why keep her? You're defending her a little too passionately, don't you think?"
Leonard remained silent.
I stroked the box in my hands, smiling coldly.
"Reject her now, Leonard, and I'll preserve what little dignity you have left from our eight years as mates."
