Gloria POV:

The lake house was a trap. I knew it the moment Darwin suggested it. But a wolf does not run from a trap; she springs it on her own terms.

Back at the Pack House, the atmosphere was suffocating. Darwin was pacing in the living room, checking his watch every thirty seconds.

"I have to go out," he said abruptly, not meeting my eyes. "Pack business. There's a dispute over the western territory lines."

"Of course," I said, my voice devoid of emotion. "Go be the Alpha."

He didn't kiss me goodbye. He didn't even look at me. He just grabbed his keys and walked out.

As soon as his SUV disappeared down the driveway, I moved.

I didn't need a car. I was a Shadow Council agent. I went to my hidden stash in the back of the closet-a loose floorboard under the carpet-and pulled out a small vial of silver dust and crushed wolfsbane. It was a tracking powder, illegal in most territories.

I sprinkled a pinch into the air. To a human, it looked like dust motes dancing in the light. To me, it illuminated his scent trail like a neon highway.

I followed him.

He didn't go to the western territory. He drove to the edge of town, to a seedy motel called "The Moon's Rest." It was a place where Rogues-wolves without a pack-often stayed. It was dirty, smelling of stale beer and desperation.

I parked my car a block away and approached on foot, sticking to the shadows. My inner wolf was silent, prowling with intent.

I found his black SUV parked in the back. Room 104.

I crept up to the window. The curtains were drawn, but there was a gap. Just enough for me to see.

Darwin was there. And so was Elyssa.

They weren't having sex this time. They were plotting.

I pulled out my phone, activated the high-gain microphone app I used for Council missions, and hit record.

"She knows something," Elyssa was saying, pacing the small room. She was rubbing her belly, playing the part of the fragile mother-to-be perfectly. "The way she looked at me in the hospital... she knows I'm winning."

"She knows nothing," Darwin said, sitting on the edge of the bed, his head in his hands. "She's just jealous. She's barren, Elyssa. It makes a she-wolf bitter."

"When are you going to do it?" Elyssa whined, stopping in front of him. "You promised. Once the heir is born, you said you'd make me Luna. The Benefactor is getting impatient, Darwin. He says if you don't secure the line, he'll find someone who will."

"I know!" Darwin snapped. "I'll handle the Elders. But I can't just throw her out. The Council will ask questions. Her family... they were respected warriors."

"Respected dead warriors," Elyssa spat. "She has no one. Just reject her, Darwin. Send her to the Omega quarters. Or exile her."

Darwin looked up. His eyes were cold, lacking the warmth I had once drowned in. "I was thinking of the Rejection Ceremony."

My breath hitched. The Rejection Ceremony was a public humiliation. It wasn't just breaking up; it was stripping a wolf of their rank, their mate, and their dignity in front of the entire Pack.

"Yes!" Elyssa clapped her hands. "Do it! Do it before the pup arrives. I don't want that woman anywhere near my baby. What if she tries to hurt him out of spite?"

"She won't," Darwin said, though he sounded unsure. "But you're right. We need to secure the succession."

He stood up and pulled Elyssa into a hug. "I'll handle it. I sent her to the lake house to get her things. Tonight... tonight I'll set the stage."

"Make sure she understands," Elyssa whispered into his chest. "Make sure she knows she lost."

"She lost the moment she failed to give me a son," Darwin replied.

I stopped recording.

My hand was shaking, not from fear, but from a rage so cold it burned. "The Benefactor." So Christian was right. This went deeper than just infidelity.

He failed you, my inner wolf growled, her voice sounding like grinding stones. He betrayed the Moon Goddess. He is not an Alpha. He is prey.

Suddenly, a sharp pain spiked in my temple. A Mind-Link.

Gloria? Darwin's voice echoed in my head, sounding deceptively calm.

I'm here, I replied, staring at him through the window as he picked up his phone.

Change of plans. Meet me at the Sacred Lake pier in an hour. We need to talk about the separation terms. I want to be fair to you.

Fair. The word tasted like ash.

I'll be there, I sent back.

I watched him kiss Elyssa one last time before grabbing his jacket.

I turned away from the window, my silver eyes glowing in the darkness.

"Yes, Darwin," I whispered to the night air. "Let's talk."

Gloria POV:

The Sacred Lake was beautiful. The water was a sheet of black glass reflecting the full moon. It was a holy place for our kind, where pups were presented to the Pack and where mates exchanged vows.

It was fitting that it would be the place where everything ended.

I arrived first. I walked onto the wooden pier, the old boards creaking under my boots. The air was crisp, smelling of pine and deep water.

"You actually came."

The voice didn't belong to Darwin.

I turned slowly. Elyssa stepped out from the shadows of the boathouse. She was wearing a black dress, tight enough to show off her tiny baby bump. She looked like she was dressed for a funeral.

"Where is he?" I asked calmly.

"He's coming," Elyssa smiled, walking toward me. "He just needed to gather his courage. It's hard for an Alpha to put down a loyal dog, even if it is useless."

"Is that what I am?" I asked, keeping my hands in my pockets. "A dog?"

"You're worse," Elyssa sneered. "You're a placeholder. A warm body to keep the bed sheets neat until the real Luna arrived." She patted her stomach. "My son is the future of the Dark Moon Pack. You are nothing but a footnote in our history."

"You are carrying a mutt, Elyssa," I said softly. "And you know it."

Her smile faltered. "What did you say?"

"I said," I took a step closer, letting a fraction of my Alpha aura leak out. "You are weak. And your child is weak. Darwin is a fool for thinking a high-value Alpha heir comes from a low-born Omega with no lineage."

"Shut up!" Elyssa shrieked. Her face twisted in ugliness. "Darwin loves me! He chose me!"

"He chose a breeding mare," I corrected. "And once you drop that pup, he'll tire of you too."

Elyssa's eyes flashed yellow. She lunged at me.

It was pathetic. I simply sidestepped. But as she stumbled past me, she didn't try to regain her balance. Instead, she threw herself toward the railing.

"Ahhh! No! Gloria, don't!" she screamed, gripping the railing and sliding down as if I had pushed her.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

The roar came from the treeline.

Darwin burst onto the pier. He had been watching. Waiting.

"She tried to push me!" Elyssa wailed, pointing a shaking finger at me. "She tried to kill the baby, Darwin! She's crazy!"

Darwin didn't ask questions. He didn't check the scent for the truth. He saw his pregnant mistress on the ground and his "jealous" wife standing over her.

His eyes turned crimson. The Red Haze. It was the state an Alpha entered when their territory or bloodline was threatened. Reason vanished. Only violence remained.

He charged.

He moved faster than any normal wolf. My training kicked in instantly. I saw the shift in his weight, the bunching of his muscles. I knew he was going to strike.

I prepared to dodge. A simple pivot to the left, and he would sail past me. I had to protect the child inside me.

But as I moved, Darwin roared a single word.

"SUBMIT!"

It wasn't just a shout. It was a concentrated blast of Alpha Command, fueled by the Red Haze and the twisted remnants of our bond. It hit me like a physical hammer to the brain.

My wolf, confused by the order from her Mate, locked up. My muscles seized. I was frozen in place, a prisoner in my own body.

"No!" I screamed internally, trying to break the paralysis.

But it was too late.

Darwin didn't shift, but he channeled the power of his wolf into his human leg. He delivered a front kick, aiming straight for my center mass.

It was an executioner's blow.

BAM!

His boot connected with my lower abdomen.

Time seemed to freeze.

I felt the impact ripple through my body. I felt ribs crack. But worse, far worse, I felt a delicate, glowing tether inside my womb snap.

The pain was blinding. It wasn't just physical; it was spiritual. It was the sound of a future being erased.

My baby. My White Wolf pup.

I was lifted off my feet by the force of the blow. I flew backward, crashing through the wooden railing of the pier.

For a split second, I hung in the air.

I locked eyes with Darwin.

The Red Haze in his eyes flickered. He looked at his foot, then at me. He saw the way I clutched my stomach. He saw the look of absolute, hollow devastation on my face.

"Gloria?" he whispered, the Alpha rage suddenly replaced by confusion.

Then, gravity took me.

I hit the freezing water.

The cold was a shock, but the warmth spreading between my legs was worse. Blood. So much blood. It swirled around me in the dark water like red smoke.

My pup... my inner wolf howled, a sound of such pure agony that I thought my skull would fracture. He killed our pup!

Above the surface, I heard Elyssa sobbing hysterically. "Is she dead? Oh god, Darwin, hold me! I'm so scared!"

I heard Darwin's footsteps retreating from the edge. "Shh, I've got you. You're safe. The baby is safe."

He didn't jump in. He didn't call for help. He comforted the liar while his Mate bled out in the dark.

I sank deeper. The water filled my nose, my lungs.

Let go, I told myself. Gloria Ellis dies tonight.

I closed my eyes and let the darkness take me.