When I woke again, the unbearable heat had returned, coursing through my body like wildfire.

My babies were gone.

Tears flooded my eyes, and my heart shattered into a million pieces.

When I found out I was pregnant, I had been overjoyed.

I thought Ayden would be too.

I wanted to surprise him.

But before I could tell him, Amelie and I were kidnapped, and they injected me with that cursed drug.

I clawed at my thighs, desperate to stay lucid, to fight through the agony.

I managed to escape, determined to save myself.

I couldn’t endure that humiliation again.

But before I could get far, I ran into Ayden and Amelie.

Ayden stood tall in a tailored black suit, his Alpha aura dominating the space around him. Amelie, in a pristine white gown, looked every bit the perfect Luna.

The courtyard was filled with guests, and a banner hung proudly:

**Ayden Harper & Amelie Palmer — Mark Ceremony.**

They looked like a match made by the Moon Goddess herself.

My legs gave out, and I collapsed to the ground, the gravel digging into my knees.

I wished it was a nightmare, that none of this was real.

Tears streamed down my face as the pain in my knees barely dulled the fire raging inside me.

“Sister,” Amelie’s voice cut through the air.

She moved to help me up, but I couldn’t look away from Ayden.

The mate mark on his neck was gone, replaced by a fresh one that mirrored Amelie’s.

Her wrist bore a matching necklace, their scents mingling in a way that made my stomach churn.

“You’re still unwell. You shouldn’t be wandering,” Ayden said, his voice cold and dismissive.

I tried to speak, but the pain and heat silenced me. I dug my nails into my thighs, struggling to stay coherent.

“Amelie’s family was pressuring us. This is just a formality,” he explained, but his tone was distant, as if he didn’t care whether I believed him.

I laughed, the sound hollow and broken.

My body crumpled to the ground again, and I forced out the words, “Ayden, please… find the herbs. Save me. I can’t go through this again.”

“This isn’t a disgrace,” he said, his voice laced with disgust.

“It’s the only way to treat you. Do you want to die?”

“Enough,” he snapped. “Marco, take her back.”

Marco, his Beta, appeared and pulled me up.

He had seen everything between Ayden and me over the years.

“I’m sorry, Luna,” he whispered, his voice trembling.

I was dragged back to my room, locked away like a rogue.

Marco’s tears fell as he said, “I don’t understand, Luna. He loves you. I don’t know why he’s doing this.”

“I can’t help you. I have my own family to think of.”

The pain in my chest spread like poison, and my entire body shook with the weight of it.

Five years ago, I arrived in this world to challenge Ayden Harper.

He was the Lycan King, cold and untouchable, his aura commanding and his presence as sharp as the edge of a blade.

I spent three years trying to break through his icy exterior, to make him see me—not just as an Omega, but as someone worth his attention. When he finally acknowledged me, when he finally took me as his mate, I thought it was the beginning of my forever.

I stayed because I loved him. I stayed because I believed in him.

But forever was shorter than I thought.

Ayden walked into the room, his broad shoulders casting a shadow over me. His scent—a mix of pine and something uniquely him—filled the air, but it no longer comforted me. In his hands was a steaming cup of herbal tea, the scent of chamomile and lavender wafting up, but it did nothing to calm the storm inside me.

“I don’t know whose child you’re carrying,” he said, his voice low and controlled, but there was a sharp edge to it. “But you are my mate. I can’t let this go unaddressed. Drink this. It’ll help you recover.”

He set the cup down on the bedside table, his dark eyes unreadable. “Just endure for two more days. You’ll be fine.”

My heart shattered, and my mind felt like it was on fire.

With a trembling hand, I slapped the cup off the table. The liquid splattered across the floor, the sound of the ceramic shattering echoing in the silence.

Once, I thought Ayden loved me more than anything in this world.

I remembered the nights when I was sick, and he would leave the pack’s territory to find rare herbs, returning at dawn with his hands scratched and bruised. He’d hold my hand and whisper, “You’re my life. If I lose you, I won’t survive.”

“Lilliana!” His voice snapped, cutting through the memory like a whip.

“You’re not half as understanding as Amelie. I’m trying to help you, and this is how you repay me?”

He loomed over me, his Alpha aura pressing down, making it hard to breathe.

“And how are you repaying me?” I shot back, my voice trembling but defiant. I dug my claws into my thigh, the pain grounding me as blood seeped through the wounds.

Ayden’s jaw tightened, and for a moment, he looked like he might say something—anything—to make this better. But then he turned on his heel and walked out, leaving me alone with my thoughts and the bitter taste of betrayal.

The next day, I was a shadow of myself, discarded in the corner of the room like a broken doll.

I coughed, and blood stained my lips. I hadn’t eaten in over a day, and my body felt like it was made of lead.

The Omegas who passed by whispered among themselves, their voices carrying through the thin walls.

“I heard the King arranged for some rogues to help her through her heat, but how could any Omega survive that? It’s inhumane.”

“It’s so sad. She’s done nothing wrong. We’ve all seen how much she loves him.”

“Remember when the pack was in trouble? She begged other Alphas for help on her knees. She’s the reason we survived.”

Yes, I had done that.

When Ayden first became Lycan King, he struggled to lead the pack. The neighboring packs saw weakness and tried to take advantage. I went to them, pleading for their support, promising anything if they’d just help us.

And they did.

But Ayden never knew. I didn’t want him to feel the weight of my sacrifices.

Now, I wondered if it had all been for nothing.