Today, Alaric bought Seren a private hunting ground. Tomorrow, they'd appear at some pack gathering, her arm threaded through his, her scent mingled with his for all to witness.
Seren had seamlessly stepped into the role of Luna Nightfall. Meanwhile, I had been erased from existence—forgotten, as if I'd never been real at all.
At least I'd grown numb enough that the days somehow kept passing.
Six months slipped by. Then one night, Alaric came home.
He was drunk—completely wrecked, his wolf barely leashed beneath his skin. The moment he walked through the door, his mouth crashed into mine.
I kicked. I clawed. I fought. But he was an Alpha unhinged, deaf to everything, his instincts drowning out reason, and he took what he wanted.
The next morning, I woke to a bucket of ice water.
Alaric stood at the bedside, revulsion pouring off him in waves that made my omega instincts cower.
"You're disgusting."
"Crawling into my bed while I was drunk—is that how you used to seduce males?"
He called in a cleansing team to purify the entire master den of my scent. Halfway through, he decided it wasn't enough and had the whole chamber gutted and rebuilt.
I watched in silence. I didn't bother explaining anymore.
Alaric would never believe me anyway.
It wasn't until my follow-up visit to the healer's den that I discovered, completely by accident, that I was carrying a pup.
When the faint, steady flutter of my pup's heartbeat filled the examination chamber, tears I thought had long since dried up spilled down my cheeks again, beyond my control.
I had no one left in this world. Not a single pack member. Not a single soul who loved me.
But this pup—this pup made me greedy.
I wanted to keep it.
I didn't dare let Alaric find out. I was terrified he'd force me to end the pregnancy, to rid himself of any bond to me.
Before I could figure out what to do, disaster struck.
During my second healer visit, a fire broke out in the infirmary den.
As I fled through the smoke-filled corridors, I saw Alaric carrying Seren out of another birthing chamber.
The moment our eyes met, I was shoved by the stampeding wolves and lost my balance, crashing to the stone floor.
Panicked feet trampled over me, one after another.
Crimson blood pooled beneath me, spreading across the cold floor in an instant.