The Moonfang Pack had never been kind to me. As the daughter of enslaved omegas, I’d spent my entire life being treated as worthless, an outsider in my own home. No matter how hard I worked, no matter how much I sacrificed, I was always reminded of my place.

But Killian Graves was different. Or so I’d believed.

In secret, he was mine. In the shadows, away from judging eyes, he whispered words of love and devotion. He traced my scars with reverence, kissed away my pain, and promised that one day, things would change. That one day, we would stand together, no longer hiding.

That was before Lilith.

Before his new Beta’s daughter—his first love—was chosen as his mate.

And now, I stood outside the grand estate, my heart pounding against my ribs. The cold night air bit at my skin, but I barely felt it. My fists clenched at my sides as I steeled myself, knowing this would be the last time I let them walk over me.

I’d come to confront her.

—

Lilith stood in front of the vanity mirror in her lavish chamber, draped in an elegant silk robe, brushing her golden curls. When she saw me in the reflection, she smirked.

"You shouldn’t be here, Seraphina," she said smoothly, turning to face me.

"Neither should you," I shot back, stepping forward. "You knew, Lilith. You knew Killian and I were mates."

She let out a soft, mocking laugh. "Oh, please. Mates? Don’t fool yourself. Killian was never going to choose you."

My hands trembled, but I refused to let her see me break. "You forced him into this, didn’t you? Your father made him reject me."

Lilith tilted her head, feigning innocence. "Sweet Seraphina, you really are naive. Killian didn’t need to be forced. He was always meant to be with me. You? You were just… entertainment."

My chest tightened as her words sliced through me. "He told me he loved me."

She arched a brow. "Men say all sorts of things when they’re in bed, don’t they?"

Rage bubbled inside me, raw and uncontainable. "You—"

Before I could say another word, Lilith gasped dramatically, eyes widening in horror. Then, in a blur, she grabbed a silver dagger from her vanity and plunged it into her side.

I froze.

Blood bloomed across her silk robe as she let out a wretched scream.

The doors burst open, and warriors rushed inside, their eyes landing on me.

Lilith collapsed onto the floor, clutching her side. "She—she tried to kill me!" she sobbed, her voice shaking. "She attacked me out of jealousy!"

I staggered back, my mind racing. "No! She's lying! She did this to herself!"

But it was too late.

Strong hands grabbed my arms, yanking me back. The guards twisted my wrists behind me, their grips bruising.

I struggled, my voice raw. "Let me go! She’s framing me!"

Then, Killian appeared.

His tall frame filled the doorway, his silver eyes locking onto mine with an unreadable expression. He stepped toward Lilith, kneeling beside her. "Lilith," he murmured, brushing her hair back. "Are you alright?"

She clung to him, burying her face in his chest. "She was going to kill me, Killian," she whimpered. "She said she couldn't stand seeing us together."

Killian’s jaw tightened as he turned his gaze to me. "Is this true?"

I shook my head furiously. "You know me, Killian! You know I would never—"

But his eyes darkened, hardening into something I didn't recognize.

"Throw her in the dungeons," he ordered coldly.

I froze. "What?"

Killian stood up, his expression unreadable. "Seraphina, for attempting to harm my mate, you will be imprisoned."

A hush fell over the room.

"No," I whispered. "You can't do this."

He didn’t even look at me. "Take her."

The guards dragged me out, my legs barely keeping up as I thrashed against their grip. "Alpha please! You’re making a mistake!"

He didn’t react. He just stood there, holding Lilith as if she was something precious.

Tears burned my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.

The dungeons were dark, damp, and reeked of misery.

But the worst part?

They throw my mother there, too. When she saw me, her eyes filled with terror. "Seraphina!"

I fought harder, panic clawing at my chest. "No! Don’t put my mother here! She has nothing to do with this!"

Killian scoffed from the doorway. "She raised you. That’s enough reason."

My knees buckled. "Killian, please! Not my mother!"

He didn’t care. I dropped to my knees, my hands shaking as I reached for the cold bars of the cell. "I... I thought you loved me..."

He scoffed, his eyes cold and uncaring. "Love you?" he repeated, like the words were foreign to him. "You're pathetic. You were never anything more than entertainment to me, Seraphina. A little game."

My heart shattered with every word. "I wasn’t a game," I whispered, my voice breaking.

He took a step closer, his gaze hardening. "An alpha like me? I would never take a luna from an omega. That’s beneath me."

The disgust in his voice sent a wave of nausea through me. "You’re nothing but a tool to me in bed. Don’t fool yourself into thinking it was ever more than that."

His words stung worse than anything physical. He didn't care. He never did.

With a final glance, he turned and walked away, leaving me in that dark cell with only the sound of my broken heart to keep me company.

And that was when I realized—he never loved me.

I was nothing to him.

Just another omega.

Pain.

It started as a dull ache in my stomach, but soon, it spread—sharp and unbearable. I curled up on the cold, damp floor, my breathing ragged.

“Seraphina,” my mother’s voice was soft, but full of worry. She scooted closer, placing a gentle hand on my back.

I gritted my teeth, trying to breathe through the pain. “M-mom… something’s wrong.”

She was silent for a moment before she sighed. “You’re pregnant.”

The words felt like a dagger to my chest. I squeezed my eyes shut, shaking my head. “No… No, that can’t be—”

Tears welled up and spilled over, my body trembling as reality crashed down on me.

I'm pregnant. With Killian’s child.

I let out a choked sob, my arms wrapping protectively around my stomach. “Mom… what am I gonna do?”

“Shh, my child. Don’t cry,” she whispered, stroking my hair. “You have to be strong.”

But I couldn’t be strong. Not now.

I sniffled, guilt clawing at my throat. “I’m sorry.”

My mother frowned. “For what?”

“For everything,” I whispered. “For getting you thrown in here. For not protecting you. For… for falling in love with him.”

Her expression softened. “Don’t be sorry, my love. You loved the wrong man, that’s all. But love isn’t a sin.”

I shook my head. “It feels like one.”

She cupped my cheek, forcing me to look at her. “You don’t know the truth about yourself yet, Seraphina. You have a rare bloodline. A powerful one. Killian was too blind to see it.”

A rare bloodline? I wanted to ask her more, but I was too drained. And what did it matter? Killian had already cast me aside like I was nothing.

Days blurred together in that prison. The cold, the hunger, the whispers of other prisoners—it all became one long nightmare. But the worst part?

The guards talked. They wanted me to hear.

“Tonight’s the night, huh? Alpha Killian and Lady Lilith, mating under the full moon.”

My stomach twisted.

Another guard laughed. “Yeah. Guess the little omega was just a toy after all. Poor thing actually thought she could be his mate.”

I clenched my fists, my heart aching.

Tonight. Killian was going to mate with Lilith.

The man who once held me in his arms, who whispered sweet words in the dark, who swore he loved me—he was going to claim someone else.

Memories flooded my mind, sharp and cruel.

“You’re mine, Seraphina,” Killian had murmured against my skin, his silver eyes dark with desire. “No one else. Just you.”

“Come here,” he’d ordered, pulling me onto his lap in his office. “You look so damn pretty when you obey me.”

I’d laughed, swatting his chest. “Alpha, you’re insatiable.”

he’d smirked, nipping at my jaw. “Only for you.”

And gods, the way he touched me—like I was the most precious thing in the world. Like he would die without me.

I clutched my chest, struggling to breathe.

Had it all been a lie?

Had I really been nothing but a toy to him?

I swallowed back a sob, forcing myself to stand despite the pain. My mother watched me, sadness in her eyes.

“What are you going to do?” she asked.

I wiped my tears away, my voice hollow. “I’m not going to break for him.”

But deep down, I knew—I already had.

Until that night…

Screams. Blood. Chaos.

The rogues came like a storm, tearing through the pack like wild beasts. The guards outside our cell barely had time to react before they were slaughtered, their bodies hitting the ground in sickening thuds.

I pressed a hand over my mouth, trying to keep my breath steady. My heart pounded in my chest. This was it—our chance.

The key.

I scrambled toward the fallen guard, my hands shaking as I pried the key from his belt.

“Hurry, Seraphina,” my mother urged, her voice tight with fear.

I fumbled with the lock, forcing myself to stay calm. The heavy door creaked open, and I rushed to her, unlocking the chains on her wrists. She gasped as they fell away, rubbing the raw skin. “Come on, we have to go.”

We bolted out of the dungeon, running through the bloodstained corridors. The scent of death was thick in the air. Bodies littered the ground—guards, warriors, even some rogues. The pack was falling.

We were so close to the exit when a familiar voice cut through the chaos.

“Well, well. Look who decided to crawl out of their cage.”

I skidded to a stop, my blood turning ice cold. Lilith.

She stood a few feet away, dressed in an extravagant white gown, her golden curls shining even in the dim torchlight. In her hands was a bow, an arrow already nocked and aimed—right at my mother.

“Run, Seraphina,” my mother whispered, stepping in front of me.

I shook my head frantically. “No—”

The arrow whistled through the air.

Thwack.

My mother jerked forward, her breath hitching.

I screamed as she collapsed onto her knees, the arrow buried deep in her back.

“No! Mom!” I dropped beside her, grabbing her shoulders, but she was already so pale. So weak.

Lilith smirked. “Oops. My hand slipped.”

Rage burned through my veins, but before I could do anything, she raised her bow again—this time, at me.

“You should’ve stayed in your cage, omega,” she sneered.

But before she could release the arrow, my mother used the last of her strength to shove me away. “Run.”

I froze, tears blurring my vision. “I can’t—”

“Run, Seraphina! Protect your child!” she choked out.

My breath caught.

My child.

Lilith pulled back the string, her grin widening. I ran.

I ran like hell, my legs barely keeping up with my pounding heart. Behind me, I heard my mother’s body hit the ground. A broken sob tore from my throat, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t.

I turned one last time—and what I saw shattered me.

Killian.

He was there, in the middle of the battlefield. But he wasn’t fighting. He was holding Lilith. His arms were wrapped around her, shielding her as if she was the most precious thing in the world.

He didn’t look for me. He didn’t care if I lived or died. I was nothing to him.

I turned away, my vision clouded with tears, and ran into the woods. The rogues chased me, their growls closing in fast. I pushed myself harder, but my body was weak, my stomach aching with every step. My breath came in sharp gasps as the trees blurred around me. Then—I tripped. The ground disappeared beneath me, and I tumbled down a steep hill, branches clawing at my skin. My body crashed onto the damp earth, pain exploding through me.

I groaned, struggling to lift my head. The rogues stopped at the edge of the hill, their snarls fading into uneasy silence. They didn’t follow me. They just stood there, staring at the darkness beyond me. And then they turned and ran.

Confused, I tried to push myself up, but my body was too weak. My vision swam. My heart pounded. The last thing I saw before everything faded to black—The towering trees around me. The endless shadows creeping closer. The Forbidden Woods.

Pain. It was the first thing I felt when I woke up, a deep, throbbing ache radiating from every inch of my body. My limbs felt like lead, my head spun, and worst of all—my stomach clenched with sharp, unbearable cramps.

I groaned, forcing my eyes open. Darkness stretched in every direction, the towering trees swaying above me like silent sentinels. The damp earth was cold beneath me, the scent of moss and decay thick in the air. I was still alive. Barely.

I sucked in a shaky breath, my fingers pressing against my stomach. My baby. A fresh wave of nausea hit me as I tried to sit up. Every muscle in my body screamed in protest, but I gritted my teeth and pushed through it. I had to move. I had to survive.

"Run, Seraphina. Protect your child." My mother’s dying voice echoed in my head, her final words branding themselves into my soul. Tears burned my eyes, but I forced them back. I couldn’t break. Not here. Not now.

The sound of rustling leaves sent a jolt of fear through me. My breath hitched as I froze, listening. The rogues had been right behind me before I passed out. If they were still hunting me… A low growl rumbled through the trees, deep and guttural.

Panic seized my chest. Move, Seraphina. Now.

I scrambled to my feet, but the second I stood, my knees buckled. A strangled cry left my lips as I collapsed against a tree, my body trembling violently. I barely had the strength to stand, let alone run. The growl came again—closer this time.

Fear clawed at my throat as I turned, expecting to see a rogue’s bloodthirsty eyes gleaming in the darkness. But instead, I saw him. A shadow detached itself from the trees, stepping into the dim moonlight filtering through the branches. My breath caught in my throat.

He was tall—easily taller than Killian—with a presence that sent a shiver down my spine. Power radiated from him in waves, thick and suffocating, unlike anything I had ever felt before. He wasn’t a rogue. He wasn’t one of Killian’s men, either. He was something else entirely.

Lycan.

I took a shaky step back, my pulse hammering. “Who… who are you?”

The man didn’t answer. His piercing eyes—so dark they were almost black—scanned me from head to toe, his expression unreadable. He was dressed in dark clothes, his broad shoulders and powerful frame making him look even more intimidating.

I swallowed hard, my fingers instinctively curling over my stomach. “Please,” I whispered. “I don’t want any trouble.”

A muscle in his jaw ticked.

And then, in one swift motion, he closed the distance between us. I barely had time to react before he grabbed my arm, his grip firm but not painful. Heat flared where his skin met mine, a strange, tingling sensation rushing through me.

I tried to pull away, but I was too weak. “Let me go,” I gasped.

He didn’t.

Instead, his gaze dropped to my stomach, lingering for a moment before flicking back up to my face. Something flashed in his eyes—something dark, unreadable.

Then, for the first time, he spoke.

“You’re coming with me.”

His voice was deep, smooth as velvet, but there was no kindness in it. Only cold, unwavering authority. And something told me I didn’t have a choice.