Janine's POV

The moment I crossed the threshold of the pack manor, my feet carried me instinctively toward Lester’s private den—the chamber he had always barred me from, insisting it held confidential Alpha affairs and clan ledgers I “wouldn’t understand.”

I didn’t hesitate this time. I shoved the door open and stepped inside.

My wolf’s senses immediately caught something off. I scanned the shelves lining the walls until I noticed a faint metallic glint hidden behind a row of ancient wolf-history tomes. Pulling them aside revealed a thick steel vault embedded in the wall.

So this was where he hid his truths.

I stared at the keypad, jaw tightening, then keyed in Avery’s birthday on a whim.

The mechanism clicked open.

A bitter laugh escaped me. Of course. He could never remember my birth-moon, or the night we were marked as mates beneath the Lunar Flame—but her numbers lived in his bones.

Inside lay stacks of files: medical scrolls stamped with healer sigils, transfer receipts, payment trails routed through shell pack accounts. I flipped through them, my claws itching as rage surged hotter with every page.

It was all here.

The bribes. The forged diagnoses. The carefully orchestrated plot that ensured Tommy’s death would look like a casualty of cross-pack warfare.

Then I found the final document—the organ transfer decree, sealed by the infirmary’s head healer.

Recipient: Avery Blackward.

Donor: Tommy Campbell.

The world dissolved into a blur of tears.

He hadn’t just destroyed my family. He had erased my future, gutted my trust, and stolen the very breath from my life.

I forced myself to keep moving. This was no time to fall apart. I photographed every page with my phone, making sure nothing was missed, then returned the files exactly as I found them and locked the vault back into silence.

From the den, I drifted into the bedroom like a ghost. My hands went instinctively to my stomach.

I had imagined this child as redemption—a second chance granted by the Moon Goddess after my boy was taken from me. But what kind of world would I be bringing a pup into? A pack ruled by lies, blood, and betrayal?

My fingers trembled as I dialed the clinic in Whispering Pines, the one that treated wolves discreetly.

“Evergreen Pack Infirmary, how may we assist you?”

“I need to arrange… a termination,” I said quietly, each word carving into my chest.

“Of course. Are you able to come in tomorrow at first light?”

“Yes.”

“Name?”

“Janine Blackward.”

I used my maiden name—Janine Campbell would raise too many questions, and I couldn’t afford eyes on me yet.

There was a pause, the faint tapping of keys.

“Confirmed. Ten in the morning.”

The line went dead.

I stood there gripping the phone, drawing in shaky breaths until I felt the shift in the air behind me.

“Heading out?” Lester asked.

I stiffened, sliding the phone into my pocket. “Just going for a routine check,” I replied, my voice distant even to my own ears.

His gaze sharpened, brows knitting. “A check? You didn’t mention feeling unwell.”

“I’m fine,” I snapped, brushing past him toward the wardrobe.

He watched me too closely. “Janine… something’s off. Talk to me.”

I paused and looked back, a hollow smile curving my lips. “Everything’s perfect, Alpha Campbell. Exactly how it’s meant to be.”

He didn’t press the issue. “I’ll shower and meet you in bed.”

The bathroom door closed behind him, steam beginning to fog the mirror. Moments later, his phone vibrated on the nightstand.

I didn’t think. I picked it up and keyed in Avery’s birth date again.

Unlocked.

My heart stalled when I saw the top contact:

Avery

I opened the thread and nausea churned in my gut.

Avery: I already miss you. When can I come over again? I’ll just tell Killian I want to spend time with my sister.

Lester: Tomorrow. I’ll say I’ve got Alpha business to deal with.

Tears slid down my cheeks, splashing onto the screen.

Avery: I hate pretending. I want us out in the open.

Lester: Soon. Once I take my father’s seat as pack lord, I’ll claim you properly. No one will stand between us again.

I pressed a hand to my mouth to keep from crying out.

They had been together every time she visited—every false hug, every smile meant for me. My mate had never stopped loving her. He had only used me as a substitute while waiting for the moment he could reclaim his “true” Luna.

I locked the phone and returned it to the nightstand, my whole body shaking.

Avery had always been his first choice. She left to study beyond the northern ranges and met Killian there, marrying him under a foreign moon. When Lester learned of it, he shattered—and turned to me for comfort.

Late-night talks became stolen glances. Glances became confessions. Within a year, I was his wife.

Seven years of marriage later, I finally understood.

I was never his Luna.

I was his placeholder.

The bathroom door creaked open. Lester emerged, towel slung low across his hips, water still clinging to his hair.

“You really okay?” he asked softly.

I lifted my gaze and offered a smile that held no warmth at all.

“I’m fine, Richie.”

Janine's POV

The instant I used his pet name, his shoulders eased as though nothing in the world could possibly be wrong. His wolf responded to my tone, misreading my calm for forgiveness.

He drifted closer, eyes softening, and bent to brush his lips over mine. I turned just enough that his kiss landed on my cheek instead.

“I’m exhausted,” I murmured, tugging the quilt up to my chin. “Today drained the life out of me.”

For a split second irritation flashed across his face, but he smoothed it away with a practiced smile. “Then sleep. You need it.”

His phone vibrated on the nightstand. He snatched it up immediately, and the tightness in his jaw vanished, replaced by a grin that was too bright, too eager. His thumbs flew over the screen.

Within seconds he sprang to his feet, pulling on his shirt in a rush. “An issue came up with the pack corporation,” he said without meeting my eyes. “I’ll be gone for a while.”

“Sure,” I replied evenly. “No rush. Stay as long as you need.”

That finally made him look at me. He blinked, clearly caught off guard. I used to argue every time he vanished late at night, accused him of choosing work over me. Tonight I was handing him permission to disappear.

His phone buzzed again, breaking the moment. He shook his head as if dismissing a strange thought and hurried toward the door.

“Love you,” he muttered.

“And I despise you,” I whispered once he was gone.

—

By dawn, it was obvious he never came back. I assumed he had slept in Avery’s arms, her scent clinging to his skin instead of mine. Surprisingly, it didn’t even hurt anymore.

I dressed and made my way to the healer’s wing for the appointment I had arranged the night before.

Sitting on the narrow infirmary bed, staring at the sterile white walls, my chest tightened until it felt as though my wolf were clawing at my ribs.

Was I really about to erase another life?

The healer, a gentle middle-aged she-wolf, stood beside me. “Janine, are you certain about this?”

I tried to answer, but my voice deserted me. My palm slid over my stomach on instinct. Tommy’s face rose in my mind—his grin when he shifted halfway for the first time, the way he used to wrap his tiny arms around my neck and call me Mama.

The tears came fast and hot.

“I can’t,” I whispered hoarsely. “I can’t do it. I don’t want to go through with this.”

She nodded with quiet understanding. “That’s all right. There’s no pressure here. Leave when you’re ready.”

This pup was mine. A piece of me, a fragment of Tommy returned to the world. No matter how rotten my life had become, I wouldn’t sacrifice another child to their cruelty.

I stepped into the hallway, mind spinning, and that was when I heard it—laughter. Familiar. Intimate.

I looked up.

Lester and Avery were strolling out of the prenatal ward together, wrapped in their own little universe. His hand rested possessively on the curve of her lower back as he murmured something that made her giggle.

My blood iced over.

Her fingers were splayed protectively over her belly.

She was with child.

They spotted me before I could retreat. Color drained from Avery’s face.

“Janine!” she hurried over, eyes shimmering with false worry. “I—I only came for a routine check. Lester just offered to accompany me.”

“Don’t apologize,” Lester cut in softly, placing his hand over hers. His gaze was full of tenderness—an expression I hadn’t seen directed at me in years. “You’ve done nothing wrong.”

I forced my lips into a smile. “You’re right. She hasn’t done anything wrong at all.”

Both of them stared at me, stunned. I used to bristle whenever they stood too close, used to question everything. Lester always brushed me off, telling me I was insecure, imagining things about my own sister.

“She’s married. I’m married. We’re just friends now,” he had insisted countless times.

Now he said calmly, “We’ll talk later, Janine. I’ll take Avery home first.”

I didn’t argue. I simply stepped past them. “Please,” I said lightly, “don’t hurry.”

Then I added over my shoulder, “Congratulations on your pregnancy, Avery.”

The shock on their faces was almost satisfying.

—

Whatever instincts he had left must have been screaming, because Lester returned home much earlier than usual that night.

“You’re back already,” I remarked without lifting my gaze from the book resting in my hands.

“I finished up fast,” he said brightly. “I wanted to spend the evening with my beautiful mate.”

He leaned down for a kiss. Again, I turned slightly, and his lips brushed my cheek.

He lingered, studying me. I pretended to read, my eyes sliding uselessly over the same line.

“It feels like we’ve been drifting,” he said gently. “I might take some days off so we can reconnect.”

I shrugged. “You’ve been busy running the pack. I get it.”

He frowned. He knew that wasn’t me. I had begged him countless times to step away from his Alpha duties just to be with me.

“What’s wrong, Janine?” he asked quietly. “Why are you acting like this?”

Janine's POV

I didn’t lift my eyes from the page when I answered him. “Nothing is wrong.”

“Is this about seeing Avery and me at the healer’s wing today?” he pressed. “I’ve already explained more than once that—”

I cut him off before he could pour out another rehearsed lie. “I told you I’m fine. You and my sister are close—best friends, soulmates, whatever you want to call it. It doesn’t concern me anymore. So if you don’t mind, I’d like to finish this chapter. It’s finally getting good.”

His jaw tightened, irritation flaring in his amber eyes. Without another word, he rose and stalked into the bathroom, the door clicking shut behind him.

I slid off the bed and headed for the kitchen, my wolf pacing restlessly inside my chest. Once there, I leaned against the counter, drawing in slow breaths to keep myself from breaking apart.

Heavy footsteps approached behind me.

“You’ve been off all day, Janine,” Lester said sharply. “If you’ve got something to say, say it.”

I turned around with deliberate calm. “I already did. I’m fine. You don’t need to babysit me. Why don’t you go worry about Avery and her pup instead?”

The air shifted instantly. His eyes darkened. “What is that supposed to imply?”

I shrugged lightly, pushing away from the counter. “Only that you seem far more invested in her well-being than mine.”

His temper snapped like a frayed leash. “You’re doing it again! She’s your sister, for the Moon’s sake. Stop acting like a jealous little cub—”

“I’m not jealous,” I said with a hollow laugh. “You two are perfect for each other.”

“Enough!” he snarled.

His hand lashed out. I was thrown backward, my spine slamming into the edge of the counter so hard I saw sparks. The breath was ripped from my lungs, and I crumpled to the floor, my belly striking the tiles with a sickening thud.

“I’ve got pack business tonight,” he muttered coldly. “Don’t wait up.”

The front door crashed shut, leaving the manor echoing with silence.

Pain radiated through my abdomen as I lay there, shock slowly giving way to terror. My hands slid to my stomach, and when I felt the warmth soaking through my clothes, I knew.

Blood.

“No… please, no…” I sobbed, struggling to sit up as the room swam. My fingers fumbled for my phone, dialing his number through tears.

It rang.

Once.

Twice.

Finally, he answered.

“R-Lester—”

“Call me again when you’re done acting like a brat,” he snapped, then cut the line.

I stared at the dark screen in disbelief. I tried again. His phone was already off.

The pain sharpened, ripping through me. I screamed and dialed emergency services with trembling hands. I couldn’t lose another child. I wouldn’t.

As darkness crept in at the edges of my vision, a single thought burned through me:

If this baby dies, Lester will suffer twice as much.

Then everything went black.

—

When I opened my eyes, harsh white lights glared down at me. The scent of antiseptic filled the air. A healer stood beside the bed, her expression gentle but heavy.

“Ms. Blackward, you’re awake.”

Fragments rushed back—the shove, the fall, the blood.

“My baby…” I whispered, panic clawing at my chest.

Her face softened, and she took my hand. “I’m very sorry. You miscarried.”

The scream that tore from me was animal, raw, echoing down the sterile hallways. My heart splintered into nothing. Tommy was gone. Now this child too. Both stolen from me by the same man.

I cried until my throat burned and my eyes were swollen shut, until even my wolf lay curled in silent agony. I stared blankly at the ceiling afterward, wishing the Moon Goddess had taken me instead.

The door creaked open.

“Janine.”

The voice was deep, cool, unfamiliar in this room of grief.

I forced my eyes open and found Killian Romano standing there—Avery’s mate—his steel-gray gaze unreadable.

I said nothing. I had no strength left for words.

He moved closer and took the chair beside my bed. “I heard what happened. I’m sorry.”

His presence only reminded me of her—of everything I’d lost. I turned my face away.

“Avery isn’t here,” I said hoarsely.

His eyes hardened. “I didn’t come for that cheating bitch.”

I stared at him in shock. “You know?”

He nodded once. “Since last week.”

“And me?” I asked.

“Just a few days,” I answered quietly.

“That’s why I’m here,” he said, his gaze drilling into mine.

“For what?” I asked, a spark of curiosity piercing the fog of grief.

He leaned forward slightly. “To make you an offer.”

“What kind?”

His lips curved into a cold, dangerous smile. “Tell me, Luna… how would you feel about revenge?”