I woke to the sterile scent of antiseptic and soft sheets beneath my body. My fingers curled into the fabric as I turned my head, squinting against the harsh white lights.

"You’re awake."

The voice was gentle, unfamiliar. I turned to see a healer standing beside me, her hands clasped in front of her. Vander stood behind her, his expression unreadable.

My throat burned, my voice barely a whisper. "Where am I?"

"Skyler Pack Hospital," the healer answered. "You were severely hypothermic when Vander brought you in. Had he waited any longer, you wouldn’t have survived."

A shiver ran down my spine. I had been that close to death?

"You need to rest," the healer continued, then hesitated before adding, "There’s something else."

Something about her tone sent ice through my veins.

"What?" My voice was barely above a whisper.

She exchanged a look with Vander before speaking. "You’re pregnant."

The words didn’t register. They couldn’t.

I stared at her, waiting for the punchline, for her to say she was joking. But she didn’t.

"That’s not possible," I breathed. "I—I can’t have children."

"The tests don’t lie," she said gently. "You’re about three weeks along."

I pressed a shaking hand against my stomach. I had spent years believing I was infertile. Years watching Luther look at me with disappointment, watching him seek solace in Catherine. And now…

A child. Luther’s child.

I swallowed the bile rising in my throat. No. I couldn’t let him find out. He had already discarded me like trash. If he knew about the baby, he would use it against me.

I turned to Vander, my voice hoarse. "Luther can’t know."

Vander didn’t look surprised. He studied me for a long moment before nodding. "What do you want to do?"

My chest tightened. "I want a divorce."

His brows lifted slightly, but he didn’t argue. "And the baby?"

I clenched my fists. "I won’t let him take my child."

Silence stretched between us before I forced myself to meet his gaze. "Would you… would you be willing to claim the baby as yours?"

For the first time, I saw something flicker in Vander’s eyes. He didn’t answer right away, just stared at me, as if weighing the weight of my words.

Then, finally, he exhaled. "If that’s what you want, then yes."

When I returned to the Skyler mansion with Alpha Vander, I saw Luther standing at the foot of the grand staircase, his face dark with jealousy, his piercing gaze locked onto Vander’s hand clasping mine.