CHAPTER 3

Briar POV

The physical ache in my stomach grew sharper over the next few days. The sacred mate bond inside me felt like it was decaying, stripping away any lingering connection I had to Tristan. It was taking a massive toll on my physical health. My personal maid, Mabel, constantly brought up nutritional meals and herbal teas, practically forcing me to swallow them so I wouldn't waste away.

My thoughts were completely chaotic. I couldn't just walk away from Tristan on my own. If I did, his pride would push him to hunt me down and lock me away in the pack cells. Worse, he could strip me of my rank and banish me, leaving me to survive as a defenseless rogue.

To clear my head and find some control, I channeled all my stress into physical training. Pushing my body to its absolute limits was the only thing that gave me a sense of purpose and a real dopamine rush.

As the daughter of a former Alpha, I had been raised to be an elite warrior, but I hadn't stepped onto a training field in months. When I marched out to the Silvercrest training grounds, the entire warrior squad stopped what they were doing in absolute disbelief.

Gamma Roland stepped forward, bowing respectfully. "I would be honored to be your sparring partner, Luna Briar."

Roland originally belonged to my father's pack, Shadowvale. If our territories hadn't merged, he would have been my right-hand Beta.

Despite the dull pain in my abdomen, my muscle memory took over. I cleanly dodged every single one of Roland’s heavy strikes. He was incredibly fast, launching a sudden combination of punches toward my jaw. I brought my forearms up, blocking the impact, and executed a sharp kick directly to his midsection that knocked him off his feet.

The watching warriors immediately broke into cheers and applause. "Incredible form, Luna!"

Roland scrambled back up, a competitive spark in his eyes as he shifted seamlessly into his massive grey wolf. I narrowed my eyes, bracing my weight. The second he lunged through the air, I let Vesper take the reins. With a ferocious roar, Vesper met him mid-air, slammed his heavy frame into the dirt, and pinned his throat beneath her bared fangs. Roland instantly exposed his neck in submission, and Vesper stepped back, letting him up.

Shifting back into my human form, I listened to the pack members cheering. Roland smiled warmly at me. "Your wolf is as fierce as ever, Luna."

"I'll be out here every morning from now on," I told him, finally feeling a spark of genuine happiness.

"Luna Briar?" a soft, hesitant voice called out from behind me.

I gritted my teeth, the happiness instantly vanishing.

Genevieve stood there, clutching her hands together. "I know your wolf possesses Alpha blood, and I was hoping you could personally oversee my combat training."

"No, thank you," I replied coldly, taking a fresh towel from an omega who was attending to the field.

Genevieve sniffled, her eyes welling with tears. "Please don't be angry with me, Luna. I'm only doing what Tristan requested. He told me you were the absolute best fighter in the territory, so he sent me to learn from you."

I arched an eyebrow, feeling the sudden, suffocating silence of the warriors around us. "Tristan ordered this?"

"Yes," she nodded innocently.

"You are a Beta's daughter, Genevieve. You should already have extensive combat training."

Her bottom lip trembled. "I've completely lost my edge. Alpha Killian kept me completely isolated and physically mistreated me for years. He never allowed me near a training ring."

I had to hold back a cynical laugh. Did Tristan even bother to verify these claims of abuse with the Duskwood pack? I had never seen a single scratch or bruise on her flawless skin.

"Please, Briar. I’m begging you," she pleaded, dropping her voice to a pathetic whisper. "I know I'm nobody here, but I cannot disobey the Alpha's direct command."

I clenched my jaw and gave a stiff nod. If Tristan had issued a direct order for her to train with me, defying it publicly would only cause a massive scene that I wasn't ready for.

We squared off on the center training mat. Genevieve fell into a stance, and I mirrored her. But as we began to circle one another, the deadly focus in her eyes told me everything I need to know—this girl didn't need any basic training.

Suddenly, she lunged forward with terrifying speed, driving a hard kick directly into my recovering stomach. Shocked by her sheer power, I stumbled back. She didn't give me a single second to recover, swinging a high roundhouse kick toward my neck. I raised my arm to absorb the blow, dropped low beneath her guard, and delivered a swift punch right to her knee.

She let out a sharp cry as her balance broke, falling to the mat. Snarling in frustration, she launched herself back up, throwing a lethal, targeted punch straight at my face.

This wasn't a standard practice session—this felt like an assassination attempt. She was genuinely trying to break me.

I ducked to avoid the hit, but her fist caught my shoulder, sending a sharp wave of pain down my arm. She grinned maliciously, spinning around to launch a powerful kick toward my head. I slipped the attack, causing her to overextend and stumble forward. Reacting on pure instinct, I spun and threw a defensive elbow to push her away, but she turned directly into the strike. My elbow connected solidly with the bridge of her nose.

A loud scream echoed across the field as blood instantly erupted from her nose, staining her clothes.

Before I could even process what happened, the gym doors flew open and Tristan rushed inside, his face pale with panic. "Genevieve! Genevieve!"

Tears mixed with the blood on her face as she sobbed hysterically. "Tristan... she... she forced me to spar with her just to do this to me! Oh gods, our baby—"

I froze, the air completely leaving my lungs. *Our baby?* She was pregnant? And she was using a standard training accident to frame me for murder. How could I possibly fight against this level of manipulation?

"How could you do this?!" Tristan roared, his hand instantly wrapping around my throat.

I gripped his heavy wrist, my mind completely numb as I struggled to breathe. His grip tightened, cutting off my airway until I began to choke. "Tristan... stop..." I wheezed.

He violently shoved me away, sending me crashing hard onto the gym floor. "Stay the hell away from her, Briar. This is your absolute last warning. She is carrying my heir!"

He turned away from me, carefully lifting Genevieve into his arms, and stormed out of the training facility without looking back.

I lay on the cold floor, my hand pressed against my bruised throat. The psychological blow felt like a physical slap to the face. For two years, I had desperately wanted to start a family with my mate, but it had never happened. And this girl arrives and gets pregnant within a matter of days? Tristan’s betrayal had just turned into a living nightmare.

As I dragged my exhausted body back toward the main house, I could feel the burning stares of every pack member on my back. I knew exactly what was happening. This incident was going to become the premier scandal of the territory. Genevieve was carrying the next Alpha's child, and that single fact was going to skyrocket her status while completely erasing mine.

Every single thing I had built over the last two years was gone. My mate, my position, my business ventures, and my dignity were ripped away so fast that I felt like I was free-falling.

I don't even remember how I made it back to my room or when I collapsed onto my bed, but the persistent vibration of my cell phone finally pulled me out of my dark thoughts.

The screen lit up with a name: **Clara**.

"Clara?" I whispered, a tiny spark of warmth hitting my chest for the first time all day.

"Briar! Oh my gosh, I am so incredibly sorry for missing your call earlier," Clara’s enthusiastic voice echoed through the speaker. "I was totally off the grid hiking in the Andes and just got back into cell range. How have you been? Where are you?"

Hearing her joy made me wipe a stray tear from my cheek. I missed her terribly, but I couldn't risk telling her the full, horrific truth over the phone. If I did, she would drive down here with an army and cause a massive war. I needed to play this smart.

"Clara, I need a massive favor," I said, getting right to the point.

The line went quiet for a beat before her tone shifted to pure focus. "I'm listening."

"I need an urgent, private meeting with Alpha Logan Vance. Can you make that happen?"

"My brother Logan?" she asked, sounding completely thrown off.

"Yes. Can you set it up?" I held my breath, waiting for her response.

I knew it was a massive longshot. An Alpha of Logan's caliber didn't just drop everything for a casual meeting, especially since he ran the largest territory on the continent. He was incredibly busy, and normal requests took months to clear the council.

"Okay, I'll talk to him tonight," Clara said, her voice filled with genuine concern that warmed my cold heart. "Is everything else okay, Briar? We haven't talked in two years, and you sound... different."

"I'm fine," I lied, my voice sounding rough and hollow. "Thank you, Clara."

"Take care of yourself, Briar," she murmured before disconnecting the call.

I clutched the phone tightly against my chest and stared up at the ceiling, silently praying to the Moon Mother that Logan Vance would grant me an audience before it was too late.

Later that night, I desperately needed an escape. I quietly left the pack house and walked out into the dense woods, hoping to let Vesper front so we could run and heal in the dark.

*Vesper, please take over,* I called out to her internally.

Nothing. Silence filled my mind.

*Vesper!* I tried again, my heart hammering against my ribs.

Panic seized me. I started sprinting through the trees, pushing my body to the absolute limit, begging my wolf to surface. But there was no answering spark. The mental link was completely dead.

*No, no, no... please don't leave me,* I cried out silently. *You can't just slip away. Where are you?*

I reached deep inside myself, trying one more time to feel her presence, but the realization hit me like a physical blow. Her spirit was entirely broken. She couldn't handle the crushing weight of the trauma anymore. The devastating news about Genevieve’s pregnancy had been the absolute breaking point. Vesper had shut down and retreated into the dark, leaving me completely on my own. I felt like an empty, hollow shell.

As I dragged my feet back toward the house, a dark wave of despair washed over me. I truly wondered how much more torment I could survive. The pain was so overwhelming that a dangerous thought crossed my mind—I just wanted it all to end.

Back in my dark bedroom, I collapsed onto the floor. I curled into a tight ball on the rug, staring blankly at the wall. My chest felt numb, and I couldn't even summon the energy to cry.

Suddenly, the screen of my phone lit up, buzzing against the floorboards. I reached out and answered it like a mindless machine. "Hello?"

"Briar!" Clara’s excited voice cut through the heavy silence. "I have amazing news! Logan can see you the day after tomorrow. He’s actually traveling to the Silvercrest pack territory on business to meet with Tristan anyway, so he said he'll make time to see you."