AVA’S POV

The hospital smelled like antiseptic and quiet despair.

It was already morning, but the halls felt dim, as if the sun refused to enter a place meant to clean up death and pretend it was mercy. My steps echoed softly against the polished floor as I walked toward the morgue wing, the place where they had taken Maribel after they pulled her from the river.

Floating.

That word kept circling my mind like a curse.

I already knew who was behind her death. I had heard their voices. I had heard them laugh. I had heard my husband reduce my nanny’s life into something disposable.

And yet… the foolish part of me, the human part, still hoped I was wrong.

That maybe grief had twisted what I heard.

That maybe the cruelty was exaggerated by pain.

That maybe Maribel had simply slipped, fallen, and the river had taken her like it took so many others.

I needed proof.

The doctor met me with a stiff nod, eyes carefully blank. Respectful, but distant. Everyone in Blackthorn territory knew who held power here. Even inside hospital walls, Alpha Xavier’s shadow stretched long and suffocating.

“She was cleaned and prepared yesterday,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry for your loss, Luna.”

Luna.

The title felt heavy and hollow in my chest.

He handed me a thin folder. The paper felt heavier than it should have, as if it carried the weight of truth I wasn’t ready to face.

I opened it.

And the world shattered.

CAUSE OF DEATH:

Excessive blood loss and blunt force trauma to the head.

I stared at the words, my vision blurring.

Excessive blood loss.

Not drowning.

Not an accident.

Not fate.

She had been drained.

Used.

Discarded.

My knees nearly buckled. I had to grip the edge of the desk to stay upright as a soundless sob tore through my chest. It felt like someone had reached inside me and ripped something vital out, leaving only raw emptiness behind.

Maribel was old. Fragile. Gentle. She deserved a peaceful end, a warm bed, prayers whispered over her, not cold hands taking what little life she had left.

They could have let nature claim her.

But they didn’t.

They chose to sacrifice her.

And worse, they mocked her after.

I remembered Liezel as a child. Always pale. Always coughing. Always surrounded by worried doctors and hushed conversations. The Moonveils had adopted me when I was young, smiling warmly, promising safety and family.

A lie.

Just days after they took me in, they tested my blood.

I was too young then to understand why needles hurt so much or why adults looked relieved when the results came back. I learned later. I had been adopted for one reason only.

I was a match.

A spare.

A resource.

I had accepted that truth long ago. So completely that it barely hurt anymore. I had learned to survive knowing I was never truly wanted, only useful.

But Maribel…

She wasn’t part of that cruelty. She wasn’t strong. She wasn’t a wolf meant to endure such violence. She had protected me when no one else did. Loved me without conditions. Chosen me when everyone else only calculated my worth.

And they took her.

The very last piece holding me together.

I swallowed hard and forced my voice steady. “Is there… any more information?”

The doctor hesitated. Just for a second. Then his gaze flicked away.

“That’s all I’m authorized to release, Luna.”

Of course it was.

Alpha Xavier’s influence poisoned everything it touched. Files disappeared. Truth was buried. Loyalty was enforced with fear.

But I didn’t need more.

I knew.

I closed the folder and handed it back, my hands no longer trembling. Something inside me had gone very still, very cold.

I left the hospital as the sun dipped low, painting the sky in cruel shades of red and gold. By the time I returned to the packhouse, night had fully settled.

Laughter greeted me the moment I stepped inside.

Happy laughter.

It echoed from the dining hall, warm and alive, and it made my stomach twist.

When I entered, I saw them.

Xavier sat at the head of the table, relaxed, powerful, untouched by consequence. Liezel sat beside him, leaning in just enough to look intimate, her smile soft and sweet, perfectly practiced.

And little Alexander sat nearby, giggling as he played with a new toy, an omega servant patiently feeding him bite after bite.

They looked like a family.

A real one.

Whole. Untouched. Normal.

If I hadn’t known the truth, I might have believed the illusion. I might have missed the rot beneath the surface, the blood, the lies, the bodies quietly disposed of to protect their happiness.

Once, this sight would have crushed me.

Tonight, it didn’t.

All I felt was hollow.

Not empty in a weak way, but in a dangerous one. The kind of hollow that leaves room for something sharp to grow.

One day, I would leave Xavier’s cage.

And when I returned, it wouldn’t be as his Luna.

It would be as his reckoning.

Liezel noticed me first. She smiled, sweet and fake, eyes glittering with something cruel beneath the surface.

Xavier didn’t even look at me.

“Where have you been?” he said coldly. “You were supposed to cook. That’s the only thing you’re good at as Luna, and you still fuck it up.”

I inhaled slowly.

“I went to the hospital,” I said quietly. “For Maribel.”

That finally got his attention.

“I just found out she was killed.”

For a brief moment, the room froze.

Liezel’s smile faltered.

Xavier’s hand tightened on the table.

Then he snorted, breaking the silence. “Don’t mess around with that kind of nonsense. It’s done. Your nanny was already dead. You couldn’t do anything about it.”

His words were sharp, dismissive, like Maribel had never mattered.

Then he laughed.

Mocked her.

Her age. Her weakness. Her uselessness.

Each word dug deeper, carving hatred into my bones.

I said nothing.

There was no point. Silence was safer. Silence was power I could save for later.

I turned and walked away, my steps calm, controlled.

Inside my room, the door clicked shut behind me.

Only then did I fall apart.

I slid down against the door, pressing my fist to my mouth as sobs finally escaped. Quiet. Broken. Burning.

Maribel was gone.

But I wasn’t.

And one day, they would understand just how badly they had underestimated the wolf they tried to erase.

Ava’s POV

The morning was silent, heavy, almost cruel.

Maribel was gone. Her absence was a weight pressing into my chest, stubborn and

unkind. Every corner of the packhouse reminded me that the killer lived under the same roof.

The one I called my alpha. The one I still served with a fake smile. The life inside me, the pulse in my womb, was the only thing keeping me steady.

It was my birthday. Not that anyone around me cared. Not even Xavier probably noticed. But I needed it. A tiny celebration for myself. A reminder that something was mine, untouchable, safe, even if only in my head.

I went straight to the kitchen. Hazelnut cake. My favorite. I baked it slowly.

The oven’s warmth was a small comfort. It smelled like home, like something I could claim just for me. The timer chimed. Cake cooled. I slipped into a floral dress, light and soft, above the knee. A small defiance against the darkness in my chest. Against the grief.

Against the knowledge that the people who ruled my life would use this against me.

Back in the kitchen, I froze. Liezel. Already slicing a piece. She hadn’t even let me blow out the candle. Not a single chance to make a wish.

Seconds later, her face changed. Her eyes widened. She clutched her throat. Gasps tore through her chest. Hazelnut. Her allergy.

Panic flared. “Liezel! Are you-”

“You did this on purpose!” she wheezed, dragging me forward, shaking me like she could push the truth out of me. “I know you hate me. I know you think I’m stealing Alpha Xavier. I know you’ve hated me since we were kids, but this, this is low! Are you trying to kill me?!”

My stomach twisted. “I baked it for myself, Liezel. For me… I never meant-”

A shadow moved faster than my eyes could follow. Xavier. Black coat, sharper than sunlight on glass. He caught her before she fell, arms steady and unyielding. Her panic faded the moment she saw him.

“What happened?” His voice was calm, cold. Like ice over a blade.

“She- she tried to kill me! Hazelnuts! She’s evil, Xavier! She really is!” Liezel gasped,

trembling. She stumbled, and Xavier caught her fully, protective, towering.

“I- Alpha- It wasn’t my intention!” I tried to explain, words spilling. “I baked it for myself.

I swear, I never meant to hurt anyone, especially not Liezel!”

He grabbed me by the hair, yanking me close. Pain flared through my scalp. “You baked the cake for yourself?” His voice was venomous. “Then finish the whole thing, you ungrateful little bitch!”

Before I could respond, he shoved my face into the cake. Soft, sweet frosting crushed against my skin. My hands clawed at him, my cries cut off by the cold, merciless power in his arms.

I struggled, but he didn’t stop. My body shook. Every thought was chaos. Maribel. The baby. Alexander. The years of pretending. The constant survival. All of it collided in that one moment.

Finally, he let go. I sank to the floor, trembling, frosting and tears mixing into a paste on my cheeks.

Xavier lifted me effortlessly, carrying me through the estate. Silence, except my ragged

sobs. Every step was a reminder that power wasn’t kind, that cruelty wasn’t

occasional, it was permanent. At the hospital, Liezel was already being treated.

Xavier’s gaze never left me. His warning was sharp.

“Liezel is sick. Pray nothing happens to her. If it does… You will pay.”

The chaos settled. Wolves moved silently, dragging me. My struggles were weak,

useless.

“Where- what- ” I tried to shout, but Xavier’s shadow fell over me. In his hand, a peanut

butter. My allergy. My stomach dropped. Panic clawed my chest.

“You caused this,” he said, every word a whip across my mind. “You did everything on

purpose, didn’t you? Now, you’ll feel what she felt.”

He pushed me forward. Wolves held me steady. I screamed. I begged. My body shook,

limbs flailing. He forced the peanut butter into my mouth. Swallow. My body screamed. I

gagged, choked, tasted my own panic mixed with the bitter nut paste.

When they finally let me go, I collapsed. Vomit burned my throat. Darkness pressed

against my eyelids. My throat was closing. My lungs screamed.

I woke in a hospital bed. Alone. Silence except for the hum of machines. My heart

thumped erratically.

A gentle knock. The doctor entered, calm. “You’re lucky. Not enough peanut butter to harm the baby. But… it could have been fatal.”

My hand flew to my stomach. “The pup… is it-”

“Nothing to worry about,” the doctor said, with a warm smile. “Strong heartbeat. Perfect. All

good.”

I exhaled, a trembling, shallow thing. Relief and terror collided.

“Did… did you tell Alpha Xavier?” I whispered, voice raw.

The doctor shook his head. “Never my place. And… consider yourself lucky. He brought you in immediately. Warned you to be careful next time. You have a… carrying husband.”

The words tasted like iron. “Carrying husband…” Bitter. I wanted to laugh, scream, and cry.

If only anyone knew. If only they knew how twisted this all was. How the one I loved,

feared, served, Xavier was the same man who almost ended me.

The life inside me kept beating. That steady pulse was a lifeline. A reminder. I wasn’t powerless. Not yet.

I would survive.

I would endure.

Even if it meant hiding every truth, pretending every day, playing the perfect Luna while my body and mind were a battlefield. Even with Xavier’s cruelty sharpening around me, even with Liezel’s venom, even with the pack’s whispers, my secret, my child, my strength, they would not touch.

And if they tried… I would outlast them.

The pulse inside me was hope. And hope could be a weapon.

Ava’s POV

Morning came slowly, but not kindly.

I got discharged. Alone. As usual.

Good. I was alive. The child inside me was alive. That was enough. For now.

Weakness clung to me like a second skin. Every step hurt, every breath reminded me of yesterday, the hospital, the peanut butter, Xavier, the wolves. My stomach churned, but I forced myself up. Forced myself out.

The hospital smelled like disinfectant and false cheer. I signed the discharge papers, my hand trembling despite my control.

I paused near a private ward. Laughter, too warm, too familiar, drifted out. It was Liezel. And him. Xavier.

I froze.

Of course. Of course, he’d choose to be here with her. Of course, he hadn’t even bothered to check on me. The one he almost killed, the one he humiliated, the one

carrying his child… and he didn’t look back.

I let out a bitter laugh. Silent. Shaking my head, trying not to cry, trying not to scream.

The doctor spoke, sweet and unaware of the venom in my chest. “Miss Liezel, I could say it a hundred times, and I’d still mean it. I envy you… Having a caring man by your side. Alpha Xavier never left you, not once. He made sure everything was fine. He made sure you could recover quickly.”

Liezel smiled. That honeyed, perfect, practiced smile. Her hand glided over Xavier’s shoulder.

“I get the envy, Doctor,” she said, voice soft but loud enough for me. “What can I say?

Xavier and I… we were always in love. We’re inseparable. They say a good alpha can only be a good one if he treats his mate right, yes?”

Their laughter echoed in my ears like knives. Sharp, precise, intentional.

I swallowed hard and walked on. My steps stiff. My chest is hollow. My stomach is twisting.

Near the hospital exit, a nurse caught up to me. She handed me my phone. A lifeline in

the chaos. I took it silently. Nodded. Didn’t speak.

And then, of course, they emerged. Xavier and Liezel. Hand in hand. Perfect.

Untouchable. Their smiles pristine, their poses rehearsed, the image of a life I would

never have.

Caught, I faked a smile. Small, polite, empty.

And for a second, just a flicker, Xavier’s eyes softened. Guilt? A hint, buried under years of control. A pause. But then it was gone.

He snorted. “Liezel and I have to go somewhere first. You should return to the packhouse. Look after Alexander for a while.”

Like a good little lamb. Like I always had.

I nodded again. Forced. Controlled. Smile fixed.

Once, this treatment, his distance, his command, his silent superiority would have broken me. I would have cried. Blamed myself. Believed I was the problem. Always.

But now… now I knew. Now I knew the truth. Now I knew everything he had done, everything he had hidden, everything he had planned.

And all that remained was a hollow space inside me. A vacuum of rage, fear, and something darker: resolve.

I watched them leave. Every detail. Xavier carefully helped Liezel into the car, adjusting her seatbelt like she was fragile porcelain. Watching him look at her… the way he’d never looked at me.

I kept my mouth shut. I didn’t scream. I didn’t run. I only let the observation sink in.

In the packhouse, I threw myself into my duties, playing the obedient servant Xavier wanted me to be, more omega than Luna of this pack.

Still weak, I chopped vegetables, stirred the soup, and later tended to Alexander. I played

with him, cared for him, and acted like a mother to my husband’s son… even though he belonged to another woman.

I assisted where necessary. But my hands stayed steady, my expression neutral. I

didn’t cry. I didn’t complain. I didn’t let anyone see the storm raging behind my eyes.

Night fell. Exhaustion hit. I collapsed on my bed. Phone in hand, fingers trembling slightly from fatigue and lingering fear.

And then, almost immediately, I saw it. His post. Xavier.

Liezel on his lap. Overlooking the city skyline from an expensive restaurant, I had

begged him to take me to. The one he said would “look cheap on me.”

Liezel smiling. Perfect. Untroubled. Safe. In his arms.

I stared. My stomach knotted. My teeth clenched. My heart, hollow, empty, ached in that familiar way.

The caption? Polished, casual, cruel: “A good alpha makes sure his mate is protected.

Every moment counts.”

I scrolled. Liked it. My thumb hovered, then pressing the screen automatically. A hollow

gesture. A lie to myself. A pretend that I belonged to this world, that I had some control.

I knew it was bitter. Poisonous. I knew what it meant, even if no one else did.

Liezel was safe. Xavier was attentive. And I… I was left with ashes of my pride, the

shadow of my anger, and a life that wasn’t mine to hold.

My fingers shook as I put the phone down. Forced myself to sleep.

Even in darkness, even in exhaustion, even in the quiet, I remembered everything.

Maribel. The peanut butter. The humiliation. The lies. Alexander. The child I carried.

Everything was still mine. If I survived.

And I would.

Because cruelty didn’t just erase people.

It created shadows.

And I was learning how to move in the dark.