Chapter 1I was carrying six pups, but my Alpha refused to let me reduce the litter.
I thought it was devotion to our bond.
What I didn't know was that none of these six pups were truly mine—they belonged to him and his former intended mate.
Until I overheard him in his study at 3 AM:
"Six pups. Six bone marrow matches. More pups, better odds to cure Morgana's silver poisoning."
"But Alpha, your mate might not survive the birth. And if she found out the pups she's suffering to carry aren't even hers—that she's just a living incubator—she'll shatter completely!"
Draven Shadowfang's voice was cold, merciless.
"So what? She took the Luna position. Time to pay up."
Three years bonded, and I was just a breeding vessel for his dying first love.
My fingers shook as I reached for my phone.
"I need to terminate the pregnancy."
"All six of them."
His precious Morgana needs bone marrow donors?
She can rot waiting.
---
The moment our bonding ceremony ended, I couldn't stop vomiting.
At the pack healer's clinic, Mira delivered shocking news—I was carrying six pups.
"Luna Aria, your body isn't built for this. I strongly recommend reducing the litter. Six pups are extremely high-risk for an Omega."
But Draven refused without hesitation.
"No reduction. Nightfang Pack can support them all."
His warm palm rested on my still-flat stomach. "These are our pups. I want to keep every single one."
I was moved by his protectiveness, swallowing my fears to agree.
But six months later, everything shattered.
One night while stumbling to the bathroom, I heard voices drifting from the study.
"Morgana's silver poisoning needs bone marrow. Six pups are perfect—more donors, better survival odds." Draven's tone was cold, clinical.
"But Alpha, this could kill your mate."
"She took Morgana's place as Luna. She should pay the price!"
I dug my nails into my palms, tears blurring my vision.
It hit me—both the pups and I were nothing but tools to him.
"Six bone marrow samples will definitely cure Morgana."
Draven's Beta, Ryker, sighed dramatically. "Our Alpha only has eyes for Morgana. That's why he orchestrated this breeding scheme—keeps her treatment on schedule while giving her real hope."
"But what if Aria finds out? If she realizes the pups she's suffering to carry aren't hers—that she's just a living blood bank—she'll break."
Draven's voice sliced through the room like a blade.
"So what if she finds out? She accepted the Luna bond. She pays the price."
The others murmured agreement. "True. Even if she knew, what could she do? She signed the pack treaty. Aria handed over Emberwood Pack's territory just to bond with our Alpha. One command from him and she'll obey."
They laughed, the sound sharp and cruel.
I stood frozen in the shadowy hallway, my wolf whimpering in my chest.
My trembling hand moved to my swollen belly. Claws pricked beneath my skin.
What did this mean? The pups I was carrying weren't mine?
All those months of violent morning sickness, swollen limbs, sleepless nights fighting my wolf's instincts.
The contemptuous stares from Nightfang Pack elites, being mocked as a "breeding vessel" by high-ranking she-wolves.
I endured it all—for Morgana Frostborne's bone marrow supply?
The conversation in the study continued, but the words blurred into noise.
I knew exactly who Morgana was—Draven's childhood intended mate.
Six months ago, when I heard about her silver poisoning diagnosis, I'd even volunteered to test as a marrow donor.
Unfortunately, I wasn't a match.
I never imagined my goodwill had been twisted into this. That my womb would become a tool to save her.
Dizziness slammed into me. I gripped the wall to keep from collapsing.
My ears rang, yet every word from that study seared into my brain.
Inside, they were still discussing my "purpose."
Draven's occasional cold responses made my entire body shake.
Three years bonded. I never knew the wolf sleeping beside me.
I pressed my hand over my six-month belly, feeling the weight of six calculated "blood bags."
And I was just the vessel bred to grow them.
Morgana Frostborne. I knew that name too well. Draven still kept photos of them as young wolves on his phone.
The night she was diagnosed, Draven paced his study until dawn, his wolf howling grief into the darkness.
I thought he mourned a packmate.
Now I understood. He mourned the she-wolf he truly loved.
A bitter laugh tore from my throat, then tears spilled.
If Draven wanted to save his first love so desperately, why deceive me?
Drugging me during our honeymoon, using forbidden breeding magic to implant Morgana's eggs into my womb.
How could he be so cruel?
I clenched my fists, claws biting into flesh.
I had believed his midnight touches, the warm hands on my belly, the broths he prepared—all signs of mate devotion.
Turns out... it was all a lie.
Chapter 2
The voices in the study continued, each word sinking fangs into my chest.
"Six bone marrow samples will keep Morgana stable for years." Draven's voice dripped with satisfaction.
Ryker's tone turned sycophantic. "Genius strategy, Alpha. Using Morgana's eggs with your seed to create the pups, then implanting them in Aria—flawless."
"However... Her vitals have been unstable lately. Carrying six pups is breaking her body down."
Draven scoffed. "As long as she survives the birth. Morgana can't wait for another treatment cycle."
My entire body shook. Claws pierced my palms, drawing blood.
So to him, my life wasn't worth delaying Morgana's next round of silver detox.
"How are the six pups developing?" Draven asked suddenly.
Ryker answered without hesitation.
"Pup #3 is the strongest—perfect marrow match for Morgana's needs. But..." He paused. "Luna Aria's womb is tearing. Carrying all six could trigger fatal hemorrhaging."
"Prioritize #3." Draven's voice turned vicious. "The others are expendable."
My knees gave out. I nearly hit the floor.
"Alpha, what if Luna Aria discovers the truth?"
"So what?" Draven sneered. "Her father's pack let Morgana get poisoned in the first place. This is payback."
Ryker chuckled darkly. "Luna Aria really is clueless—six months along and she still hasn't sensed anything off. She actually thinks breeding six pups at once is normal for an Omega."
"Better she stays ignorant," Draven said coldly.
Ryker's voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper.
"Alpha, imagine her face if she knew those 'vitamins' you feed her every night are laced with forbidden breeding hormones."
He laughed low. "Her belly's swollen like she swallowed a boulder. She can barely walk ten steps without gasping. At the last pack gathering, the high-ranking females called her a breeding sow behind her back."
Draven actually laughed with him. "She never belonged in Nightfang Pack anyway. If not for Morgana, I wouldn't have bonded with her at all."
The insults came one after another, each word slicing through me like silver.
I stumbled back two steps, my face losing all color.
Did he truly despise me this much?
When morning sickness left me retching bile, I bit down on rags to avoid waking Draven beside me.
When my legs swelled so badly I couldn't shift, I dragged myself to the healer's clinic alone.
That week I was hospitalized for internal bleeding—I refused pain suppressants because I feared he'd find me weak.
All that suffering, endured willingly because I loved him.
And to them, it was just "good Omega stamina" and "she can take it."
I could still remember our bonding night, when Draven traced my flat stomach and murmured: "I can't wait to raise our pups together."
Back then, I thought he was imagining our future.
I never suspected he was plotting this betrayal.
"If you can't keep food down, we'll use nutrient infusions. Don't let the pups' growth suffer." That became his constant command.
Every time the healer's needles pierced my veins with icy liquid, concern filled his eyes.
But it wasn't ME he cared about—it was the pups he'd created with Morgana.
I closed my eyes, wiped my tears, and pulled out my phone.
"Healer Mira, I need to terminate the pregnancy. As soon as possible."
By the time I steadied myself against the wall and left the hallway, the study had gone quiet.
Only Draven and Elder Fennick remained in the main hall.
Draven was staring down at his phone.
I let my footsteps sound deliberately. Draven snapped his phone shut, unease flickering across his face.
"Aria?" Draven's brow lifted, his gaze dropping to my hand clutching the phone. "Still awake?"
I looked at his false concern, swallowing the bile rising in my throat. "Just getting water."
"Elder Fennick prepared bone broth for you. Drink some before bed." His tone carried forced gentleness. "Good for the pups."
Once, I would've been touched by this "devotion."
Now I only felt disgust.
"I'm not hungry." I refused flatly, turning toward the stairs.
Draven suddenly caught my wrist, his warm palm sliding over my swollen belly.
"Come with me to see Morgana tomorrow at the healer's sanctuary. She heard about the six pups and wants to meet you."
Chapter 3
His palm pressed against my swollen belly, voice thick with false warmth: "You two used to be close, didn't you?"
My entire body locked up, my wolf snarling in revulsion.
"Sure." I forced the word out, enduring his hand spreading possessively across my stomach.
Elder Fennick suddenly cleared his throat. "Alpha, Ryker just mind-linked me. There are territory disputes requiring your attention at the northern border."
Draven withdrew his hand, pausing at the doorway.
"Don't leave the den tonight. Your condition is too fragile."
Only after they left did I stagger to the nearest wall, my back soaked in cold sweat.
Once Draven was gone, I collapsed onto the furs, my fingers shaking as I pulled out my phone.
I'd never checked Morgana's social media before.
But now something drove me to open it.
Sure enough, brutal proof slammed into me without warning—
She'd posted thirty minutes ago.
In the video, Draven gently cradled the back of Morgana's neck, guiding a silver-detox pill between her lips.
His fingertips brushed tenderly past the corner of her mouth. His gaze was so soft it made my chest ache.
The caption read:
"Thank you, Draven, for taking care of me every night. Even hand-feeding me my meds. You're everything ❤️"
My finger scrolled down on its own. More intimate photos flooded the screen.
Draven holding Morgana under the full moon. Draven brushing her hair. Draven pressing his forehead to hers in the traditional mate gesture...
The timestamps showed these were all taken on nights he claimed he was "patrolling pack borders."
My stomach twisted violently. I bolted to the bathroom and retched.
When I lifted my head, the mirror showed a she-wolf with bloodshot eyes, dark shadows carved beneath them, lips torn from biting too hard.
This wrecked, dying Omega... was me?
Sleepless all night, I snuck out to Healer Mira's sanctuary alone the next morning.
The sharp scent of wolfsbane and antiseptic made me dizzy as I stumbled down the stone corridor.
"Luna Aria, your womb is tearing." Mira's expression was grim. "The six pups have destroyed your body. Termination is dangerous too. Does the Alpha know you're here? Why not try reducing the litter first?"
I gripped the test results. Just as I opened my mouth to answer, I caught a familiar scent at the end of the hall.
Draven pushing a carved wooden chair. Morgana wrapped in soft furs, leaning into his chest.
Moonlight streamed through the arched windows.
He bent down to tuck stray hair behind her ear, his fingertips lingering on her pale cheek.
I knew that look too well—devotion, the kind reserved for a true mate.
"Healer, terminate the pregnancy." My voice came out flat and cold.
"All six of them."
I wiped away tears I hadn't realized were falling and stepped out of the exam room.
Morgana's voice rang out suddenly.
"Aria!" Her tone was weak but smug.
"Draven told me you're carrying six pups. I thought he was exaggerating! How could he let you come here alone?"
Only then did Draven notice me. His expression went rigid.
But Morgana had already reached out, her icy fingers brushing my swollen belly.
"Look how huge you are! Draven, you're so cruel—making Aria carry this many at once."
She swatted his chest playfully.
He actually caught her wrist, chuckling low: "You always said you wanted pups. These little ones are all for you."
My stomach flipped. I doubled over and dry-heaved.
"Aria!" Draven grabbed me in mock panic, his palm's heat burning through my clothes—making me shake with disgust.
"I'm fine." I wiped my mouth, forcing myself upright. "Just the usual sickness."
He frowned, scanning my gaunt face, then reached out to touch my forehead.
"You've lost so much weight. Have you been eating?"
His fake concern almost made me laugh.
Watching him play the devoted Alpha, I suddenly remembered last night's video—him feeding Morgana her meds with this exact same tender look.
"I'm fine. Used to it." I stepped back, dodging his touch.
"Stay with her. I'm heading back to the den."
