The sterile scent of antiseptic filled my nostrils as I lay motionless, trapped in the prison of my own body. My mind, however, was painfully aware, every sense heightened by the acute awareness of my wolf stirring within me. I had assumed Trenton, my Alpha and mate of ten years, would be heartbroken by my condition.

Yet, I overheard him speaking to Dr. Riley, his voice devoid of the warmth I had once known. "Keep her barely alive. Intensive care isn’t necessary."

"Alpha Trenton," Dr. Riley hesitated, his tone laced with unease, "didn’t you cause her severe bleeding to ensure her end? Why bother keeping her alive now?"

Trenton’s voice was as cold as the steel of a blade. "She cost me and Laylani our child. Letting her die would be too easy. I want her to suffer."

My wolf growled in the depths of my mind, a sound of pure fury and betrayal. The man I had loved, the Alpha I had sworn my loyalty to, was the very one who had orchestrated my downfall.

He continued, his words slicing through me like claws. "I’ll torment her every day. After all those years with her, I finally have my chance for revenge. She won’t get off so easily."

His voice was so cold it made our ten years together feel like a cruel illusion, a bond forged in deceit rather than love.

"And have you arranged Laylani’s return to the pack?" Trenton asked further, his tone shifting to something softer, almost eager.

"It’s all set up, just as you instructed, Alpha," Dr. Riley replied. "The private jet is ready, and I’ve arranged plenty of red roses."

"Good," Trenton said, a note of satisfaction in his voice. "After everything Laylani and I have been through, this reunion has to be perfect."

That private jet—Trenton had once emptied the pack’s coffers to buy it. For years, I believed it was meant for us, for our future as Alpha and Luna. Yet he never wanted to use it. He would always say, "The time isn’t right."

Recalling these moments, my heart felt like it had plunged into an icy abyss, cold and aching. My wolf whimpered, the bond between us fraying under the weight of his betrayal. I never imagined Trenton had been deceiving me all these years. He was willing to destroy me, his mate, just to reignite his relationship with Laylani.

But I wanted to tell him, I never harmed Laylani’s unborn child!

Three years ago, when Laylani returned from her travels, she soon announced her pregnancy. She frequently sought Trenton’s help, asking him to drive her to the pack’s healing center or calling him late at night with complaints. Each time, it was a blow to my heart, watching Laylani pull Trenton’s attention away.

Yet Trenton reassured me, his Alpha tone leaving no room for doubt. "Laylani and I were once an item, but now there’s nothing between us. I just help her as a friend."

Later, Laylani came to our den, flaunting a necklace and a house Trenton had given her. In a fit of anger, I slapped her, and suddenly, she was bleeding. She then taunted me, her voice dripping with venom. "Cleo, you’ll never win against me."

"I’ll make sure you know that Trenton loves me."

"And just so you know, I never was pregnant, and this miscarriage is just an act."

"But do you think Trenton will blame you once he believes I miscarried?"

My wolf snarled, her rage palpable, but I was powerless to act. Trenton’s betrayal was complete, and I was left to suffer in silence, my body immobilized but my mind and spirit burning with the need for justice.

The searing pain in my arm yanked me back to the present. Someone was relentlessly pinching my arm, the pressure sharp and unrelenting.

“I’ve heard that even wolves in a coma can sense things,” Trenton’s voice cut through the cold air, his alpha tone low and menacing. “Even if you’re unconscious, I want you to feel this.”

His grip tightened, each word punctuated by another twist of his fingers. The pain was excruciating, and I wanted to scream, but my voice was trapped, my body paralyzed. I tried to lift my hand, to shift, to do anything, but I remained immobile, my wolf stirring faintly in the back of my mind, as if it too were struggling to break free.

The agony felt like a dagger twisting in my chest, deeper with every passing second. Then, the creak of the door echoed in the room, and Laylani’s voice followed, sweet and dripping with false innocence.

“Alpha, I’m back.”

I fought to open my eyes, managing only the barest slit. Through the haze, I saw Laylani and Trenton locked in an embrace, their lips meeting with a tenderness that made my stomach churn. His eyes, usually so cold and calculating, were soft as he looked at her.

“Laylani, we’ll never be apart again,” he murmured, his voice thick with emotion.

“Yes, Alpha,” she replied, her voice like honey. “We’ve finally weathered the storm.”

“We can even have another pup someday,” she added, her hand resting on her stomach as if to emphasize the point.

Trenton hesitated for a moment, then nodded, his expression softening further. My thoughts immediately raced to my own pup. I remembered the healer in the delivery room telling me I had a son. My son, whom I had only seen for a brief moment before darkness claimed me.

“Is this the pup you have with Luna?” Laylani’s gaze shifted to my side, her tone dripping with mockery. I couldn’t see what was beside me, but I could hear the faint sound of a baby’s breath, soft and steady.

“Yes,” Trenton admitted, his voice cold and detached. “When she was giving birth, I had the healer administer a drug to cause severe bleeding. But this pup is a survivor. He pulled through.”

My heart twisted violently. Trenton wanted to harm not just me, but our pup as well. It seemed he had forgotten the promises he once made to me, the vows he’d sworn before the pack: “Cleo, I, Trenton Ray, Alpha of the Silvermoon Pack, accept you as my mate. I will always care for you and our pup. Even if it costs me everything, no one will ever hurt you.”

The memory of his voice, so full of conviction, made the betrayal cut even deeper. My heart ached profoundly, and I longed to scream, to shift, to call for help. But I could do nothing. My body remained still, my wolf silent, as if even it had been subdued by the weight of his cruelty.

Laylani stepped closer, her shadow falling over me. I could feel her presence, her smug satisfaction radiating like a dark aura. She leaned down, her breath warm against my ear as she whispered, “You’re nothing now, Luna. Just a shell. Soon, I’ll take your place, and your pup will be mine to raise.”

Her words were like poison, seeping into my mind, but I clung to the faint sound of my son’s breathing. He was alive. He was here. And as long as he was, I would find a way to fight. My wolf stirred again, a faint growl echoing in my mind, and I clung to it, using it as a lifeline.

Trenton’s voice broke through the silence, cold and final. “She’s no Luna anymore. She’s nothing.”

The words should have shattered me, but instead, they ignited a spark within me. I was still here. My pup was still here. And as long as we were, I would find a way to make them pay.