Chapter 2

[Rose's POV]

Wade lowered his eyes, his Adam's apple bobbing once before he fell silent.

Nina laughed smugly by his side, her voice sharp and arrogant as she screeched, "You see that, Rose? Alpha Wade is going to take responsibility for me. He'll dissolve your bond and make me his Luna once I give birth to his pup!"

I stared at Wade, who was so familiar and yet suddenly a stranger. My heart felt like it was being ripped apart.

"You'll take responsibility for Nina, but what about me? What about my pup?" I refused to back down, taking step after step toward Wade. "You really trust what the Elders say that much?"

Wade's brows drew together, his face full of resignation. "Rose, I know you're hurt, but you know the pack's rules. As Alpha, I must have an heir. And Nina is carrying my blood…"

I forced a broken smile. "So that's your excuse for betraying your mate and making my pup carry the burden of a lie?"

He sounded like he was half-explaining and half-attempting to comfort me. "Rose, if your pup is born safely, I won't let either of you suffer. I'll give you both a proper resolution for this."

I froze where I stood, a chill sweeping through my entire body.

Wade stood beside Nina, but he was supposed to be my mate. His avoidance and his silence made him seem like an accomplice in this whole thing. Meanwhile, her lips curled into the twisted smile of a victor.

Poppy completely lost it, shrieking inside me, "Rose, wake up! Wade is not worth you hoping for anything from him anymore!"

…

Back at home, I'd barely stumbled into the bedroom in a daze when Wade came barreling in with a frown. When he saw how shattered I looked, he got straight to the point.

"Rose, you know the Bloodmoon pack's laws. A she-wolf getting pregnant without a mate is a scandal. Nina's family cares about their reputation more than anything. She'd be cast out of the family if anyone found out. The pup she's carrying has my blood, so I have to take responsibility."

He told me that he'd driven Nina home that day. The moment they got out of the car, Nina's parents had come storming over. Before he could even react, he heard them demand to know whose pup she was carrying.

Terrified and shaking all over, Nina had thrown herself into Wade's arms and sobbed that she was pregnant with his pup. He'd remembered that one drunken night several months ago when he'd lost control, and his mind had gone completely blank.

To calm things down, he'd admitted right then and there that the pup was his. Later, when the moon-mark appeared, it proved the pup really was his.

As Wade spoke, a rare look of conflict crossed his face. His eyes were full of pleading, searching mine for even the smallest hint of forgiveness.

Pain throbbed in my chest, mixed with the feral rage of a wolf betrayed by her own mate. I asked hoarsely, "If it was just a drunken mistake that night, why didn't you tell her to get rid of the pup?"

He looked away. "Nina wanted to keep it, and I needed an heir. Once your pup is born and everything checks out, I'll put her pup under your name as well. We'll tell everyone you gave birth to twins…"

I burst into laughter before he could finish, the sound high-pitched and shattered.

"Wade, I'm your mate!" I screamed, tears streaming down my face. "Do you really believe Nina and the Elders over me? You don't care about me as your mate at all, do you? As long as some she-wolf can give you an heir, it can be anyone, right?"

I continued, "And the funniest part is that you expect me to raise the pup of the she-wolf who destroyed our bond!"

Wade flinched at my fury, but his tone remained hard. "Rose, you're my Luna. You know how important the Alpha's heir is. You need to know your place."

Right then, Poppy let out a furious howl inside my chest. "Rose, let's break the mate bond with Wade. A disloyal mate is beneath us!"

"Wade, let's break our mate bond." The words slipped out of my mouth all at once, my voice so calm that it even scared me.

He froze and stared at me as shock flashed in his eyes. Then, it was replaced by rage. "What did you say?"

"I said, let's break the mate bond," I repeated through gritted teeth. "You've chosen Nina and her pup, and you're convinced I can't carry my pup to term. So let me go. I'm done with all of this!"

"Absolutely not!" Fury blazed in Wade's eyes. "From the moment you formed a mate bond with me, you became my mate forever! Regardless of whether the Elders are right or wrong, I won't allow you to leave before your pup is born!"

I wiped away my tears and took a deep breath. "Then I'll get rid of my pup!"

"Don't you dare!" Wade roared. "Getting rid of a pup without permission violates pack law. Neither you nor your pack can bear the consequences!"

A deadly silence abruptly settled upon the room. Only the quiet standoff between us remained. His breathing was rough with anger, and he kept his gaze tightly locked on me.

I knew it. This was what Wade had always thought—I was just an orphan picked up by the Frostplains pack, a tool for forming an alliance through marriage.

I was despised by my own family and had no pack to call my own. If I broke the Bloodmoon pack's law, I wouldn't just doom myself. I'd drag the Frostplains pack down with me. They would never spare me then.

Wade thought he had leverage on me and was sure that I could never stir up any real trouble. Ultimately, he threw out a cold warning. "You'll stay here and behave yourself until the pup is born. Don't ever mention breaking the mate bond again, or you can't blame me for using pack law against you."

Then, he turned and walked away.

The next morning, when the villa door opened, I was still sitting numbly on the couch, unable to come back to myself.

It wasn't the familiar house staff who came in, but more than a dozen warriors in black uniforms bearing silver wolf-head crests. They strode in expressionlessly, snatched my phone from me, pulled the laptop from the study, and even dug out my spare phone.

Lastly, they clasped a special silver-marked spirit seal from the pack around my wrist, cutting off my mind-link. I tried to struggle, but someone's hands clamped down hard on my shoulders.

Terrified, I cradled my belly and snapped shakily, "What do you think you're doing? I'm the Luna!"

No one answered me.

It wasn't until the doors and windows were locked and the warriors had me trapped inside the villa that a bone-deep chill raced through me.

Wade had actually put me under house arrest!