I balanced the stack of evening reports against my swollen belly as I approached Blake's office. Eight months pregnant, every step sent waves of discomfort through my body, but I'd learned to ignore the pain. Just like I'd learned to ignore so many other things in this pack.

My free hand instinctively touched the small bump on my leg—the permanent reminder of the injury that had ended my warrior training and relegated me to Omega status. Ten years ago, I'd been one of the Silver Moon Pack's most promising young she-wolves. Now I was just the Alpha's chosen mate who wasn't good enough.

I knocked softly on Blake's door, already knowing he wouldn't answer. He rarely did when he was busy with... whatever he was busy with.

"Alpha, I have the maintenance reports you requested," I called through the door, my voice carrying that formal tone I'd perfected over the years.

Silence.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed the door open, balancing the papers carefully as I stepped inside.

The scent hit me first—vanilla and jasmine, Holly's signature perfume, so strong it could only mean one thing. My heart sank as I turned the corner into Blake's private office space.

There they were.

Blake's arms were wrapped around Holly Bell's waist, her legs draped across his lap as they sat on the leather couch that had been a gift from his first Luna's family. Papers were scattered across the coffee table—the very reports I'd spent hours compiling.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," I said quietly, though we all knew I wasn't sorry at all. This was the ninety-ninth time I'd caught them together.

Blake didn't even bother to move away from Holly. Instead, he looked up with cold eyes that held not a trace of remorse.

"Put the reports on the desk, Penelope," he said dismissively. "We're in the middle of something important."

Holly's lips curled into that familiar smirk—the one that said she knew exactly how little I meant to him.

"The children's combat training assessments are next week," Blake continued, his fingers tracing patterns on Holly's thigh. "Holly will be attending as their proper maternal figure."

I stiffened, one hand protectively covering my belly. "But I've always attended their assessments. I've been preparing Marcus for his leadership trials—"

"And you'll continue to do so," Blake cut me off, "but Holly will be there to represent the family properly."

"Holly isn't family," I said, immediately regretting the words as Blake's eyes flashed dangerously.

"ENOUGH!" His Alpha tone vibrated through the room, making my knees buckle slightly. "You will not question my decisions in this matter. Holly will be there, and you will defer to her authority as necessary."

Holly's smile widened as she leaned closer to Blake, her scent marking the room as her territory.

"Yes, Alpha," I whispered, backing away with the reports still clutched to my chest.

I returned to the pack house in a daze, my mind racing with thoughts of what I would tell the children. Surely they wouldn't accept this latest humiliation? They had to see how wrong it was?

I pushed open the door to find Marcus and Emma sitting in the living room with Holly. They were laughing at something she'd said, their faces bright with excitement.

"Penelope!" Emma called when she spotted me, but there was no warmth in her voice anymore.

Marcus stood up, his teenage frame already showing signs of the Alpha he might one day become. "You're just in time. We were telling Holly about the training assessment next week."

"I know," I said carefully, setting down my papers. "Your father told me she'll be attending."

"Good," Marcus said, his voice hard with an edge I'd never heard before. "It's about time we had someone respectable representing us."

I stared at him, unable to believe what I was hearing. "Marcus, I've been there for every assessment, every training session—"

"And we've had to explain why our stepmother is just a servant," he interrupted, his eyes cold. "Holly has pure warrior blood. She understands what it means to be a real Luna."

Emma nodded beside him, her small face serious. "She brought us special training gear from the Northern Packs. She says we need to learn proper combat techniques, not the basic stuff you taught us."

"Basic?" I echoed, feeling something crack inside me. "I was once ranked third in the entire Silver Moon warrior program."

"That was before," Marcus said dismissively. "Now you're just an Omega. You should be grateful we let you stay here at all."

Holly's hand rested on Marcus's shoulder, her smile triumphant as she looked at me over his head.

"Servant blood will never be Luna blood," she said softly.

And in that moment, standing in the home I'd maintained for ten years, I realized I was truly alone.

The dining room felt suffocating as I took my seat at the far end of the table, the usual place for an Omega like me. Margaret Parker sat at the head opposite Blake, with Holly positioned at his right hand—the traditional Luna's place that should have been mine.

My swollen belly made it difficult to sit comfortably, but I tried to make myself as small as possible, hoping to avoid notice. The abdominal pains that had started earlier hadn't subsided; if anything, they were getting worse.

"Pass the roasted venison, please," Margaret said, her voice carrying across the table. Her eyes deliberately skipped over me as she held her plate out.

I reached for the dish, but Blake intercepted, taking it himself and placing it directly in front of Holly.

"Holly should have the first serving," he said firmly. "As the children's proper maternal figure."

Marcus nodded enthusiastically, while Emma watched with wide eyes, learning from her brother's example.

"I agree," Margaret said, her smile sharp as she cut into her own portion. "It's about time we had someone at this table who represents the kind of Luna our family deserves."

The words sliced through me like claws, but I kept my expression neutral, years of practice making it easy to hide my pain.

"Holly comes from a long line of warriors," Margaret continued, as if I weren't sitting right there. "Pure bloodlines matter in leadership. Our pack needs strength, not..." Her eyes flicked to me briefly before dismissing me entirely. "...maintenance."

I felt a sharp pain lanced through my abdomen and gripped the edge of the table. No one noticed.

"I think it's wonderful how the children have taken to you," Margaret said to Holly, who was delicately cutting her venison into perfect slices. "They need a role model who understands their potential."

"Thank you," Holly replied, her voice honey-sweet. "I'm just glad I can finally be here for them properly."

Another wave of pain hit me, stronger this time. I couldn't suppress the small gasp that escaped my lips.

"Are you quite alright?" Margaret asked, though her tone made it clear she didn't care about the answer.

"I'm fine," I managed, though the pain was intensifying.

By the time dinner ended, I could barely stand. The children had left with Holly to review combat techniques, while Blake retreated to his office—likely with her in tow. Margaret busied herself with pack correspondence, leaving me alone with my growing discomfort.

I waited until the house grew quiet before slipping out, one hand pressed against my belly. The walk to Dr. Hayes's clinic felt endless, each step sending fresh waves of agony through me.

The pack healer looked up when I entered, his expression shifting from neutral to concerned as he took in my appearance.

"Luna Penelope," he said, rising from his chair. "You look unwell."

"I've been having pains," I admitted, sinking into the chair he offered. "They started this afternoon and have been getting worse."

Dr. Hayes examined me with practiced efficiency, his hands gentle but clinical as he checked my belly and vitals.

"I'm concerned about the baby," he said finally, his brow furrowed. "There are signs of distress that we should address immediately."

Relief washed through me—finally someone was taking my concerns seriously.

"What do we need to do?" I asked.

Dr. Hayes's expression shifted awkwardly. "Well, that's the thing. For any procedure or medication related to your pregnancy, I need Alpha consent. It's pack law."

My heart sank. "Blake is... unavailable."

"I'm sorry," Dr. Hayes said, though his eyes said he understood perfectly. "I can give you some mild pain relief, but nothing that might affect the pup without Alpha approval."

I took the small pill he offered with trembling fingers. "And if the pain gets worse?"

"Come back with Alpha Blake's signature on these forms," he said, sliding papers across the desk. "Or don't come back at all."

The cruel joke wasn't lost on me.

I made my way back to the pack house clutching the consent forms, each step more painful than the last. As I approached Blake's office, I heard voices through the partially open window.

"You should have seen her face," Holly was saying, her voice laced with amusement. "When Marcus called me his proper Luna."

"You handled it perfectly," Blake replied, his tone warmer than he ever used with me. "The children deserve someone who understands their world."

"And what about you?" Holly asked softly. "What do you deserve, Blake?"

There was a pause, and I froze, hardly daring to breathe.

"I deserve someone like you," Blake said finally. "Someone who understands what it means to lead a pack. Someone who isn't..."

"An Omega?" Holly finished for him.

"Yes," Blake admitted, his voice heavy with regret. "Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I'd chosen you first. If I could somehow undo my mistake."

The consent forms slipped from my fingers, scattering across the ground as another pain—this one sharper than any before—tore through my abdomen.

But it wasn't the physical pain that brought tears to my eyes as I knelt there, gathering the fallen papers with shaking hands.

It was the realization that I was nothing but a mistake he wished he could erase.

I stared at Blake across his office, my hands trembling slightly as he delivered the news that would change everything.

"Your maintenance duties are being reassigned," he said, not bothering to look up from the papers on his desk. "You'll be serving as Holly's personal attendant from now on."

The words hit me like a physical blow. After ten years of keeping this entire pack house running, of ensuring every pipe worked and every floor was clean, I was being reduced to a servant's servant.

"I don't understand," I said quietly, one hand resting protectively over my swollen belly. "The pack needs someone with my knowledge of the facilities—"

"The pack needs you where I say it needs you," Blake cut me off, finally looking up with cold eyes. "Holly requires someone to manage her schedule, prepare her meals, and attend to her needs as she helps raise my children."

Holly stood by the window, her lips curved in that familiar smirk that never quite reached her eyes. She'd been hovering around Blake more and more openly lately, her scent marking every corner of what should have been my territory.

"But I'm eight months pregnant," I protested, my voice stronger than I expected. "And these are your children too."

Blake's eyes flashed dangerously. "That's enough, Penelope."

"No," I said, surprising myself with my boldness. "I won't do it."

The room went silent. Holly's smirk widened as she watched Blake's face darken with rage.

"You won't do it?" he repeated, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. Then he straightened, his Alpha aura filling the room with suffocating pressure. "YOU WILL OBEY YOUR ALPHA!"

The Alpha command hit me like a physical force, driving me to my knees. My wolf whimpered inside me, instinctively submitting to his dominance. But something else stirred alongside the fear—something that had been building for months, years even.

"No," I said again, though this time it came out as a whisper.

Blake stalked toward me, his face contorted with fury. "What did you say to me?"

Before I could answer, a flash of lightning illuminated the room, followed by a crash of thunder that shook the windows.

The storm had arrived.

---

Rain lashed against the windows of the pack house as Blake dragged me through the main hall. His fingers dug into my arm with bruising force.

"You've forgotten your place for the last time," he snarled, his Alpha tone making the few pack members we passed lower their eyes. "Get out of my sight."

"Blake, please," I begged as another pain tore through my abdomen. "The baby—"

"Get out!" he roared, shoving me toward the door. "You're no longer welcome in this house!"

The Alpha command slammed into me with the full force of his power, lifting me off my feet and hurling me through the open door into the storm.

I landed hard on the wet ground, rain immediately soaking through my thin dress. Wind whipped around me as thunder crashed overhead.

"Please," I called back toward the house, struggling to my feet. "Anyone!"

But the door slammed shut, and not a single face appeared at the windows.

I stumbled toward the nearest pack member's house, rain blinding me as I pounded on their door.

"Please, let me in! I'm soaked and—"

The door opened just enough for me to see Beta Wilson's stern face. "Alpha's orders," he said coldly. "No one is to help you tonight."

The door closed in my face.

I tried three more houses with the same result. Each time, faces I'd known for years looked through me as if I were invisible, then closed their doors without a word.

Lightning flashed again, illuminating the path ahead. In the distance, I could make out the small maintenance shed where I'd spent countless hours keeping the pack's systems running.

Another wave of pain tore through me, stronger than before. Something was wrong—terribly wrong.

I stumbled toward the shed, each step an agony. By the time I reached it, my water had broken, soaking through my dress.

"Please," I whispered to no one as I collapsed onto the dusty floor. "Please let my baby be okay."

But as the contractions intensified in the abandoned shed, with only the storm for company, I knew I was completely alone.

Hours later, as dawn broke over the devastated pack grounds, I lay exhausted on the floor. My arms cradled the tiny, still form of what should have been my future.

I had lost everything.

And no one would ever know.