The stack of pack documents felt heavier than usual in my arms as I organized them on Darren's mahogany desk. Three years as his Luna, and I still found myself tingling whenever I entered his office—the space that smelled of him, of pine and musk and power.

My fingers traced over the embossed Silver Creek Pack logo on the folder. "Just a few more minutes," I whispered to my wolf, Aria, who stirred restlessly within me. "Then we can go for that run you've been begging for."

Aria huffed. *We deserve more than scraps of attention.*

I pushed away her complaint, focusing instead on alphabetizing the territorial agreements. Darren had been distant lately—busy with pack matters, he'd said. But I understood. Being Alpha meant sacrifice. Being his mate meant understanding.

The door to the adjoining room remained slightly ajar, and I heard Darren's voice drifting through—not directed at me, but at someone else. Beta Marcus, perhaps?

"—can't keep doing this," Darren was saying, his voice lower than usual. "The guilt is eating at me."

I froze, my hand hovering over a file labeled "Northern Territory Disputes."

"It's been three years," came Marcus's reply. "You've done what you needed to do."

"What I needed to do?" Darren's laugh was hollow. "Forcing a mark on a sixteen-year-old girl during her first shift? Breaking my engagement to Tommy's sister?"

The documents slipped from my fingers, scattering across the polished floor.

*Oh goddess,* Aria whimpered inside me. *No, no, no.*

"I did what was necessary," Darren continued, oblivious to my presence. "Sloan was convenient—available when I needed to break free from Tommy's sister. And now she's useful as Luna."

My lungs constricted. Convenient. Useful. Not loved. Not fated.

"But Macy—" Darren's voice softened in a way it never had for me. "God, Marcus, you don't understand. It's always been her. From the moment I saw her at that pack gathering five years ago. But she was too young then, and Sloan was... there."

The room tilted. My knees buckled as I sank to the floor, desperately trying to breathe through the crushing weight on my chest.

"And now?" Marcus asked.

"Now I have to keep playing this game," Darren sighed. "Sloan's wolf is too weak to challenge me directly. And Macy understands... she's been patient. So damn patient."

I clutched my stomach, nausea rising like a tidal wave. Three years of believing we were destined. Three years of ignoring how he'd found me during my first shift, vulnerable and alone. Three years of excusing how he'd marked me so roughly, so possessively.

All lies.

I stumbled to my feet, documents forgotten, and somehow made it to the door. The hallway stretched before me, endless and blurry through my tears.

---

"The nausea is normal," Dr. Elena Vasquez said gently, her weathered hands still resting on my abdomen. "Especially in the first trimester."

I stared at the ceiling of the pack clinic, unable to process her words. "Pregnant?"

She nodded, her kind eyes crinkling at the corners. "About six weeks along. The Alpha's heir."

The heir. A pup. Our pup.

Aria howled inside me, a sound of such profound grief that I couldn't distinguish it from joy.

"Does he know?" Elena asked, preparing a prenatal vitamin.

I shook my head. "No. And... not yet."

Elena's brow furrowed. "Sloan, he's the Alpha. Your mate. He should be the first to know."

"He's busy," I whispered, the lie bitter on my tongue. "Pack matters."

Something in my expression must have warned her because she didn't press further. Instead, she squeezed my hand. "Take these daily. And Sloan... whatever's troubling you, remember your pup needs you strong."

I nodded mechanically, accepting the small bottle. A pup. Darren's heir. The future of Silver Creek Pack.

And possibly the only thing that mattered anymore.

---

"You're imagining things," Darren said that evening, his voice dangerously soft as he loomed over me in our bedroom. "What you think you heard—"

"I know what I heard," I said, my voice steadier than I felt. "You planned it all. You never wanted me."

His eyes flashed gold—his wolf rising to the surface. "Enough!"

The Alpha command hit me like a physical blow, driving me to my knees. Aria whimpered, instinctively submitting to his dominance.

"You will not speak of this again," he growled, looming over me. "Do you understand?"

I nodded, unable to resist the compulsion of his Alpha tone.

He helped me to my feet with false gentleness, his fingers digging into my arms. "Good girl."

Over his shoulder, I saw his phone light up with a notification. A mind-link message.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he read it, then quickly typed a response.

"Macy's asking about tomorrow's pack run," he lied smoothly. "I told her we'd meet them at the clearing."

Another lie. Another betrayal.

And as he pulled me into an embrace that once would have comforted me, I felt something inside me—something deeper than Aria—begin to break.

My hand drifted to my stomach, to the tiny life growing there. The heir he deserved to know about.

But not tonight. Not until I understood exactly how much of our life had been built on lies.

Morning light filtered through the curtains as I stared at the ceiling, my hand resting protectively over my stomach. The pregnancy test from yesterday still felt surreal—a tiny life growing inside me, the future heir of Silver Creek Pack. Aria stirred within me, her presence a mixture of hope and dread.

"We'll tell him today," I whispered, trying to convince myself as much as my wolf.

A knock at the door interrupted my thoughts. Darren entered, already dressed in his Alpha attire, looking every bit the powerful leader I'd once admired.

"Ready for your check-up?" he asked, his tone casual, as if yesterday's revelations hadn't shattered my world.

I nodded, not trusting my voice.

To my surprise, Macy was waiting in the hallway, her perfectly styled hair and makeup a stark contrast to my simple appearance.

"Darren insisted I come along," she said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "After all, I'm practically family too."

The emphasis on "practically" wasn't lost on me.

Dr. Elena's office was warm and inviting, but I felt anything but comfortable as I lay on the examination table, Darren and Macy standing on either side of me.

"Just a routine confirmation," Elena said, moving the ultrasound wand across my abdomen. "And yes, there's the heartbeat. Strong and healthy."

A tear slipped down my cheek at the rapid thrumming sound. My pup. Our pup.

"Excellent," Darren said, but his eyes were on his phone, which had just lit up with a notification.

Elena smiled at me. "I'll need to do some additional tests since you're—"

"Beta Marcus needs me," Darren interrupted, already moving toward the door. "Warrior training emergency."

"Darren," I called after him, "we need to talk about this."

He paused at the doorway. "Later, Sloan. Pack business."

Macy followed him out, touching his arm as they left. "I'll make sure she gets home safely," she called over her shoulder.

I stared at the ceiling, the sound of my pup's heartbeat echoing in my ears.

---

The pack meeting hall buzzed with activity as members gathered for the monthly assembly. I sat in my designated Luna chair beside Darren's throne-like seat, trying to ignore the whispers that followed me.

"Luna Sloan looks pale today."

"Is it true about her and the Alpha?"

"Why hasn't she announced her pregnancy?"

I smoothed my dress over my still-flat stomach, wishing I could disappear.

Darren stood to address the pack, his commanding presence silencing the room instantly. "Before we discuss territory matters, I want to recognize our warriors' recent training achievements."

As he spoke, my eyes caught Macy slipping into the room, taking a seat in the front row. Her gaze met mine briefly before sliding to Darren.

"Especially Beta Marcus and Macy Howard," Darren continued, "whose dedication to strengthening our pack defenses deserves recognition."

Macy beamed as Darren gestured toward her. Their eyes locked in a way that made my stomach clench.

I cleared my throat. "Darren, perhaps we could discuss the future of the pack's heir?"

The room fell silent. Several pack members exchanged glances.

Darren's jaw tightened. "This isn't the time, Sloan."

"When is the time?" I pressed, Aria giving me courage. "Our pup deserves—"

"Enough," he cut me off, his Alpha tone washing over me like a physical force. "We'll discuss this privately."

Macy's smile widened as she reached up to adjust her necklace—a diamond pendant I'd never seen before.

---

That evening, my phone buzzed with notifications from the pack's social media platform. With trembling fingers, I opened the app.

Macy's post sat at the top of the feed: a photo of her and Darren at what appeared to be a private dinner. His arm was around her waist, her head resting on his shoulder.

"Three years of friendship with my favorite Alpha," the caption read. "Some bonds are forever. Thank you for my birthday gift!"

The photo zoomed in on her neck, where a diamond necklace glittered against her skin.

Comments flooded in below:

"Luna Macy would look good on you!"

"The Alpha and his real Luna!"

"Where's Sloan in all this?"

I scrolled further, finding another post from months ago that I'd somehow missed—Darren presenting me with a simple silver bracelet on our mating anniversary.

"Token gift for appearance's sake," someone had commented. "Notice the difference?"

Aria howled in anguish within me as I stared at the screen, the truth of my position in the pack—and in Darren's heart—finally crystal clear.

I touched my stomach, feeling the slight swell that housed our pup. "We deserve better than this," I whispered.

My phone buzzed again. Macy's latest post: a close-up of her diamond earrings.

"Only the best for those the Alpha truly cherishes," she'd written.

Something inside me hardened like steel in fire.

The dining hall buzzed with conversation as pack members gathered for the monthly dinner. I sat rigidly in my Luna chair, pushing food around my plate while trying to ignore the whispers that followed me like shadows. Darren sat at the head of the table, his attention elsewhere as usual. My hand rested protectively over my stomach, the secret of our pup still mine alone.

"Such a shame," a voice whispered nearby. "She doesn't even eat. Probably afraid of getting fat."

I stiffened but kept my eyes on my plate. Let them talk. Soon enough, they'd know about the heir growing inside me.

Macy glided into the hall, drawing every eye with her practiced grace. She took the seat directly across from me, her smile sharp as a blade.

"You look tired, sister," she said loudly enough for nearby tables to hear. "Trouble sleeping?"

Before I could respond, a familiar pressure built behind my temples—Macy opening a mind-link.

*Let's not make a scene,* her voice slithered through my thoughts. *We have things to discuss privately.*

I hesitated, then reluctantly opened the connection wider.

*I know about your little secret,* Macy continued, her mental voice dripping with false sweetness. *The pup. How... quaint.*

My fork clattered against my plate. "How did you—"

*Darren tells me everything,* she cut me off, her eyes gleaming with triumph. *Just as he should. After all, I'm carrying his true heir.*

The room spun around me. Aria howled in confusion and rage.

"That's not possible," I whispered aloud, drawing curious glances from nearby pack members.

Macy's laugh tinkled like breaking glass. *Oh, Sloan. You never were very bright. Did you really think he'd only be with you?*

Through our mind-link, she continued: *I've been his true mate all along. Every night you thought he was working late, he was with me. Every time he claimed pack business kept him away, he was in my bed.*

I gripped the edge of the table, knuckles white. "You're lying."

*Am I?* Her mental voice turned hard. *Step aside gracefully, Sloan. Resign as Luna. Tell everyone you can't handle the pressure. Or I'll make sure the entire pack knows what a pathetic joke your mating really is.*

"And what about your pup?" I challenged, fighting to keep my voice steady.

*My pup will be raised as the Alpha's true heir,* she hissed. *Your little mistake will be forgotten.*

I straightened my spine, feeling Aria's strength surge through me. "No."

Macy's eyes narrowed. *No?*

"I won't surrender my position," I said, loud enough now that conversations around us quieted. "And if you're pregnant with Darren's child, I'll make sure the elders know about your affair."

The color drained from her face, then rushed back in a flush of anger. She stood abruptly, her chair scraping against the floor.

"You wouldn't dare," she whispered.

"Try me," I replied, rising to my feet.

We stared at each other across the table, two sisters locked in silent combat. Then Macy's expression shifted—from fury to something calculated and cold.

"Excuse me," she murmured to the table at large. "I need some air."

She turned and walked toward the garden doors, her steps measured and deliberate.

I should have known better.

The scream came minutes later—high and terrified, cutting through the dinner hall like a knife.

"Help! Someone help me!"

Pack members leapt to their feet as Macy came staggering back through the doors, blood streaming down her arms and face. Silver blood—the telltale sign of a werewolf wound inflicted by silver.

"She attacked me!" Macy sobbed, collapsing into the arms of a nearby Delta. "Sloan—she's gone feral!"

The room erupted in chaos. I stood frozen, unable to process what was happening.

"What are you talking about?" I demanded. "I've been sitting here the whole time!"

But Macy was already surrounded by concerned pack members, her wounds gleaming silver in the dining hall lights.

"She knew," Macy whimpered, her voice carrying through the sudden silence. "She found out about my pup—about Darren's true heir."

A silver blade lay on the floor near her feet, its edge stained with her blood.

"She said she'd make sure I never gave birth to his child," Macy continued, tears streaming down her face. "That only her pup deserved to be born!"

Horror washed over me as I realized what was happening. "I didn't—she's lying!"

But the damage was done. Pack members turned to stare at me with suspicion and disgust.

"I saw them arguing earlier," someone whispered. "Sloan was threatening her."

Another voice joined in: "I heard her say she'd do anything to keep her position."

Darren pushed through the crowd, his face darkening as he took in the scene—Macy bleeding in the arms of pack members, the silver blade on the floor, and me standing there, unable to defend myself against this perfect trap.

"Sloan," he growled, his eyes flashing gold with barely contained fury. "What have you done?"