I smoothed my trembling hands over the dark mahogany of River’s desk. As Luna of the Crescent Moon Pack, organizing my Alpha's chaotic workspace used to be a quiet act of devotion. Now, it was a minefield.

My fingers brushed against the heavy leather of his favorite jacket, draped carelessly over the back of his chair. The moment the fabric shifted, a sickeningly sweet scent hit my nose. It was an artificial, cloying mix of crushed jasmine and overly ripe peaches. Leilany.

My inner wolf, Maeve, let out a gut-wrenching howl that rattled my skull. *Mate,* she whimpered, pacing frantically against the walls of my mind. *He smells of the Omega. Again.*

I closed my eyes, a single tear escaping to track down my cheek. I had kept a tally in my head, a masochistic little counter of every time my fated mate had come home reeking of his new pack assistant. Today marked the ninety-ninth time. Ninety-nine times I had endured the blatant disrespect to our mate bond. Ninety-nine times I had swallowed my pride while that manipulative Omega paraded her scent all over my husband.

The heavy oak door swung open, shattering the heavy silence of the office. River stepped inside, his tall, muscular frame instantly dominating the space. His sharp jaw was set, his dark eyes scanning the room before landing on me. He didn't look guilty. He didn't look like the childhood sweetheart who had once vowed to the Moon Goddess that he would never make me cry. He just looked annoyed.

I dropped the leather jacket to the floor. The silver wedding band on my finger suddenly felt like a shackle of lead.

"What is wrong with you now, Serena?" River sighed, running a hand through his thick, dark hair. "I have a border patrol in ten minutes."

"I can't do this anymore, River," I whispered, my voice trembling with a mixture of profound sorrow and bubbling rage. I stepped around the desk, the mating mark on my neck pulsing with a frantic, warning heat.

I drew in a sharp breath, the words tasting like ash and blood on my tongue. The pain of what I was about to do felt like tearing my own soul in half, but I refused to be a Luna in name only. "I, Serena, Luna of the Crescent Moon Pack, reject you, Alpha River, as my fated—"

*"Silence!"*

The air was violently sucked out of the room. River's eyes flashed a dangerous, glowing gold. His Alpha ego flared, unleashing a suffocating, heavy aura that slammed into me like a physical blow. My knees buckled instantly, hitting the hardwood floor with a painful thud. Inside my mind, Maeve yelped in agony, forced onto her belly by the sheer, crushing weight of her Alpha's command.

River’s Alpha tone vibrated through the floorboards, commanding and absolute. It wrapped around my throat like an invisible hand, physically choking off the final word of the rejection ritual. I gasped for air, clutching my chest as the sacred bond fought against the unnatural suppression.

"Are you entirely out of your mind?" River snarled, crossing the room in two massive strides. He hauled me to my feet by my upper arms, his grip bruising and entirely devoid of warmth. "A rejection? Over a jacket?"

"It's the ninety-ninth time!" I choked out, fighting the heavy pressure of his aura. "You are my mate! But you constantly reek of her!"

"Leilany is a harmless Omega, Serena!" he roared back, his golden eyes blazing with self-righteous fury. "She is my assistant. She tripped in the archives today, and I caught her. That is it! You are throwing an irrational, jealous tantrum over a weak subordinate who needs our protection!"

Before I could argue, before I could scream that Leilany’s 'accidents' only ever happened when he was around, River’s grip shifted. He locked his large hand around my wrist and pulled.

"River, let go of me!" I pleaded, stumbling as he dragged me out of the office.

He didn't listen. He pulled me down the main hallway of the packhouse. Delta warriors and Omega servants rushed to press their backs against the walls, averting their eyes and bowing their heads as River's furious aura washed over them. The humiliation burned hotter than the brand on my neck. He was parading his broken, jealous Luna for the entire pack to see.

He shoved open the heavy door to our shared quarters and practically threw me inside. I stumbled, catching myself on the edge of our marital bed.

"You will stay in here and cool off," River commanded coldly, standing in the doorway like a warden rather than a husband. "Leilany's presence is a necessary pack duty. She needs guidance, not the cruelty of a jealous Luna. You will accept her, Serena. I will not have my pack thrown into chaos because of your baseless insecurities."

"River—"

The door slammed shut, cutting off my plea. The heavy lock clicked into place from the outside.

I collapsed onto the mattress, my chest heaving as I tried to catch my breath. I buried my face in the pillows, desperate for the familiar, comforting scent of my mate's pine and rain. Instead, my stomach churned. The pillows, the sheets, the very air in the room... it was all tainted. The sickeningly sweet scent of the Omega permeated my home, suffocating my senses.

I reached up, my trembling fingers tracing the raised scar of the mating mark on my neck. River had used his power to silence my rejection today. He had forced my wolf into submission. But as I sat trapped in a bedroom that smelled of another woman, I realized the truth. The words hadn't been finished, but the bond was already dead.

The click of the heavy deadbolt unlocking at dawn felt like a gunshot. I hadn't slept. I had spent the entire night curled on the edge of the mattress, suffocating in the lingering, artificial scent of jasmine and peaches that clung to my husband’s pillows.

When I finally pushed myself off the bed, a violent wave of nausea hit me. The room spun. I gripped the edge of the nightstand, swallowing down the bitter bile rising in my throat. *It’s the bond,* I told myself, pressing a hand to my aching chest. *The bond is rotting, and it's poisoning me.*

I needed fresh air. I needed tea to settle my violently churning stomach.

I made my way down to the pack kitchen. It was bustling with Omegas preparing breakfast and Delta warriors grabbing coffee before morning patrols. The familiar scent of sizzling bacon usually brought me comfort, but today, it only made my stomach roll further.

Then, the chatter died.

I stopped in the doorway. Standing by the espresso machine, laughing softly with a few oblivious warriors, was Leilany. But it wasn't her cloying scent that made my blood run cold.

It was her dress.

She was wearing my pale blue chiffon dress. The exact one I had worn to my first Moon Festival as Luna of the Crescent Moon Pack. It was tailored to my body, pulling awkwardly tight across her chest, but the message was deafeningly clear.

Maeve, my inner wolf, let out a low, dangerous snarl. *Mine,* she snapped, pacing furiously.

I walked toward her. The kitchen fell into a dead, suffocating silence.

"Take it off," I said, my voice eerily calm but carrying the undeniable weight of a Luna.

Leilany turned, her doe eyes widening in manufactured innocence. "Oh, Luna! Good morning. I... Alpha River told me I could borrow something from the storage boxes since my clothes got ruined in the archives yesterday."

"I don't care what River said," I replied, stepping closer. "That is my Moon Festival dress. Take it off. Now."

Leilany’s bottom lip began to tremble. Her eyes darted toward the hallway, sensing approaching footsteps. She reached behind her, her fingers wrapping around a freshly poured mug of scalding black coffee.

For a fraction of a second, as she looked me dead in the eye, a wicked, triumphant smirk flashed across her face.

Then, she threw herself backward.

The mug flipped. Boiling coffee splashed directly over her own forearm. Leilany let out a blood-curdling, hysterical scream that shattered the quiet kitchen. She collapsed to the floor, sobbing wildly and clutching her reddened skin.

Before I could even blink, the heavy kitchen doors slammed open.

River rushed in, his golden Alpha eyes sweeping the room before locking onto the sobbing Omega. Panic and blind fury radiated from him.

"Serena pushed me!" Leilany wailed, burying her face in her knees. "I just wanted a cup of coffee! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"

River didn't look at me. He didn't ask what happened. He didn't care.

The air in the room vanished.

The crushing, suffocating weight of his Alpha aura exploded outward. It slammed into my shoulders like a freight train. My knees buckled instantly, hitting the cold tile floor with a sickening crack. Gasps echoed around the kitchen as warriors and cooks watched their Luna get forced to the ground like a common, trespassing rogue.

"River," I choked out, fighting the agonizing pressure pressing my chest into the floor. "She did it to herself."

"Enough!" River roared, his Alpha tone vibrating through the floorboards and rattling my teeth. Maeve whimpered in my mind, forced onto her belly by her mate's command.

River dropped to one knee, gently scooping Leilany into his massive arms. She immediately buried her face in his neck, her sickeningly sweet scent mixing intimately with his rain and pine.

"You attack a defenseless Omega over a piece of fabric?" River snarled down at me, his eyes devoid of any love we once shared. "You burn her? You are out of control, Serena. You are stripped of your Luna duties effective immediately. You are restricted to the East Wing. You will not set foot on main pack grounds until you learn to control your petty jealousy."

From the crowd, Beta Marcus stepped forward, his jaw tight. "Alpha, with respect, I was standing right here. The Luna didn't touch her. The Omega tripped—"

"Stand down, Marcus!" River barked, his fangs flashing. "My word is final. Anyone who defies it will answer to me."

Without another glance in my direction, River carried Leilany out of the kitchen, rushing her toward the infirmary.

The heavy pressure of his aura lifted, but I couldn't move. I stayed on the floor, the cold tile pressing into my trembling palms. The pack members slowly scattered, casting me looks of pity and uncomfortable hesitation. They were divided, but no one dared challenge the Alpha.

Inside my mind, Maeve didn't howl. She simply curled into a tight, shivering ball, her spiritual presence withering, fading into a terrifying silence. The isolation was breaking her.

Another violent wave of nausea hit me, so intense the room tilted. I clamped a hand over my mouth, my body trembling violently. I thought it was just the agony of a betrayed mate bond poisoning my blood. I had no idea my failing body was desperately trying to protect the tiny, fragile life growing inside me.

A week of confinement in the East Wing felt like a slow, agonizing death. I hadn't eaten a full meal in days. The violent bouts of nausea came in relentless waves, leaving me trembling on the cold bathroom tile. I thought it was the poison of our rotting mate bond. I thought my body was simply failing under the weight of River’s constant rejection. Inside my mind, my wolf, Maeve, was nothing but a silent, shivering shadow.

Then, the frantic screams erupted from the pack garden.

The sheer terror in the voices pulled me from my bed. Ignoring River’s strict orders to remain out of sight, I stumbled down the grand staircase and pushed open the heavy glass doors leading to the courtyard.

The crisp autumn air was tainted. Beneath the familiar scent of damp earth and pine, a bitter, acidic odor burned my nostrils. Wolfsbane.

A crowd of pack members stood in a wide, terrified circle on the manicured lawn. I pushed through the frozen warriors, my bare feet sinking into the cold grass. What I saw made the blood drain from my face.

River was on his knees. In his massive arms lay Leilany. Her body convulsed violently, her eyes rolled back into her head, and thick white foam bubbled past her pale lips. The sickeningly sweet scent of jasmine and peaches was drowned out by the lethal poison radiating from her pores.

Beside River’s knee, a crumpled piece of parchment fluttered in the wind.

"Alpha," a trembling Delta warrior whispered, pointing to the paper. "She left this note... She said the Luna’s cruelty... she said she couldn't take the bullying anymore."

River snatched the forged note. His broad shoulders went completely rigid. When he slowly lifted his head to look at me, my breath caught in my throat. His irises weren't their familiar, warm golden brown. They were completely pitch black. His inner wolf had taken over, driven into a blind, irrational frenzy by the sight of the dying Omega he had sworn to protect.

"You did this," River snarled. His voice wasn't his own; it was a demonic, layered growl that shook the yellowing leaves on the trees. "Her blood is on your hands, Serena."

"River, no," I choked out, stepping forward. I held my empty hands up in surrender. "I haven't left my room in seven days. I swear to the Moon Goddess, I had nothing to do with this!"

"Stay back!" he roared, clutching Leilany tighter to his chest.

"Please, just listen to me!" I took another desperate step toward my mate, needing to snap him out of this blinding delusion.

But River didn't see his Luna. He didn't see the woman he had loved since childhood. He only saw a threat to the fragile creature in his arms.

He lunged forward.

I braced myself, expecting him to shove me away. I expected the crushing, suffocating weight of his Alpha aura to force me to my knees once again.

I didn't expect the sickening sound of flesh tearing.

Slash.

Time stopped. The horrific sound echoed in my ears, drowning out the gasps of the surrounding pack. A sudden, blinding fire erupted across my stomach. I looked down, my mind unable to process the horror.

Four deep, jagged claw marks ripped horizontally across my abdomen. My pale sweater instantly soaked crimson, the hot, thick blood spilling over my trembling hands.

River stood frozen. The black receded from his eyes, replaced by a sudden flash of raw, unadulterated shock as he stared at his own blood-soaked claws.

Before he could even speak my name, my knees gave out.

I hit the grass hard. The pain was absolute, tearing through my physical body and ripping straight into my soul.

"Luna!" Beta Marcus’s voice shattered the paralyzing silence. He sprinted across the lawn, dropping to his knees beside me. His large hands pressed desperately against my torn flesh, trying to stem the massive flow of blood. "Get Healer Elena! Get her to the infirmary! Now!"

The world blurred into muted colors and distorted sounds. I felt myself being lifted into Marcus's arms, rushed down the sterile white hallways of the packhouse. The metallic smell of my own blood choked me, pulling me into a merciful darkness.

When I finally blinked against the harsh fluorescent lights, I was lying on a metal cot. The searing pain in my stomach was tightly bandaged, but it was eclipsed by a hollow, agonizing void echoing deep within my womb.

Healer Elena stood over me. Her medical apron was covered in my blood, and heavy tears streamed relentlessly down her face.

"Elena?" I whispered, my voice barely a dry rasp.

"Oh, Luna..." she sobbed, her shoulders shaking violently as she gripped the edge of my bed. "I tried. Goddess, I tried so hard to save it."

"Save what?" I breathed. A new, terrifying coldness gripped my heart.

Elena took my trembling hand in hers. She looked at me with a pity that shattered whatever was left of my soul. "You were pregnant, Serena. You were carrying the Alpha's pup."

The words hung in the sterile air, heavy and fatal.

"But the trauma..." She choked on a sob, her eyes dropping to my bandaged stomach. "The depth of the Alpha's claw wounds... I'm so sorry, Serena. The pup is gone."

Inside my mind, Maeve let out one final, blood-curdling wail before falling completely silent. The relentless nausea of the past week hadn't been our rotting bond. It had been my baby.

My fated mate hadn't just struck me. He had slaughtered our unborn child to protect a lying rogue.