I never thought the whispers could hurt more than they already did. I never thought the side glances and the cold shoulders could cut deeper. But I was wrong.

The Emberhowl Pack had a way of pretending you didn't exist when they wanted to. They were a family when it suited them, but once you were branded a traitor, a deceiver, they’d sooner see you fade into the shadows. A month ago, Rosalind became Luna, her lies securing her place beside Alpha Fenris. And I was left to wander on the outskirts of my own pack, a ghost among wolves.

I should have left. I should have walked away from this place and never looked back. But I stayed. My wolf didn’t want to leave, her loyalty to Fenris unwavering despite everything. She still saw him as her Alpha, her mate—even though I couldn’t. Even though he didn’t deserve it. And maybe, deep down, I was holding onto something too. A foolish hope that he’d see the truth, that he'd remember the woman I was before the lies and the venomous words.

But now... now everything had changed.

I found out a week ago. I’d been feeling off, the kind of off you can’t quite place—like something had shifted inside you but you couldn’t figure out what. I thought it was the stress. The rejection. The loneliness gnawing at my bones. But when I used my own healing abilities, my entire world tilted on its axis.

I was pregnant. With Fenris’s baby.

I sat on the edge of my bed in the small, cramped cabin that had become my home—a far cry from the Alpha’s quarters I once shared with him. My hand rested on my still-flat stomach, my thoughts a tangled web of fear, anger, and something I hadn’t felt in a long time: hope.

A baby. My baby. Fenris’s baby. Our child.

Despite everything, despite the bitterness and the betrayal, I couldn’t help the small, hesitant smile that tugged at my lips. This baby was innocent, untouched by the cruelty of the world outside. And I would keep it that way. This child would be mine, my light in the suffocating darkness that had become my life.

I had posted about it on the pack’s community board earlier today. I didn’t know why—maybe to remind them that I was still here. That I still mattered. Or maybe, just maybe, I wanted Fenris to know. To see that some part of what we had wasn’t lost after all.

But of course, I should have known Rosalind would spin it to her advantage. She always did.

The moment I stepped out of my cabin to get some air, I could feel the change in the air, the heightened tension, the new round of hushed whispers that followed me wherever I went. Wolves turned their heads as I passed, muttering under their breaths. Some stared with pity, others with disdain.

“She’s desperate,” I heard someone whisper as I walked by. “Trying to win him back with a child.”

“I always knew she’d try something like this,” another voice said. “Doesn’t she have any shame?”

I felt my wolf bristle inside me, her hackles rising at the affront. My steps quickened, my heart pounding in my chest, until I came face-to-face with the source of the poison. Rosalind stood near the training grounds, surrounded by a cluster of pack members. She was smiling that sweet, saccharine smile of hers, but there was a sharpness in her eyes as she looked up and saw me.

“Thalia!” she called out, her voice bright and falsely warm. “Congratulations on the pregnancy.”

I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to remain calm. “Rosalind,” I greeted coldly, my hands curling into fists at my sides. “What have you done?”

She put a hand to her chest, feigning innocence. “Whatever do you mean? I was just telling everyone how happy I am for you. It must be so comforting to have a piece of Alpha Fenris with you even after everything. Some might think it’s a desperate move, but I told them you were just trying to find a way to hold on to the past.”

“You told them what?” I growled, my voice low, dangerous.

She shrugged, a sly smile tugging at her lips. “Oh, you know how people are. They see a woman like you posting about being pregnant with the Alpha’s child and they assume you’re trying to reclaim some lost glory.”

“Enough of your games, Rosalind,” I snapped, stepping closer. “You know damn well that’s not what this is about. This baby is my child, and I won’t let you use it to stir more lies.”

She tilted her head, her smile never faltering. “Lies? Thalia, darling, you’re the one who made this public. I’m just... explaining what it looks like to the rest of the pack. You know how they talk. Besides,” she leaned in, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, “if you’re going to have the Alpha's child, you should be prepared for the consequences. Some might think you’re trying to steal back the Luna title. It’s a dangerous game you’re playing.”

I laughed, a bitter sound that bubbled up from my chest. “You think I care about being Luna anymore? You think I want any of this?” I gestured to the pack, to the wolves who had turned their backs on me. “I don’t need a title. I don’t need Fenris. I just want to raise my child in peace, away from your deceit.”

I took a deep breath, my wolf clawing at the surface, begging to be unleashed. But I knew that was what she wanted—to provoke me, to make me lose control, to prove that I was unstable, unfit to be a mother. So, I held my ground.

“I’m not afraid of him. Or you.”

Some moments change you forever—moments that carve their mark so deeply into your soul that you are never the same again. Today would be one of those days. I could feel it like a cold weight in my bones.

The whispers had grown louder over the last few days. Every corner of Emberhowl's territory seemed to buzz with the same rumor: that I had to be stopped, that the child I carried was a stain on the pack's. honor. I hadn't left my cabin since my encounter with Rosalind, and I knew it was only a matter of time before the pack came for me.

And today, they did.

The knock on my door wasn't a request; it was a command. I opened it to see two pack enforcers standing there, their expressions stony and impassive. Behind them, Alpha Fenris loomed, his face like thunderclouds ready to break. My heart sank at the sight of him, but I kept my back straight and my gaze steady. I could smell his rage— sharp, acrid, like a fire that's burned too hot.

"Alpha," I said, my voice calm, though my insides were twisting with dread, "What is this?"

"Thalia," he said, and his voice was low, controlled, a dangerous undercurrent thrumming beneath the surface. "You're coming with us."

I didn't move. "And where would you be taking me?"

"To fix this," he replied, his eyes flicking down to my stomach, and I felt the blood drain from my face.

"Fix?" I repeated, my voice dropping to a whisper. "What do you mean, "fix'?"

He stepped forward, and for a moment, I saw the man I once loved— the one who could be tender and fierce, whose loyalty was unshakable. But that man was gone, replaced by someone I no longer recognized. Someone manipulated by a venomous snake.

"You know exactly what I mean," he growled.

I stumbled back a step, my hand instinctively covering my stomach. "No. No, you're not going to do anything to my child!"

His eyes darkened, and he nodded to the enforcers. "Take her."

I backed away quickly, but the enforcers surged forward, grabbing my arms with rough hands. Panic flared in my chest, and I struggled against them, my wolf rising to the surface, ready to fight. But Fenris's Alpha command was like a chain around my throat, tightening, choking.

"Stop resisting, Thalia!" Fenris barked, his voice echoing with authority.

"Let me go!" I snarled, but my wolf was conflicted—her loyalty to the Alpha battling with her instinct to protect our child. She yowled in confusion, and I felt my strength falter.

"Alpha, please," I pleaded, tears stinging my eyes. "This is our child. Our blood. You can't do this."

"Enough!" he roared, his eyes flashing with fury. "This is not a child—it is a mistake!"

My heart shattered at his words. How could he be so cold? So cruel? This wasn't the Fenris I knew the Fenris who had held me close, who had once promised to protect me. But then again, maybe I never knew him at all.

Rosalind's poison ran deep.

The wolf troops dragged me through the forest, their grip like iron. I struggled and fought, but Fenris's command bound me, making my limbs heavy and my movements sluggish. My mind raced, panic coursing through my veins. I couldn't let this happen. I couldn't let them take my child from me. Not like this. Not ever

We reached the rogue healer's den, a dark, musty cave on the outskirts of Emberhowl territory. The smell of blood and herbs hung in the air, and dread coiled in my stomach like a living thing. The healer, a frail, hunched woman with eyes like black pits, stepped out of the shadows, her gaze sweeping over me with cold indifference.

"This is her?" She rasped, her voice like dead leaves scraping over stone. "The one carrying the Alpha's bastard?"

I felt a surge of anger, my wolf howling in fury within me. "I won't do it," I hissed, glaring at Fenris. "You'll have to kill me first"

Fenris's eyes narrowed his lips. curling in a snarl. "If that's what it takes—"

"Fenris!" I cut him off, desperation clawing at my voice. "This is our child! Please, listen to me-"

"Enough!" He shouted, his command rippling through me like a physical blow.

My wolf snapped then. She broke free of the chains that had bound her, and I felt her strength surge through me, my vision sharpening, my senses flaring. I yanked my arms free from the enforcers, the power of my bloodline roaring to life within me.

"NOI" I screamed, and I shifted,

My bones cracked and reformed, my wolf bursting free in a flash of fur and fury. The wolf troops staggered back in shock, and I lunged at the nearest one, my jaws snapping at his throat. He yelped and fell back, his blood scenting the air. The rogue healer shrieked and stumbled into the shadows, and for a brief moment, I was free.

"Thalia, stop!" Fenris commanded but I didn't listen. I couldn't. My wolf. was in control now, driven by a primal need to protect. I turned and sprinted into the forest, my heart pounding in my chest and adrenaline flooding my veins.

Behind me, I could hear Fenris's howl of fury, hear the wolves crashing through the undergrowth as they gave chase. But I was fast, faster than they were, driven by a fear deeper than any I had ever known

I couldn't go back. I couldn't let them catch me. If they did, I knew it would be the end—for me, for my child.