Silver Wounds

I arrived at the pack clinic and completed the necessary paperwork, my hand trembling slightly as I signed.

Lying on the examination table, I felt the cold antiseptic liquid being spread across my abdomen. Tears slid silently down my cheeks as the procedure began and consciousness slowly slipped away from me.

When I awoke, a beta nurse was removing the IV from my arm. Seeing me stir, she quickly helped me sit up, her kind face creased with concern.

"You young Omegas never take care of yourselves properly," she chided gently. "Last winter solstice, I saw your Alpha bringing you here for fertility treatments."

"I watched him accompany you for prenatal checks last month and thought the Moon Goddess had finally blessed you. Why would you terminate the pregnancy now?"

I stared at her in disbelief, too shocked to speak.

The younger nurse behind her made a subtle gesture and smiled awkwardly. "She's confused you with someone else. The medication can sometimes affect memory."

She pulled the older nurse from the room, but I could still hear their hushed argument:

"What are you doing? I remember correctly—it was that Alpha with the scar on his—"

My entire body trembled as I struggled to hold my phone steady.

Karl and I had only decided to try fertility treatments three months ago after years of failing to conceive naturally. The pack healer had told us my Omega biology was slightly irregular, making conception difficult.

How could it have been last winter solstice?

I frantically opened Natalie's Instagram and found a post from exactly that time. Her location tag showed she was indeed at this very clinic.

"I've always wanted pups," her caption read, "but my body is too weak. I wanted to try treatments, but my sweet Alpha Karl wouldn't hear of it when the doctor mentioned the risks during delivery. He's too protective sometimes..."

The comments praised Karl as the perfect mate.

I read them and suddenly laughed bitterly, feeling the cold tears sting my cheeks.

I remembered Karl's joy when I told him I was pregnant. He'd actually lifted me and spun me around, pressing his face into my neck and inhaling deeply.

He promised to be the best father any pup could hope for.

He swore we would run together under the moon until our paws grew weary with age.

Karl, usually so reserved and taciturn, had spent the entire night talking about the future he envisioned for us.

It had been the happiest night of my life, and I'd believed every word.

But now I understand. His joy wasn't for our pup—it was because my successful pregnancy meant Natalie wouldn't have to risk fertility treatments.

I wanted to howl in anguish. When he spoke of "forever," whose face appeared in his mind? Mine or Natalie's?

My phone vibrated with a voice message from Karl.

I forced myself to open it and heard him say he'd finished his meeting late and would be back tomorrow.

In the background, I could hear soft feminine whimpers that unmistakably belonged to Natalie. She called Karl's name in that needy Omega tone that Alphas find impossible to resist.

Moments later, Instagram updated with new photos of them. Natalie sat regally on plush cushions while Karl knelt before her, kissing her ankle in worship. His expression held a tenderness I'd never witnessed.

"When I misbehave, Alpha Karl gets punished!" her playful caption read.

Karl had liked it almost instantly.

I couldn't hold back anymore and released a muffled sob into the hospital blanket.

In my daze, I remembered our first winter solstice together.

Karl had finished his patrol early and waited for me outside the pack boundary. Snow surrounded him, but his eyes remained warm when they found mine.

When I emerged, he walked toward me with purpose and took my bag from my hand.

Back then, I believed we would grow old together, watching our pups and grandpups run under the same moon.

But that peaceful dream shattered with Natalie's arrival.

She was a young Omega our pack had sponsored before Karl and I completed our mating ceremony. She'd lost her parents in a territory dispute.

"She speaks the old tongue like you did during the full moon gathering," Karl had said. "It reminded me of you."

That was the second winter we spent together. Soon after agreeing to sponsor Natalie's education, we completed our mating.

After that, every holiday became about the three of us.

Karl claimed Natalie was too vulnerable as a lone Omega during festive times, so he always insisted she join us. Eventually, we prepared a permanent room for her in our den, and she became Karl's shadow.

He indulged her every whim, even bringing her to pack council meetings without consulting me.

When she failed her training and was asked to leave the pack's education program, I decided we should stop supporting her.

Karl and I had our worst fight that night. I became so upset that I collapsed.

When I awakened, Karl was kneeling beside our bed, apologizing profusely. That's when we discovered I was pregnant.

He stopped supporting Natalie publicly and even stepped back from his translation work with other packs to stay close to me.

I thought we'd moved past our disagreements. I never imagined he was secretly betraying me.

I wiped my tears, removed the mate-mark ring from my finger, and dropped it into the medical waste bin.

Karl, since you've broken our bond, I won't wait for you any longer.