Alpha Reclaims Her Legacy

The library had always been my sanctuary in the Shadowridge Pack house. Tucked away in the corner with my swollen feet propped on a cushioned ottoman, I traced my fingers over the leather-bound volume of pack histories—a small comfort during my ninth pregnancy. The baby kicked softly inside me, a gentle reminder of what I'd lost eight times before.

"Just a little longer," I whispered, rubbing my belly. "Stay strong, little one."

My wolf, Luna, had been unusually quiet these past years. I'd grown accustomed to her silence, especially during pregnancies when the effort to protect our unborn pup seemed to drain her strength. But something felt different today.

"Elena." Her voice suddenly echoed in my mind, sharper than I'd heard in years.

I stiffened, nearly dropping my book. "Luna?"

"Listen." Her command vibrated through me with unexpected force.

Before I could question her, a strange sensation washed over me—like ice water trickling down my spine. Suddenly, I wasn't just hearing my wolf's voice anymore. I was... somewhere else.

"The dosage needs adjusting." Nolan's voice, clear as crystal in my mind. Not spoken aloud, but through mind-link.

I froze, my hand still resting on my belly. Nolan was in his office. I should not be able to hear his private mind-link conversations.

"Are you certain?" Elisa's voice replied, her tone clinical and detached. "The previous amount worked for the others."

"This pup is stronger." My mate's voice sent chills through me. "Elena's body is fighting harder this time. We need to increase it by at least twenty percent."

The book slipped from my fingers, landing with a soft thud on the carpet.

"And the timeline?" Elisa pressed. "When will you have the inheritance documents ready?"

"As soon as this pup fails like the others." Nolan's voice held no remorse, only cold calculation. "Once she loses this one, we'll have everything we need. The territories will be mine within a month."

Elisa's laugh was like broken glass. "She still thinks you're her fated mate. Poor, naive girl. If she knew what we've done..."

"She'll never know," Nolan cut her off. "And neither will anyone else."

My lungs constricted as if all oxygen had been sucked from the room. Luna howled inside me, a sound of pure anguish that tore through the barriers she'd built over years of silence.

"Remember," she snarled, and suddenly my mind was flooded with images.

Nolan slipping herbs into my pregnancy tonic while humming casually. Elisa grinding purple flowers into powder in her private quarters, her face twisted with satisfaction. Eight tiny graves marked with dates but no names. My own body convulsing as poison coursed through me, again and again.

"No," I gasped, clutching my head. "No, no, no."

But the memories kept coming—each pregnancy, each loss, each time I'd been told it was my body failing, my wolf too weak. All lies.

"They've been killing our pups," Luna's voice broke with grief. "Your mate and your stepmother. Systematically. Deliberately."

I collapsed onto the floor, my body wracked with pain as the truth burned through me like acid. The mate bond I'd cherished, the sacred connection I'd believed in with my whole heart—it had been built on manipulation from the start.

"My body never failed," I whispered, tears streaming down my face. "They poisoned us. They murdered our babies."

Luna's presence wrapped around me like armor, her fury matching my own. "We have to survive this pregnancy. We have to protect this pup."

---

The morning sun filtered through the trees as our pack gathered for the mandatory run. My legs trembled beneath me, still weak from yesterday's revelation. I'd barely slept, Luna's warnings echoing in my mind.

"Stay alert," she urged as we approached the creek crossing—a narrow path with steep, rocky embankments on either side.

I positioned myself carefully, one hand on my belly as I navigated the slippery stones. Ahead of me, Malayah turned back with a sweet smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"Need help, Elena?" she called, extending her hand.

Before I could respond, she stepped forward—and instead of steadying me, she deliberately pushed against my shoulder.

Time slowed as I lost my balance. The world tilted sideways. Rocks and dirt rushed up to meet me as I tumbled down the embankment.

Pain exploded through my body as I rolled across sharp stones and fallen branches. When I finally came to rest at the bottom, I heard gasps from above.

"Elena!" Someone shouted. "She fell!"

"Don't move her!" Another voice called. "Get the healer!"

I lay still, my wolf's voice cutting through the chaos in my mind.

"Play dead," Luna commanded urgently. "This is our chance."

Through blurred vision, I saw Malayah's face peering down at me, her expression a mixture of shock and something else—satisfaction?

"Oh dear," Elisa's voice drifted down from above, falsely concerned. "We need to get her to the pack hospital immediately."

As pack members scrambled to help me, I caught Elisa's subtle gesture to Nolan—a quick tilt of her head, a meaningful glance.

"This is perfect," she mouthed silently to him. "The perfect opportunity."

My blood ran cold as understanding dawned. This wasn't just an accident. This was their plan all along.