After three years of marriage without conceiving, Alpha Ethan Carter and I sought the blessings of the Moon Goddess through the sacred Moonstone Rite. For an entire year, we endured countless rituals beneath the full moon, prayers offered at the Moon Temple, and the guidance of the pack healers before I was finally blessed with life growing in my womb.

The pregnancy was far more difficult than anyone had expected.

Carrying four pups at once drained me day by day. I spent months unable to keep food down, waking before dawn to sickness that left me trembling. My stomach grew heavy and round far too quickly, stretching until it felt as though my skin could no longer contain the lives within.

The healers urged us to consider a reduction ritual.

"Alpha," they had said gravely, "Luna Sophia's body may not withstand carrying all four pups to term."

Ethan refused without hesitation.

"Sophia, these are all our children," he told me as he cradled my face. "I will not sacrifice any of them. I cannot bear such a loss."

Pale and exhausted, I rested my hand over my swollen stomach and nodded.

Neither could I.

By the sixth moon of my pregnancy, Ethan's Beta brothers had started placing wagers on the genders of the pups.

When the healer finally revealed the answer through a divination ceremony, the result was three males and one female.

Ethan won the wager and collected a fortune in moonstones.

Later that evening, while searching for him inside the packhouse, I heard familiar voices drifting from the council chamber.

"Alpha Ethan, your plan was brilliant," one of the warriors laughed. "You made Sophia carry pups for four different females."

Ethan's voice was calm and unhurried.

"Since I cannot give them the title of Luna, this is the least I can do. Sophia occupies that position. It is only natural that she bears this responsibility."

A cold shiver swept through me.

My breath caught in my throat.

The four pups inside me...

They were not mine.

"Alpha, you truly solved all four problems at once," Ryan Walker said admiringly. "Four females, four pups. No one loses."

"Olivia Hayes was the saddest case," another added with a sigh. "The most beautiful she-wolf of our generation, taken by moon sickness before her time. Fortunately, Alpha Ethan left her a bloodline. Once Sophia gives birth, Olivia's pup will live on."

"And Chloe Morgan has loved Alpha Ethan for nearly twenty years," someone else said. "She never asked to become Luna. She only wanted a pup from the male she loved."

A third voice joined in.

"Everyone knows Alpha Ethan's heart belongs only to Sisi. That's why he came up with this arrangement. The females get the pups they wanted, and he remains loyal to his true mate."

The room erupted in low laughter.

"Have you ever wondered what Sophia will do when she finds out?" one warrior asked. "When she learns the pups in her womb belong to other females, she'll probably lose her mind."

Ethan sounded utterly indifferent.

"So what if she finds out? She only has herself to blame for taking a place that was never meant for her."

More laughter followed.

"Exactly. Even if she learns the truth, she'll still give birth obediently. She's endured everything just to become Luna of this pack. No matter how many times Alpha Ethan pushes her away, she always comes running back."

Their mockery filled the chamber.

I stood frozen outside the door.

The cold spread from my feet to every part of my body.

Instinctively, I lowered my gaze to my swollen stomach.

My fingers curled against my palm until my nails bit into my skin.

What did this mean?

The pups I had carried for six agonizing moons...

weren't mine?

Every day I had endured sickness so severe I could barely stand. My ankles were swollen, my body weak, and my hair came away in handfuls whenever I brushed it.

Before that had come a year of Moonstone Rites, fertility ceremonies, healing tonics, and endless prayers to the Moon Goddess.

I had suffered through all of it believing these pups belonged to Ethan and me.

Yet now I was learning that each pup had been conceived for another female.

The voices inside the chamber continued speaking, but I could no longer hear their words.

I knew Olivia Hayes.

We had belonged to neighboring packs when we were young. I remembered hearing that she had succumbed to moon sickness not long ago, and I had mourned her passing from afar.

Never, even in my darkest thoughts, had I imagined that after her death I would be carrying her pup inside my womb.

Or that the Alpha I had loved for years had turned me into nothing more than a vessel for the females he truly cared about.

The absurdity of it all was almost laughable.

Yet the fear that gripped my heart was painfully real.

A cold chill crawled up my spine, settling deep in my bones.

I pressed myself against the wall outside the council chamber, forcing my trembling hands to remain still. Every instinct screamed at me to burst through the door and demand answers, but somehow I managed to stay where I was.

Outside, the pack members were still laughing and wagering over the genders of the pups growing inside my womb.

Even hearing Ethan's voice from time to time was enough to make my stomach twist.

Four years.

I had spent four years as his Luna.

Four years sharing his bed, his home, and what I believed was his heart.

Yet standing there, I realized I knew nothing about the man I had devoted my life to.

My hand drifted to my swollen stomach.

The skin was stretched so tightly it almost hurt.

Four pups.

Four tiny lives moved beneath my palm.

One belonged to Olivia Hayes.

One belonged to Chloe Morgan.

What about the other two?

I knew Chloe well.

She and Ethan had grown up together. The entire pack knew she had loved him for years. Even after he rejected her, she never gave up.

Looking at it now, Ethan was truly generous.

He had never given her his heart.

So he had given her a pup instead.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips.

The sound startled even me.

Before long, tears began streaming down my face.

If Ethan wished to leave behind bloodlines for those females, why had he chosen me?

Why had he made me endure all of this?

How could my mate be so cruel?

I bit down hard on my lip until I tasted blood.

All this time, I had mistaken his concern for love.

The rare healing herbs he personally gathered for me.

The tonics he ordered the pack healers to prepare.

The way he reminded everyone to care for my condition.

I had treasured every gesture.

Now I understood.

None of it had been for me.

The noise outside continued unabated.

"I wager two males and two females."

"All four will be males."

Laughter followed.

Then a sweet female voice floated through the crowd.

"Why does everyone keep choosing males? Females are wonderful. I bet three females and one male."

A familiar unease settled over me.

The voice belonged to Lily Sinclair.

She turned toward Ethan.

"Alpha Ethan, do you prefer sons or daughters?"

Ethan's reply came easily.

"I like both. But sons are easier. Daughters are too delicate."

Ryan Walker immediately laughed.

"Then what are you wagering, Alpha?"

Ethan's tone softened ever so slightly.

"Since Sisi likes daughters, I'll choose three males and one female."

Sisi.

The nickname struck me like a blade.

So it was her.

A bitter smile touched my lips.

Their affair had been happening beneath my nose all along, and I had remained completely blind to it.

Perhaps they had hidden it too well.

Or perhaps I had simply been foolish.

Lily's voice rang out again, playful and spoiled.

"Why are daughters delicate?"

A few moments later, Ethan answered, amusement evident in his voice.

"Not delicate? Who was terrified of the Bloodline Ritual because she feared the pain? You cried several times while preserving your blood essence."

"But it hurt," Lily protested.

Then, as though remembering something, she added casually,

"Although Luna Sophia never seemed to cry. The Bloodline Ritual lasted so long, and she endured every ceremony without shedding a single tear, didn't she?"

Ethan gave a low chuckle.

"Sophia is stubborn. Pain doesn't frighten her. I don't think I've ever seen her cry because of it."

His voice grew gentler.

"Unlike you. You start tearing up from the smallest scratch."

The crowd immediately seized the opportunity to flatter him.

"That's because Sister Sisi has Alpha Ethan protecting her."

"Exactly. When someone cherishes you, you can afford to be delicate."

"If no one cares about you, then you can only endure everything yourself, just like Luna Sophia."

Several people laughed.

"Alpha Ethan only arranged this because he didn't want Sister Sisi ruining her health carrying pups herself."

"Meanwhile Luna Sophia's stomach is enormous. Four pups at once. Who knows what she'll look like after giving birth?"

Another female laughed softly.

"Things are different now. Back then, even if I stood before Alpha Ethan in my finest dress, he wouldn't spare me a second glance. But now..."

Their words grew increasingly shameless, accompanied by crude laughter that made my stomach churn.

I staggered backward, my face drained of all color.

Not afraid of pain because I was strong?

What a ridiculous joke.

Of course I was afraid.

Every she-wolf was afraid.

The Bloodline Rituals had been agonizing. The Moonstone fertility ceremonies had left me weak for days afterward. Carrying four pups at once felt as though my body was being slowly torn apart from the inside.

But whenever the pain became unbearable, I would think of the family Ethan and I had dreamed of building together.

That thought alone had carried me through.

No matter how badly it hurt, I never complained.

Even when my fingernails cracked from gripping the stone altar during the rituals.

Even when I bit through my lip to stop myself from crying out.

Even when the sickness left me curled up on the floor, unable to move.

I endured it all.

And in the end, all I received was a reputation for being stubborn and resilient.

The memory of the day the conception ritual succeeded suddenly surfaced in my mind.

Ethan had held my hand tightly the entire time.

His eyes had been filled with concern.

"You've suffered so much for our pups, Sophia."

He had knelt beside me afterward, resting his palm against my still-flat stomach.

Then he had smiled and spoken to the tiny life inside.

"You'd better behave yourselves. Don't trouble your mother too much."

Whenever I couldn't keep food down, he would personally bring healing broth from the kitchens and sit beside me until I finished every drop.

"You have to eat something," he would say helplessly. "You've already lost weight. When these pups are born, I'm going to settle accounts with every one of them."

Back then, every word had filled my heart with warmth.

Now I understood.

His concern had never been for me.

It had always been for the pups.

I was nothing more than the vessel carrying them.

The realization hurt more than any ritual or pregnancy ever had.

Slowly, I closed my eyes and wiped away the tears on my cheeks.

Then, through the private mindlink reserved for high-ranking pack members, I contacted the chief healer and requested an audience.

A termination ritual.

As soon as possible.

Ethan Carter.

This time, I no longer want you.

And the bloodlines you treasure so dearly...

I will not bring them into this world.

When I finally stepped out, Ryan Walker and the others had already dispersed.

Only Ethan and Lily Sinclair remained in the great hall.

I deliberately made enough noise for them to hear my approach.

If they had anything to hide, this was their chance to compose themselves.

I could not confront them yet.

Not until I had made my preparations.

Lily's cheeks were still faintly flushed as she stood beside Ethan, pretending to deliver a report.

"Alpha Ethan, the council elders have called for an emergency gathering tonight. They require your presence."

Then she turned toward me, wearing the same sweet smile she always showed in public.

"Luna Sophia."

Her gaze lowered to my stomach.

A strange expression flickered across her face.

"Your stomach seems even larger than before. Four pups at once... what a blessing for the pack."

The smile on her lips made my skin crawl.

Looking at her, I suddenly felt exhausted.

I no longer had the strength to maintain polite conversation.

Sensing my indifference, Lily excused herself.

But before crossing the doorway, she glanced back at Ethan.

The look lasted only a second.

Yet it felt far too intimate.

Far too familiar.

A secret exchanged between lovers.

Ethan turned toward me as soon as she disappeared.

His brows drew together slightly.

"When did you return?"

His voice sounded casual, but I could hear the subtle probing beneath it.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

My gaze drifted to his lips.

They still looked damp.

The sight made my eyes sting.

The signs had always been there.

I had simply refused to see them.

Lowering my eyes, I forced a bitter smile.

"I was exhausted when I got back. I fell asleep in one of the guest chambers and only woke up recently."

The tension in his expression visibly eased.

"That's good."

His face returned to normal almost immediately.

"How was today's examination with the healers? I promised I would accompany you, but something came up."

His voice carried just the right amount of guilt.

In the past, I would have believed every word.

I would have reassured him that pack matters were important and that I understood.

But now I knew better.

"The examination went well," I answered calmly. "The healer said the pups are healthy."

Ethan immediately asked several more questions.

Were the pups active?

Had the healers detected any problems?

Was I eating enough?

Only after receiving satisfactory answers did he finally relax.

He had always been like this.

Careful.

Attentive.

Concerned about every detail.

For years, I believed that concern belonged to me.

Today, I finally understood who it was truly meant for.