Seven Miscarriages For My Mate

For ten years, I've been bound to Julian Frost, my heart tethered to a wolf who promised me forever. Seven times, I've lost a pup, each miscarriage carving a deeper wound. This time, though, I'm carrying again, and Julian's adamant I stay away from the healer's den. Too many folks, too much chaos, he says-someone might bump into me, risk the pup. To keep me safe, he even pulled strings to bring a healer from Belmor Town right to our doorstep.

I trusted him. I always did.

Until I saw him, clear as day, slipping out of the birthing ward with my sister, Chloe Hartman, who's been missing for three years. His arm was gentle around her, protective, like she was the fragile one. My heart stuttered, my world tilting as I watched Chloe cradle a sleeping pup, her eyes glistening with tears as she looked up at Julian.

"Julian," she whispered, voice thick, "our first pup is finally here. All those times Sophia lost hers. it wasn't for nothing."

Her words hit like a blade. "You hid me all these years, kept me under her nose so I could bring this pup into the world. It must've cost you so much."

"I've got no right to raise this pup," she went on, choking up. "I just want to stay close, even if it's as a servant, just to watch him grow."

Julian's face was stone, his silence heavy before he spoke. "You've been in the shadows too long, Chloe, not even able to feel the sun on your face. I'm sorry for that."

"Sophia's my only true mate," he said, his voice firm. "I gave her status, a place by my side. Letting her lose those pups was the price for you to bear our firstborn. He'll inherit everything I have."

Firstborn? The word froze me, tears spilling like a broken dam. All those pups I lost. they weren't accidents. They were sacrifices for their pup. Chloe's disappearance? A lie. Julian didn't send her away-he hid her, sheltered her, so they could carry on in secret.

"Chloe!"

My parents' voices snapped me out of my haze. They stepped down from a rugged pack jeep, their eyes brimming with concern-not for me, but for her. They wrapped her in their arms like she was the one who'd been shattered.

"You've been through so much," Mom said, her voice soft as she studied Chloe's pale face. "Birthing a pup is like dancing with death. Come home, sweetheart. Dad's already got a trustworthy nanny lined up for you."

Chloe's eyes shimmered with gratitude. "I thought you'd disowned me," she murmured, voice breaking. "I've been so unworthy."

Mom's voice cracked. "You're not my blood, Chloe, but I raised you. No parent holds a grudge forever. Seeing you suffer cuts me deeper than you know. Be a good mother now, no more recklessness."

Chloe nodded, but hesitated before climbing into the jeep. "Can I really come home? Sophia will be furious. Maybe I should just go back to my rundown apartment."

Dad didn't miss a beat. "Don't worry. We've got it figured out. If Sophia loses this pup, she won't be able to carry another. Then your pup will be the only one left. She'll have to accept him, like it or not."

Mom chimed in, "She should've let go of her grudge by now. You've paid your price."

"Come on, pup," Dad said gently. "Let's go home."

They climbed into the jeep, a perfect little family, leaving me standing alone, hollowed out. I watched the vehicle fade into the distance, my knees buckling as sobs tore through me. I collapsed, the world blurring.

Just months ago, when I found out I was carrying again, everyone was over the moon. Julian's eyes were red as he touched my belly with trembling hands. Dad handed out bonuses to the pack's drivers and staff, grinning like a fool. Mom, who never believed in anything, knelt in a temple for hours, thanking the spirits for their blessing.

But now? Chloe's borne Julian's pup, and my parents are in on the lie. Me and the pup in my belly-we're just extras, never enough to hold their hearts.

A sharp pain stabbed through my stomach, but it was nothing compared to the ache in my chest. I'm their true daughter, yet they all flock to the she-wolf who stole my place for years.

Ten years ago, when the Hartmans found me, I went from a village nobody to the daughter of a pack leader, promised to a striking, ambitious wolf-Julian. I was thrilled. But Chloe? She couldn't stomach being the false heir. She made it her mission to torment me.

The day I arrived at the Hartman den, she pushed me down the stairs when our parents weren't looking. Fifteen stitches on my forehead. When my name was added to the pack's records, she lured me to a backwater village, nearly leaving me to a filthy old wolf's clutches. Time and again, she tried to break me.

But I survived. I thought I'd earned my happy ending, that the worst was behind me. Then, on the day Julian and I were bound, Chloe escaped from lockup and came for me. She drove a beat-up car straight at me. I dodged death by inches, but my legs were shattered, my dreams of dancing with the pack's troupe crushed.

Dancing was my life. From the village to Belmor Town, I poured my soul into it. Staring at the ugly scars on my legs, I wanted to end it all, more times than I can count.

Then I felt a pup growing inside me. For the first time, I wept with joy, dreaming of a tiny soul tied to me by blood.

But at three months, I lost it. Blood poured out, and my heart emptied with it. Three days later, Julian found Pennyroyal in Chloe's room-the poison that killed my pup. She admitted it, casual as if it meant nothing.

Dad had a heart attack from the rage. Mom cried rivers, saying Chloe owed me too much. Julian nearly put a bullet in her. I stopped him, not wanting him to carry that weight.

To make it right, he banished Chloe to some remote village to reflect for life. Or so I thought. Word came she'd vanished, and despite Mom and Dad's efforts, she was gone.

I believed it was over. For years, it was just me in their eyes-Julian, Mom, Dad. Julian brought home little gifts after his shifts: flowers, jewelry, books I loved. No matter how late or dangerous his missions, he always sent a message. Dad pulled strings to get me a cushy job. Mom baked my favorite treats daily.

I thought I'd finally made it, that the pain was behind me. But it was all a ruse to keep me from digging into Chloe's crimes, to keep me waiting while she bore Julian's pup.

Chloe. Always Chloe.

The more I thought about it, the more I laughed through my tears. What was I to them all these years?

"Ma'am!"

Julian's guard rushed up, holding out a telegram. "From Julian."