I am the Heartwood of the Dark Moon Pack. My blood allows the forest to flourish and keeps our pack strong. It’s the deepest secret between me and the Alpha, Lucian.

For five years, I have lived in his shadow. By day, he’d embrace his pureblood fiancée, Michelle, to the roaring cheers of the pack. By night, he’d sneak into my tent and kiss me as if he were starved. "Tabitha, my soul knows only you," he’d murmur. "Michelle is just a pawn to secure my throne. You have to understand."

And I believed the lies he spun.

Until the Centennial Celebration, when Michelle deliberately shattered the Moon Goddess's Sacred Chalice. Sobbing, she pointed at me before the entire pack, accusing me of casting dark magic out of jealousy.

Hearing the pack's roars to burn me at the stake, Lucian panicked. To protect the image of his “perfect fiancée,” he crushed my wrist in front of everyone and commanded coldly, "Throw this vicious woman into the ice dungeon until she confesses!"

In that moment, I understood the warning in his eyes—he needed me to take the fall, to appease the pack’s rage.

My gift had secured his throne, yet my life was worth less than a single tear from his beloved.

He thought the ice dungeon would be a minor punishment. But he didn't know that for a half-blood like me, the extreme cold would freeze the very life from the pup in my womb.

And he had no idea this was the last time I would ever love him.

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1

"Tabitha, once the Centennial Celebration is over, I will forge a soul bond with you."

Lucian's voice was a low, sweet murmur in the darkness. His lips pressed against my ear, his hot breath sending a shiver down my spine.

"Really?" I wrapped my arms around his strong, lean waist. "Aren't you afraid the pack will object?"

"What is there to fear?" He nipped the corner of my lip. "I'm the Alpha. What I say, goes. Michelle is a political alliance; you are the one my soul has chosen."

Moonlight streamed through the cracks in the tent, illuminating the devotion in his gaze.

Five years. He was finally going to make me his, truly and openly.

I was too excited to sleep a wink.

The next morning, the entire Dark Moon Pack was buzzing with anticipation. The Centennial Celebration was our most sacred ritual, where we offered our devotion to the Moon Goddess, praying for the prosperity of our people.

I rose early, meticulously arranging the altar.

As the overseer of the ceremony, it was my duty to ensure every detail was perfect. In the center, the Moon Goddess's Sacred Chalice, our pack's holiest treasure, shimmered.

"Tabitha, you look stunning today." Michelle glided toward me, her white ceremonial robes making her look angelic.

I offered the pureblood noble a small smile. "You look beautiful too, Michelle."

Her eyes flashed with a dark glint I couldn’t quite decipher.

The horns blared, signaling the official start of the celebration.

Lucian stood on the high platform, resplendent in the Alpha's black regalia. The sun caught him, making him look like a god of war.

"My pack!" His voice thundered across the assembly. "Today, we offer our most devout hearts to the Moon Goddess!"

The werewolves answered with a chorus of frenzied howls.

According to the ritual, Michelle was to lift the Sacred Chalice and make an offering to the goddess.

She walked slowly toward the altar, and I stepped aside to give her space.

Just then, Michelle’s steps faltered.

"Ah!" She shrieked, the Sacred Chalice slipping from her hands.

Crash!

The chalice shattered against the stone platform.

A liquid as red as blood splattered across the ground, emitting a strange, black smoke.

The entire crowd fell deathly silent.

"Black blood! It's black blood!" an elder cried out in terror.

The Moon Goddess's Sacred Chalice was supposed to hold clear, holy water, not this vile, dark liquid.

Michelle collapsed, trembling as she pointed a finger at me. "It was... it was Tabitha! I saw her chanting by the altar! She cursed the Sacred Chalice with black magic!"

What?

I stared at her, stunned. "I did nothing of the sort! Michelle, what are you even saying?"

"It was her!" Michelle sobbed, tears streaming down her face. "She's always been jealous that I'm Lucian's fiancée! She wants to destroy our pack with her black magic!"

"Burn her!"

"How dare a half-blood wretch desecrate the Moon Goddess!"

"Execute the vile woman!"

The enraged pack members raised their torches, closing in on me with murder in their eyes.

I looked desperately to Lucian on the high platform. He’ll believe me. He has to, right?

But Lucian's face was a mask of pure fury, his expression darker than a thundercloud.

His eyes darted from Michelle's pathetic tears to the black blood on the ground, and a flash of panic crossed his face.

"Lucian, believe me!" I shouted, my voice raw with desperation. "I didn't touch the chalice!"

Michelle scrambled to her feet and rushed into his arms.

"Lucian, I'm so scared… Her eyes are terrifying, she wants to kill me..."

Lucian held her, his brow furrowed in a tight, hard line.

I saw the flicker of hesitation in his eyes, and then, the cold calculation. The pack’s interests. Michelle’s family. The sheer effort of calming the mob… In his mind, all of it weighed more than my innocence.

"Lucian…" My voice broke.

He wouldn't meet my gaze.

The next second, he vaulted from the high platform, charging toward me.

"I have been too lenient with you!" his voice thundered. "It allowed this venomous jealousy to fester!"

Before I could react, his hand clamped around my wrist like a steel vise.

A sickening crack echoed through the square.

White-hot agony exploded from my wrist, tearing a scream from my throat.

"Lock this vicious woman in the ice dungeon!" Lucian commanded, his face a cold, hard mask. "Until she confesses!"

Two guards seized my arms, their grip rough.

I fought to look back at him, tears of disbelief blurring my vision.

"Lucian… last night you said you’d forge a soul bond with me…"

His body tensed for a split second before he looked away.

As I was dragged toward the dungeon, the last thing I saw was Lucian, gently wiping Michelle’s tears and stroking her hair.

"It's all right now. I won't let her hurt you again."

I finally understood. My innocence was worthless compared to the theatrics of his fiancée.

The icy water of the dungeon crept past my chest, a bone-deep cold that felt like it was freezing the blood in my veins.

I curled into a corner of the cell, sharp pains pulsing from my shattered wrist. The stone walls were slick with frost, and every breath was like swallowing shards of ice.

This was the cruelest punishment in the Dark Moon Pack. Legend had it no wolf could survive in here for more than three days.

I closed my eyes, letting despair wash over me.

Better to die here, I thought. At least I'd never have to see that hypocrite's face again.

Just as my body was giving up, a flicker of warmth stirred deep within me.

That feeling...

My eyes shot open. My hand trembled as I pressed it to my lower abdomen.

A strange warmth was flowing through me. It was faint but tenacious, fighting desperately against the numbing cold.

I was pregnant.

The realization exploded in my mind.

It was Lucian's child. Just last night, he had caressed my body, whispering promises of forever.

The pup was using its own fragile life force to shield its mother.

"No... I can't die," I gritted my teeth, forcing myself to my feet.

As long as this child was alive, I couldn't give up.

Agony stretched time into an eternity. I don't know how long passed before footsteps finally echoed in the corridor.

Was it the changing of the guard?

The footsteps stopped outside my cell.

A key grated in the lock, and the heavy iron door creaked open.

A tall figure was silhouetted in the doorway, blocking the light. I couldn't see his face.

But that unmistakable Alpha presence... I would know it anywhere.

Lucian.

He had snuck past the guards into the dungeon in the dead of night.

"Tabitha…" His voice was thick with a manufactured heartache as he waded toward me.

I shrank into the corner like a cornered animal, my body wracked with shivers.

"Look at you, you're frozen…" Lucian knelt, reaching for me.

"Don't touch me," I whispered, pushing his hand away with what little strength I had.

His hand froze in mid-air, a flicker of pain in his eyes.

"Tabitha, I know you're angry with me, but I had no other choice…"

"No choice?" A harsh, humorless laugh escaped my lips. "So you chose to break my wrist and throw me in this ice pit?"

Lucian’s face paled. He stripped off his black coat and wrapped it forcibly around me.

"I did this to protect you!" he insisted, his arms a tight cage around my freezing body. "If I had sided with you, Michelle's family would have turned on me. When they and the other nobles united against us, did you really think you would have survived?"

I was enveloped in his heat, my traitorous body craving the warmth.

But the warmth vanished with his next words.

"Tabitha, I need you to do something for me." He pulled a parchment scroll from his coat. "As long as you sign this, admitting you cursed the chalice out of jealousy, I can commute your death sentence to confinement in a secluded manor."

I stared at him in disbelief.

"That way, we'll never have to be apart," he murmured, caressing my cheek. "Michelle needs a spotless reputation to secure her family's standing. Be reasonable, Tabitha."

"You want me to confess to a crime I didn't commit?"

"It's just a means to an end," Lucian kissed my forehead. "Once things have calmed down, I'll find a way to clear your name."

I stared into his eyes. "And if you can't? Am I supposed to carry this shame for the rest of my life?"

Lucian fell silent.

His silence was the only answer I needed.

"Do you even love me?" My voice was barely a whisper.

"Of course, my soul knows only you," he answered without hesitation. "But love must be practical, Tabitha. Michelle brings powerful allies. Her pure blood strengthens our line. And you…"

He trailed off, but I understood.

I was just his secret, a woman kept in the shadows, never to see the light.

"I need your Heartwood power to strengthen the pack, and I need Michelle's family to secure my throne," Lucian said, taking my hand. "You are both important to me. I can't be without either of you."

Both important.

But one was a fiancée celebrated in the light, and the other was a tool hidden in the dark.

"Besides, what are you losing?" Lucian pressed. "It’s just a piece of paper. You’ll still be my woman, and you can stay by my side forever. Isn't that what you want?"

I closed my eyes, feeling the faint, stubborn life inside me.

"What if I don't sign?"

Lucian's embrace tightened. "Tabitha, don't force my hand. The elders pass judgment tomorrow. If you don't cooperate…"

The threat hung unspoken in the air.

I opened my eyes and looked at him, at the entitlement etched on his face, as if my suffering were a small, necessary price for his ambition.

He had never once considered my feelings, my dignity, or my future.

In his world, I was just a pawn.

"Give me the pen," I said, my hand trembling.

Relief washed over Lucian's features. He quickly handed me a quill.

I bit my own finger, letting a drop of blood fall onto the parchment.

I, Tabitha, confess to casting a curse upon the Moon Goddess's Sacred Chalice out of jealousy…

I wrote the lies, one stroke at a time, each word a knife carving into my heart.

"I knew you'd understand," Lucian smiled, satisfied, placing a soft kiss on my forehead. "Don't worry, I'll visit you often."

He tucked the parchment away and stood to leave.

Just as he turned, my voice stopped him.

"Lucian."

He turned back. I was still sitting in the icy water, my gaze terrifyingly calm.

"I hate you."

His body jolted, pain flashing in his eyes. "Tabitha, don't be like this… In time, you'll understand the position I was in…"

I said nothing more. I just watched him.

Watched the man who claimed to love me prepare to nail me to a pillar of shame.

Lucian started to say something, then thought better of it, and left.

The iron door clanged shut, his footsteps fading into silence.

I sat in the darkness, one hand on my belly.

The last ember of love in my heart flickered and died.