The four pups I bore were all raised under the Luna’s name. For this, Marcellus Cruz, the Beta of the Blue Pack, had comforted me for over a decade:

"The pups will still honor you as their mother. If they don’t, I’ll break their legs."

Under my care, my eldest pup, Dorian, passed the pack trials at just 15, becoming the youngest Delta in our history. My second pup, Quentin, excelled as a warrior, earning his place as a Gamma. Even my younger twins, Ryder and Nathanael, showed remarkable promise, their names whispered with pride throughout the pack.

Yet, they spent their days fawning over Raelyn, the Luna, their voices dripping with admiration:

"All of this is thanks to Mother’s guidance."

During my fourth birth, I nearly lost my life—and the pup with me. But Marcellus and my pups stayed glued to Raelyn’s bedside, never once sparing a glance for me.

The healer, Zaylee, couldn’t bear to watch. "Is there anything I can do for you?" she asked, her voice heavy with pity.

I looked down at the tiny bundle in my arms, my heart aching with resolve.

"Yes," I said quietly. "Help me find a driver. I need to leave—now."

==============================

"Karina, you can’t be serious," Zaylee protested, her face pale with concern. "You’ve just survived something that could’ve killed you. You need to rest, to recover. And your position—if you’re caught leaving the pack without permission, there’ll be no mercy."

She was right. As an unmated Omega, I was little more than a servant. I gently stroked the pup’s cheek. This one had been different from the start, almost taking my life in the process. But I’d made a selfish decision in return, one that would finally set me free.

Zaylee continued to plead, but I reached under my pillow and pulled out a piece of paper.

"Don’t worry," I said. "The Beta has agreed."

The release letter was something I’d forced Marcellus to sign years ago, when I’d stepped aside to let Raelyn take my place. I never thought I’d use it, but after more than a decade in the Blue Pack, I’d grown tired.

The man I loved was another’s mate. The pups I’d raised called another woman "Mother."

While they clustered around Raelyn’s sickbed, I wrapped myself and the pup in a thick coat and slipped out the side gate of the pack house. A sturdy SUV waited, the driver, Sage, already behind the wheel.

"Where to?" she asked briskly, her scarf tied tightly around her head.

The birth had drained every ounce of strength from me, and the short walk from the infirmary to the gate felt like a marathon. I pulled the coat aside to gaze at the pup’s peaceful face and let out a sigh of relief.

"Silver Moon Pack," I said. "Can you take us?"

Sage hesitated. "That’s a long way. You didn’t mention that earlier."

I understood. For most in the Blue Pack, the Silver Moon Pack was a distant, unfamiliar territory. I started to climb out of the SUV, determined to find another driver before the gates closed for the night.

A cold breeze slipped through the open door, and I shivered, coughing lightly.

"Wait, wait, no need to rush," Sage said, grabbing my arm with a reassuring smile. She carefully sealed the SUV’s windows to block the wind. "What I meant was, if we’re going that far, we’ll need supplies."

She drove us to the supermarket, where vendors called out their wares.

"Fresh apples! Sweet as honey!"

"Come try this hot stew!"

Sage clearly knew her way around long journeys. She bought jerky and bread, practical foods that would last.

"Three dollars for the bread, and a five for the jerky," the vendor said, tallying up the total.

Sage frowned, convinced the man had overcharged, and insisted on recounting the money herself. I pulled the coat’s hood aside slightly.

"It’s four hundred seventy-six cents," I said quietly. "He overcharged by thirty-four."

"Wow, Karina, you’ve got a head for numbers," Sage said, impressed.

I shook my head and leaned back. As a merchant’s daughter, calculating sums was second nature to me.

When the vendor returned the extra coins, I told Sage to keep them. As we neared the pack’s gates, she bought a bag of dried dates.

"For the journey," she said, handing them to me. "They’ll help you recover."

I was stunned, too surprised to even thank her. Sage never asked why I was leaving the pack alone with a newborn. She only knew that childbirth was a perilous ordeal, and those who survived often emerged half-dead.

But Marcellus and my pups didn’t know—or care. During my labor, the last of my medicinal herbs, a rare root that could’ve saved my life, had been taken for Raelyn’s cold. To them, her sniffles were more urgent than my struggle to survive.

Once, I wouldn’t have cared about losing something as trivial as a root. But age had made me selfish, unwilling to give without receiving in return.

As the SUV passed through the gates, I risked the cold and pulled back the curtain for one last look.

The Blue Pack was a good place.

But I didn’t want to come back.

I had known Marcellus Cruz since we were children, destined to be mates from the start.

But when he traveled to the Blue Pack’s territory to compete in the pack trials, he was claimed by Raelyn Nelson, the Alpha’s daughter, as her chosen mate.

When I received the news, I packed my belongings and made the journey from the Silver Moon Pack to the Blue Pack, walking for months to reach him. When I arrived, Marcellus knelt before my car.

“Karina, I swear, I will never love anyone else but you!”

Marcellus told me that Raelyn, the Alpha’s daughter, was understanding and allowed me to stay in the pack as his chosen mate. Except for the title, our relationship would be no different from that of a mated pair.

The man I had admired since childhood, now pleading with me so desperately.

I couldn’t help but soften.

When my first son, Dorian, was born, Marcellus stayed by my side throughout the entire delivery.

The Cruz family had been waiting for an heir for generations, and I was blessed to give them a son.

But before I could even hold him, he was taken to the main house.

Marcellus came to discuss with me the idea of registering Dorian under Raelyn’s name.

“With the title of heir, Dorian won’t be looked down upon in the pack.

“Raelyn’s family, the Alpha’s bloodline, will naturally take care of him as their own.”

Marcellus’s words couldn’t hide the fact that he was using my son to maintain Raelyn’s status.

Everyone in the pack knew that Raelyn had fallen ill after her Come of Age Ceremony, her health fluctuating ever since, making it difficult for her to conceive.

The Alpha’s family had no choice but to claim Marcellus, a Beta with no background, as her mate.

I understood everything, but I didn’t want to put him in a difficult position.

Later, Raelyn remained childless for years.

While I gave birth to a second son, then a third, and finally twins.

“If they’re separated from their eldest brother by rank, how will they get along as siblings?

“They’ll still call you Mom, and they’ll still honor you as their mother. If they don’t, I’ll break their legs myself.”

Marcellus’s words left me with no choice.

A mother’s duty is to think of her children’s future, after all.

My sons stayed with me until they were three, then moved to the main house to be raised by Raelyn.

Raelyn treated them well, never scolding or hitting them.

I often visited with homemade treats or clothes, asking about their studies and taking note of their growth.

I tried everything to spend more time with them.

Until one day, I saw Dorian and Quentin breaking the cupcakes I’d made into pieces to feed the fish.

Dorian trembled as he apologized, no longer calling me “Mom” but “Miss Watson.”

Quentin, who had always been the most affectionate, used to wrap his chubby arms around my neck and snuggle against me.

But now, he too refused to acknowledge me.

“Our mother is the Alpha’s daughter, the rightful Luna of the Cruz family. You’re just a servant of the pack, unworthy of being our mother!”

In an instant, my heart shattered more completely than the crumbs floating on the water’s surface.

When Marcellus found out, he brought the boys to me that night, forcing them to apologize.

He was a Beta, usually calm and composed, but I had never seen him so furious.

“Listen to me, the woman standing before you isn’t a servant—she’s your mother!

“She carried you for ten months and brought you into this world. The way you spoke to her today is beyond disrespectful!”

Marcellus’s defense gave me some comfort.

As for the boys, I could only protect them. I couldn’t bear to punish them.

But from that day on, I never made them treats again.

The day Dorian passed the pack trials and led the victory parade, Raelyn invited me to watch the celebration.

When Dorian dismounted from the crowd and walked toward me, I was filled with pride.

Passing the trials at fifteen, he was even stronger than his father.

It was worth the effort I’d made to ask my mother to bring tutors from the Silver Moon Pack.

But the joy in my eyes faded when Dorian walked past me.

He presented the ceremonial flower to Raelyn, his gaze filled with admiration.

“Everything I’ve achieved is thanks to your guidance, Mom. You’ve worked so hard for me.”

I watched as he handed the proudest moment of a mother’s life to someone else.

Raelyn had always been courteous to me, never wielding her status as the Luna to make my life difficult. In fact, she went out of her way to ensure I was treated well. But when I sensed her intentions to take my sons away from me, a flicker of resentment ignited within me.

I confronted Marcellus, demanding my sons back, but he dismissed me as unreasonable.

"Karina, think about it—what can you truly offer our sons?

"Dorian is excelling in the pack’s trials, and his future as a Delta requires the influence and connections only the Luna can provide.

"Quentin and the others will need her guidance to secure strong positions within the pack. You’re being selfish."

I couldn’t help but feel that Marcellus had changed. Once, he prided himself on his integrity, prioritizing the pack’s welfare above all else. Now, it seemed he was consumed by ambition.

When I pointed this out, he grew impatient.

"This isn’t the Silver Moon Pack, Karina. Here, wealth alone isn’t enough to open doors.

"You’re just a merchant’s daughter. Don’t let your limited perspective ruin our sons’ futures."

His words, though softly spoken, hit me like a slap to the face. This was the first time he’d revealed his true feelings about my status. I’d always assumed it was Raelyn who’d planted the seeds of disdain in my sons’ hearts. Now, I realized it was Marcellus himself who’d looked down on me all along.

Marcellus’s position as a Beta had stagnated. No matter how much of my inheritance I poured into supporting his ambitions, it paled in comparison to the influence Raelyn’s family could wield.

That day, I left the Blue Pack’s territory for the first time. My sneakers scraped against the rough pavement as I walked aimlessly through the city streets, the ache in my feet mirroring the ache in my heart. I sat at the edge of an alley, staring at the distant city limits, wondering where my courage had gone—the same courage that had once led me to defy my mother and move here to be with Marcellus.

A street vendor approached, holding out a stick of candy-coated fruit.

"Ma’am, buy a treat for your little ones! These are the best in the city—sweet and fresh!"

I managed a weak smile.

"Do you have more? I have four sons. One stick won’t be enough."

I bought the last four sticks from him, and he thanked me profusely, praising my good fortune. As he walked away, I suddenly realized how much my sons had grown. They no longer needed me for the simple joys of childhood. They were focused on their futures—on securing their ranks, their positions, their mates.

I bit into the candy, the brittle coating cracking under my teeth. The fruit was sour, far too sour, and the taste brought tears to my eyes. The vendor had lied. This was the worst candy I’d ever tasted. And I’d bought far too much.

When Raelyn arrived with Marcellus and our sons to bring me back, the sight of them together, laughing and united, only deepened my sorrow. They were a perfect family, thriving and flourishing.

And I was the leftover candy—too bitter to enjoy, too much to stomach.

Not long after, I discovered I was pregnant again. Marcellus was attentive, massaging my swollen feet every night before bed.

"If it’s a boy, we’ll name him Ryder. He’ll be just as strong and capable as his brothers.

"And if it’s a girl?"

I asked the question casually, my hand resting on my belly.

Marcellus’s eyes lit up.

"Jaylani. What do you think?"

I smiled but didn’t answer. I’d already made up my mind. This child would carry my family name, Watson, and would have no ties to the Blue Pack or the Cruz family.