Six months into my pregnancy, I finally found him at the headquarters of the Stonecrest pack—Leon Lockwood, my fated mate, who had been missing for five months.

"How could a powerful Alpha like me be fated to you?" he sneered, his gaze chillingly indifferent.

"That pup you're carrying has nothing to do with me. Stay away from me, and don't give my chosen mate the wrong idea."

No matter how much I pleaded, he remained completely unmoved.

Just as I was leaving, heartbroken, I overheard a conversation between Leon and his Betas in the garage.

"Leon, pretending not to know her was a brilliant move."

"You knocked her up and ran. You got to dodge all responsibility and had your fun for a year! Aren't you curious what a pregnant Omega tastes like?"

Leon's crude laughter bounced off the garage walls.

"What's she like? Before the pregnancy, she was a log in bed. Afterward, she wouldn't even let me touch her."

"If you guys want her, go ahead. Whoever gets a picture of her looking slutty gets a reward."

I bit my lip so hard the taste of blood filled my mouth.

Just then, the phone in my pocket vibrated.

My professor's anxious voice crackled through the speaker. "Willow, the test results are back. The pup you're carrying has inherited the 'Moon's Decay' curse from its father's bloodline."

"Leon Lockwood needs immediate treatment, or his inner wolf will begin to dissipate. He has six months, at most..."

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1

Mocking laughter surrounded me.

A chill shot up from the soles of my feet, freezing the blood in my veins.

I clenched my jaw, forcing the words through my teeth.

"Arrange for the abortion."

"Does Leon Lockwood need to receive treatment?"

"He doesn't need it," I seethed. "Let him die for all I care."

The piercing jeers were relentless, each word crushing my dignity and that of my unborn pup.

Every sentence was a needle, stabbing me until I was raw. I balled my fists, nails digging into my palms, fighting the urge to storm in and tear them apart.

"Leon, are you really willing to just give Willow away?"

"I heard Alpha Alistair gave her a black card just to get her to leave you."

"That Willow has some backbone. Snapped the card in half and said that even if you didn't acknowledge her, she'd wait for you forever. Such a devoted she-wolf."

"Hahaha, Leon, you have no idea. Back in school, I had my eye on Willow for a long time... If you're tired of her, let your brothers have a taste..."

The man's voice trailed off as he saw Leon's expression darken.

Leon leaned lazily against the car, blowing a casual smoke ring before his long fingers gently stubbed out the cigarette.

"Just kidding."

His voice was quiet, but it made everyone in the garage hold their breath.

"Just because I'm tired of something," he said, his voice dropping low, "doesn't mean anyone else gets to touch it."

Just as the threat settled in the air, Leon's phone rang.

He answered instantly, his tone softening with an affection he didn't bother to hide.

The corners of his mouth lifted. "Okay, okay. I'll be right there to pick you up."

The moment the call ended, the tenderness vanished from his face.

He got in the car, and his gaze swept coldly over the others. "If any of you dare to breathe a word of this to Tessa..."

He didn't finish, but the implication sent a shiver down everyone's spine.

As Leon's car sped away, I started my own engine and headed for the Professor's private hospital.

I parked at the hospital entrance and sat there for a long time.

My hands rested limply on the steering wheel as silent tears streamed down my face.

My mind went blank. The only thing I could feel was the warmth of my hand on my belly.

I gently caressed my swollen abdomen, feeling the faint stirrings of life within.

"Baby, Mommy loves you so much."

"But Mommy can't let you be born into a loveless family. I can't let you have a bastard for a father."

My decision made, I pushed open the car door. My legs were unsteady, but my steps into the hospital were determined.

Lying on the cold operating table, I closed my eyes against the glaring lights, fresh tears tracing paths down my temples.

The lead Healer for the procedure was Jenna, a senior colleague of mine. She leaned over and whispered, "Willow, are you sure? Our medicine is very advanced now. The pup would have a good chance of being cured after birth..."

I remained silent. It was only when I felt the life being stripped from my body that I finally let out a long-suppressed sob.

Leon's deception was a cruel, sharp blow.

I had come looking for him with a sliver of hope, wanting to face the pup's treatment together.

I never imagined this was the "surprise" he had in store for me.

He had told me he was just like me—a lone wolf, cast out from his pack, who had struggled to survive on his own.

When I was a month pregnant, I was overjoyed, thinking I had finally found a family.

But that was the exact moment Leon announced he'd found his long-lost relatives and was leaving to reunite with them.

Then, he vanished.

I cried until I had no tears left, worrying day and night for his safety.

I couldn't let the pup in my belly be born without a father.

Then, during a check-up, the Professor told me the pup might have a rare hereditary curse, one that could only be passed down from the father. The father would need to be examined and treated immediately.

In that moment, I felt both relieved and helpless.

Relieved, because this rare curse was the very subject the Professor and I had been researching for years. With us on the case, Leon would get the best possible treatment. Helpless, because I searched everywhere he might be and couldn't find a single trace of him.

I searched like a madwoman until I finally saw his picture in a business report—the once-poor, driven man I knew had transformed into the Alpha heir of the Stonecrest pack.

In the photo, he had his chosen mate on his arm, a woman of equal social standing, and he was smiling with an air of nonchalant grace.

In that case, he could just go die.

He didn't need any treatment.

Jenna was an expert in reproductive health. Knowing I was in a fragile state after the procedure, she gave me some patient files to organize, hoping to distract me.

I never expected Leon to bring his chosen mate, Tessa Vaughn, here for a consultation—or that their appointment would be with Jenna.

When the consultation room door opened, his gaze fell on Jenna in her Healer's coat, and his eyes widened in surprise.

Jenna saw him too, and the impeccably made-up Tessa snuggled against his side.

Jenna's brow furrowed. She leaned closer to me and whispered.

"Are you okay?"

"What the hell is going on?"

I said nothing, just gave Jenna a meaningful look.

I was pale and gaunt from the procedure, huddled in the corner in a large hoodie with my back to them. Small wonder Leon didn't recognize me.

She understood, turning to the couple with a professional mask firmly in place.

"What seems to be the problem?" Jenna's voice was steady.

Tessa was practically melting into Leon's arms, her voice soft and delicate. "Healer, my future mate and I have been trying for a long time, but I just can't seem to get pregnant."

She paused, a hint of a pout in her tone. "But my tests all show I'm perfectly healthy."

Jenna looked up, her gaze lingering on them. "Please provide your future mate's examination report."

"I don't need an examination," Leon retorted, his voice brimming with arrogance. "There's nothing wrong with me."

He narrowed his eyes, having clearly recognized Jenna. "Healer, I hope you're not planning to use this as some kind of personal revenge."

Leon had always been the epitome of an arrogant Alpha.

In his mind, fertility issues were always a female problem; it was unthinkable that a powerful Alpha like him could be at fault.

Besides, I had already conceived his pup.

So, naturally, he assumed the problem had to be Tessa.

He could never have imagined that, given the curse in his bloodline, my conceiving his pup at all was nothing short of a miracle.

Tessa, all gentle smiles, lightly tugged on Leon's sleeve, murmuring for him to behave.

"Healer," she said, her voice gentle but tinged with urgency, "our situation is a bit special. We must have a child. And it must be a powerful Alpha."

In an instant, I understood. Leon's massive pack was desperate for an heir.

The Leon before me was both lucky and unlucky.

Lucky, because if he agreed to be tested now, he would discover the curse in time.

With the Lockwood family's vast resources and medical network, he might even have a chance to survive.

Unlucky, because his stubborn pride would never allow him to submit to an examination.

He would extinguish that single sliver of hope with his own hand.

The Healer in me couldn't stay silent.

"Listen to the Healer and get the examination," I said softly, my voice cutting through the silence. "If there's a problem, it can be treated."

Leon's brow twitched. A flicker of panic crossed his face, no doubt afraid that Jenna would expose our past in front of Tessa.

He was overthinking it.

If it weren't for my oath as a Healer...

If I could violate that oath...

I would have preferred he never set foot in this hospital at all. I would have let his inner wolf wither and die when its time came.

Leon and Tessa returned after their preliminary exams.

Maintaining her professional demeanor, Jenna tactfully suggested Tessa try traditional herbal remedies.

"Your physical indicators are all healthy," she said, looking through the report. "But you're a bit run-down, and your energy seems low."

"You could look into some traditional therapies, perhaps use a restorative diet to slowly build up your strength."

Then, Jenna turned to Leon. "Your results all came back normal."

At this, Leon's eyebrows shot up, a triumphant smirk spreading across his lips.

"See? I told you there was no problem. I've always been in great shape, but you insisted I get checked."

Jenna had clearly reached her limit. Her reply was sharp.

"That's right. Typically, a male wolf can produce offspring without any issues—as long as he hasn't violated his oath to the Moon Goddess."

She turned back to Tessa, her tone softening. "Miss Vaughn, I heard your mate-to-be was in an accident recently and suffers from amnesia. Would you like us to run a deep bloodline analysis for him as well?"

Tessa's smile was perfectly composed. "Healer, do you… know my mate?"

"No."

Jenna lowered her eyes, tidying the medical records on her desk.

"He just bears a striking resemblance to an old acquaintance of mine. Someone who abandoned his fated mate."

"That kind of wolf usually ends up cursed."

Leon's expression froze.

He understood the barb in Jenna's words.

After hastily ushering Tessa into the car, he stormed back into the consultation room, his face a thundercloud as he advanced on Jenna.

"Willow and I broke up peacefully. You'd better stop making snide remarks in front of Tessa."

Before he could finish, I pulled down my hood and met his gaze head-on.

"Broke up peacefully?" My voice was quiet.

"Aren't I just some rogue wolf trying to climb the social ladder?" I began to clap, slowly and deliberately.

"Such a brilliant performance."

Leon's pupils contracted. He instinctively grabbed my wrist, his voice laced with a panic he didn't even recognize. "Willow! Let me explain—"

I yanked my hand from his grasp.

He stumbled back, caught off guard, his eyes locking on my abdomen—once swollen, now flat.

It was as if all the strength drained out of him. He blinked, muttering in disbelief, "The pup… where's our pup?"