Chapter 1

I was hit by a truck while delivering the herb to Charles.

The car was crushed, and I was trapped inside with the door jammed shut.

Thick smoke billowed outside, choking the air around me.

I mind-linked him for help, only to be told that he was busy training the new werewolf firemen. Not wanting him to worry, I calmed my trembling wolf and braced myself to escape on my own. While the fire raged around us, my wolf finally managed to break the door open — but my leg was trapped. I tried again and again to free myself, but it was no use.At my most desperate moment, Charles’s assistant, Leo, arrived with a team of firemen.

I accidentally heard their conversation.

"Charles, Fiona is pregnant! How could you leave her to fend for herself while you take care of Lisa's pup?"

"Lisa's pup had a fever. She panicked and didn't know what to do. Fiona is different—her wolf is strong, she's experienced. She can handle it—with your help."

Those words shattered something in me.

Leo let out a frustrated sigh and snapped, "Why is it always Lisa? Is she more important to you than your own mate?"

"Leo, you know it. If Lisa's mate hadn't saved Fiona, then I would've been the one grieving over her death."

"Helping Lisa and her pup... it eases my guilt. I only did it to atone for Fiona's mistake."

Leo's body stiffened at those words. He leaned heavily against a tree, his hands trembling, his voice rising with barely contained anger.

"You—You don't even know the hell Fiona went through!"

"She was badly hurt, and her wolf was injured—all because she risked her life for you! For some damn herbs you needed! And what did you do, Charles?"

"You left her. You abandoned your mate to tend to another woman's child... just because Lisa cried to you?!"

"Is it worth it?" Leo's voice cracked, eyes burning.

Charles didn't answer right away. His gaze dropped to the ground, voice low and cold:

"I'll never let her know the truth. But if our pup dies… or Fiona never wakes up... maybe then I won't feel this crushing guilt anymore. Maybe then... I can breathe again."

My heart froze. I could feel tears pouring from my wolf's eyes, her pain mirroring mine. It felt like thousands of knives stabbing into my chest, each one sharper than the last.

I couldn't believe the words I'd just heard… not from my mate. Not from the father of my pup. Not from the man I had loved, selflessly, for five long years.

I wanted to scream. To rush to Leo, grab the phone from his hands, and demand the truth from Charles.

Who mattered more to him—me and our pup, or his precious sweetheart, Lisa?

But I couldn't move. My body was too broken, too torn. Even as my wolf stubbornly tried to stand, something inside snapped.

Blood spilled freely, soaking my once-white dress in scarlet. The world spun around me, colors fading, pain screaming in every bone.

And then... nothing. Darkness swallowed me whole as I slipped into unconsciousness, my eyes fluttering shut with one last tear.

Leo rushed over the moment he heard the sickening crack. The sight of me—collapsed and barely breathing—froze him for just a heartbeat. But then his eyes widened in horror when he saw blood gushing down my legs.

"Fiona!" he called out, his voice breaking.

Without hesitation, he scooped me onto his back, holding me tightly as he raced toward the infirmary, his breath ragged, panic in every step.

The healer was already waiting. After a tense few minutes of examination, she stepped back and shook her head grimly.

"Your wolf is gravely injured. You let your emotions take over, and as a result, your pup...

She paused, her eyes softening, but her voice remained firm.

"Your pup… has been affected too. And quite severely. You need to inform your family immediately. There may not be much time left."

Tears slid down my cheeks, one after another, unstoppable.

I placed my trembling hands over my swollen belly, feeling the faint kicks of the little life I had carried for over seven months.

I had waited three long years for this pup. I had prepared everything—his tiny clothes, his soft toys, even his name, chosen with honor by the Luna of our pack.

But now... he was in danger. And I—his mother—might not even get the chance to meet him.

"Please…" I whispered, turning to the healer with desperation flooding my voice.

"Please help me. Help me hold on—just one more month. That's all I need. Just one month… and he'll be born. He'll breathe. He'll live."

I cried desperately to the healer, knowing she was the only one who could save my pup.

But she only sighed—and remained silent. Devastatingly silent.

Just then, Leo rushed in, his brows furrowed in frustration. I knew instantly—Charles had refused to take his call.

"Call him again. Use my phone this time!" I snapped, disbelief heavy in my voice.

I couldn't—I wouldn't—accept the truth.

That the mate who once whispered a thousand "I love you"s… would choose to stay with Lisa while I lay on the brink of death, carrying his pup.

He did all of that just because Lisa's mate had saved me once?

So that gave him the right to ignore me again and again...

and fulfill Lisa's every demand, no matter how unreasonable?

But the truth he never bothered to find out was—

the one who saved me… wasn't Lisa's mate.

It was Leo.

And yet—no matter how many times Leo and I explained the truth, Charles refused to believe us.

All he believed were Lisa's lies.

After a long wait, Charles finally answered the call.

But even through the phone, I could hear the impatience in his voice.

"Fiona, I'm really sorry. Things are hectic here—this training is tough, and I'll likely be stuck for a while. But I promise, I'll come check on you tonight."

Leo shot me a glance, then raised his voice, sharp and urgent:

"Fiona's wolf has been badly injured. Her pup is in critical danger. You need to come to the infirmary now!"

There was a heavy silence on the other end.

Then I heard Lisa's soft, manipulative whisper:

"Leo said she was only slightly hurt before. Now it's suddenly life-threatening?

Are you sure she's not just saying that because she knows you're here—with me?"

A pause.

"Well… maybe you should go see her. Whether it's true or not."

Charles tried to control his temper, snapping at Leo, "Pass the phone to her."

When I took the phone, I couldn't hold back anymore. My heart felt like it was collapsing. For a moment, just hearing Charles' voice made me want to believe—believe that someone still had my back.

I choked on my sobs.

"Charles… it hurts so much. Our pup—"

But before I could finish, a child's voice rang through the speaker.

"Uncle Charles, I want to drink the herbal tea…"

My words caught in my throat. My last thread of hope shattered like glass.

I didn't need an answer.

I already knew—he wouldn't come.

Then came his voice again, soft, calm, disgustingly gentle.

"Fiona, I'm so sorry... Lisa's pup had a fever, so I had to leave the training and check on him.

I know you were scared when the accident happened, and I promise—I won't let that happen again. I'll ask Leo to lead the firemen and protect you."

His tone stayed soothing, like he was talking to a fragile child.

"As for Lisa… her mate died early. She's struggling to care for her pup alone. So… I'll come see you after the fever breaks."

My heart dropped into a pit so deep I thought I'd never find the bottom.

I shook my head, a bitter smile tugging at the corners of my lips as tears welled up in my eyes.

He used to sit by my bedside for three sleepless nights just because I had a mild allergy.

He once filled the yard with white roses—only because I once said I liked the scent in my sleep.

And during the sacred marking ceremony, he made a vow, solemn and clear:

"I will never betray you. You are my one and only mate in this life."

I truly believed everything would remain that beautiful—until the day Lisa's mate died.

That's when the lies began.

He started hiding things, shielding her, and gradually… I became the spare.

I turned to Leo, summoning the last of my strength and courage as my voice trembled.

"Five days ago… was Charles really still at the training field? Or was he with Lisa and her pup?"

Leo looked down, unable to meet my gaze.

He gave a small, heavy nod.

My breath caught in my throat.

I let out a sorrowful laugh—empty, broken.

I knew this day would come. I just didn't expect it to hurt this much.

Tears streamed silently down my cheeks, one after another, like the collapse of everything I once believed in.

Five days ago, Charles subtly mentioned that Lisa and her pup wanted to move in and live with us in the same den.

I stared at him in silence, my heart already sinking.

He smiled and quickly brushed it off, saying he was just joking.

He promised,

"I would never let another she-wolf live in our den. Not in this life."

Then he left in a hurry, saying there was an urgent training waiting for him.

He didn't return—not for five days. Not even a single message.

Until today.

He mind-linked me, saying his herbal remedy for insomnia had run out.

At first, I thought it was just an excuse.

A gentle way to reconnect, to soften the distance growing between us.

A small step toward fixing what was breaking.

But now, the truth is crystal clear...

It wasn't about the herbs.

It wasn't about peace talks.

It was about her.

And I was the one being slowly, deliberately left behind.

I could hear my wolf sobbing over and over again, her voice trembling through my mind:

"Why did he lie to us? Our bond is breaking... It hurts so much!"

I wanted to comfort her—say something, anything.

But I was too weak.

Too faint.

Then, slowly… the world faded.

Darkness crept into my vision, and everything went silent.

No more voices. No more pain. Just emptiness.

But even in that darkness… I could still feel something.

Something being pulled away from me.

Extracted. Taken. Ripped from my body.

When I finally opened my eyes, panic rushed through me.

My hands flew to my belly—

Flat. Empty. Lifeless.

Not swollen with life anymore.

Not full of hope.

Just... gone.

A scream tore from my throat, raw and ragged.

I cried out in agony—

"My baby... my pup...!"