Ava POV

I tore through the laboratory like a hurricane.

Every file labeled "Ethan Reed." Every joint project. Every note I had made to help him secure his Alpha status.

*Delete. Delete. Delete.*

I didn't just drag them to the trash bin. I ran a custom-coded scrubbing program I’d designed for scorched-earth scenarios. It wiped the hard drives clean, overwriting the data with zeroes and ones until nothing remained but digital static.

I grabbed the framed photo on my desk. It was the only one we had together—a candid shot from five years ago, where he was actually smiling at me.

I threw it into the incinerator chute.

Glass shattered. Good.

The lab smelled of lavender and sandalwood—a custom scent I had synthesized to help Ethan relax during his ruts. Once, it was the smell of home. Now, the smell made bile rise in my throat.

I grabbed the vial of the scent and smashed it on the floor.

*Ava?*

Ethan’s voice pushed into my mind. It was smooth, dripping with fake concern.

I froze, gripping the edge of the steel table until my knuckles turned white.

*Where did you go?* he asked. *I looked for you at the banquet. I was worried.*

Liar. You were busy playing daddy to Chloe’s bastard.

*I wasn't feeling well, Alpha,* I replied. My mental voice was flat, devoid of the adoration I usually poured into our link. *I returned to the lab.*

*You work too hard,* he said. *Listen, I have a surprise for you later. To make up for tonight. I'm naming the new patent "The Ava Protocol." Isn't that generous?*

Generous? He was stealing the patent I invented and slapping my first name on it like a consolation prize for a dog.

*That is... unexpected,* I said.

*It's an honor,* he corrected, his tone hardening slightly. *Anyway, I can't talk long. Chloe is feeling faint. The excitement is too much for her delicate condition.*

I heard a giggle in the background of the link. A wet, breathy sound.

*Ethan, come back to bed,* Chloe’s voice bled through the connection.

*I have to go,* Ethan said abruptly. *Rest up, Ava. I need you fresh tomorrow.*

The link severed.

I leaned over the sink and dry heaved.

He was with her right now. In the Alpha suite. In the bed I had bought the sheets for.

A sharp cramp twisted my abdomen. I gasped, clutching my stomach.

It wasn't just stress. I had been feeling off for weeks. Nausea. Fatigue. I assumed it was the side effect of the new suppressant prototype I was testing on myself to hide my White Wolf lineage.

The White Wolf wasn't just a bedtime story. We were the rarest of all bloodlines, direct descendants of the Moon Goddess. My blood was liquid power, my scent intoxicating to all Alphas. If Ethan knew what I really was, he would never let me go. He would lock me in a breeding cage and milk my genetics for his pack’s glory.

So I took the drugs. I hid my scent. I played the weak Omega.

The door to the lab hissed open.

Dr. Ben Carter rushed in. He was a Beta, sturdy and kind, with worry lines etched deep around his eyes.

"Ava," he breathed, locking the door behind him. "You sounded terrified in the link. What's wrong?"

He saw the smashed glass glistening on the tiles. The wiped computers humming with blank screens.

"Did he hurt you?" Ben asked, his voice low.

"He killed us, Ben," I whispered. "But he doesn't know it yet."

I sat on the stool, rolling up my sleeve. "I need you to run a blood panel. Now."

"Okay," Ben said, moving immediately. He didn't ask questions. That's why I trusted him.

He drew the blood. He ran the sample through the analyzer.

While we waited, the silence was heavy.

"I saw the photos," Ben said softly, looking at the floor. "Of him and Chloe."

"You knew?"

"Rumors," he said. "I didn't want to believe it. Ethan is... ambitious. But I didn't think he was cruel."

"He is both," I said.

The machine beeped.

Ben ripped the printout from the tray. He scanned it. His eyes went wide. He looked at the paper, then at me, then back at the paper.

"Ava," he choked out.

"What? Is it the suppressants? Is my liver failing?"

"No," Ben said. He walked over and handed me the paper. His hand was shaking.

"You're pregnant."

The world tilted on its axis.

I stared at the numbers. HCG levels elevated.

"Four weeks," Ben said.

Four weeks ago. The night of the full moon. Ethan had come to my room, drunk on moonlight and instinct. He hadn't marked me, but he had knotted with me. He claimed it was "biological necessity."

I touched my flat stomach.

A baby.

An Alpha heir. The *real* Alpha heir.

"Oh goddess," I whispered.

"There's a problem," Ben said, his voice urgent. "The suppressants. They are toxic to a fetus. If you keep taking them, you will miscarry within days."

"And if I stop?" I asked, looking up at him.

"If you stop taking them," Ben said grimly, "your natural scent will return. Your White Wolf pheromones will flood the Pack House within forty-eight hours."

I closed my eyes.

If I stop the drugs, Ethan finds out I'm a White Wolf. He will claim me, not out of love, but out of greed for my genetics. He will take my baby and raise it with Chloe.

If I keep taking the drugs, I kill my child.

"Ava," Ben said. "What are we going to do?"

I looked at the incinerator where Ethan’s photo had turned to ash.

I stood up. I picked up a shard of the broken glass from the floor. It cut my finger. The pain was sharp, grounding.

"We are going to burn it all down, Ben," I said.

"But the baby..."

"I'm keeping it," I said fiercely. "But Ethan Reed will never know this child exists."

Ava POV

The ultrasound image was grainy, just a tiny speck of static drowning in a sea of black. But to me? It looked like a hurricane.

My thumb traced the edge of the thermal printout.

"Are you sure?" Ben asked again, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Ava, hiding a pregnancy from an Alpha... it's treason. If he finds out..."

"He thinks Chloe is carrying his heir," I said, my voice steady despite the tremors rattling my bones. "He won't be looking at me."

I snatched a bottle of chemicals from the shelf—a strong, corrosive acid.

"I need you to fake a medical record," I told Ben. "Create a file under my name. Schedule a D&C procedure. An abortion."

Ben recoiled as if slapped. "Ava!"

"Not a real one!" I snapped. "On paper. I need a paper trail that says I terminated a pregnancy due to genetic defects. If he ever suspects, he needs to find a dead end, not a heartbeat."

Ben exhaled, nodding slowly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Okay. I can do that. I'll backdate the consultation."

"And I need legal papers," I added. "Separation papers. Rejection of the Mate bond."

"He'll never sign them," Ben warned. "Alphas are possessive. Even if he doesn't want you, his wolf won't accept another male having you."

"He will if he thinks I'm useless to him," I said coldly.

Suddenly, my head pounded, a sharp spike of pressure behind my eyes.

*Ava.*

It was Ethan. His voice in my head was heavy, suffocating.

*I'm listening, Alpha,* I responded. I slammed my mental shields into place, getting better at hiding the hatred.

*I need you in the conference room in ten minutes,* he said. *The Elders are asking questions about the new gene therapy. You need to translate the technical jargon so I can... manage the narrative.*

He didn't say "take the credit," of course. He didn't have to. He implied it.

*I'll be there,* I said.

I looked at Ben. "Hide the blood samples. If anyone asks, I have a stomach virus."

I strode out of the lab and toward the main Pack House.

As I approached the Alpha’s office, the door was slightly ajar. I stopped mid-step.

"It's annoying, Ethan," Chloe’s voice whined, grating against my ears. "Why is she still here? I thought you said you'd kick her out."

"I can't just kick her out yet," Ethan replied, sounding bored. "She holds the keys to the lab data. Once she hands over the encryption codes for the new patent, she's gone."

"Promise me," Chloe demanded.

"I promise," Ethan said. "I'll give her a nice severance package. Enough money to go live among the humans. She'll be out of our hair before the baby arrives."

My hand clenched into a fist at my side, nails biting into my palm.

*Go live among the humans.* He was going to strip me of my Wolf, my Pack, and my home.

I took a deep breath, smoothed my skirt, and knocked on the door.

"Come in," Ethan called.

I walked in. Ethan was sitting behind his massive mahogany desk. Chloe was perched on the edge of it, her hand resting possessively on his shoulder.

When she saw me, her lips curled into a smirk.

"Oh, hello Ava," Chloe said, her tone dripping with faux sympathy. "You look... tired. Doesn't she look tired, Ethan?"

Ethan barely glanced at me. "Just give me the codes, Ava."

"I don't have them memorized, Alpha," I lied, keeping my face blank. "They are on a secure drive in the lab. I came to tell you that the Elders will have to wait until tomorrow. The data is still compiling."

Ethan frowned. His Alpha aura flared, a crushing pressure in the room meant to force submission.

"I gave you an order, Ava."

"And science follows its own timeline, Alpha," I said, meeting his eyes.

For a second, he looked surprised. I never talked back.

"Are you okay?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. "You smell... different."

My heart hammered against my ribs. I hadn't taken the suppressants in six hours. My scent was shifting, sweetening with the pregnancy.

"It's the stomach flu," I said quickly. "I've been vomiting all night."

Chloe wrinkled her nose. "Ew. Ethan, make her leave. I don't want to get sick. Think of the baby."

Ethan’s face softened when he looked at Chloe’s stomach.

"Get out, Ava," he said, waving his hand dismissively. "Go fix yourself up. You look like a wreck. And bring me those codes by morning, or there will be consequences."

"Yes, Alpha," I said.

I turned to leave.

"Oh, and Ava?" Chloe called out.

I paused, hand hovering over the doorknob.

"Try not to be late to my Welcome Ceremony tomorrow night," she said. "Ethan is giving me a special gift. You wouldn't want to miss it."

I walked out, closing the door softly.

As soon as I was in the hallway, I leaned against the wall, shaking uncontrollably.

*Consequences.*

He had no idea.

I went back to the lab. Ben was waiting, pacing the floor.

"Did you do it?" I asked.

"The abortion paperwork is filed in the confidential system," Ben said. "And I found this."

He handed me a thick manila folder.

"What is it?"

"It's Chloe’s medical file from her old Pack," Ben whispered, glancing at the door. "I hacked into their database while you were gone."

I opened the file. My eyes scanned the pages, skipping over the jargon until I hit the surgical history.

I stopped. I read it again.

"This can't be right," I said.

"It is," Ben said. "She had a procedure two years ago. A hysterectomy. Due to a severe infection."

I looked up at Ben, the room spinning.

"She has no uterus," I said.

"Exactly," Ben said grimly. "Ava... Chloe isn't pregnant. It's physically impossible."

I laughed. It was a dark, jagged sound that scraped my throat.

"She's faking it," I said. "She's faking the heir to steal the Luna title."

"And Ethan is too blinded by his ego to check," Ben added.

I looked at the fake belly in the photo on my phone.

"He's going to announce a fake pregnancy tomorrow," I said, a dangerous calm settling over me. "And I'm going to be there to watch it blow up in his face."

Ava POV

The Grand Hall was draped in cascading white lilies and shimmering silver ribbons. *Purity and Moonbeams.* The irony was thick enough to choke on.

I stood in the shadows of the back row, wearing the same grey dress I wore every day. I refused to dress up for this charade.

The entire Pack had gathered, filling the cavernous space with a hum of anticipation. Alphas from neighboring alliances were present, watching with calculating eyes. This was Ethan’s big moment.

Ethan stood center stage, commanding the room, microphone in hand. Chloe was beside him, rubbing her fake bump with a performance of theatric tenderness.

"Tonight is a night of joy!" Ethan declared, his voice amplified and smooth. "The Moonstone Pack is blessed!"

He turned to Chloe, his expression softening into a practiced mask of adoration.

"To my beautiful mate," he said. "I have a gift."

He snapped his fingers. A uniformed Beta brought out a velvet box.

Ethan opened it. A diamond necklace, thick and gaudy, glittered aggressively under the chandeliers.

"The Heart of the Moon," Ethan announced. "For the mother of my heir."

The crowd gasped and applauded on cue.

I touched my bare neck. Years ago, I had told Ethan that diamonds felt cold against the skin. I loved the warmth of silver. He had forgotten. Or perhaps, he simply never cared to remember.

"Thank you, my Alpha," Chloe simpered, tilting her neck so he could clasp the heavy stones around her throat.

"And now," Ethan said, his voice booming with finality. "I officially name Chloe as the Luna of the Moonstone Pack!"

The applause started, a roaring wave, but it was cut short.

BANG.

The double doors at the back of the hall flew open, crashing against the walls.

A man stood there, framed by the darkness of the night. His clothes were shredded, his hair wild and matted. He smelled of wet earth and stale, copper-scented blood.

A Rogue.

"LIES!" the Rogue screamed, his voice cracking with desperation.

A deathly silence fell over the room.

"Guards!" Ethan roared, his composure fracturing. "Remove this filth!"

"She's lying to you, Reed!" the Rogue shouted, pointing a dirty, trembling finger at Chloe. "That baby isn't yours! It isn't even real!"

Chloe went pale, her hand flying to her mouth. She clutched Ethan’s arm. "Ethan, make him stop! He's crazy!"

The Rogue pulled a crumpled paper from his pocket, waving it like a weapon. "I have the proof! She paid me to get her scent-masking herbs! To hide the fact that she has no scent of pregnancy!"

Ethan’s face turned purple with humiliation.

"Silence!"

He used the Alpha Command.

The power of it rolled over the room like a physical shockwave, heavy and suffocating. The Rogue fell to his knees instantly, choking, his hands clawing at his own throat as the air was crushed out of him.

"Kill him!" Chloe shrieked, her voice shrill with panic. "He's attacking me!"

Ethan stepped forward, his claws extending, glinting in the light. He was going to kill the witness.

"NO!"

I didn't think. I moved.

I ran from the shadows, pushing through the confused crowd, driven by a frantic need for truth.

"Don't kill him!" I shouted, bursting into the open aisle. "Listen to him, Ethan! She's lying!"

Ethan froze. He looked at me. His eyes were black pools of rage.

"Ava?" he growled, the sound vibrating in his chest. "You dare interrupt?"

"Look at her medical records!" I screamed, desperate to reach the man I once knew. "Ben has them! She can't have children, Ethan! She's playing you!"

Chloe started to fake cry, sobbing into her hands. "She's jealous! She's trying to kill our baby because she's barren! Ethan, protect us!"

Ethan looked at Chloe’s tears. Then he looked at me.

The choice was made in a split second. And it broke me.

"You are a traitor," Ethan snarled at me.

"Ethan, please—"

"KNEEL!"

He unleashed the full weight of the Command on me.

It wasn't just a voice. It was a hammer swinging down from the heavens.

My knees smashed into the marble floor. CRACK. The sound of bone splintering echoed in the silent hall, sickeningly loud.

"Ah!" I screamed, the pain blinding me, white-hot and tearing.

My head hit the sharp corner of the banquet table as I collapsed. Warm blood gushed down my forehead, instantly blinding my left eye.

My Inner Wolf howled in betrayal. *He hurt us. Our Mate hurt us.*

Ethan didn't stop. He grabbed me by the hair and yanked my head up, forcing me to look at him.

"You want to ruin my family?" he hissed in my face, spittle flying. "You are nothing. An Omega servant."

He threw me back down like garbage.

"Guards!" Ethan barked. "Throw the Rogue in the dungeon. And take Ava to the holding cells. She will await trial for treason."

Two warriors grabbed my arms roughly. They dragged me across the polished floor, my broken legs trailing uselessly behind me.

Through the veil of blood in my eyes, I saw Chloe.

She wasn't crying anymore.

She was looking at me over Ethan’s shoulder. And she smiled. A cold, victorious smirk that chilled me more than the pain.

As I was dragged past the Rogue, he spat out a mouthful of blood onto the pristine white lilies.

"You chose the wrong female, Alpha," the Rogue wheezed, his voice bubbling with fluid. "The Omega... she smells like snow. Like power."

Ethan ignored him. He wrapped his arms around Chloe, kissing her hair, soothing her while I bled on his floor.

He didn't look at me once.

The heavy doors slammed shut behind me, cutting off the light, sealing my fate.

The pain in my knees was excruciating, a fire consuming my legs, but the pain in my heart was worse.

It was gone. The hope. The love. The ten years of blind devotion.

I lay on the cold stone floor of the cell, bleeding out in the darkness.

I reached into my pocket with a trembling hand. I still had the crumpled paper Ben had given me. The proof of her hysterectomy.

It was useless now. He wouldn't listen. He chose the lie.

But something else broke inside me. A shackle I didn't know I was wearing snapped.

My Inner Wolf stopped crying. She stood up. She shook her fur. She growled—a low, vibrating sound that resonated in my bones.

The suppressants were wearing off.

I felt a heat rising in my blood. Not the heat of shame. The searing heat of absolute power.

My scent began to leak out, filling the damp cell. It wasn't the soft, floral scent of an Omega.

It was the scent of Winter. Crisp. Cold. Dangerous.

*White Wolf,* my wolf whispered, her voice ancient and commanding. *Awaken.*