It was our seventh bonding anniversary. However, Xavier Ashton, the Alpha who controlled everything, brought home his pregnant lover.

For the past seven years, he worshipped me. He would kiss my hand in front of everyone and say I was his moon, the only Luna of his life.

Yet now, his hand rested on another she-wolf's belly, as if showcasing a miracle.

"She's carrying my first pup. You have the Moon Goddess's power. I want you to bless her. Also, she's been having nightmares during the pregnancy, so she'll take the main bedroom."

I froze, almost convinced I had misheard him.

"Are you joking? That's my room!"

He looked up, his tone carrying a warning. "From today, it's hers."

Anger nearly made me laugh. My voice shook, but it was clear.

"You got some lowly Omega she-wolf pregnant and brought her into our home? Xavier Ashton, you've completely lost your mind!"

"I won't say this a third time. Move out now."

His aura turned ice-cold in an instant. His Alpha pressure hit me head-on, making my wolf whimper inside me.

He thought I would obediently submit, but he did not know that I had already packed my bags weeks ago, when I received the video of his affair.

As I walked toward the front door, I heard him sneer behind me, "Let her throw a tantrum. She'll come crawling back in less than three days."

The pack members snickered behind me, already betting on how many days I would last this time.

However, the private car sent to pick me up was already waiting at the door. This time, I was cutting ties with him for good.

Clara's POV

Xavier Ashton said I would come crawling back?

Fine. I would let him see just how determined I was.

When I retrieved my luggage from my room and walked toward the door, I did not even glance at him.

Just as I was about to step outside, he spoke.

"Leave the moonstone brooch behind. Give it to Lily."

My breath caught. I instinctively clutched the brooch, a relic left to me by my warrior grandfather. It kept my wolf rational when my emotions spiraled out of control. It was the only thing I could not lose.

Yet now, he wanted me to hand it over to someone else?

"No," I said, my eyes widening as tears rolled down my cheeks. "Anything but this."

Xavier narrowed his eyes, his tone gentle to the point of mockery. "Stop being dramatic, Clara. Lily's pregnant and needs the moonstone to stabilize the pup. Don't be so petty."

I could have screamed, fought back, or even destroyed everything in sight.

Nevertheless, his Alpha aura already blanketed the entire room, suffocating me until I could barely breathe. To protect my wolf, I could only turn stiffly and walk toward Lily Shaw.

Her pale face displayed feigned innocence.

I removed the brooch, took a deep breath, and pinned it to her collar.

"Regardless," I said softly, "I hope your pup is born safely."

Lily rolled her eyes and deliberately touched the sharp point of the brooch. A bead of blood welled from her fingertip. She gasped sharply, her face turning deathly pale in an instant.

She collapsed to the floor, clutching her wound in horror as she shrieked, "Luna, why did you stab me with the pin?"

"What? I didn't!" I froze, my voice hoarse.

Xavier reacted quickly. He shoved everyone aside, rushed over, and scooped Lily up in his arms before glaring at me. "What did you do to her? She's carrying my pup, and you did something this vicious out of jealousy?"

"I didn't. I have no idea what happened!" My hand was still suspended in midair, my fingers trembling.

I had another secret I had not yet told Xavier. I was also carrying a new life. As a mother myself, how could I deliberately harm Lily?

"Call the healer!"

His worried expression looked as though he were witnessing the end of the world. However, when he turned to me, it transformed entirely into indifference.

"And you. Clean up the moonstone shards on the floor. Reflect on your mistake."

I lowered my head and saw that the brooch had shattered into pieces. My grandfather's proud trophy was now reduced to trash.

I cradled my belly and picked up the moonstone fragments one by one. The shards cut into my palms, blood seeping out. They hurt, yet they brought clarity.

"I'm sorry," I whispered over and over.

By the time I picked up the last sharp fragment, the metallic scent of blood in the air had grown thick and bitter.

I gritted my teeth and looked up, meeting Xavier's eyes directly.

"Is this enough, Alpha?"

He did not answer. He only frowned at me.

"The elders of the werewolf council stopped siding with you long ago. Clara, who are you putting on this pitiful act for?"

"An act?" I forced a smile, tears trembling on my lashes. "Xavier, if you really think that of me, why don't you just dissolve our mate bond?"

Unexpectedly, he averted his gaze.

"Clara, don't even think about it. Dissolving a mate bond injures the wolf. What if I have to face a pack war after breaking our bond? Should I just surrender?

"Besides, even if we dissolve the mate bond, you'd still beg me to mark you again. Why bother going through the trouble?"

I shook my head and carefully placed the bloodied brooch fragments back into my bag. Then, I picked up my luggage and walked out without looking back.

I thought I was finally free. However, reality was far more brutal than I had imagined.

I walked out of the villa gates, but before I could even get into my car, two warriors blocked my path.

"Luna, you can't leave right now. The Alpha has ordered you to return."

My heart sank. "Why?"

The warrior's voice carried no emotion. "He needs your blood."

"No, let me go!"

I struggled desperately, not for myself but for the little angel in my belly who had not yet taken form.

A sharp pain shot through my abdomen at that moment, as if the pup was warning me to stay away from danger.

I did not understand why the Moon Goddess had granted us a mate bond. I had given him my body, offered my loyalty, and even tied my future to his pack. Was it still not enough?

I did not even dare ask him what he truly thought of me deep down.

An obedient mate? A useful Luna? Perhaps a toy he could discard at any time?

Carrying the fear that my pregnancy might be discovered, I was dragged into the basement. They pressed me into a chair and bound my hands and feet with cold chains.

I looked up and saw Xavier standing in front of me with his arms crossed, as though examining prey that could not escape.

"Why did you bring me back?" I asked through gritted teeth. "To drain my blood? When did you become a vampire?"

He replied coolly, "Stop pretending. This is the mess you caused. Lily is bleeding nonstop and needs a transfusion. Just help her out."

I let out a bitter laugh. "To you, I'm just a free blood bag wearing the Luna title."

"Stop being dramatic," he said with growing impatience. "You always put yourself in the victim's position, but this is what you owe Lily!"

"What do I owe her? An Alpha mate?"

"Watch your words!" His hand suddenly gripped my chin, his touch cold and precise.

"What if I don't?" My eyes glistened with tears. "You're already taking my blood. What else do I have to fear? Will you take my life next?"

"You're still alive, aren't you? That's mercy enough."

I shouted hoarsely, "I already moved out of the main bedroom, and I lost my moonstone brooch. I never had any malicious intention toward that she-wolf. Now, I'm asking for your mercy. Let me go!"

Speaking those words, I felt a sorrow that sank deep into my bones.

His Omega mistress was enjoying private care in the Alpha estate, while I, the legitimate Luna, was chained in the basement.

I would not tell him the secret that I was also carrying his pup. He did not deserve to know.

Even if he learned of this pup's existence, it would only give him another pawn to exploit. Therefore, I would lock this secret tightly in my heart.

"Answer me, Xavier. Either let me go, or reject me. Don't act like a coward."

Xavier turned around, his back facing me. "You think I'll do what you want?"

A sharp pain shot through me. The needle pierced deep into my chest, the pain burning like flames as it drilled straight toward my heart.

They did not draw blood from my arm because they said "heart blood" worked better. So this was my reward for seven years of loving Xavier.

Everything I had given him was repaid with the agony of a needle stabbing into my chest.

Through my tears, I said, "When I first recognized you as my fated mate, I should've turned and run instead of joyfully throwing myself into your arms!"

"Then why didn't you?" Xavier sneered. "The truth is, you belong to me for life!"

I could not respond anymore. My strength was being drained away along with my blood through the needle.

I did not know how long they drew blood, only that it continued until my body convulsed and my vision went black.

Finally, the healer interjected, "Alpha, that's already 600 milliliters. Should we continue? The Luna's energy feedback is somewhat abnormal. If we keep going, something might happen..."

I thought it was all over. However, from the room above came the sound of Lily deliberately crying out in pain.

"Continue." Xavier glanced at me, a flicker of reluctance crossing his eyes before it quickly vanished.

I looked at him in disbelief. "For your mistress, you want me to die here?"

"You won't die," he said coldly. "I know your body better than you do. You can take it."

I let out a bitter laugh as tears blurred the world. I could take it, but the pup in my belly could not!

"Xavier, if you don't stop, I swear you'll regret this..."

Xavier remained unmoved, his actions giving me his answer. He believed he was always right.

Just then, Lily cried out even louder from the room upstairs.

Xavier immediately rushed out the door. I did not need to guess who he was going to.

Meanwhile, I was left in the basement, watching the blood bag fill with crimson as the numbers slowly climbed.

Each drop that left me was not just blood, but also the nights we once shared, the loneliness I endured waiting for him, and the humiliation I had shielded him from.

The needle pierced down again.

My consciousness gradually blurred. Before I sank completely into darkness, I only managed to say one thing to the pup in my belly.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry I couldn't protect you."

...

When I opened my eyes again, I was lying on a cold hospital bed. The healer, Dr. Riley Johnson, stood beside me, his eyes red-rimmed.

"Luna, your vital signs are normal now. You're recovering faster than I expected."

I tried to sit up, my hand instinctively pressing against my stomach. It was flat.

My heart was instantly shrouded in boundless terror.

Dr. Johnson lowered his head, his voice trembling. "I'm very sorry. When the Alpha ordered more blood to be drawn, the pup couldn't be saved."

"No, no…"

My wolf screamed inside me. I stumbled toward the door, consumed by rage.

"Xavier! You killed my pup! I'm going to tear you to pieces!"

He was not there. No comfort, no explanation.

Perhaps at this moment, he was holding Lily's hand, making her promises in a low voice.

Dr. Johnson steadied me, his eyes filled with helpless guilt. "Please, Luna, rest first."

"Rest?" I pushed him away and collapsed to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably.

Every time I closed my eyes, all I could think of was my lost pup. How could I rest?

"I had no way to resist the Alpha's orders," Dr. Johnson said, his voice tinged with regret, though it was not enough to undo anything. "If there's anything I can do to help you, I'll do it without hesitation."

Gradually, my tears turned into dry, ragged breaths. I had begged enough. I had cried enough.

The pain in my heart had transformed into the flames of vengeance. I would reduce everything they cherished to ashes!

I looked up at Dr. Johnson and said coldly, "Prepare my discharge papers and copies of all my medical records. I need them."

I lay on the hospital bed, my body so weak it felt hollowed out.

Dr. Johnson's footsteps echoed around me, yet I heard nothing. It was as if all sound had drained away. It was a silence only a mother who had lost her pup could understand.

That silence was broken by a message. Someone from the pack's internal network sent me a video.

Xavier was laughing confidently at a banquet, his arm wrapped around Lily's waist as he whispered something in her ear. She laughed aloud and leaned into his embrace. The lights reflected on their faces, as if they were the fated pair.

On the day of my discharge, Xavier did not come to pick me up. Not even the lowest-ranking pack member came.

I carried the old cloth bag the hospital gave me and faced the cold wind alone.

At that moment, I truly understood. To them, I was nothing.

I did not want to return to the Alpha's estate. The air there reeked of humiliation.

However, I had no choice. My identification documents, papers, and even my bank cards were still there.

Yet, fate was cruel. In the corridor outside my ward, I saw them again.

Lily smiled freely, her white dress seemingly making her skin glow. Xavier stood beside her with his hand steady on her waist, their posture painfully intimate.

A nurse passing by laughed and teased, "Alpha, your Luna looks radiant today."

I nearly retched.

However, I did not correct her. There was no point. If she wanted that title, she could have it.

I turned to leave but was stopped by a familiar voice.

"Clara? Why are you here? Are you following me?"

The moment he spoke, my feet froze in place, as if bound by invisible chains. I took a deep breath and turned around.

"I'm not following you," I said flatly. "I just got discharged. I didn't know you were here."

He narrowed his eyes, about to say something, but Lily spoke first, gently linking her arm through his.

"Darling, let her come back with us. She donated blood for me. We should at least help her this much."

A cold laugh nearly escaped me.

Xavier reached up and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "You're too kind."

Then he turned to me. "Get in the car."

I did not refuse. I needed an opportunity to retrieve my luggage.

The air in the back seat was eerily quiet, until my eyes were stabbed by a piece of lace lingerie.

It was crumpled and tossed on the seat, stained with a white smudge. It was Lily's.

Lily noticed it too but showed no embarrassment. She turned and smiled at me. "Oh my God, I forgot to clean up. We got a little wild in the back seat last week, didn't we, darling?"

Xavier laughed lazily. "Your moans almost attracted attention from passersby."

They flirted in front of me as if I did not exist. Each word scraped across my flesh like a blade. My nails dug deep into my palms, but I made no sound.

I lowered my head and opened my phone. The screen lit up with an encrypted email.

[Clara, here's your new flight ticket. I hope you can make it this time. It's 9:00 PM tonight.]

I smiled slightly, feeling for the first time a sense of being alive.

I replied: [Thank you. I'm sorry I missed the last flight, but I won't this time.]

Almost immediately, a new message came through. [What happened? Do you need my help?]

My finger hovered over the keyboard. If I told him what I had been through, it would likely spark a war immediately. However, I wanted revenge with my own hands.

[I'll tell you after I leave. Now isn't the right time.]

Xavier suddenly turned and stared at me, as if seeking a sense of presence.

"Clara, what are you looking at? You've been glued to your phone since you got in the car. Who are you chatting with?"

I did not even lift my eyes. "Just checking the weather forecast."

He clearly did not believe me. He reached over and snatched my phone.

The screen's light reflected in his cold eyes.

"What's the password?"

"The day we confirmed we were fated mates." My tone was calm, almost cold, as I told him directly.

His expression darkened. He tried once, then again. On the third attempt, a warning popped up and the screen locked.

Lily leaned over with a light laugh, her voice sickly sweet. "Forget it, Alpha. She doesn't have any friends. What else could she use her phone for besides checking the weather so she doesn't get soaked like a drowned rat?

"Or maybe she's been feeling neglected these past few days and found another werewolf outside. She just doesn't want to tell you."

"Shut up!" Xavier said through gritted teeth.