Three months into my pregnancy, I’d started to notice the subtle changes in my body. My curves were fuller, my appetite larger—natural shifts for a Luna carrying the heir of the Silver Moon Pack. Yet, at a pack gathering, I overheard Savanna, a rogue who had always lingered on the fringes of our territory, whisper the words “Pork Chop” to a group of Deltas. The snickers that followed were like a slap to my face.

My wolf stirred within me, a low growl forming in my mind. *How dare she?* But I swallowed it down, my eyes locking onto Savanna, who immediately feigned innocence, her wide eyes flicking toward Antonio.

“Did you not hear someone insult your Luna like that?” I demanded, my voice sharp enough to cut through the chatter in the room.

Antonio, my mate and Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, barely glanced up from his drink. “It was just a joke, Maya. Are you really that uptight?”

His indifference stung more than Savanna’s words. I clenched my fists, the bond between us flickering with my anger. Later, I learned this nickname had been Savanna’s creation, a petty jab she’d been spreading behind my back. So, I made a decision. I packed my bags and announced my intention to return to my parents’ territory.

Antonio exploded instantly. “What a drama queen! Just because you’re pregnant, you think you can act however you want? I’m not going to indulge this nonsense!”

But I didn’t feel wronged or angry anymore. I had clarity. I’d chosen carefully, yet I ended up mated to someone so devoid of respect. Without hesitation, I began the preparations to sever our mate bond and end the pregnancy. It wasn’t too late to cut my losses now.

---

The moment I heard “Pork Chop,” something snapped inside me. Before anyone could react, I slammed my glass down on the table, my gaze laser-focused on Savanna.

“Who’s lacking basic manners here? Care to repeat that to my face?”

The room fell into a heavy silence. Savanna’s eyes welled up as she shrank behind Antonio, her voice trembling like a frightened pup.

“Alpha… I-I honestly didn’t know Luna would get so upset! We joke around like this all the time. Does she really hate me?”

Tears began to fall, painting her as if the world had betrayed her.

Almost instinctively, Antonio stepped forward, shielding Savanna, and growled at me in a hushed tone, “Are you crazy? You’re scaring her! It’s just a joke. Do you need to overreact like this?”

His gaze was full of reproach, as if I was the unreasonable villain harming the innocent.

“A joke?” I was shaking with rage, pointing at Savanna. “Isn’t this nickname her invention? What, she can talk behind my back but can’t even own up to it?”

“Enough!”

Antonio’s Alpha tone cut through the room, silencing me instantly. His eyes blazed with anger as he stepped closer, his towering frame casting a shadow over me.

“Luna, are you done yet? Savanna is gentle and timid. How could she possibly make up a nickname to insult you? Even if she let it slip unintentionally, it was among friends. Do you find it amusing to keep harping on it? Look at how aggressive you’re being right now, does it make any sense?”

Every word defended Savanna, trivializing her malice as “unintentional” and “just joking,” while framing my anger as “aggressive.”

Savanna’s tears intensified behind him, tugging at his sleeve with hiccuping sobs:

“Alpha, don’t, don’t fight with Luna because of me! It’s all my fault. I promise I won’t speak out of line again. Luna, I’m sorry...”

Her apology was perfumed with insincerity.

Her crying acted like a match thrown on dry leaves. Antonio’s so-called friends immediately closed in, adding their voices:

“Luna, the Alpha’s right. It’s not a big deal. Savanna already apologized, so let it go, okay?”

“Exactly, we’re just here to have a good time. By dwelling on it, you’re making everyone uncomfortable. The Alpha treats you so well...”

“Savanna is like a little sister to us. Luna, be the bigger person; don’t hold a grudge against a young girl.”

“Hear that?”

With the support of his packmates, Antonio straightened his back, his Alpha aura pulsing with authority. He looked at me coldly, his tone filled with undisguised annoyance.

“Everyone thinks you’re making a mountain out of a molehill! Maya, can you be reasonable? Stop using your pregnancy as an excuse to act out! Apologize to Savanna, and let’s put this behind us!”

Apologize to her? The rogue who had given me a degrading nickname and was now pretending to be the victim?

I looked at the man who defended another female, accused me of being “unreasonable” and “acting out,” at the packmates who blurred right and wrong, and at Savanna, hiding behind Antonio, her tearful eyes still gleaming with some concealed satisfaction...

A wave of nausea roiled in my stomach.

I couldn’t stand another second with this group.

Grabbing my bag, I didn’t even glance at Antonio’s face, which was filled with “you’re unreasonable,” or at Savanna’s fake teary eyes. I turned and left.

---

The night I slammed the door and left, Antonio, for once, didn’t rush to “comfort” his childhood friend but came home instead.

He positioned himself at the bedroom door with a pained look:

“Luna, I was wrong! I just thought since we were all part of the pack, I couldn’t bear to lose face... I promise, I’ll absolutely take your side in the future!”

He took my hand, his tone softening, though his Alpha aura still lingered, trying to exert its influence.

“Even Savanna knows she was wrong; she cried until her eyes were swollen! They all realized they went too far and want to arrange a gathering to formally apologize. Please forgive me this once, okay? For the pup’s sake...”

Mentioning the pup, I touched my stomach, looking at this familiar yet increasingly alien man before me. The bond between us pulsed weakly, a reminder of what we once had. But any residual expectations flared up and died just as quickly.

I remained silent, neither nodding nor pushing him away.

Antonio took this as implicit consent, his face lighting up with misguided joy. His aura, usually commanding as the Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, felt suffocating now, a reminder of the gulf between us that had only widened over time.

A week later, the so-called "apology dinner" arrived. Same room, same people. The atmosphere was even more awkward than before, with a forced sense of "harmony" hanging in the air. The pack hierarchy was on full display—Antonio at the head of the table, Savanna seated closer to him than I was, as if she were the one he had chosen to honor, not his Luna.

As the waiter began to serve the dishes, a heavy feeling settled in my stomach. The table was covered with dishes clearly showcasing who the true focus of this "apology feast" was.

Spaghetti with marinara sauce, baked salmon, buffalo wings... all were Savanna Mason’s favorites, each dish spicier and richer than the last. Antonio, my mate, knew very well that my morning sickness had just started to ease, I couldn’t stand strong greasy smells, and spicy foods were off-limits. The healer had advised a mild, nutritious diet, advice he seemed to have completely ignored.

Savanna wore a simple white dress with a Victorian touch, appearing unusually "fragile and innocent." She picked up a glass of brandy, gracefully walked over to me, her voice sickly sweet:

"Luna," she said, her tone dripping with false humility, "it was my fault last time. I spoke without thinking and upset you. Here’s a drink as my apology!"

With that, she tilted her head back and downed the brandy in one go, her cheeks quickly blushing, her eyes sneaking a glance at Antonio, a hint of hidden satisfaction in her gaze.

Setting the glass down, she added thoughtfully, "Luna, since you're expecting, you shouldn’t drink. Just the gesture is enough, right, Alpha?"

Antonio eagerly nodded in agreement. "Yes, yes, Savanna's right! My Luna, you can just toast with water. Savanna finished hers, isn’t that sincere enough?"

His tone was dismissive, as if Savanna’s drinking somehow erased the humiliation and hurt inflicted on me.

Others chimed in, echoing, "Yes, Luna, Savanna punished herself. It’s not a big deal, let’s move on!"

"Alpha's right, it's the thought that counts!"

I looked at the glass of water before me, the drink I was "spared" from having to drink, and the table full of foods I couldn’t stand. The last bit of warmth in my heart vanished completely.

I scanned the room, noting Antonio’s face plastered with a sycophantic smile, desperate to maintain a false peace, while his packmates were each more hypocritical than the last.

No anger, no grievance, just a calm clarity washed over me.

I gently pushed the glass of water aside, raised my gaze, my eyes calmly sweeping over Savanna and the crowd of "friends," finally landing on Antonio. My voice was quiet but clear enough for everyone to hear:

"Here you all are, 'apologizing' to a pregnant Luna, ordering all of Savanna’s favorite spicy, heavy dishes, ignoring that I can’t even bear the smell of grease, having her bring brandy to me, knowing full well I can’t drink, and you say, 'It’s the thought that counts'?"

I paused, a cold smile forming at the corner of my mouth:

"I just want to ask, did none of you grow up with mothers?"

"Or are you just unaware that a pregnant Luna needs care, shouldn’t be forced to drink? Or is your so-called 'apology' and 'joke' intentionally targeting a pregnant Luna's vulnerabilities, just to embarrass her?"

Silence blanketed the room.

Savanna’s smile froze, her expression too slow to shift to tears.

The faces of the packmates turned red, then white, their eyes avoiding mine, whispering among themselves, exchanging awkward, irritated glances:

“Is that necessary? That was harsh.”

“Exactly, we apologized, but the Luna’s still making a fuss…”

“Not giving the Alpha any respect at all, overreacting…”

Antonio’s face turned ashen. He slammed the table, standing abruptly, pointing at me, veins pulsing at his temple:

"My Luna!" he barked, his alpha tone sharp and cutting. "Enough! Are you ungrateful? Savanna’s gone this far, the pack has given you an out! Do you have to be this sarcastic, unwilling to let go, tearing everyone’s reputations apart? Where’s my dignity in all this?”

Dignity? Again with the dignity. To Antonio, his childhood friend’s tears were dignity, his pack’s "harmony" was dignity, while the dignity, feelings, and health of his pregnant mate were insignificant, trampled upon, just to uphold his absurd sense of dignity.

I looked at his contorted face, listened to his abrasive shouts, felt the disdainful or gloating eyes cast upon me from those around.

Suddenly, the absurdity of it all struck me as laughable. My wolf stirred within me, a faint growl of agreement, but I silenced her. This was my fight, not hers.