"This is all your fault! Let's see how you like a taste of real silver!!"

The next second, the cold silver blade sliced a deep gash in my arm.

I screamed, a raw sound of pure agony.

Silver poison began to burn through my veins, and I could barely breathe.

I tried to stay calm, to hold my stomach with one hand and put pressure on the wound with the other.

But the silver nullified my healing powers completely.

The bleeding wouldn't stop.

I curled into a ball, afraid to move.

I lay helpless on the cold floor, silent tears tracking through the grime on my face.

My belly felt like it was being ripped apart by a thousand venomous snakes.

I was fading, lying there as the silver wound on my arm turned black, still weeping blood.

I lost consciousness for a moment, and in the haze, I could almost feel Death's cold fingers beckoning me closer.

Just as I thought it was the end, Sophia reappeared.

When she saw the blood on her dagger, her face went white.

She started banging on the cage, but I didn't have the strength to respond.

She seemed to panic, fumbling with the key and unlocking the door.

It was dark in the basement, and she had to grab my hair and yank my head up just to see my face.

Suddenly, she snorted and slammed my head back against the floor.

"You pathetic bitch. My silver dagger must have scared you stupid."

"Why aren't you screaming now? Go on, keep faking it!"

Her eyes were filled with disgust.

"You only stopped screaming because you realized Damien wasn't going to let you out. You are selfish. You only do what's best for you!"

She toyed with the silver dagger, her expression turning sinister.

I forced my head up, a sick feeling of dread coiling in my stomach.

The pure silver of her dagger was turning black where it had touched me, corrupted by the power in my wolf's blood.

Before I could even form the words to explain, Sophia exploded, her boot slamming viciously into my stomach.

"Elena! Are you insane?! How dare you taint my silver blade with your dark magic?! It's worth more than your pathetic life!"

"If you've ruined my blade, I'll make Damien sever your mate bond!"

"You think you can have your pup before Victoria? Dream on! Only Victoria's child is worthy of the Moon Goddess's blessing, destined to be the future Alpha of our pack! You vicious bitch!"

She stormed out, but not before scattering more silver dust around the cage.

The silver poison made my whole body tremble uncontrollably.

In the haze, I could have sworn I heard my pup crying.

A tiny voice in the darkness of my mind, calling "Mama," begging me to save it.

I broke down, sobbing.

I was supposed to meet my baby today, to hold it in my arms.

I was so close.

Why was fate so cruel to me and my child?

I let out a guttural roar.

Helplessness pierced my heart.

The chances of rescue were nearly gone.

I stroked my belly through the pain, talking to my baby.

I prayed that, if it had a next life, it would be born into a pack where its father loved its mother.

Then it would be happy.

My breath grew faint, my blood turning to ice in my veins.

Suddenly, the cage door swung open, and the lights flickered on.

The sight of me in a pool of my blood startled the wolf who stood there.

I used my last bit of strength to inch forward, whispering, "Help… me."

His voice shook with fear. "Who are you? What did you do to be punished by the Alpha like this?"

He was wary.

"I'm… Damien's mate," I rasped.

With blood-slicked fingers, I struggled to pull down the collar of my dress, revealing the mate mark on my neck.

It was so smeared with gore, it was almost unrecognizable.

"This is his mark."

He recognized the mate mark and moved to help me, but then he hesitated, sending a mind link to Damien.

"Alpha Damien, I'm in the basement. I found the Luna. She's covered in blood. Should I take her to the clinic right away?"

Damien's reply was laced with confusion. "Blood? You're mistaken. That's not blood. It's the foul stain left by Elena's forbidden magic! It's corrupted the whole basement. No wonder Sophia was so furious."

His voice hardened. "Don't take her to the clinic. She's perfectly fine. She's just pulling another desperate stunt to have her pup first. Stay out of it. I'll go get her myself."

The wolf tried to explain, but Damien cut the link.

He looked at me with pity, then walked past me to move some supplies.

Just when I thought he was leaving me, he came back.

He seemed to be fighting with himself.

"You're pregnant," he said, his voice firming with resolve. "I can't just leave you to die. My mate is pregnant. I can't risk bringing a curse on my pup."

He dragged me out of the silver cage and carried me toward the pack's main infirmary.

I finally breathed a sigh of relief.

I was saved.

But when we got to the infirmary, there were no herbs, no equipment, nothing left to help me deliver.

Damien, worried about Victoria, had moved every single resource to her private clinic.

My situation was critical.

The healer, seeing how close to death I was, knew he had to get me to a real facility.

He sent a frantic mind link to Damien.

"Alpha Damien, this is an emergency! Please, come to the private clinic! The Luna is in bad shape. There's a risk of silver poisoning spreading!"

Damien's voice boomed with irritation. "Elena! You're more resourceful than I thought. You actually got out and found someone to help you!"

"I'm telling you, I'm not coming, no matter what tricks you pull! I know your body better than you do. You're not in any real danger."

"I told you, that's my pup too! Your turn is after Victoria's. Why are you in such a rush?!"

The healer looked at me with deep sympathy, then turned to a nurse. "Get her to the private clinic. We have to try."

I never imagined they would take me to the same clinic as Victoria.

The healer pleaded with the staff, but Damien had given his orders.

Not a single herb was to be spared for me.

Through the wall, I heard Damien's cold, hard words. "I don't care who it's for. I will not risk Victoria's life. I need this to be foolproof."

I collapsed on the floor in despair.

Just then, my eyes met a man's in the doorway.

It was Damien's Beta.

His eyes widened in shock when he saw me, but he seemed unsure.

He rushed to Damien's side.

"Alpha, there's a she-wolf outside, covered in blood. She… she looks like Luna."

Damien frowned, rubbing his fingers together.

"Impossible," he said with certainty. "She's too pregnant to have made it all this way."

The Beta tried again, his voice low. "Maybe you should just check, Alpha. If it is her, she and the pup are in grave danger."

Damien shot him a glare.

"I said it's impossible! If it were her, she wouldn't be quiet. She'd have already stormed in here demanding the inheritance. Besides, a gold-digger like her is too vain to ever let herself get covered in blood!"

The healer was still arguing, trying to get just one set of equipment.

Damien shut him down by threatening his position.

The healer returned to me, his face a mask of apology.

There was nothing more he could do.

I tried to tell them not to worry, but my vision was blurring.

The silver poison and the blood loss were pulling me under.

I could hear the medics whispering, their voices growing distant.

"The silver poisoning… it's too severe…"

"The pup's heartbeat is fading…"

"Quick, get the emergency kit, now!"

I tried to ask, to scream, but no sound would leave my throat.

All I could do was watch helplessly as their frantic, blurry shapes moved around me.

My hand fell limply to my flat, empty stomach.

Tears clouded what little I could see.

I'm sorry, my heart cried out. My baby, I'm so sorry. Mama couldn't protect you.

A single tear escaped the corner of my eye.

Then, the darkness swallowed me whole.

---

Damien's POV

Damien waited anxiously outside the operating room.

The moment the door opened, his first thought was of Victoria.

He rushed to her bedside and picked up the newborn pup.

His eyes were full of joy.

"He looks just like you," he said softly. "So beautiful."

Then he paused, a strange thought drifting through his mind.

He wondered who Elena's baby would look like.

If it was a girl, she would probably look more like her.

She would be even more beautiful.

After lulling the pup to sleep, Damien turned to leave.

A full day had passed.

It was time to bring Elena to the clinic.

Just then, his Beta appeared.

Damien tossed him the keys. "Go back to the estate, get the Luna from the basement, and bring her to the clinic."

The Beta didn't look up.

He stood frozen, trembling with a fear Damien didn't understand.

As Damien's patience wore thin, the Beta finally spoke, his voice shaking.

"Luna… and the pup… they're… dead."