The door to my quarters crashed open, splintering against the wall. Jonathan stood in the doorway, his massive frame vibrating with rage, Nanzhi hovering behind him with a triumphant gleam in her eyes.

"You will save her," he growled, stalking toward me where I sat on the edge of my bed. "Now."

I rose shakily, my damaged leg protesting. "Jonathan, please—my wolf is already weak from the stress of the bond. Taking more blood could—"

"Your concerns are irrelevant," he cut me off, grabbing my arm with bruising force. "Nanzhi needs you."

"My blood is rare," I whispered as he dragged me through the corridors. "If Dr. Cross takes too much—"

"She'll take what's necessary." His fingers dug deeper into my flesh. "You exist to serve this pack. To serve me."

The infirmary doors swung open, revealing Dr. Cross's concerned face. She'd been our pack healer for decades, had delivered pups and treated wounds since before I became Luna. But now she wouldn't meet my eyes.

"Alpha," she acknowledged with a slight bow. "Are you certain this is necessary?"

"Do it," Jonathan commanded, forcing me onto the examination table.

I felt my wolf retreat deeper inside me, curling into herself as if trying to escape what was coming. *Stay strong*, I pleaded with her silently. *We've survived worse*.

Dr. Cross approached with the needle, her hands trembling slightly. "Luna, this will hurt."

"It always does," I replied softly.

Jonathan's hand pressed down on my chest, pinning me to the table as the needle slid into my vein. The pain was immediate—not just from the needle, but from the mate bond screaming in protest at what he was doing to me.

"Take enough," Jonathan instructed coldly. "She needs to recover fully."

Dr. Cross hesitated. "Alpha, taking this much blood could—"

"I said take it!" His Alpha aura crashed down, forcing her compliance.

I watched the dark red liquid flow from my body, feeling my strength ebbing with each passing second. My vision blurred, darkness creeping in from the edges.

"Jonathan," I whispered, reaching for him with my free hand. "Please..."

He turned away, his back rigid with disdain.

The room spun violently. My wolf howled one last time before retreating into silence. Then darkness claimed me completely.

---

I drifted in and out of consciousness, fragments of voices reaching me through the fog.

"...dangerously low blood pressure..."

"...the wolf is barely responding..."

"...we need to run more tests..."

A cool cloth pressed against my forehead. Dr. Cross's face swam into view, her expression troubled.

"Luna," she said softly. "Can you hear me?"

I managed a weak nod.

She glanced toward the door before leaning closer. "I discovered something while treating you," she whispered. "You're pregnant, Luna. About six weeks along."

The words hit me like a physical blow. Pregnant? A pup?

"But how?" I whispered back. "Jonathan hasn't..."

"Not recently," Dr. Cross confirmed, her voice barely audible. "But the test is conclusive. The pup is strong despite everything."

A tiny spark of hope flickered to life inside me. A pup—our pup. Perhaps this could change everything. Perhaps Jonathan would remember what we once had.

"Does he know?" I asked.

Dr. Cross shook her head. "I thought you should tell him yourself."

I closed my eyes, imagining Jonathan's face softening at the news. Maybe this would be enough to make him send Nanzhi away. Maybe this would remind him of our bond.

"Thank you," I whispered to Dr. Cross. "For telling me."

---

I stood outside Jonathan's office, my hand trembling as I raised it to knock. Despite my weakness, hope sustained me. A pup—his heir—would surely matter more than any chosen mate.

"Enter," his voice commanded.

I pushed open the door, clutching my cane tightly. Jonathan sat behind his massive desk, papers spread before him. He didn't look up.

"What is it?" he asked, irritation evident in his tone. "I'm busy."

"Jonathan," I began, my voice stronger than I expected. "I need to tell you something important."

He finally looked at me, his eyes narrowing. "If this is about Nanzhi's recovery, save your breath. She's improving rapidly thanks to your blood."

"No, it's not about—"

"Because if you're going to accuse her again," he continued, rising from his chair, "I won't tolerate it. Your jealousy and manipulation have gone too far."

"Jonathan, please," I begged, taking a step forward. "I'm pregnant. We're having a pup."

His laugh was cruel and dismissive. "Another lie? Another attempt to manipulate me?"

"It's not a lie," I insisted, tears filling my eyes. "Dr. Cross confirmed it. Our pup is—"

"Enough!" he roared, his Alpha aura slamming into me with such force that I staggered backward.

The spark of hope inside me flickered and died as Jonathan's cold eyes bore into mine.

"Get out," he growled. "And don't return until you've learned your place."

The door closed in my face, leaving me alone in the hallway with nothing but the echo of his rejection and the silent cry of our unborn pup.

The marble staircase gleamed under the morning light as I made my way down, one hand resting on my swollen belly. Three weeks had passed since Jonathan had dismissed my pregnancy as a lie, but my body knew the truth. The tiny life inside me grew stronger each day, despite everything.

I heard footsteps above me and looked up to see Nanzhi descending, her silver-blue eyes fixed on me with calculated malice.

"Elodie," she purred, "still clinging to that pathetic lie about your pregnancy?"

I gripped my cane tighter. "It's not a lie."

"Jonathan doesn't believe you." She smiled, taking another step down. "No one does."

I turned away, continuing down the stairs. My damaged leg ached with each step, but I refused to show weakness.

"He'll never choose you again," Nanzhi continued, her voice dripping with venom. "You're nothing but a burden he keeps out of obligation."

Something in me snapped. I whirled around, my wolf surging forward despite her weakness.

"Enough!" I hissed. "I am still Luna of this pack!"

For a split second, fear flashed across Nanzhi's face. Then her expression changed, calculating. She took a deliberate step forward, then suddenly threw herself backward with a scream that echoed through the stairwell.

"Help! She pushed me!" Nanzhi shrieked, tumbling down several stairs before catching herself. "Elodie attacked me!"

Footsteps thundered toward us. Jonathan appeared at the top of the stairs, his face contorted with rage as he took in the scene—Nanzhi sprawled dramatically on the steps, tears streaming down her face.

"What have you done?" he growled, his Alpha aura crushing down on me.

"Jonathan, I didn't—" I began, but his hand struck out faster than I could finish.

The blow caught me across the face with such force that I crashed into the wall. Stars exploded behind my eyes as I crumpled to the floor, my hand instinctively covering my belly.

"She tried to kill me!" Nanzhi sobbed, clinging to Jonathan as he helped her up. "She's jealous because you chose me!"

Jonathan didn't even look at me as he ordered the guards who had gathered. "Take her to the dungeon. Three days."

---

The dungeon beneath the pack house was a relic from darker times. Cold stone walls wept with moisture, and the iron bars of my cell were rusted with age. They threw me inside without ceremony, my cane clattering to the floor beyond my reach.

"Alpha's orders," the guard muttered, not meeting my eyes. "No special treatment."

I huddled in the corner, wrapping my arms around myself for warmth. The thin blanket they'd given me did little to ward off the chill that seeped from the stone.

"Please," I whispered to the guard as he turned to leave. "My pup needs warmth."

He paused, his shoulders tense. "I'm sorry, Luna. I can't help you."

The door closed with a heavy thud, leaving me alone in near-darkness. Only a single torch in the corridor provided dim light.

I pressed my hand to my belly, feeling the slight swell. "We'll be okay," I whispered, though I wasn't sure who I was trying to convince—my unborn pup or myself.

Hours stretched into days. They brought me water and meager portions of food, barely enough to sustain me. My wolf retreated deeper inside, conserving what little strength remained after the blood donation.

On the second day, I felt something change. A subtle shift in the rhythm of my body. The tiny heartbeat that had been so strong seemed to falter.

"No," I whispered, tears freezing on my cheeks. "Please, little one. Hold on."

But I could feel the bond weakening. My pup was dying.

---

On the third day, voices drifted through the corridor outside my cell. Two guards, their footsteps echoing on the stone floor.

"Big celebration tonight," one said, his voice carrying clearly in the damp air. "Alpha's announcing Nanzhi as his chosen Luna."

"What about the real Luna?" the other asked quietly.

"Still in there." He gestured toward my cell. "But after this, everyone will know where the Alpha stands."

They moved closer, unaware I could hear them.

"Nanzhi's pregnant," the first guard continued. "Alpha's heir on the way."

"Already? That was fast."

"She announced it this morning. The whole pack's talking about it."

Their voices faded as they moved away, but their words remained, cutting through me like claws.

Nanzhi. Pregnant. The pack celebrating.

I pressed my forehead against the cold stone wall, feeling something inside me break completely. My wolf, once proud and strong, curled into herself and went silent.

And in that moment, as my pup's heartbeat stuttered and failed, I made my decision.

The mate bond could die.

I could die.

But I would not suffer this anymore.

The alarm blared through the pack house, its piercing wail echoing even into the depths of the dungeon. I jolted awake, my body tensing as the sound penetrated the thick stone walls.

"Rogues at the northern border!" someone shouted from above. "All available warriors to the front gate!"

Footsteps thundered overhead, the guards abandoning their posts as they rushed to defend the pack. The dungeon fell into eerie silence, leaving me alone in my cell with only the faint torchlight for company.

I pressed my hand against my swollen belly, feeling a sudden sharp pain that made me gasp.

"Not now," I whispered, panic rising in my throat. "Please, not now."

Another pain, stronger this time, tore through my abdomen. My wolf stirred weakly inside me, sensing the danger to our pup.

"Luna?" A voice called from somewhere down the corridor. My Omega maid's familiar scent reached me before she appeared, her face pale with worry. "Luna, are you hurt?"

"The baby," I managed through gritted teeth. "Something's wrong."

She rushed to my cell door, frantically searching for the keys. "The guards left in a hurry—they didn't think to lock it properly."

The door swung open with a creak, and she knelt beside me, her hands gentle as they helped me lie back on the cold floor.

"I need to get help," she said, tears streaming down her face. "Dr. Cross—"

"No time," I gasped as another wave of pain hit me. "Mind-link Jonathan. He needs to know."

She closed her eyes, concentrating as she sent the urgent message through the pack bond. I felt the faint pulse of energy as her thoughts reached out.

"Alpha Jonathan," she projected, her mental voice desperate. "Luna Elodie is in distress. The baby is in danger. Please, we need help!"

We waited, seconds stretching into eternity as I clutched my belly, feeling something warm and wet spreading beneath me.

"Again," I whispered. "Try again."

She nodded, her face contorting with effort as she pushed her thoughts toward our Alpha once more.

"Alpha Jonathan! Luna Elodie is bleeding. She's losing the pup!"

This time, I felt the faintest echo of Jonathan's response—not through my maid's mind-link, but through our mate bond. His presence flickered briefly, then slammed shut with such force that I cried out.

"What did he say?" I asked, already knowing the answer from the cold rejection I'd felt.

My maid's face crumpled. "He said... he said to stop lying for attention. That he won't fall for it."

Another pain tore through me, this one so violent that I arched off the floor. My wolf howled in agony as I felt something vital begin to tear inside me.

"He's blocking the mind-link," my maid sobbed. "He won't listen."

The world began to blur around me as I felt the mate bond strain and stretch. Not the bond with Jonathan—that had been damaged beyond repair—but the delicate, new bond with the life inside me.

"I need to push," I gasped, instinct taking over as my body prepared to expel what it could no longer sustain.

My maid stripped off her jacket, folding it beneath my head. "Hold on, Luna. I'll get help."

But we both knew it was too late. The pains came faster now, my body convulsing as it rejected the tiny life that had somehow managed to grow despite everything.

"Jonathan," I whispered, though I knew he couldn't hear me. "Our pup... our pup is dying."

I felt it then—the moment the bond snapped. It wasn't like the slow deterioration of my connection with Jonathan. This was sudden, violent, final. A piece of my soul tore away and faded into nothingness.

"No!" I screamed, the sound echoing off the stone walls. "No, please!"

But there was no answer. Only the sound of my own sobbing and the growing pool of blood beneath me.

My maid returned with Dr. Cross, but even the pack healer's face told me what I already knew. It was too late.

"Luna, I'm so sorry," Dr. Cross whispered, her hands moving quickly to try to stop the bleeding. "I should have checked on you sooner."

I barely heard her words through the roaring in my ears. The mate bond with my pup—that precious, fragile connection—was gone. And with it, the last thread of hope I'd been clinging to.

"My wolf," I whispered, reaching inward to where my inner wolf had always been. "She's gone too."

Dr. Cross's hands stilled on my abdomen. "Luna?"

But I couldn't answer. The darkness was closing in, my vision narrowing to a pinpoint of light. The last thing I saw was my maid's tear-stained face as she cradled my head in her lap.

Then nothing but darkness remained.