After Son's Death, Mate's Departure

The rogue attack came without warning. One moment I was helping in the pack nursery, the next, warriors were shouting for everyone to take shelter. I ran toward the medical center, my heart pounding against my ribs as screams echoed through our territory.

"Cassidy!" Someone grabbed my arm. "You shouldn't be here!"

I shook them off. "My son is out there!"

The medical center was chaos when I burst through the doors. Blood stained the floors, healers rushed between beds, and the metallic scent of werewolf blood filled the air. My wolf clawed at my insides, desperate to find our pup.

"Ellis!" I screamed, pushing past warriors who tried to hold me back.

Then I saw him. My beautiful boy lay on a bed in the corner, his small chest barely rising. Dr. Adrian—my mate, our pack's Alpha, and the man I'd sacrificed everything for—stood over him with a scalpel in his hand.

"Adrian!" I cried, rushing to Ellis's side.

My son's eyes fluttered open when I took his hand. "Mom," he whispered, his voice so faint I could barely hear it.

"I'm here, baby. I'm right here." I pressed my lips to his forehead, tasting blood and fear.

Adrian's hands moved with practiced precision, but I could see the tension in his shoulders. "The rogues got through our defenses," he said clinically. "Ellis took a direct hit to his chest."

"Save him," I begged, my voice breaking. "Please, Adrian. Do whatever it takes."

For a moment, something flickered in Adrian's eyes—regret, perhaps, or grief—but it vanished so quickly I thought I'd imagined it. He continued working, his movements mechanical now.

"I'm trying," he said, but his tone told me everything.

Ellis's hand tightened around mine. "It hurts, Mom."

"I know, baby. I know." I stroked his hair with my free hand, tears streaming down my face. "Just hold on. Your dad is going to fix you up."

But even as I spoke the words, I felt Ellis's life slipping away. His breathing grew shallow, his skin cold despite the warmth of the room.

"M-Mom," he gasped. "I love you."

Those were his last words. When his hand went limp in mine, something inside me shattered. A howl tore from my throat—raw, primal, and filled with such anguish that everyone in the medical center froze.

My wolf took over, mourning our lost cub with a grief too powerful for human words. I didn't hear Adrian call my name. I didn't see the healers step back in shock at the power in my cry. All I knew was that my son—my beautiful, innocent son—was gone.

---

Hours later, I sat numb in our bedroom, Ellis's favorite toy clutched to my chest. The pack had gathered to mourn, but Adrian had disappeared into his office. When he finally emerged, his face was composed, almost impatient.

"Cassidy," he said, straightening his tie. "I need to leave tonight."

I looked up, disbelieving. "What?"

"The Alpha conference. It's being led by Lycan King Grant Morgan himself." His voice held an odd note—excitement? Pride? "This could change everything for our pack."

"Tonight?" My voice cracked. "Our son just died, Adrian."

He sighed, checking his watch. "I know this is difficult timing, but pack politics wait for no one. The Lycan King rarely calls these meetings."

"Can't you send Beta Ryan instead?" I pleaded, reaching for his hand.

Adrian stepped back, avoiding my touch. "This is too important. The Lycan King specifically requested my presence."

Something cold settled in my stomach. "More important than being here with me? Than burying our son?"

"Don't be dramatic, Cassidy." His tone was sharp now. "The pack needs this alliance. I'll be back in a few days."

Before I could respond, he was gone, leaving me alone with my grief and questions that wouldn't stop buzzing in my mind.

---

The house felt hollow without them. I wandered from room to room, my wolf restless beneath my skin. Something wasn't right.

Adrian had been too eager to leave, too rehearsed in his excuses. My mate bond with him had always been weak—his choice, not mine—but even that faint connection should have been screaming with shared pain today.

Instead, I felt... nothing.

My wolf growled, urging me toward Adrian's study. I hesitated at the door, then pushed it open.

The room was immaculate as always, but something caught my eye. A small box peeking out from beneath a stack of papers on his desk. I approached slowly, my heart pounding.

Inside were anniversary decorations—fifteen years, the card read. But Adrian and I had only been mated for ten.

Beneath them was a gift box wrapped in silver paper, a tag reading "For my true love" in Adrian's precise handwriting.

My fingers trembled as I lifted the lid. Inside lay a necklace with a heart-shaped pendant—the exact shade of Haven Cook's eyes.

My wolf howled in warning as the truth began to dawn. There was no Alpha conference. There was no Lycan King waiting for Adrian.

There was only betrayal.