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.*

Ava POV

I woke to the cloying stench of mold and damp stone. My head throbbed in violent rhythm with my heartbeat.

I tried to shift my weight, but my legs screamed in protest. My knees were swollen, pulsing with an agony that confirmed they were fractured—shattered by the crushing weight of the Alpha Command.

"Ava?"

A whisper drifted from the bars.

It was Ben. His face was pale, eyes darting nervously in the gloom. He clutched a medical bag to his chest.

"Ben," I croaked, my throat like sandpaper. "Go away. If he sees you..."

"He's busy," Ben hissed, unlocking the cell door with a trembling hand. "He's calming the guests. Cleaning up the mess with the Rogue."

Ben rushed in and dropped to his knees beside me. He immediately began cleaning the gash on my head with efficiency born of panic.

"I heard what happened," Ben said, his voice thick with suppressed emotion. "He... he used the Command on you. To protect *her*."

"I know," I said. My voice was devoid of emotion. The pain had burned it all away, leaving only ash.

"We have to get you out," Ben insisted. "He's planning a public trial tomorrow. Chloe is demanding exile. Or execution."

"Let her demand," I rasped. "I'm leaving tonight."

"How? You can't walk."

"I'll crawl if I have to," I said, meeting his eyes. "Ben, did you bring the kit?"

He nodded, swallowing hard. He pulled a syringe and a vial of clear, viscous liquid from his bag.

"This will slow your heart rate to near-zero," Ben explained, his voice shaking. "It mimics death perfectly. It lasts for two hours. I'll declare you dead from your injuries, have your body moved to the morgue, and then smuggle you out the back entrance to my car."

It was a desperate plan. A dangerous plan.

"Do it," I said.

"Ava... the baby," Ben hesitated, the needle hovering. "This drug... it's risky for the fetus."

I pressed a hand against my stomach. Beneath the pain, I felt a hum of energy.

"We are strong," I whispered. "My wolf is healing me. She will protect the child."

Ben nodded, steeling himself. He tied a tourniquet around my arm.

"Wait," I said, gripping his wrist.

"What?"

"I need to see her," I said.

"Who?"

"Chloe."

"Are you insane?" Ben hissed, eyes widening. "She's in the Alpha suite."

"No," I said, shaking my head slightly. "She'll come here. She wants to gloat. She won't be able to resist seeing me broken before I 'die'."

I was right.

Ten minutes later, the sharp staccato of heels clicking on stone echoed down the corridor.

"Leave us," a female voice commanded the guard.

Chloe appeared at the bars. She was still wearing her pristine white gown, looking like a beautiful angel of death.

Ben shrank back into the shadows of the corner cell, making himself invisible.

"Look at you," Chloe laughed softly, the sound echoing off the damp walls. "The brilliant scientist. Rolling in the dirt."

I pulled myself up to a sitting position, fighting the nausea. I stared dead at her.

"You aren't pregnant," I said calmly.

Chloe’s smile didn't falter. "So? Ethan thinks I am. That's all that matters."

"He'll find out," I said. "Nine months is a long time to fake a belly."

"Oh, I have a plan for that," Chloe said, idly examining her manicured nails. "A tragic miscarriage in a month or two. Caused by the stress of your 'treason.' Ethan will be so heartbroken, he'll hate you even more. And he'll be bonded to me forever through our shared grief."

She was a monster. A calculated, soulless monster.

"Why?" I asked. "Why me? I never hurt you."

"Because you have what I want," Chloe spat, her face twisting into a snarl. "You have his respect. Even as an Omega, he listens to you. He relies on you. I needed you gone so I could be the only voice in his ear."

She leaned closer to the bars, gripping the cold iron.

"And besides," she whispered, her nostrils flaring. "I smell it on you. Under the dirt and blood."

My blood ran cold.

"You smell... powerful," Chloe murmured. "Ancient. If Ethan ever figured out what you really are, he'd never look at another woman again. I couldn't take that risk."

She knew. She suspected the White Wolf blood.

"You're pathetic," I said.

"I'm the Luna," she corrected, straightening up. "And you're dead."

She turned and walked away, her heels clicking a victory rhythm.

"Goodbye, Ava. I hope it hurts."

As her footsteps faded, Ben emerged from the shadows. He looked sick to his stomach.

"She's... evil," Ben whispered.

"She's a walking corpse," I said, my voice hard. "She just doesn't know it yet."

I held out my arm.

"Do it, Ben."

Ben positioned the needle against my skin.

"I'll see you on the other side," he said, tears welling in his eyes.

He injected the serum.

Cold.

Instant, glacial cold rushed through my veins, freezing the blood in my arteries. My heart stuttered. My vision blurred into gray static.

The darkness came rushing in like a tide.

My last thought was of Ethan’s face when he broke my knees.

*I reject you,* I thought, screaming it silently into the void as the blackness swallowed me. *I reject you, Ethan Reed.*

And then, nothing.

*

The monitor flatlined.

A long, high-pitched beep filled the cell, signaling the end.

Ben stood up, wiping his eyes, and opened the cell door to call the guards.

"The prisoner is dead," he announced, his voice breaking perfectly.

But deep inside Ava's cooling body, a spark of silver light ignited in the darkness of her womb—the White Wolf was not dying. It was waiting.