Chapter 1On the night my pup was meant to be born, my mate - Alpha Cassian - had me thrown into a frost cell. -10°C. The cold bit through my skin before my wolf could even rise.
Blackthorn Pack law? Firstborn male pup takes EVERYTHING. Rank. Territory. The Alpha seat.
Amara - Evander's widow - was carrying a pup too.
Her whelping moon fell one sunrise before mine.
Cassian chose her.
"Evander's heir comes first," he said. "You OWE this pack."
They shot me full of wolfsbane serum to stop my labor.
I hit the frozen floor.
Shaking. Bleeding. Alone.
My wolf clawed at my ribs, howling. The serum choked her down.
I felt my pup's life thread thinning.
What they didn't know?
Moon Goddess help them - they had NO idea.
I'm the only living heir to the Veyra Lycan Throne. The most feared royal bloodline on the Eastern Moon Coast.
And Veyras? We ALWAYS collect our debts.
...
Seraphina's POV
"Get your hands off me! My pup is coming!"
I sank my claws into the doorframe. Contractions ripped through my belly like fangs. Silas - Cassian's Beta - didn't even blink. He just peeled my fingers off, one by one.
"Alpha's command."
He dragged me toward the underground frost cells.
"The cold will slow your whelping. You wait until Amara births."
"Wait?" I choked, fluid soaking my thighs. "You want me to WAIT to have my pup?"
"Evander's blood must come first. Pack law." Silas shoved me harder. Evander had been Cassian's older brother - the original heir. Dead a year now.
"Are you out of your mind?" I fought him, fangs dropping. "That'll kill my pup!"
"It won't kill it. Just delays it." Silas heaved open the iron door.
Cold hit me like a wall.
Steel. White light. The stench of blood, mold, and old death. This was where Blackthorn wolves broke traitors.
Silas dumped me on the frozen stone and dialed his phone. Speaker on.
"She's in the frost cell. Water broke, but the cold should hold her."
"Still throwing a fit?" Cassian's voice came through, tired.
A fit?
"Cassian!" I screamed at the phone. "It's ME. I'm WHELPING!"
"You're joking. NOW?" He sounded irritated. "Amara's about to birth. Can't you wait two hours?"
"How do I wait? I can't control my own body!"
"You timed crawling into my den just fine." His sneer was a blade. "Now you can't time your own pup?"
That storm night a year ago hit me. Evander's death. Cassian drunk on moonwine. "I only brought you broth!" I begged. "You were drunk. I never - "
"Broth?" he roared. "You laced it with wolfsbane! If you hadn't drugged me that night, Evander wouldn't have - "
"Cassian... it hurts... I'm scared..." Amara's whimper cut through the phone.
His voice flipped soft in a heartbeat. "I'm here. Breathe. Just hold on."
"The pup's ready to meet us..." she breathed.
"He'll be strong. Like his father." Cassian murmured. "You're doing amazing, Amara."
Every gentle word shredded me.
We were both carrying pups. But she got love. I got chains.
"Cassian..." I pleaded. "I need a healer. Our pup needs help."
"Our pup?" He laughed. "Be grateful you're carrying one. Otherwise you'd be coyote food. Silas - give her the shot."
The line went dead.
Silas pulled a syringe from the med kit. Milky white. Wrong. So WRONG.
"What is that?" I stared at the needle.
"Labor blocker. Keeps you quiet."
"NO!" I scrambled back, claws scraping stone. "That'll kill my pup!"
"It won't kill it. Just postpones." Silas grabbed my arm. "You don't understand what Evander was to this pack. If the old Alpha hadn't forced Cassian to mate you before he died - some stray female from nowhere - " The needle slid into my vein. Ice crawled through my blood. "Evander would still be alive. Blackthorn wouldn't be bleeding. You're nothing but a curse."
The serum hit like poison.
My contractions went wild. Pain tore me open. And my pup - his little kicks got weaker. Then weaker.
"I never hurt him..." I whispered. "Silas, please..."
"You earned this." He stood and walked out without a backward glance.
I curled on the frozen floor. The wolfsbane slithered through my veins like a serpent. Every breath was a knife. My wolf howled inside me, but the serum held her down.
"Pup..." I cradled my belly, tears freezing on my face. "Don't go... Mommy's here..."
His movements faded.
Then stopped.
I felt my pup slipping away.
And just when the dark almost took me - the iron door screamed open.
A scent cut through the blood and mold. Rose oil. Silver. Pure spite.
Ravenna. Cassian's sister. She walked in like the frost cells belonged to her, heels clicking, a leather whip coiled in her fist. Her wolf pressed just beneath her skin, eyes glowing gold.
"Still alive?" She crouched low, voice sweet as poison. "Good. My brother wants you to learn what happens to females who forget their place.""
"Lesson one: learn what it means to 'stay quiet'."
Chapter 2
Seraphina's POV
The whip cracked through the frost cell like a thunderclap.
I screamed and curled around my belly. "Ravenna - please! He's your blood too!"
"Blood?" She laughed, and it was all fang. "That little whelp is NOTHING to me."
The second strike landed across my shoulder. Fire tore down my arm. My wolf lunged inside me, desperate to shift, but the wolfsbane serum had her pinned. I couldn't even growl.
"I never hurt Evander," I gasped. "I SWEAR it."
"Shut your lying mouth." Ravenna's boot came for my stomach. I threw my arms over my pup and took the hit in the ribs. Something cracked. I tasted blood.
She wasn't done.
"You think I don't see your games?" She grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked my head back. "You crawled into my brother's den, spread your legs, got pregnant, and suddenly you think you're Luna?" Her knee slammed into my side. I crumpled, coughing red onto the frozen stone.
"Cassian never even LOOKED at another female before you," she snarled, grinding my fingers under her heel. "Then some stray bitch from nowhere shows up, and Grandpa forces him to mate you? Pathetic. You don't deserve the Blackthorn name. You don't deserve to breathe our air."
Another contraction ripped through me.
My pup kicked - weak, frantic. I felt him fighting. I felt him losing.
"And you DARED to carry his pup?" Ravenna's foot slammed into my belly.
I screamed. My vision went white. My back hit the wall so hard my spine went numb.
"Ravenna... please..." I could barely get the words out. "I'll leave. I'll disappear. Just don't hurt him."
"Leave?" Her eyes flashed gold, and for a second her wolf pushed through - snarling, hateful. "You ruined my family. You think you get to just LEAVE?"
She smashed my head against the wall. Once. Twice. Warm blood poured into my eyes.
Then she let go. I dropped like a dead thing.
Ravenna walked to the temperature panel, breathing hard. Her fingers danced over the dial.
"There. -25°C." She smiled at the cold that slammed into me like a second whip. "Can't have Cassian seeing you all torn up. He might grow a conscience."
My body shook so hard my teeth rattled.
"Silas!" she shouted at the door. "Get someone in here to clean this mess before my brother catches a whiff of it!"
"Yes, Miss."
Ravenna looked back at me one last time. Licked her lips. "Enjoy the chill, sweetheart. That's what happens when you try to steal my brother."
The iron door boomed shut.
I lay in my own blood, every nerve screaming. I tried to move. My fingers wouldn't listen. My wolf was a faint, broken whimper inside me.
Time blurred.
Then the door opened again.
Maeve slipped in with cleaning supplies. The moment she saw me, her bucket hit the floor.
"Moon Goddess... Luna..." Her voice shook.
I forced my head up. "Maeve..."
She dropped to her knees beside me, hands hovering over my wounds like she was afraid to touch. "Your face... your - oh, Great Luna, what did they DO to you?"
"I'm fading," I whispered. "My pup... he's fading too."
Maeve's eyes filled. She bit her lip so hard it bled. "What can I do? Tell me. Anything."
Hope - tiny, stupid hope - flickered in my chest. "Can you make a call? Please. One call."
She hesitated. I saw the fear in her wolf's eyes. But then she nodded.
I gave her the number. She pulled out her phone with shaking hands.
Footsteps echoed outside.
"Maeve!" Silas's voice sliced through the door. "You done yet? Alpha wants a report."
"Almost!" she called back, shoving the phone into her apron. She grabbed a rag and started wiping the blood like nothing was wrong.
Silas poked his head in. His cold eyes swept the cell. "Hurry it up. I've got better things to do than babysit a dead Luna."
The footsteps faded.
Maeve let out a breath. "I'll try. I promise. Just hold on, Luna. Please."
"Thank you," I choked.
She gathered her things and rushed out. The lock clicked behind her.
Minutes crawled.
The cold chewed through me. My pup's kicks faded to flutters. Then nothing.
I pressed both hands to my belly. "Stay with me," I begged. "Please, baby. Mommy's right here."
No answer.
My wolf howled once - long, broken - and then went silent.
I closed my eyes. Counted breaths. Waited for death.
Did Maeve call? Did she run? Did she even care?
The dark started pulling me under.
Then - scrape.
A sound above me. Metal grinding against metal.
I forced my swollen eyes open. The vent panel in the ceiling slid aside. Maeve's face appeared, streaked with tears.
"Luna! Grab the rope! NOW!"
She threw down a length of knotted fabric. I reached up with everything I had left. She pulled. Pain exploded through every wound, but I didn't care. I clawed my way into the duct.
"The call?" I rasped.
"No answer." She was already crawling, dragging me behind her. "I tried three times. Nobody picked up. But I wasn't gonna leave you in there to die."
My heart cracked. But there was no time to grieve.
"Almost there," Maeve whispered. "Just a little more."
Moonlight bled through the end of the duct. We spilled out into the night. Grass. Wind. The smell of pine and freedom.
"The back boundary," Maeve pointed. "If we can reach the trees, we can - "
We ran.
Twenty meters. Ten. Five.
Ravenna's voice drifted from behind us. Lazy. Amused.
"Two little mice, running so fast."
Chapter 3
Seraphina's POV
My paws locked to the ground. I turned slow, and there she was - Ravenna, flanked by six enforcers, all of them grinning like they'd already tasted blood.
"Running out of steam already?" She cocked her head. "You were scrabbling pretty good a minute ago."
Behind me, Maeve's scent went sour with terror. She was shaking so hard I could hear her teeth.
"Thought you'd make it farther." Ravenna sauntered closer. "Guess that's all a stray bitch has in her."
"How - how did you find us?" I forced out.
"Find you?" She laughed, sharp and cold. "You mean how did I know this omega trash was helping you?" She jerked her chin at Maeve. "There are eyes in every vent, idiot. I've been watching since she crawled in."
My gut dropped. It had been a trap from the start.
Ravenna pulled out her phone and hit speaker. "Hey, big brother. Got some good news."
"What now?" Cassian sounded exhausted. "I'm at the healer's hall. Amara's about to whelp."
"Your precious mate just tried to run," Ravenna sang. "And I caught her."
A pause. Then his voice went arctic. "She ran? Tonight?"
"Yep. Even bribed one of the servants to help." Ravenna licked her fangs. "She's on her knees right now. What should I do with her?"
"Cassian, please - I didn't - " I tried.
One of the enforcers drove his boot into my ribs. I hit the ground, choking.
"Still mouthing off?" Cassian's laugh was pure venom. "Good. Ravenna, make sure she learns what happens to mates who betray their Alpha."
"With pleasure." She hung up. Her eyes glittered. "On your knees. Both of you."
The enforcers kicked Maeve's legs out. She crashed onto the stone, sobbing. "Please, Lady Ravenna... I have a pup at home. She's only six..."
"A pup?" Ravenna crouched, stroking Maeve's cheek like she cared. "How sweet. Imagine how broken she'll be when her mother never comes home."
"Please don't kill me!" Maeve begged. "I'll do anything!"
"Anything?" Ravenna stood, smile sharp as a blade. "Then die."
She nodded to the enforcer holding the spiked club. He raised it high.
"NO!" I screamed.
The club came down.
A wet crunch split the night. Maeve's skull caved. Blood and brains sprayed across the stones. Her body twitched twice, then went still. The moonlight caught the spreading pool - dark, thick, endless.
"No... no, no, no..." I dragged myself toward her. "Maeve!"
Her eyes were still open. Empty. Gone.
"So." Ravenna wiped a speck of blood off her cheek. "Still feel like running?"
I clutched Maeve's body, my wolf howling inside me - one long, broken sound. But the wolfsbane still had her chained. I couldn't shift. I couldn't fight. I couldn't even die right.
"Take her back," Ravenna ordered. "It's time she learned her lesson."
They hauled me back to the frost cell. Maeve's blood dried on my skin, that sweet copper stench stuck in my nose. The iron door slammed. Ravenna pulled a syringe from the kit.
"Second dose." She licked her lips. "And this time, I'm giving it myself."
"No..." I shook my head. "Please. My pup can't take anymore."
"Can't take it?" She crouched, waving the needle in front of my eyes. "Then let's make sure he doesn't have to."
The needle punched into my vein. This serum was stronger - I felt it hit my heart in seconds. Pain exploded through me like a tidal wave. My pup thrashed once, twice - then went quiet. Too quiet.
"No..." I pressed both hands to my belly. "Move. Please, baby, MOVE."
Nothing.
Then the blood came. Hot. Fast. Too much.
"Shit!" Ravenna's face went white. "Why is there so much blood?"
The room tilted. The floor turned red. Ice and copper filled my nose.
"Get Silas!" Ravenna shrieked. "She can't die - Cassian will tear my throat out!"
But the dark was already swallowing me. Deeper. Deeper. Until there was nothing.
**
Cassian's POV
"Push, Amara. Come on. Push."
I held her hand while her face twisted with pain.
"I see the head!" the healer said. "One more!"
Amara screamed - then silence. A heartbeat later, a pup's cry cut through the room.
"A male," the healer announced. "Healthy and strong."
I stared at the tiny, wrinkled thing. Evander's son. The Blackthorn heir.
"He has Evander's nose." Amara smiled, exhausted. "Look at him..."
She wasn't wrong. That nose. That chin. My dead brother stared back at me from a pup's face.
I let out a breath and pulled out my phone. Amara had whelped. Time to bring Seraphina to the healer's hall. The line connected.
"Alpha." Silas's voice was wrong. Shaky.
"Bring her in," I said. "Amara's done."
Silence.
"Seraphina..." Silas's voice cracked. "She's... dead."
