Brooke POV:

The wind bit at my exposed cheeks, but the chill inside was worse.

Six weeks ago, the stick turned pink. I'd sat on the bathroom floor, weeping with joy. A pup. Our pup.

I'd made dinner, wearing the blue dress Caleb liked. "Caleb," I'd said, "It's time. The Pack needs to know. About the bond."

He'd pulled away, pouring a drink. "Not now. Investors are skittish. If they find out my mate is an Omega IT girl, the stock drops. They want traditional strength."

"But the Marking," I pleaded. "If you Mark me, your strength flows into me. I'll be the Luna."

"Soon," he'd said. "When the deal is done."

Soon.

"Brooke?" Easton's voice snapped me back to the pavement. "Still there, or did your brain freeze over?"

"I'm here," I gripped the phone. "I need protection. And resources."

"You'll have them. But you know the price of crossing into Blood River."

"I know. I'm worth it."

"We'll see. Stay hidden. I'm sending a car."

I couldn't stay on the street. I needed to gather my things from the penthouse before Caleb changed the locks.

I took the service entrance. I tried to swipe for the executive elevator.

Access Denied.

"Sorry, Ms. Myers."

Dan, the Beta guard who usually asked about my day, now held a baton across his chest.

"I live here, Dan."

"Not anymore. Alpha's orders. No Omegas on the executive floor."

"I need my medication," I lied. "And my mother's locket."

"Get lost, Brooke," a voice sneered from the lobby.

A group of low-ranking Pack members-people I'd helped with loans-looked at me with open disdain.

"Look at her," one whispered. "Thinking she could be Luna just because she's smart."

"Heard she can't even shift. Just gets hairy. Pathetic."

Leo stepped forward. "Hey, leave her alone. She built the system that pays you."

"Shut up, Leo!" Krystal stepped off the elevator, wearing my bathrobe.

My stomach churned.

"Leo," Krystal purred, "Unless you want to be scrubbing toilets, zip it."

She turned to me. "You're causing a scene, Brooke. Embarrassing. This is why Caleb couldn't Mark you. No dignity."

"Dignity?" I stepped closer. I could smell Caleb on her skin. "You're wearing my clothes, sleeping in my bed, and screwing my mate. Don't talk to me about dignity."

Krystal leaned in, whispering. "He was never yours. He told me everything. How you're boring in bed. How you smell like old paper. He needs a real woman."

Rage surged. I wanted to shift, to tear her throat out. But my body was weak.

I pushed past her, sprinting for the stairs. Twelve flights.

I burst into the penthouse. Caleb was packing a bag.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, annoyed.

"Why?" I screamed. "The Moon Goddess gave us to each other!"

He sighed. "The Moon Goddess makes mistakes. Look at you. Frail. The Apex deal requires a strong alliance. Krystal... she has potential."

"Potential? She's a manipulative snake!"

"She is strong!" Caleb roared. "And she will give me strong sons!"

I froze. "Sons?"

"Yes. Heirs. Something you clearly can't provide."

He didn't know. He had no idea I was carrying his heir right now.

"You're wrong," I said softly.

He walked over, touching my cheek. I flinched.

Brooke, his voice echoed in my head. The Mind-Link was static-filled. Don't make this hard. You can stay in the city. I'll pay for an apartment. Be my... consultant. We can still see each other.

I stared at him in horror.

"You want me to be your whore while she plays Luna?"

"It's the best of both worlds," he said, delusional. "I get the strong image, and I get your mind for the business."

I looked at the trash can. A photo of us, glass shattered.

"No." I severed the mental link with a violent shove. He flinched.

"I am not your consultant," I spat. "And I am not your mate."

"You can't reject me," he scoffed. "You're too weak. The pain would kill you."

"Watch me."

I turned to the door. "You chose power over the bond, Caleb. Hope it keeps you warm."

As I slammed the door, my wolf let out a long, mournful howl, then went silent.

Brooke POV:

The penthouse felt suffocating. I stood by the door, heart pounding.

I wasn't leaving without leverage.

Krystal sauntered in, holding an Apex Pack folder. She adjusted the collar of my bathrobe, revealing a reddish mark on her neck.

I squinted. The edges were too neat. Makeup. Or a curling iron burn. A real Mark pulsed. This was a hickey.

"Still here?" Krystal sneered. "Caleb, baby, Apex sent the contract. They're impressed with the security infrastructure. They think we built a fortress."

"They think Silver Moon built it," Caleb corrected, pouring whiskey. He eyed me. "Which is why you need to hand over the master encryption keys, Brooke. Now."

"Or what?" I asked. "You'll growl at me again?"

"Don't test me. I am your Alpha."

"You're a tyrant. And that infrastructure? It runs on the Alpha Code. It's keyed to my biometrics. Without my daily authentication, the system assumes a hostile takeover."

Caleb froze. "What does that mean?"

"It means," I smiled coldly, "if I don't log in within twenty-four hours, the firewall turns inward. It locks the accounts. Encrypts the data. Shuts down the grid."

Krystal gasped. "She's lying! She's just a weak Omega!"

"Am I?" I looked at Caleb. "Remember the Rogue attack? Who rerouted the sensors? Krystal? Or the 'weak' IT girl?"

Caleb set the glass down. "Give me the keys."

"No."

"I Command you!"

The Alpha Command hit me like a physical blow. A giant hand pushing me down. Submit, the instinct screamed.

I gritted my teeth, sinking.

Then, a flutter in my abdomen.

The pup.

A fierce, protective heat surged from my womb. Not Omega submission, but motherly rage. It pushed back.

I groaned, bones creaking, but I straightened my legs. I stood up.

Caleb's eyes widened. An Omega resisting a direct Command? Unheard of.

"How..."

"I am leaving the Pack," I declared. "I want a buyout. Five million for the patent rights. And I take my personal belongings."

"You're insane," Krystal screeched.

"Then the system crashes at midnight tomorrow," I said. "And when Apex sees your security is a joke, they walk. Silver Moon goes bankrupt."

I walked past them into the bedroom. Krystal tried to block me; I shoved her aside.

I went to the vanity. My expensive herbal lotions-custom formulated to soothe my skin during the pregnancy-were half empty.

"You've been using my things," I said, disgusted.

"I'm improving them," Krystal spat. "You have no taste."

I grabbed my bag, throwing in my laptop, hard drive, and my mother's ring.

"Twenty-four hours, Caleb," I called out. "Wire the money. Or enjoy the stone age."

"Brooke, wait!" Caleb stepped forward, wearing that manipulative mask of concern. "Think about what you're doing. You're emotional. It's... the hormones, isn't it? We can work this out."

"The Pack?" I laughed. "You don't care about the Pack. You care about your ego."

"I care about our future!"

"There is no 'our' future. And you don't deserve to be a father."

His face went pale. "Father? What are you talking about?"

I didn't answer. I opened the door.

"Midnight, Caleb. Tick tock."

I walked out. The moment the door clicked shut, my legs gave out. Resisting the Command had drained me.

My phone buzzed.

Black SUV. North corner. Get in. - E

Easton.

I pushed off the wall. I could feel eyes on me. Not human. Wolf.

Shadows moved in the hallway corners. Blood River warriors. They'd infiltrated the building.

I wasn't safe yet. But I wasn't alone.

Brooke POV:

The black SUV smelled of leather, dark chocolate, and ozone. Easton's scent.

The driver, a massive warrior with a scar down his jaw, drove with terrifying precision.

My phone rang. Secure video link.

Easton's face filled the screen. Shadows played across sharp features, his eyes a piercing, unnatural blue.

"You made it out," he rumbled.

"Barely. I gave him an ultimatum."

"I heard," Easton said, a dangerous smile playing on his lips. "Locking down their grid. Ruthless. I like it. You'll fit in well as my CTO."

"CTO? I thought I was a refugee."

"I don't collect refugees, Brooke. I collect assets. And you are the most valuable asset Silver Moon has. CTO of Blood River Corp. Full autonomy. Triple your salary. Highest clearance."

My heart skipped. "Why?"

"Because I smell power on you. And because watching Caleb Roy realize he threw away a diamond for a rock will be the highlight of my year."

"I accept. But I need to stop at my old apartment. The one I lived in before the penthouse. I have my server there. My backups."

"My warriors will escort you. Be quick. Caleb isn't smart, but desperation makes men dangerous."

The SUV pulled up to the run-down brick building. I hurried up the stairs, a Blood River warrior guarding the entrance.

The apartment smelled stale. I went straight to the closet where I kept my old rig-a shielded server tower hidden under the floorboards.

I booted it up. The fans whirred to life.

"Come on," I muttered, fingers flying across the keyboard.

I needed to secure the Alpha Code backups before Caleb's IT guys tried a brute force attack. I logged into the cloud admin panel.

My breath hitched.

There was an active sync occurring. Caleb's personal cloud.

"Idiot," I whispered. "You never changed your shared permissions."

Because I set up his devices, his phone automatically backed up to my secure server. I opened the latest message log.

Texts between Caleb and "K."

Caleb: Board is pushing for the merger. I need the cash.

K: Dump the bitch. She's useless.

Caleb: I can't. She holds the keys. And... I think she might be pregnant. She's been throwing up.

I gasped. He suspected?

K: Even better. If she pops out a pup, we sell it. High-ranking couples in the South pay millions for Alpha blood.

I slapped a hand over my mouth, bile rising. Sell it? Sell my baby?

Caleb: You think?

K: Solves everything. We get cash, ditch the brat, declare her mentally unstable. Make her a Rogue.

Caleb: Fine. But after the merger. Keep her docile.

Docile.

Tears streamed down my face. They weren't just leaving me. They were trafficking my child.

"Monsters," I hissed.

I quickly downloaded the logs to an encrypted drive.

I looked in the mirror on the closet door. My face was pale, but my eyes...

My muddy brown eyes were glowing. A ring of gold. And deeper... a flash of white.

White.

The White Wolf. The Moon Goddess's avenger. A myth.

The sound of a key in the lock froze my blood.

"Brooke?"

Caleb.

I shoved the drive into my bra.

He stood in the doorway, chest heaving. He'd tracked my scent. Krystal was behind him, smirking.

"We need to talk," Caleb said, stepping in. He locked the door. The click echoed like a gunshot.

"I have nothing to say to you," I said, backing up.

"Oh, but we have plans for you," Krystal laughed. "We can't have you running to the enemy with our secrets. Or with that little... complication inside you."

She looked at my stomach.

They knew.

And the Blood River warrior was downstairs. I was trapped.