Chapter 4

When my mind came back, the bitter smell of sedatives filled my nose.

A heavy compression binder wrapped tight around my belly. It dug in deep. It felt like a lump of torn meat was sinking inside me.

Memories of the surgery rushed back in jagged pieces. The trauma caused placental retention. The surgeon had to reach in raw, tearing the broken tissue off my uterine wall.

I stayed awake the entire time. I didn't scream once.

No physical pain could match the cold knife in my chest when he severed our mind-link.

I never even got to look at our fully formed pup.

"You're awake?"

A hoarse voice came from beside the bed.

Chloe sat in the visitor chair. Dark circles bruised her eyes. Her uniform was a wrinkled mess. The second my eyes opened, she leaned in close.

"The doctor said you made it," Chloe whispered, her voice fragile, like glass ready to snap. "Declan has powerful Alpha blood. You're both purebloods. You can have more pups later."

I turned my head away, cutting off her gaze.

Chloe froze.

In eight whole years, I had never turned my back on her.

I came from a fringe pack. Back home, my parents treated me like a ghost just to clear the path for my purebred sister. I learned to kiss the dirt and please everyone, begging for a single scrap of love.

When I entered the Sterling Pack, I took that submission to a sickening extreme. I tracked Chloe's medicine. I checked her patrol logs. Even when she spat bitter insults in my face, I still smiled and brought her hot coffee.

Now, I wouldn't even spare her a glance.

Humiliation flashed across Chloe's face. She lowered her head, her voice shaking.

"Gwen, I know you hate me. But Declan swore the vault was completely secure. I honestly thought you were making a scene."

She swallowed hard, looking at the floor. "Over the years, Declan kept telling me you were jealous of Talia. I assumed you were bitter. I only wanted to knock you down a peg..."

She bit her lip, whispering, "I was wrong. Punish me however you want. Just don't do this to yourself."

I stayed silent for a long time. The heavy air froze between us.

Chloe couldn't take the silence. "Gwen, can you hear me?"

My cracked lips burned. I turned my head, staring straight into her tight face.

"If it were you," my voice came out flat, dead as stone, "locked in a room full of silver, watching your pup tear out of your body, while your mate kissed another woman on open comms."

"Would you forgive him?"

Chloe froze solid.

Her claws slipped out against her will, digging deep into her balled fists.

"Answer me," I said, my eyes locked on hers.

The room went dead silent.

Seconds dragged into eternity. Finally, Chloe took a ragged breath and hung her head low.

"...No."

A sharp ring shattered the room.

The bedside landline screamed over and over.

My arms were covered in IV needles. I didn't even have the strength to lift a hand.

Chloe glanced at me. She took a deep breath and hit the speaker button.

Declan's deep, smooth voice filled the small room, thick with the laziness of someone who just woke up.

"Gwen, why is your mind-link closed? I need something."

He didn't wait for an answer. "Where did you put that custom matte motorcycle helmet in the garage?"

I stared at the ceiling, silent.

That helmet was my anniversary gift to him.

Last year, he paid a fortune to reserve a custom sport bike six months early. I thought it was his new obsession.

I went straight to a custom workshop before our anniversary, picking out the parts and design myself.

The very next day after the bike arrived, Talia posted on her socials. A photo of her straddling the seat.

Her caption read: [He makes my silly little wishes come true. He's the best!]

That helmet ended up staying in my hands, never given away.

Now, he wanted to use my gift to please her again.

When I gave no answer, Declan let out a low sigh.

"I'm sorry. Locking you in the vault was my bad. Talia has her nerve checkup today. The coastal wind is brutal, and she insists on riding the bike. Her body is fragile, you know that. She can't catch a chill, and she needs a proper helmet. Stop holding a grudge against her. Give her the helmet as a peace offering. Let's move past this. Be the bigger person."

Chloe frowned as well when she heard that.

A full day and night. I barely survived. My pup died inside me.

And this great Alpha hadn't even set foot inside the manor gates.

He didn't even know if I was alive or dead in that house.

The silence dragged. Declan's tone grew cold, annoyed by my refusal to answer.

"Why aren't you speaking? I already had my adjutant drive over to the manor to pick it up. Go downstairs and hand it to him now."