During the eight months I carried our pup, Dominick and his Beta, Anne, booked hotel rooms nearly two hundred times. I knew, of course. Every whisper, every lingering glance, every scent of her on his clothes—they all screamed betrayal. But I chose to ignore it, focusing instead on the life growing inside me. The pup was precious, a future heir to the Silver Moon Pack, and I refused to let Dominick’s infidelity tarnish that. Still, the night before my due date, as I stood in the shadows of the packhouse stairwell, I overheard Dominick’s voice, low and reassuring, carrying through the cold air.

"Relax, Anne. We used your essence in the ritual, so the pup won’t inherit Bridget’s weakness. Once the pup arrives safely, I’ll reject her. Just give me a little more time, alright?"

His words struck me like a claw to the chest, tearing open old wounds and leaving them raw. Seven years of a mate bond, seven years of pretending, seven years of holding onto the fragile hope that he might change—all of it shattered in an instant. Exhausted, I called my father, the former Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me.

"Father, I’ve repaid the debt to Dominick’s family. Now it’s time for you to fulfill your promise."

---

"Bridget, you’re about to give birth to our pack’s future heir. If there’s an issue with Dominick, talk it out. You’re both adults; don’t let trivial matters cloud your judgment," my father said, his tone dismissive. He chuckled lightly, as though I were a pup throwing a tantrum. "After the pup’s born, you’ll see things differently. Don’t let these emotions affect your health."

"Dominick has betrayed me, Father. He doesn’t deserve to be my mate or the pup’s father," I stated, my voice calm but firm. A moment later, my body began to tremble uncontrollably. Despite the warmth of the packhouse, a chill seeped into my bones, as if the Moon Goddess herself wept for the bond I was about to sever.

"Enough," my father snapped, his alpha tone cutting through the air. "As your father, I know Dominick’s character. You’ve been overly suspicious since you became pregnant. The mate bond, though arranged by me, was something you agreed to. I never forced you."

I smiled bitterly, my wolf stirring restlessly in the back of my mind. *Naive,* she whispered, her voice laced with pain. *You believed his lies.*

Fifteen years ago, my father had been rushed to the healer’s den, his heart failing due to a congenital condition. Dominick’s father, a skilled warrior and healer, saved his life, even using his own resources to cover the cost of the treatment. When Dominick’s father died in a skirmish with a rival pack, leaving behind an eleven-year-old Dominick, my father adopted him, raising him as his own son and grooming him to become the next Alpha.

For over a decade, Dominick and I were inseparable. When my father built the Silver Moon Pack into a dominant force in the region, he promised to leave its leadership to Dominick. I had no objections; after all, when Dominick was eighteen, he declared I would be his Luna once he ascended to Alpha. My father was thrilled, though he made me one promise: if Dominick ever wronged me, I could reject the bond. I’d accepted it lightly, quietly hoping such a day would never come.

Until the second year of our mate bond, when I discovered Dominick’s first betrayal. He’d returned from a patrol with Anne’s scent clinging to his skin. We’d argued fiercely, but Dominick brushed it off, claiming he’d been helping her after a training accident. He was never careless, never indiscreet, yet his weak excuse failed to convince me. That night, Dominick knelt outside our bedroom, his alpha aura subdued, his voice broken as he begged for my forgiveness.

"Bridget, my heart will always belong to you alone. If I ever betray you, may the Moon Goddess curse me forever."

I’d let it go, believing him, unaware that it was the first crack in what would become a shattered bond.

A sharp pain in my abdomen snapped me back to the present. Glancing down, I saw the sheets soaked with blood and amniotic fluid spreading beneath me. The pup was coming, and with it, the end of everything I’d once held dear.

The contractions were relentless, each wave of pain threatening to drag me into unconsciousness. I clutched the edge of the hospital bed, my knuckles white, as the pack healer and her assistants rushed around me, preparing for the birth. Just as they were about to wheel me into the delivery room, the healer turned to Dominick, who had finally arrived, his Alpha aura radiating calm authority despite the chaos.

"Alpha Lopez," she asked, her voice deferential but urgent, "would you like to be present for the birth? Your presence could help ease Luna's mind."

My vision blurred with tears, but I could still make out the faint downturn of Dominick's lips, the way his broad shoulders tensed slightly beneath his tailored suit. He stood tall and imposing, his muscular frame a testament to his strength, but his expression betrayed discomfort.

"I think I’ll stay outside," he said, his deep voice steady but dismissive. "I’m... not good with blood. It’s not really my thing."

He released my hand abruptly, wiping away the faint traces of blood on his fingertips with a look of distaste. He took several steps back, his polished shoes clicking sharply against the floor, as if putting as much distance as possible between himself and the impending mess. His OCD, which had always been a part of him, seemed to flare up in that moment, his Alpha composure cracking ever so slightly.

Over the years, I’d grown accustomed to his quirks—his need for cleanliness, his aversion to anything messy or chaotic. We’d rarely shared intimate moments because of it, but I’d never pushed him to change. I’d accepted him as he was, even when it meant sacrificing parts of myself.

But now, as I lay there, writhing in pain, I couldn’t help but think of the day I’d discovered his betrayal. It had been six weeks into my pregnancy, and I’d gone to his office to bring him a coat, noticing the chill in the air. What I’d found instead was Dominick and his Beta, Anne Simpson, in a moment that shattered whatever illusions I’d still held.

Through the blinds, I’d seen her feeding him a chocolate, her lips brushing against his fingers as he laughed, his Alpha aura relaxed and carefree in a way it never was with me. His voice, usually so commanding, had been light, almost teasing.

"Anne," he’d said, his tone playful, "the chocolate tastes sweeter when you feed it to me. Maybe next time I should try some other treats?"

I’d frozen, the coat slipping from my hands and landing silently on the floor. Anne had only been part of the Silver Moon Pack for a few months, yet Dominick’s indulgence of her was glaringly obvious. All these years, I’d sterilized my hands before even holding his, and yet here he was, letting her touch him so casually.

The memory burned in my mind as the contractions continued, the pain a cruel reminder of everything I’d endured. In the delivery room, I drifted in and out of consciousness, the hours blurring together. Each time I was pulled back to awareness, it was only to be met with another wave of agony. The healers’ voices were distant, their words muffled by the haze of pain and exhaustion.

Dominick’s voice echoed in my mind, the words he’d spoken during our mate bond ceremony: "Bridget Jensen, daughter of Alpha Jensen of the Silver Moon Pack, I, Dominick Lopez, Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, accept you as my mate and Luna. I vow to stand by you, to protect you, and to cherish you for as long as I live."

How hollow those words felt now. The man who had promised to stand by me no matter what was waiting outside the operating room, his presence as absent as his loyalty.

When the pup’s cry finally pierced the air, signaling the end of my ordeal, I felt nothing but exhaustion. The healers placed him on my chest, but I barely registered his warmth, his tiny body a symbol of a future I no longer wanted. Like Dominick, he was a part of a life I intended to leave behind.

As I drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep, I knew one thing with absolute clarity: besides my freedom, there was nothing else I desired.