Chapter 1Even after I got pregnant, my Alpha mate still only gave me half of what a regular pack member got to eat.
His ridiculously female Beta shot down my request for more food.
"You've packed on five pounds in three months. The allied packs are talking. They're saying Alpha Thornridge mated a weak wolf. From now on, you're on rabbits and greens. Nothing else!"
I was starving.
So I snuck into my mate's private stores and grabbed a chunk of venison. Traded it at the diner for an actual meal.
Got reported before I even made it back.
The enforcers hauled me into Beck's office.
Beck stood on the other side of his desk. Face like stone.
"You get rations every day. More than enough. And you're still stealing from pack stores?"
I snapped.
"It was one piece of meat! You had me dragged in here over one piece! Who's acting crazy here?"
Beck's jaw locked.
"One piece? Sloane said it was fifty pounds of prime elk!"
---
Before I could say anything, his phone buzzed. He glanced down. Read something. His expression shifted.
Then he looked back at me.
"So stealing wasn't enough. Now you're demanding more? Five whole deer from the winter reserves?"
I stared at him.
"If you won't feed me properly, what am I supposed to do? Let your pup starve just so you can save face?"
He looked at me like I'd lost my mind.
"You're never satisfied."
My hands shook. Tears burned hot behind my eyes.
So eating one real meal made me greedy?
Beck tapped his phone a few times.
A second later, my ration account pinged. Credits transferred.
He stood up.
"I'll cover what you took. But this is the last time I'm cleaning up your mess."
"Thanks so much, Alpha."
Pure sarcasm.
He didn't like that. At all.
Turned to the enforcer standing guard.
"Process her. Follow pack law."
Then he walked out.
Didn't look back.
He never came to see me after that.
Not once.
I sat in the holding cell under the packhouse for three days. The only visitor I got was some lawyer from town who barely said two words to me.
I didn't fight the charges.
I'd stolen from pack stores. That was a fact.
But those three days?
First time in months I actually got enough to eat.
One of the omegas on guard duty watched me tear into a piece of cold chicken like it was the best thing I'd ever tasted.
She hesitated. Then finally asked, "Have you... never eaten well before?"
My mouth was full.
Never eaten well?
That couldn't be further from the truth.
When Beck and I first bonded, he used to hunt for me. My favorite game. Every time.
Deer. Rabbit. Turkey.
Whatever I wanted, he'd track it down himself.
On full moon runs, he'd take me to the richest hunting grounds. Prey everywhere. We'd feast together under the stars.
My throat tightened.
I blinked hard. Forced the tears back.
How did I get here?
How did I go from that to this—sitting in a cell, crying over scraps?
Three days later, the pack medic cleared me. Said I was fine.
They let me out.
I dragged myself back to the crappy little cabin at the edge of pack territory. The one they'd stuck me in after I started showing.
My phone rang the second I walked through the door.
Sloane Hargrave. Beck's Beta.
"Hey, Indie. So the medic's report says you gained three more pounds while you were locked up."
Her voice was sweet. Fake sweet.
"You actually gained weight on jail rations. That's impressive. Are you hoarding food somewhere?"
I didn't even get a chance to respond.
My phone buzzed. Notification.
Ration credits updated.
Sloane's tone went cold.
"Your daily rations just got cut in half. They stay that way until you lose those three pounds."
Chapter 2
That day's ration credit hit my account.
Half a pound of meat.
I stared at the number. Couldn't believe it.
"That's not enough, Sloane. How am I supposed to survive on half a pound a day?"
She sounded annoyed.
"That's Alpha Thornridge's decision."
"What?"
Sloane let out a cold laugh.
"You stole from pack reserves. And Beck's still giving you rations at all. What exactly are you complaining about?"
I went still.
Half a pound of meat was supposed to cover a pregnant wolf?
Sloane kept going. Voice dripping with contempt.
"Beck doesn't even bring you to pack gatherings anymore. You still haven't figured it out? If you hadn't let yourself go like this, why would the allied packs be laughing at him for bonding a weak mate?"
She sighed. All dramatic.
"I'm begging you, Indie. For the sake of Thornridge Pack's reputation, at least try to control yourself."
My throat tightened.
"I'm pregnant. How am I supposed to not gain weight while I'm carrying his pup?"
"Then eat less."
She hung up.
I called back. Three times.
She ignored me.
I tried Beck next.
Straight to voicemail.
I turned on the old TV in the corner. Some pack news channel.
And there he was.
Beck was at the Northern Alliance Summit. With Sloane standing right beside him.
She wore a gown that probably cost more than most wolves earned in a year.
Around her neck—a moonstone pendant. The kind only a Luna was supposed to wear.
She stood next to Beck. Smiling for the cameras like she belonged there.
The comments were already rolling in on the screen.
[Beta Hargrave steals the show at Alliance Summit.]
[Sloane Hargrave looks like she was born for this. Total Luna energy.]
[Alpha Thornridge and his Beta look like a power couple. Where's his actual mate?]
The comment section exploded.
[Are you kidding me? Look at Sloane's figure. I train every day and I still don't look like that.]
[She's built like a warrior goddess. Meanwhile I'm built like a potato.]
My hand shook when I saw that word. Potato.
I pressed a hand to my stomach. Looked at my reflection in the black screen.
My face had gotten thinner. Hollow.
"Baby..."
My voice cracked.
"What are we going to do?"
Was I really going to lose this pup?
Before I made that decision, I gave Beck one last chance.
Called him once.
No answer.
Twice.
Nothing.
By the tenth call, my chest felt like it was caving in.
Then Sloane called me back.
"Beck's in a meeting with the allied Alphas. Indie, could you please show some common sense and stop blowing up his phone?"
"Put him on."
"I already told you. He's in a meeting."
"Then have him call me when it's over."
"I'm his Beta. It's my job to filter out distractions."
My grip tightened on the phone.
"You don't get to decide what's important between me and my mate."
Sloane's voice went cold.
"If you keep acting like this, Beck really will break the bond."
She hung up.
I tried calling back.
Blocked.
I slid down the wall. Sat on the floor.
Pulled up my ration account.
Half a pound of meat. That was it.
Losing this pup would cost credits I didn't have. Medical services weren't free outside pack territory.
My parents were both omegas in a struggling border pack. They worked themselves to exhaustion just to scrape by.
I stared at that pathetic ration balance.
For the first time, I realized just how trapped I really was.
Chapter 3
A week ago, my parents had practically shoved a pouch of dried meat into my hands. Told me to take care of myself.
But after paying the pack medic for a checkup and getting the herbs I needed, I had almost nothing left.
My parents were barely surviving in their own pack. How could I ask them for more?
I sat in the dark cabin. Covered my face with my hands. Let out a long, shaky breath.
In the three years I'd been bonded to Beck, I'd never asked him for anything beyond what a Luna was supposed to receive.
Even my parents had refused help when Beck offered it after we mated. They insisted on staying independent.
I thought that would prove I wasn't after his position or his pack's resources.
But somehow, I still ended up here.
My phone buzzed.
Beck.
[You called?]
His voice was almost gentle when I answered.
But the anger burning inside me wouldn't settle.
"Did you tell Sloane to cut my rations in half?"
"Yes."
I snapped. "Beck, if you want this pup to die, just say so. I'll find a way to end it myself."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
His voice went sharp.
"I cut your rations because you keep wasting them. I want you to actually use what I give you properly!"
My fingers tightened around the phone. I barely had the strength to hold it.
"Was I eating properly before you cut them? You have no idea what food costs anymore, do you? When did half a pound of meat become enough to survive on?"
Silence.
Long, heavy silence.
Finally, Beck spoke.
"Indie, you're the one who doesn't understand. Even with half rations, you're still getting more than most wolves in struggling packs. If you need more, just ask. You don't need to act like you're starving."
He was about to hang up when he paused.
"I'll send more credits. And stop stealing."
Then he was gone.
A few minutes later, Sloane transferred the credits.
Quarter pound of meat.
She called right after. Voice dripping with irritation.
"Indie, Beck said if you're still this ungrateful for everything you have, he'll really break the bond."
I stared at my phone.
Quarter pound.
Added to the half pound already in my account, I had three-quarters of a pound total.
A single rabbit haunch became the only thing I ate all day.
That evening, I stood outside the butcher's shop at the edge of pack territory. Stared through the window at the cuts of meat they were about to discard before closing.
My eyes locked on the food.
"You again? Want some scraps? They're cheap. Half a pound for a credit!"
I swallowed.
"Could I... could I get a quarter pound for half a credit?"
"No. Sorry. I don't split portions that small."
I turned away. Tried to convince myself that if I couldn't see it, I wouldn't want it.
But the hunger was real.
I wandered down the path until I spotted a vendor dumping leftover bones and fat trimmings into a waste bin.
I hesitated. Then asked quietly, "Are you... selling those?"
She looked at me.
"Wait. Aren't you Alpha Thornridge's mate?"
I shook my head fast.
"No. That's not me."
"Oh, right. That Luna wouldn't be digging through trash for scraps. She's probably hoarding resources somewhere."
I swallowed hard.
"Could I buy half the bag for half a credit?"
She stared at me.
"Even just... a little for a quarter credit would be okay..."
My voice got smaller with every word.
In the end, she gave me the whole bag for free.
With the last credit I had, I went to the water pump and filled an old canteen someone had left behind.
