After dismembering my body, the murderer heartlessly tossed the pieces into the pack’s drainage tunnels beneath the Alpha Hall — the dark, foul-smelling sewers where waste water from the entire territory flowed.

Warriors cloaked in scent-blocking herbs and protective leather descended into the tunnels. Even werewolves, blessed with stronger stomachs than humans, struggled against the stench. They searched for an entire day and night before finally retrieving my scattered remains from the murky waters.

One by one, my body parts were laid out on stone tables inside the healer’s hall. It took several elder healers three days and three nights to piece me back together, reconstructing what was left of my human form.

My head had been badly damaged, beyond recognition. Some flesh had been washed away by the flowing water. My left ear was missing, along with part of my leg bone.

The only part that remained relatively intact… was my womb.

But even that carried a horrifying truth.

It had been brutally cut open and crudely stitched back together.

When the healers carefully opened it for examination, a strange powder spilled out, scattering across the silver tray. Its scent was faint, unfamiliar, and unsettling.

After testing it with moonstone purification flames, the elders concluded that the powder was no ordinary substance. It carried traces of a forbidden poison once used by rogue packs.

Because of this, the case was handed over to the Shadow Guard — the elite warriors tasked with handling dangerous substances and rogue pack threats.

This… happened to be my mate’s specialty.

Aldric Stormwolf.

The youngest captain of the Shadow Guard.

The Alpha’s most trusted blade.

Even seasoned warriors turned pale at the sight of my remains. The air in the healer’s hall grew heavy with nausea and fury.

Aldric stood at the front, his face stiff, his brows tightly furrowed. His wolf stirred restlessly, clearly disturbed by the brutal scent of violence.

My husband looked at my broken body with eyes filled with disgust.

Aldric hated rogue wolves and poison traders more than anything. Perhaps, for a fleeting moment, he wondered if the victim… had been involved with forbidden substances.

The head healer stepped forward and began explaining.

“The victim is a she-wolf, approximately twenty-two to twenty-five winters old. She bled to death after suffering severe abuse. There are restraint marks on her wrists and ankles. Her body is covered in bruises, and her skull shows repeated blows from a blunt weapon.”

A heavy silence filled the hall.

“We also found traces of forbidden poison in her bloodstream.”

The healer’s voice grew grimmer.

“The most disturbing part… is that she was pregnant. Her womb was cut open crudely, not with healer’s precision. There are signs of struggle and infection. This means… while she was still alive, the attacker forced open her belly, removed the pup, and replaced it with this mysterious powder.”

Several warriors clenched their fists.

“After stitching her back together, she survived… for at least three days.”

The room fell dead silent.

“Then… she was beheaded while still conscious. Afterward, her body was dismembered.”

“The powder left inside her for those three days,” the healer concluded quietly, “caused unimaginable suffering. It was torture… beyond cruelty.”

Daxon Moonshield, captain of the warrior guard, slammed his fist onto the stone table.

“This is madness! Who would do this?!”

Fury spread across the hall.

“To torture a pregnant she-wolf like this… it must be revenge!”

“How much hatred does someone have to do this to a Luna candidate?”

“And throwing the body beneath Alpha Hall… that’s a direct challenge to the pack!”

Amid the uproar, Aldric remained silent.

His gaze fixed on the parchment detailing the strange powder.

His jaw slowly tightened.

Then he spoke, voice low and chilling.

“It’s them… The Death Reaper.”

The name fell like ice into the room.

Every Shadow Guard warrior stiffened.

The Death Reaper.

A forbidden poison created by a rogue alliance — deadly, addictive, and known to drive wolves into madness before death. Countless warriors had fallen because of it.

Three moons ago, after years of bloodshed, the alliance behind it was finally destroyed. Their leader died in battle, and their poison stores were burned beneath moonfire.

Yet now…

They stood before the mutilated remains of a pregnant she-wolf.

The Death Reaper had returned.

And this… was a message.

A revenge against the pack.

A warrior pushed open the wooden doors of the council chamber, carrying a small box wrapped in plain cloth.

“Captain Stormwolf,” he said cautiously, “your mate sent something again…”

At the mention of my name, Aldric’s expression instantly turned cold, his wolf stirring with irritation.

“From now on,” he said, voice laced with disgust, “throw away anything she sends.”

Daxon frowned slightly, sensing the tension. He stepped closer and patted Aldric’s shoulder. “It’s been moons already,” he said quietly. “What happened to your father… wasn’t Nymera’s fault. She lost her wolf that night too. She’s a victim as well.”

Before Aldric could stop him, Daxon untied the cloth and opened the box.

Inside sat a transparent crystal jar.

The moment everyone saw what floated within it, a collective gasp filled the chamber.

Aldric’s hand trembled.

The jar slipped from his grasp and shattered against the stone floor.

Inside…

A perfectly formed wolf pup fetus, preserved in clear liquid.

Its tiny features were fully developed.

But what made everyone’s blood run cold… was the faint, eerie smile stretched across its small face.

Even after hitting the ground, the tiny body bounced slightly, then lay still.

An elder healer reacted quickly, kneeling down and carefully gathering the fragile form into a clean cloth.

After one glance, he frowned.

“This is not real,” he said gravely. “It’s crafted… not born.”

Aldric’s face darkened with fury.

“Another one of her tricks,” he growled. “She’s trying to get my attention again.”

But I never sent that.

The warriors exchanged uneasy glances, disturbed by the gruesome display. Some looked uncomfortable, others quietly agreed — perhaps thinking it was a cruel prank gone too far.

Daxon sighed again. “Nymera doesn’t seem like someone who would do this,” he said carefully. “You’ve been away from the pack house for weeks. Maybe you should return and talk—”

Aldric scoffed harshly.

“What’s there to talk about?” he sneered. “This is a threat. She’s warning me… threatening to abort my heir.”

His eyes filled with cold contempt.

“She’s a liar. She’ll fabricate anything to escape blame — even using pups.”

His voice turned colder.

“Even if she is pregnant, I will never let her keep it. Someone like her… doesn’t deserve to carry my child.”

A sharp pain tore through my chest.

“I feel sick every time I see her face,” he continued. “Right now, we focus on the victim. Find her identity. Close this case. As soon as possible.”

I hovered silently beside him, my soul trembling as tears slid endlessly down my face.

So… in his eyes…

I wasn’t even worthy of carrying his pup.

Then who was?

His perfect, lost love?

Aldric seemed to recall something. He kicked the crafted fetus aside into the trash basket without another glance.

Then he reached for the mindlink stone at his wrist, removing my name from the block he had placed on our mate bond.

His voice turned icy as he spoke through the link.

“Now you’re sending fake pups to threaten me? You’re becoming a monster in my eyes, Nymera.”

His words pierced deeper than any blade.

“Stop acting like a mad liar. Even if you die… you won’t get my attention.”

But I was already dead.

And I never lied.

The mutilated body they were investigating…

Was me.

My husband gathered the warriors from the investigation unit into a tight circle.

A large wooden board stood before them, covered with parchment notes and charcoal sketches of my reconstructed remains. Important clues were marked with red ink and pinned with silver needles.

“The bloodline tracing is complete,” one warrior reported. “Her scent and blood do not match any rogue wolves or known criminals. She does not appear to belong to any outlawed pack.”

“We also checked reports from nearby territories,” another added. “No pack has reported a missing pregnant she-wolf matching her age or description.”

A warrior frowned, troubled. “She’s been missing for days. Why hasn’t anyone searched for her?”

“Didn’t she have family? A mate? A pack?”

Aldric tapped the board thoughtfully, circling the word ‘pup’ written beside the notes.

“We can’t identify her yet,” he said calmly. “But if we find the pup that was cut from her womb, we can trace the bloodline. The Moon Goddess’ bond will lead us to the father… and then to her identity.”

Tears blurred my vision.

I crouched beside the trash basket where he had thrown the crafted fetus. My trembling hand reached for it… but passed straight through.

I could never touch it.

Our pup…

The child you once longed for…

The very clue you were searching for…

Yet you threw it away like worthless trash.

Aldric turned back to the board and circled another phrase: ‘Dismemberment Site.’

“There wasn’t much blood in the drainage tunnels,” he said. “The body was dumped there after the killing. The dismemberment happened elsewhere — somewhere the murderer felt safe.”

“That place could still hold scent traces,” one warrior added grimly.

“Find it,” Aldric ordered. “It’s our best lead.”

Then he circled another note: ‘Left Ear — Missing.’

“We searched the tunnels thoroughly,” a warrior said. “But we didn’t find her left ear or several other pieces. The killer kept them.”

Aldric frowned slightly.

“Why keep those?” another warrior muttered. “Maybe there was a mark… something that could reveal her identity.”

Aldric’s eyes fixed on the words ‘Left Ear.’

He went still.

I instinctively raised my hand to my left earlobe.

There… a small red mole.

Aldric used to pinch it playfully whenever he held me close. He once told me it made me easy to recognize… even in a crowd.

But now… he only frowned, unable to connect the thought.

“The murderer cut open her womb while she was alive,” another warrior said, voice grim. “Then filled it with that strange powder and kept her alive for days before killing her. That kind of cruelty… suggests deep hatred.”

“Poison powder… revenge…”

One warrior hesitated before glancing at Aldric.

“Captain Stormwolf… could this be revenge against us? Perhaps rogue dealers we captured before? They might be targeting someone close to us… to send a warning.”

Another warrior shook his head. “That doesn’t make sense. None of us have a missing pregnant mate. And surely, her family would have reported her disappearance.”

Aldric’s eyes widened slightly.

For a moment… something seemed to click.

Then he shook his head, dismissing the thought.

Aldric…

Did you remember when I told you I was pregnant?

You thought I was lying.

You believed I was jealous of your lost love… trying to win you back.

You missed another clue.

Among all the warriors here… who would rogue wolves hate the most?

You.

If only you had gone home.

If only you had looked at me once more.

The scattered clues might have led you straight to me.

Aldric exhaled slowly and began issuing orders.

“Split into teams. One group checks nearby territories for missing pregnant she-wolves. Another searches for the primary crime scene and missing body parts. The last team visits healer halls across the region — look for records of injured pregnant wolves.”

The warriors quickly dispersed.

They also summoned elder bone-readers — skilled healers capable of reconstructing faces using bone structure and leftover tissue. My skull had been crushed beyond recognition, but with moonstone powder and healing clay, they could rebuild my face and match it against pack records.

It would take time.

Aldric rubbed his temples, exhaustion visible in his posture.

Just then, the mindlink stone at his wrist glowed faintly.

His expression softened instantly.

“Jay… I’m scared…”

Her voice.

Soft. Fragile.

Selene.

“Where are you?” Aldric asked gently. “Alright… stay inside. Lock the doors. Light the candles if you’re afraid. I’m coming now.”

His voice held a warmth he hadn’t shown me in years.

He severed the link and glanced outside.

Night had already deepened. The moon hung high above the pack grounds.

“Everyone, return to your quarters,” he said. “We continue tomorrow.”

A wave of despair swallowed me.

Aldric was known for working without rest during investigations. Sometimes he would remain in the council hall for days.

I never dared disturb him.

Yet one frightened call from her… and he abandoned everything.

It became painfully clear.

In his heart…

I would never compare to her.