Chapter 1Five years after our mating ceremony, Mirko had actually asked me out for Valentine's Day—for the very first time. The city was drowned in red roses and luminous confession billboards. Even the wind carried a sweet, sugary scent.
I sat in the passenger seat, one hand resting on my full, swollen belly, my heart thrumming with a fragile spark of hope.
Then Mirko's phone vibrated. He read the message, then spoke in a flat tone, "Sofia's under a witch's curse. Her pup has to be born by eleven a.m., or it'll never know a happy life. I promised her that this hour belongs only to her pup."
I froze. Before I could utter a word, he added, "The pup Sofia is carrying is mine."
My ears rang. A second later, warm fluid seeped through the seat beneath me.
My face turned ashen white. I clutched his wrist. "Mirko, my water just broke—take me to the hospital."
He frowned and pulled his hand back. "You've always been fine. You can wait. But Sofia's fragile. She can't endure any stress."
Pain tore through me, cold sweat trickling down my temples—but laughter bubbled up anyway. Trembling, I reached for my phone. Before I could dial emergency help, Mirko snatched it away.
"Celia, stop throwing a fit," he said in a cold voice. "You've always been stronger than Sofia. Didn't you say you'd endure anything for this pup?"
Memories suddenly flooded back, of years ago—before Mirko became Alpha of the Blackbloom Pack. In advanced shifting drills, I fell from a tall pine tree and fractured my arm. He skipped all his training drills for the day to carry me to the pack hospital. Rain was pouring down, yet not a single drop fell on me—he shielded me the entire way. As the healer wrapped my arm in thick bandages, his eyes were rimmed red. "Celia," he whispered, "I'll never let you suffer alone."
Now, I was dying, and he didn't even see me.
I clawed at the door handle, desperate to crawl onto the shoulder of the highway. If someone stopped… if anyone helped… But Mirko had engaged the child lock.
I went still. "Open the door!" I gasped out. "Mirko, open it!"
He didn't look at me. "Do you want strangers gawking while you give birth? You may not care about humiliation, but I do."
I tried to speak, but pain robbed me of my voice. Another crippling contraction crashed over me. I gripped his arm. "Mirko… if I die here, if the pup dies, will you regret it?"
His jaw tightened. He slammed on the brakes. My stomach hit hard against the seatbelt, and I screamed. For one second, panic flashed across his face. He reached for me—then froze mid-motion. His phone rang again. One glance at the screen, and his expression shifted in an instant. I could see the name clearly displayed: Sofia.
He picked up the call. Her soft, tear-choked voice poured from the speaker. "Mirko… where are you?" His tone softened at once. "On the road. Traffic's heavy."
He hung up the phone, exhaustion etched into every line of his face. "Celia, don't push me," he said in a low tone. "The doctors say her pregnancy is high-risk. Keeping that pup alive is already a miracle. I'm just asking you to wait until after eleven."
I laughed so hard tears streamed down my cheeks.
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Chapter 2
The car screeched to a halt outside Blackbloom Pack Hospital. It was twenty minutes shy of eleven.
Mirko unbuckled his seatbelt and reached for me. A pathetic part of me still clung to a sliver of hope. I thought maybe—just maybe—he couldn't bear to lose me, or the pup we'd fought so hard to have. If he carried me into that ER right now… if he chose me one last time… I would give him another chance.
But instead, he dumped me into a wheelchair in the corner of the lobby. "Wait here," he said. "I'll send Beta Paul."
I clutched his wrist. "Don't go. Mirko, please… I can't hold on."
He looked down at me, a flicker of pain in his eyes. Then a nurse's voice rang out from the elevator bank. "Mirko! Sofia's prepped and ready! We need the family signature!"
His hand slipped from my grasp. "Celia, behave yourself," he said coldly. "Stop making this harder than it has to be. I'll come back after Sofia's pup is safely delivered."
He turned toward the elevators. I summoned every last ounce of my remaining strength. "Mirko! I don't want you anymore!"
His steps faltered. But he didn't turn back. The elevator doors closed. Blood pooled around my ankles, dripping onto the white tiles.
Cheers and hurried footsteps echoed from the surgical wing. "Mirko's here!" "It's almost eleven!"
I dragged myself toward the nursing station. A young nurse rushed over. "Oh my god—you're bleeding out! Where's your family?" I clutched her sleeve. "Help me."
She screamed for a gurney. As they lifted me onto the stretcher, heavy footsteps thundered down the hall. Mirko stormed toward us. "How dare you touch her without my permission?" His voice was cold as ice.
The nurse froze. "Alpha Mirko, the Luna is in critical condition—"
"She is not Luna," he snapped.
My chest crumbled in agony. The nurse went rigid. "But she said—"
"Her name is Celia," Mirko cut in. "A distant relative from the Northern Pack." He leaned over me, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Sofia's going into surgery. She can't endure any stress."
Rage shook my entire body. Mirko turned to the Chief Healer. "No interruptions before eleven. Not for any reason." He gestured toward me. "Put her in Observation. Attend to her after my Luna and pup are safe."
They wheeled the gurney around. "Mirko!" I choked out. "The pup will suffocate!"
He walked beside me, jaw clenched. "I won't let you die."
Inside the observation room, a nurse strapped the fetal monitor to my belly. The probe pressed against my belly. The machine blared a frantic, weakening rhythm. The nurse's face drained of color. "Doctor! Heart rate's crashing!"
The Healer looked at Alpha Mirko. "Fetal oxygen flow is dropping rapidly. Administer suppressants to stall the labor."
Mirko gripped his phone. "I'll be back as soon as Sofia's in surgery."
When the needle pierced my hand, I stared straight at him. "The Moon Goddess will curse you for killing your own pup."
His eyes reddened—but he whispered, "Don't hate me, Celia. I'm minimizing the damage." He leaned close, wiping sweat from my forehead with infuriating gentleness. "I know you're hurting. Name anything you want after the birth, and I'll give you everything."
I turned my head away. "Mirko… I want to sever the mate bond."
He went still. I looked at him, my voice trembling but clear. "In your heart, my pup never stood a chance against hers."
That was when he finally lost his temper. "Celia! Sofia's pup is mine too—I can't abandon them!"
I stared at him. And realized I'd still been waiting for an excuse. But hearing him admit it out loud snuffed out the last spark of light inside me.
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Chapter 3
The observation room door clicked closed. Through the glass, I caught Mirko's voice from outside. "Watch her. Don't let her stir up trouble. No one moves her into surgery before eleven."
I lay on the narrow bed, hair plastered to my forehead. The fetal monitor's rhythm grew slower with each passing beat.
"I'm sorry, baby," I whispered. "Mom couldn't protect you."
Then—through the door—a familiar voice. "Celia?"
I turned my head. Oliver stood outside the glass. He was my brother, whom I had not seen for three long years. I opened my mouth to call out—but the orderly pulled the curtains closed.
I pounded on the door. "Oliver! It's me! I'm in here!"
No answer. The orderly shoved me back. "Alpha Mirko says you're unstable. No visitors."
I glared at her. "That's my brother!"
She rolled her eyes. "First he's your mate, now he's your brother. You she-wolves will say anything."
Fury shook me. An older nurse entered, carrying a clipboard. "Sign."
I looked down. The document was titled Voluntary Observation Agreement. Patient requests postponed surgery, pending family coordination.
The young nurse lunged forward. "Beta Julia, her heart rate is crashing!"
The older nurse ignored her and wheeled my bed toward the elevator. "Thank you," I croaked.
But at the elevator, Maggie—Mirko's mother, the former Luna—blocked our path. Two guardian wolves flanked her. Draped in crimson velvet, moonstone bracelets gleaming, she looked ready for a mating ceremony. She eyed the blood soaking my clothes. Disgust twisted her features.
"Celia," she said coldly. "Did you do this on purpose? Today, of all days?"
I met her gaze. "Madam, the pup in my belly is your grandpup and the rightful heir to the Blackbloom Pack. More importantly, I am the Luna of the Blackbloom Pack."
Her expression darkened. "A true Luna knows her place," Maggie said. "Not someone who throws tantrums and disrupts the pack." She stepped closer and patted my cheek—soft, mocking. "This is for your own good, dear. A she-wolf's duty is to her home. Endure it. Mirko will remember your sacrifice." She flicked her fingers. "Take her back."
The young nurse protested. "She can't go back! The pup's fading!"
Smack. Maggie slapped her across the face. "Know your place. I am the former Luna of the Blackbloom Pack. I'll take responsibility for whatever happens to the pack."
They shoved me back into the observation room. The lock clicked from the outside. Darkness swallowed me. Pain wracked my body. The medication could no longer dull my suffering.
My wolf fought back. She crawled off the bed, dragging herself toward the door. "Please!" She screamed. "Open the door! My pup is coming!"
Silence. Then, from the hallway, joyful howls rose up. It was the Moon Goddess hymn, the blessing song for a living heir. Cheers erupted.
"Eleven o'clock sharp!" "Alpha bloodline!" "Eight pounds!" "Congratulations, Alpha Mirko and Luna Sofia! May your pup live a happy and peaceful life!"
I pressed my forehead against the door. Laughter tore out of me—raw, broken. How perfect. They timed it down to the second. They trampled my unborn pup's life away, just to greet their own newborn into this world.
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