Chapter 1Nine moons pregnant, and my belly was so heavy I could barely shift my weight. My pup was due any day now.
But my mate, Alpha Xavier Lowell, locked me in a cold underground cell. He held me in a sterile medical chamber and pumped me full of labor suppressants.
I screamed in agony. He told me to endure it.
Because Kiana - his dead brother's widow - was going into labor at the same hour.
A blood oath he'd sworn to his fallen brother: the firstborn son would claim the Lowell pack's richest western territory.
"That land belongs to Kiana's pup," he said. "Conner is gone. She has nothing. You have my love, Cecilia - all of it. I just need her to deliver safely. Then it's your turn."
The drug burned through my veins. I begged him to take me to the pack's healing wing.
He grabbed my throat, forcing my gaze to his icy Alpha eyes.
"Stop the act! I know you're fine. You're just trying to steal the inheritance."
"You'd do anything to get ahead of Kiana."
My face went pale. My body convulsed as I gasped out a whisper.
"The pup is coming. I don't care about the land. I love you - I just want our baby born safe!"
He sneered. "If you were that innocent, if you had one ounce of love for me, you wouldn't have forced Kiana to sign that waiver giving up her pup's rights."
"Don't worry. I'll come back for you after she delivers. You're carrying my own blood, after all."
He stood guard outside Kiana's delivery room all night.
Only after he saw the newborn in her arms did he remember me.
He finally sent his Beta, Shawn, to release me. But when Shawn called back, his voice shook.
"Alpha... your mate and the pup... they're gone."
...
Nine moons heavy, I dragged myself across the cold floor, crawling toward the steel door.
Just as it slammed shut with a deafening boom, my fingers caught in the jamb.
I heard bone crunch.
A fresh wave of pain ripped through me - worse than the drug. A scream tore from my throat, raw and feral.
But Xavier's mind was all on Kiana. He couldn't hear me.
Suddenly, warm fluid gushed down my legs. My water had broken.
Cold, absolute fear consumed me.
My only light was the faint green glow of an emergency exit sign above the door.
I forced calm. I pounded on the door and screamed for help.
But this was Xavier's private surgical room - soundproof, windowless, buried underground.
No one could hear my weakening cries.
My pup kicked violently inside me, as if trying to claw its way free from this prison.
I was soaked through - sweat or blood, I couldn't tell.
The toxins in the suppressant drained my strength, second by second.
I gathered my last ounce of energy for one final, desperate scream.
Then I heard footsteps outside.
"Please - help me!" I shrieked, voice raw. "I'm locked in the surgical room! I'm in labor!"
I repeated it over and over, thinking salvation had come.
But then a voice answered, dripping with cruel delight.
"Well, well, Cecilia. Look at you - pathetic. Xavier should have taught you to submit long ago."
It was Xavier's sister, Amanda.
I squeezed my eyes shut, steadying my voice. "Amanda, please - let me out. The pup is coming. I can't hold on."
Amanda pushed open the door and stared down at me, her face twisted with contempt.
For a moment, I thought she might help.
Then she slammed her boot into my ribs. The blow stole my breath, and black spots danced in my vision.
Her voice cut like a blade.
"Let you out? So you can ruin Kiana's delivery? Stay put, Cecilia. Xavier sent me to watch you."
"You're not fit to be his mate. He wants you to stay here and reflect on what you've done. He has enough on his plate without your drama."
"Kiana's pup will be heir to this pack. Your little tricks won't change that."
Another contraction ripped a scream from my lips.
Tears streamed down my cheeks as I gasped, "My pup won't take the inheritance. I'll give up everything! Just get word to Xavier - let me go. I'll vanish from this pack and never return. I swear it on the Moon Goddess."
My screams only fueled her rage.
She scowled. "Slut. Who do you think you're seducing with that noise? Pathetic."
Then she keyed her walkie-talkie, contacting Xavier.
The combined agony of the drug and labor was tearing my soul apart.
"No problem, Xavier. I'll keep an eye on her," she said.
When I heard Xavier's voice, a flicker of hope ignited. He had to care. He had to care about our pup.
I screamed with all my might, "Xavier! The pup is coming - right now! Please - have Amanda take me to the healing wing! Now!"
My voice cracked, trembling and weak.
Amanda hesitated. I heard her whisper into the walkie-talkie, "Xavier... I think it's real. The way she's screaming - I don't think she's faking."
"Maybe I should take her to the healers. He's your only pup. If something happened..."
Xavier paused, as if considering.
Then his tone softened. "Fine. You can take her - "
Just then, a silky voice purred from his end. "Xavier, darling, I'm thirsty. Could you bring me some champagne? The healer says I need to relax to deliver our little prince."
"Oh, is Cecilia in labor? It's nothing, darling. It doesn't even hurt. Honestly, I feel like I could run a full moon hunt. Cecilia is strong. She'll be fine."
Of course it didn't hurt for her.
The pack's entire medical team and resources had been diverted to her lavish, state-of-the-art birthing suite.
She was treated like a Luna queen.
Kiana's few words changed everything. Changed Xavier's mind.
His voice turned to ice.
"What could go wrong? It's an act. She's trying to trick you into letting her out. Don't believe it. Trusting her will only make you look like a fool."
The walkie-talkie clicked dead.
Stung by Xavier's rebuke, Amanda turned her fury on me.
She reached into a leather case and pulled out a serpent - a black viper with gleaming fangs - and advanced.
Chapter 2
"You want to know what real pain feels like?"
"Then let me teach you a lesson. Have a taste of my pet."
Amanda shoved the black viper in my face.
Its forked tongue flicked the air. Cold scales brushed my arm.
My wolf screamed inside me. Run. Fight. Bite back.
But I couldn't move.
"No - "
Before I could finish the word, fangs sank deep into my flesh.
Fire shot through my arm. Venom burned like acid in my veins, pumping deeper with every heartbeat.
I forced myself still. One hand clamped over my belly. The other pressed against the wound.
But the venom was an anticoagulant. Dark blood poured out, thin and watery, refusing to clot.
I curled into a ball, shaking. Too scared to even breathe.
"My snake is so well-behaved. She never bites." Amanda cooed, pulling the viper back.
But as she drew it away, she felt its scales turn slick. She glanced down.
Dark blood dripped from its fangs.
My vision started to blur.
A thousand blades shredded my womb from the inside.
The bite on my arm had already turned purple-black. Blood still oozed out, slow and thick.
I could feel my life draining. Drop by drop. Second by second.
Amanda didn't leave. Her expression twisted - from satisfaction to something crazed.
"You bitch! What did you do?!"
Her boot slammed into my stomach.
The blow nearly knocked me out cold.
"My Medusa!" she shrieked. "You crazy slut! You made her bleed! She's worth more than you and that bastard pup combined!"
She grabbed my hair, yanking my head up.
"You hurt her! You disgusting omega trash!"
She cooed at the snake. "My baby must have been terrified of you."
Another kick. Each blow was a hammer against me and my unborn pup.
All I could do was curl around my belly. Too weak to fight.
"Why aren't you screaming now? Keep up the act!"
"Please... don't kick the baby..."
"The baby?" Amanda sneered. "Stop hiding behind that pup. It doesn't make you worthy of the Lowell name."
She stroked the viper with one hand. With the other, she pulled a small spray bottle from her bag.
White mist filled the room.
My consciousness started to slip.
My wolf clawed at the edges of my mind, desperate to shift, to fight. But the venom and the gas had her pinned.
"Now you can lie there quietly and reflect on your place," Amanda hissed. "Don't get your hopes up. Only Kiana's bloodline is worthy of the pack throne. Only her pup will rule our empire."
She sprayed more of the hallucinogenic gas around the room.
"Perhaps this will help you reflect, Cecilia. A little something to... quiet your nerves."
She left in a rage.
The heavy mist sent my body into violent spasms. A new kind of agony layered on top of the snake venom already coursing through me.
I was adrift in a haze of pain.
Then I heard it.
Faint sobs. My unborn pup's voice.
A tiny cry echoed in my head.
"Mommy... Mommy, help me..."
It was real. It had to be real.
In the hallucination, a small figure reached out to me.
"Mommy, I'm so scared... It hurts so much..."
"Baby, Mommy's here..."
I reached out a trembling hand, trying to hold him.
But my arms closed on empty air. Every time.
I was supposed to welcome my pup today. Hold him tight. Feel his tiny heartbeat against mine.
He was right there. Just a breath away.
Why was the Moon Goddess so cruel?
My spirit finally broke. Tears streamed silently down my face.
Despair pierced my heart like a silver blade.
I stroked my belly, slow and gentle.
"My sweet pup... Mommy failed you..."
"If there's a next life, I hope you're born into a pack that loves you. Where your parents cherish each other."
My breathing grew faint. My blood thickened in my veins.
My wolf whimpered inside me, fading.
Suddenly, the door clicked open. Blinding light flooded the room.
"Oh my Goddess..."
A pack healer stood frozen, staring at me in a pool of blood.
"Oh my Goddess... Who are you? What did you do to make the Alpha punish you like this?"
Even as a healer, his first instinct wasn't to save me.
"I'm... Xavier's mate," I rasped.
With great effort, I lifted my hand to show him my bonding mark - the scar where Xavier had claimed me.
It was smeared with blood, but the shape was still visible.
He recognized it.
He moved to help. Then hesitated.
He pulled out his phone and dialed.
"Alpha, I found Cecilia in the underground medical chamber. Her condition is critical. She's lost too much blood. And it looks like she's been poisoned - "
Xavier's voice was sharp with suspicion. "Poisoned? That's impossible. She's not bleeding, Healer. That's my sister's snake blood. Amanda already called me - furious that Cecilia hurt her precious pet."
His tone turned cold. "She's perfectly healthy. Another desperate ploy to deliver first. Don't mind her. I'll handle this myself."
The healer tried to explain further. Xavier hung up.
He glanced at me with pity. Then walked past me to move some equipment.
Just as I thought he'd abandon me, he turned back.
A sliver of conscience had survived.
"There are two lives here... I'm a healer. I can't just watch you die," he said, his voice steadying with resolve. "My own mate is pregnant too. I wouldn't want her to face this alone. That's why I'm helping you."
He lifted me from the pool of blood and carried me toward the pack's healing center.
I breathed a deep sigh. My pup was saved.
But when we reached the center, we both froze.
The room was empty.
All the equipment. The medicine. The surgical tables. Gone.
"The equipment?" the healer murmured. "Where did it all go?"
The answer was painfully obvious.
Xavier had moved every last piece to Kiana's private luxury clinic.
Everything that could have saved me and my pup.
Chapter 3
The healer's face went pale.
He knew I was slipping away. He had to get me to a real healing wing.
He frantically dialed Xavier's private number.
"Alpha, this is an emergency! Cecilia has been severely poisoned - she needs immediate treatment! She's going to die!"
Xavier's voice was thick with annoyance. "Cecilia. You've outdone yourself. Not only did you escape, you even bribed our pack's best healer."
"Let me be clear - whatever game you're playing, I'm not falling for it! I know you too well. There's nothing wrong with you. Stop trying to trick me."
"I told you, he's my flesh and blood. I'm not abandoning my own pup. But you have to wait until Kiana is done. Why can't you just wait?"
"I admit, I underestimated you. Now behave yourself, or you know the consequences of defying your Alpha."
The line went dead.
The healer stared at his phone. Then back at me - barely clinging to life.
My wolf whimpered deep inside. Fading. Fading.
He gritted his teeth. Made a decision.
"It's a long shot, but I'm taking you to the private birthing suite."
I never imagined he'd take me to Kiana's clinic.
Through the glass doors, I could see it - brightly lit, healers bustling around. The most advanced equipment lined up in perfect rows.
Everything that was supposed to save me.
The healer pleaded with the head nurse. Explained my condition.
She just shook her head, cold as winter frost.
"The Alpha's orders are clear. All resources are reserved for Kiana. No one uses them without authorization."
"But she's dying!"
"Not our problem."
Because of Xavier's command, I couldn't even get a single painkiller.
My vision swam. My wolf was barely a whisper now.
Then a tall figure appeared in the doorway.
Xavier's Beta. Shawn.
He saw me - covered in blood - and his face went white.
He rushed to Xavier's side.
"Alpha, there's a woman outside. Covered in blood. She... if I'm not mistaken, she looks exactly like Cecilia."
Xavier's brow furrowed. He pressed his temples hard.
"Impossible," he said flatly. "She's fine. Pregnant, yes. But fine. There's no way she got this far."
Shawn tried again, voice lower. "Perhaps you should see for yourself, Alpha. If it is her, your pup could be in danger too."
Xavier's patience snapped. He bared his fangs at Shawn.
"I said it's impossible. Are you deaf?"
"If it were really Cecilia, do you think she'd need you to report it? Wouldn't she have stormed in here herself?"
"A woman that vain - obsessed with her image - would never let anyone see her like that. Use your head, Beta."
Shawn could only shake his head in defeat.
"I'm sorry," he said to me. "I can't help you."
The healer looked helplessly at the closed doors of the treatment room.
Guilt flooded his face. But I knew he'd done all he could.
I wanted to tell him not to blame himself. But I didn't have the strength left to speak.
The blood loss. The snake venom. The suppressant. Each one was pulling me under.
I could hear the healers' hushed chatter - voices fading in and out.
"Kiana's pup is about to be born. We have to stay with her."
"But that woman's condition is critical. She'll die if we don't help."
"The poison has spread to her organs. The fetal heartbeat is weakening..."
"Get the emergency kit. Now!"
A sharp pain tore through my abdomen - different from the contractions.
This was the pain of death.
My hand rested on my belly.
My once-swollen stomach was slackening. Going flat.
My pup... forgive me. My soul screamed. My precious boy. Mommy failed you. I couldn't protect you.
My wolf let out one last, broken howl inside me.
Then she went quiet.
I shed one last tear.
And the world went black.
...
Xavier's POV
Xavier paced outside the delivery room.
He'd waited by Kiana's side all night.
When the door opened, he rushed to her bedside.
"Congratulations, Alpha! It's a healthy boy!"
Xavier looked at the infant in Kiana's arms. His eyes shone with elation.
"He's beautiful," he said softly. "Just like you."
The future heir of the pack had finally been born.
Then he paused.
A stray thought crossed his mind - who would Cecilia's pup take after?
If it was a girl, she'd probably look like her mother. Especially with those amber eyes.
He gently coaxed the pup to sleep. Then turned to leave.
The long night was finally over.
And he had finally remembered.
"Shawn, go get Cecilia. It's over. Time for her to see the pup."
"Kiana is safe. Tell her she can deliver now."
Shawn stood frozen. Didn't move an inch.
His body trembled with a terror Xavier couldn't understand.
After a long moment, he finally forced the words out. His voice a raw whisper.
"Alpha... Luna Cecilia and the pup... they're... they're gone."
