Trouble had already begun to brew within our new packlands.

Whispers of discontent reached my ears, stories of many tense encounters with neighboring packs, and the unsettling presence of outsiders at our borders.

Something was wrong, and as the Luna of the Moon Shard pack, I needed to speak with Alpha Eugene about it.

The moon was high when I made my way to his quarters, hoping for answers. But as I approached, low voices from inside stopped me in my tracks. Eugene was there with his subordinates and a foreign aura coming from a stronger force. I pressed myself against the wall, ears straining to make out the conversation.

It was Eugene and Chiron, the pack we had an ordeal with.

My stomach tightened. I had never trusted the Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack. He was ruthless, cunning, and always had a problem with everyone. But why was he here now?

"You know the price, Eugene." Chiron's voice was calm, yet laced with amusement. "I'm offering you a choice. That guy's nephew or your daughter, Keshia."

My breath caught in my throat. Keshia? My daughter? What kind of twisted deal was this?

Silence stretched between them before Eugene finally spoke. His voice was low, hesitant. "If I give you Keshia… Will this end here? No further demands?"

I nearly gasped aloud. My legs felt weak beneath me, but I forced myself to stay silent. My mate, my Alpha, was considering giving our daughter away.

No. No, this had to be a misunderstanding.

Chiron chuckled. "You have my word. I'm nothing if not reasonable."

Another long pause. Eugene exhaled sharply. "Then… I choose Keshia."

A violent shudder ran through me. My hands clenched into fists, nails biting into my palms. He had chosen. He had chosen our daughter over some other child, over another life that wasn't even ours to barter with in the first place.

A hot wave of fury surged through me, washing away any remnants of hesitation.

I stormed into the room, my vision red with rage. "You will do no such thing!"

Eugene's head snapped up, his golden eyes wide with shock. Chiron, however, merely smirked, leaning back against the wall as if he had been expecting my entrance all along.

"Sarah-" Eugene started, but I cut him off.

"Don't you dare speak." My voice trembled, not with fear, but with barely contained fury. "Did I hear you correctly? You were going to give Keshia away?"

Eugene's expression twisted in guilt, but he didn't deny it. That hurt more than anything else.

"The Blood Moon Pack is too strong," he said, his voice heavy. "If we refuse them, they'll wipe us out. We've only just settled here, Sarah. We can't afford a war."

"So you'd sacrifice your own daughter instead?" My voice broke, but my anger did not waver. "Did you ever consider fighting for her? For us?"

Chiron let out an exaggerated sigh. "This is quite the dramatic display. But I don't have all night. Either you honor your Alpha's decision, or we settle this another way."

I turned to him, baring my teeth. "You'll get nothing from me, Chiron. I'd rather die than let you take my daughter."

Chiron tilted his head, his smirk widening. "That can be arranged."

Before I could react, a strong grip closed around my arm. Eugene pulled me roughly aside, his voice low and firm. "Sarah, this decision is final."

I wrenched my arm free, glaring at him. "Like hell it is!"

His eyes darkened, frustration flickering across his face. "You're not thinking rationally. If we resist, we all die. Keshia included. This is the only way."

I shook my head wildly. "No. There has to be another way. We can fight, we can run-"

Eugene's grip tightened again, his golden gaze pained. "I won't let you interfere."

Realization hit me too late. Before I could twist away, his hand moved to the back of my neck. A sudden pressure, a precise strike. Pain exploded through my skull, white-hot and overwhelming. My vision blurred, my limbs turned to lead.

"No-" I gasped, my voice barely a whisper.

Darkness swam at the edges of my sight. My body collapsed, my last ounce of strength fading. The last thing I heard was Keshia's terrified cry before everything went black.

The moment I woke up, Keshia was gone.

I barely had time to think before I was on my feet, my wolf stirring violently. My instincts screamed to storm into the Blood Moon Pack's territory and tear apart anyone who dared take my child. But Eugene stopped me.

I didn't hesitate. My hand shot out, slapping him across the face. Tears blurred my vision as I glared at him, trembling. "How dare you," I choked out. "How could you give our daughter away like that?"

Eugene barely flinched. He exhaled slowly, rubbing his jaw. "Sarah, listen-"

"Listen?" My voice rose, raw and hoarse. "You gave her away without telling me why, and now you want me to listen?"

"It is necessary for the safety of the pack."

"So what? Didn't they also ask for Sabrina's child?"

"Are you saying I should've given up Sabrina's child instead?" His voice was sharp, defensive. "He's just a boy too, Sarah!"

A bitter laugh tore from my throat. "Oh, but our daughter doesn't count? She's just a baby! Or is it because that child belongs to Sabrina?"

Eugene's expression darkened, but he said nothing.

Sabrina. His first love. They had grown up together, inseparable. Everyone had thought they would be mates. Then, she disappeared for five years, only to return with a fatherless child.

I comforted him when she left. I had thought Eugene had moved on.

"It's not like that," Eugene muttered.

"Not like that? Then why did you pick our child? Shouldn't it be easier to send Sabrina's child, the spawn of some unknown wolf?"

"You shouldn't say that," Eugene snapped, meeting my eyes at last.

I laughed again, but it was hollow. "Unbelievable."

My voice dropped to a whisper, lethal and unyielding. "I'm getting my daughter back."

"Sarah, don't," Eugene warned. "We finally found a home here. Don't throw everything away over this!"

"This is not home without my daughter." My voice was cold, empty.

I turned my back on him. I refused to stand by and do nothing while my child was taken from me. I made my way to the old weaponsmith.

"I need a sword," I told him.

The old wolf studied me, his golden eyes searching my face. He didn't ask why.

He nodded once. "Come back by nightfall."

I made my way back to the den to gather supplies. Taking a shortcut, I passed by Sabrina's house and froze. A sound drifted through the night.

Soft. Breathless. Moans.

My stomach twisted violently. I knew those sounds. My feet refused to move, but my body trembled. A voice followed. A voice I knew too well.

"It's okay, don't worry. Everything will be fine," Sabrina said.

"I hope so," Eugene replied.

My heart slammed against my ribs.

"My brother might be a menace," Sabrina said, her tone dripping with false sweetness, "but he's not at fault here."

"I know," Eugene murmured.

Sabrina's voice was laced with feigned sympathy. "Sarah must be heartbroken. Her daughter was taken away."

"She'll understand," Eugene said, as if it meant nothing. "It was for the pack. She won't do anything reckless."

"That's true, she's always been like that." Sabrina chuckled sweetly. "She sounded furious earlier."

"She's just being emotional." Eugene's voice was dismissive. "She'll get over it."

I'll get over it?

My wolf snarled, rage burning through my veins like wildfire. I wanted to storm inside, to tear him apart. But then, Sabrina giggled, a sickeningly sweet sound.

"It's okay," she whispered. "We still have our son. I'll make sure he grows up just like you."

Everything inside me shattered.

Son?

Sabrina's son. He was also Eugene's son.

The pieces fell together, sharp and unforgiving. The way Eugene always defended the boy. The way he refused to let him go. The way he spoke about him, as if he were precious.

The way he chose to keep him in the pack while giving away Keshia.

He wasn't just Sabrina's son. He was theirs.

Eugene had betrayed me long before tonight.

Eugene returned the next day and invited me to the pack gathering, insisting company would ease my sorrow.

Before the roaring bonfire, I stared into the flames that had once lit Keshia's smiling face. The last time this fire burned, she had been here. Now, my arms were empty.

Laughter and chatter filled the air. No one approached me, their gazes flickered toward me before swiftly turning away. They understood what it meant for a mother to lose her cub.

Except for her.

Sabrina moved through the gathering with ease, her son Jason by her side. She stopped before me, her expression laced with false sympathy.

"You must be lonely without Keshia," she murmured, voice dripping with mock concern. "I can't imagine how hard it must be… to lose a child. I only hope she's doing well in the Blood Moon Pack."

I clenched my fists, my nails biting into my palm. My wolf prowled beneath my skin, aching to tear her apart. But I remained still.

My silence emboldened her. She clapped, drawing the attention of the entire gathering.

"Everyone!" she called, voice sweet. "Tonight, we celebrate our safety! And that's all thanks to our Luna. The sacrifice of her daughter was not in vain. It was an act of true devotion. A mother's loyalty, her selflessness, has ensured our survival."

A roar of approval. Clapping. The very people who had turned their backs on me now cheered as if I were some saint instead of a grieving mother.

And Eugene? He said nothing. He did nothing. He merely nodded in agreement.

Then Sabrina turned to him, eyes soft, intimate, as if she had every right to stand beside him.

"Our Alpha is truly wise," she continued, voice reverent. "With Eugene leading us, I am certain my child will grow strong under his guidance, like a loving father to everyone."

Eugene looked pleased, a smile tugging at his lips, his hand landing on her shoulder. I scoffed, the sound piercing through the cheers.

"Of course," I said, voice sharp. "Then, since you understand sacrifice so well, why not send your son to the Blood Moon Pack as well? Wouldn't that make you a great mother too?"

Her mask cracked. She tried to smile, but her lips trembled. She let out a broken little laugh, lashes fluttering as though on the verge of tears.

"Sarah… Are you angry at me?" she asked softly. "I was only admiring your strength. How well you've endured after losing your daughter."

I tilted my head, my own smile sharp as a blade.

"Then why not endure the same? Wouldn't that help you… understand me better?"

"Sarah, that's enough," Eugene said firmly, a warning in his tone.

He wasn't standing by my side. He wasn't defending me. He was defending her.

"Sabrina's been through a lot," he continued, shaking his head. "We should be patient with her, Sarah."

Something inside me snapped.

"As if I haven't been through a lot?" My voice was a raging storm. "As if I'm not the one who lost a child?"

Eugene averted his gaze but didn't deny it. Sabrina, sensing victory, smiled. She reached out, brushing my arm in mock comfort, her voice gentle yet cruelly triumphant.

"You're a strong woman, Sarah," she murmured. "I just hope you understand Eugene's choices."

A violent shudder ran through me. My wolf let out a low growl, instincts screaming for blood. I looked at both of them. Eugene saw distress in my eyes. He stepped forward, as if to soothe the fire he had ignited. But I stepped back.

He froze.

"Eugene," I said, looking straight into his eyes, my voice laced with finality. "You have chosen this ending. I have made my choice too."

I would leave. I would save my daughter. And nothing, no one, would stop me.

Eugene reached for me, but before he could, Sabrina grasped his wrist, holding him back. Jason clutched at his father's leg, an anchor keeping him rooted in place.

He did not move.

He did not stop me.

And as I walked away, each step carrying me farther from him, something inside Eugene fractured. A dread settled deep into his bones.

And I would make sure he felt it until his dying breath.