Michael POV:

The silence in the office was suffocating, broken only by the incessant, drilling vibration of my phone against the mahogany. Another creditor. Another angry supplier screaming for payment.

"Damn it!" With a roar of frustration, I swept a towering stack of papers off my desk.

They fluttered to the floor like dying birds—past due invoices, resignation letters, and threats of lawsuits forming a chaotic carpet at my feet.

It had been a week. Just one week since I had rejected Olivia.

It was supposed to be the start of my golden era. Serena and I, the ultimate power couple, ruling the pack with iron and silk.

But the money had dried up instantly. I hadn't realized... God, I hadn't realized how much of the pack's liquidity was tied directly to the Hayes family trust.

"Michael, darling," Serena purred, sauntering into the office.

She was wrapped in a silver fox fur coat that I knew—with a sinking dread—I couldn't afford. "Why is the staff so rude? The chef refused to make my distinct steak tartare."

"The chef quit this morning, Serena," I snapped, the pressure behind my eyes throbbing. "Because I couldn't pay him."

Serena rolled her eyes, dismissing my ruin with a wave of her manicured hand. "Well, fix it. You're the Alpha."

She walked over and perched on the edge of the desk, crossing her legs. The scent of her perfume was heavy, almost suffocating. Why did it smell so cloying today? Where was that intoxicating, magnetic pull I had felt at the Gala?

"I'm trying," I growled, my voice rough with exhaustion. "But Olivia... her family has blocked everything."

"Forget her," Serena said dismissively. "She's just a bitter ex."

"She was my financial backbone!" I roared, shooting to my feet.

My Alpha aura flared, intending to dominate the room, but it felt weak—sputtering like a candle in a gale.

The door opened. My Beta, Marcus, walked in.

He wasn't wearing his pack uniform. He was in jeans and a t-shirt, a battered duffel bag slung over his shoulder.

"Marcus?" I asked, confusion cutting through my anger. "Where are you going?"

"I'm leaving, Michael," Marcus declared, not even dipping his head in respect. "I can't follow an Alpha who breaks a bond for a Rogue."

"She is my Fated Mate!" I shouted, desperate to assert a truth that felt increasingly fragile.

Marcus looked at Serena with pure, unadulterated disgust.

"Is she? Because the pack doctor analyzed the air samples from the Gala. There were traces of *Amortentia* herbs. Love drugs, Michael."

I froze. The air left my lungs. I looked at Serena.

Her face paled instantly beneath her heavy makeup, the mask slipping.

"Lies!" she shrieked, her voice shrill.

"And that pup?" Marcus continued, relentless. "The one you claimed was yours? One of the Omegas recognized him. He was stolen from a low-ranking family in the Southern District."

Marcus paused, his eyes cold.

"He died yesterday. Neglect."

The world stopped spinning. The child... dead? Stolen?

"Serena?" My voice was a dangerous whisper, trembling with a horror I couldn't suppress.

She jumped off the desk, her eyes darting instinctively to the wall safe in the corner.

"Oh, grow up, Michael. You were an easy mark. A weak Alpha with a rich wife and a wandering eye."

The drug. The fake bond. The stolen child.

My Inner Wolf howled—a sound of pure, agonizing betrayal that tore through my soul.

I had thrown away Olivia. I had thrown away my unborn child. For this?

"Get out," I said, my voice shaking violently.

"Gladly," Serena sneered, backing toward the door. "I already emptied the emergency cash reserves. Have fun ruling the ruins."

She turned and ran.

I lunged, trying to chase her, to tear her throat out for what she had done, but my foot caught on the pile of unpaid bills.

I crashed to my knees in the center of my crumbling empire.

Desperate for a familiar touch, for anything real, I reached for the Mind-Link.

*Liv?*

Silence.

Not just silence—a void. An abyss where a soul should be.

The bond was gone.

I was alone.

And God help me, I deserved it.

Olivia POV

"He is desperate," my father said.

Mr. Hayes sat in his tufted leather armchair, swirling the amber liquid in his glass. He was the Alpha Supreme, a man whose silence carried more weight than most men's shouts.

"Good." I rested my hand on the high curve of my belly. I was eight months along now. The ancient White Wolf energy had accelerated the pup's growth and strength; I felt huge, but undeniably powerful.

"He has been trying to breach the perimeter," Dad continued, his eyes fixed on the fire. "He wants to see you. He wants to know about the child."

My heart gave a painful lurch, but my White Wolf immediately coated it in ice. "He has no child. He forfeited that right when he made his choice."

"We need him away from the territory while you birth the pup," Dad said. "And we need you to fully ascend without interference."

"What do you propose?"

"A diversion," Dad said simply. "We leak information. We tell him there is a chance. That the child survived the rejection, but barely. That if he proves himself, maybe..."

"Hope," I whispered, the word tasting bitter on my tongue. "You want to torture him with hope."

"It is the only thing that will make him leave the city to chase a ghost," Dad said, taking a slow sip of his drink. "I have set up a trail leading to the Northern Mountains. While he is chasing shadows, you will go to the Sacred Grounds."

I nodded. It was cruel, but necessary.

That night, under the watchful eye of a full moon, I entered the Sacred Grounds of the Hayes estate. It was a clearing surrounded by ancient standing stones, the air itself vibrating with energy.

I stripped off my clothes, the night air cool against my feverish skin.

*Shift,* my Inner Wolf commanded.

It didn't hurt like the first time. There was no breaking, only becoming. It felt like coming home. My bones rearranged, fluid and fast, expanding to accommodate the power within. Fur sprouted, thick and white as fresh snow.

I stood on four paws, dwarfing the height of a normal wolf. My vision shifted, the world desaturating into high-contrast shadows and burning heat. I threw my head back and howled at the moon.

The sound resonated through the earth, a deep, guttural vibration. I felt the pack lands responding to me. I felt the location of every Warrior, every Omega.

And then, I felt him. Michael.

He was miles away, lurking near the border. I could feel his misery. It tasted like ash and ruin.

*Leave,* I projected, using the amplified power of the White Wolf.

It wasn't a mere Mind-Link; it was a broadcast—an alpha command written on the wind.

I sensed him flinch physically, as if struck.

My senses expanded further. I checked the perimeter. No Rogues. No Serena. But the shadows whispered that she was still out there, waiting.

I focused on my womb. The pup was safe, encased in my protective energy. He would be an Alpha. A Hayes Alpha.

I shifted back, gasping as I returned to human form. Mom was there instantly, wrapping a heavy wool cloak around me.

"You are radiant," she whispered.

"I am ready," I corrected her, pulling the cloak tighter. "Let him chase the ghosts, Dad. When he comes back, he won't find the wife he rejected. He'll find the Luna who outgrew him."