Chapter 1

I lay on the birthing bed, contractions coming one after another.

My mate Kieran gripped my hand, his eyes soft with tenderness.

"Hold on a little longer, Elara. Soon we'll meet our pup."

Pain soaked me in sweat, but I forced a smile for him.

Until the midwife walked in holding a syringe—I thought it was moonshade tincture for the pain.

But Kieran suddenly released my hand and stepped back.

The needle pierced my skin, and I heard Kieran say:

"Get the dosage right. She has to wait until Vivienne delivers before going into labor."

I stared at him wide-eyed, but he only checked his pocket watch.

"Vivienne's dilated to six centimeters. Just stall for two more hours."

I tried to scream, tried to struggle, but the drug was already flooding my system.

The violent contractions in my abdomen felt like an unseen force suddenly choking them off.

They stopped.

Just stopped.

……

I was dragged into a makeshift cell in the healer's cellar.

Kieran's sister Lyra stood in the doorway, playing with a scalpel.

"Elara, don't blame Kieran."

"Vivienne's carrying my eldest brother's posthumous pup—the first male pup of the Frostwood Pack this generation."

"No matter how early you deliver, yours is just a daughter. Worthless."

I clutched my belly as another wave of contractions fought the drug.

Pain darkened my vision.

"Get the healer—I'm in labor, really..."

Lyra laughed.

She walked over, crouched in front of me, and tapped my face lightly with the scalpel.

"Labor? What labor?"

"The drug will hold for three more hours. Vivienne's already in the birthing chamber."

"You wait here like a good girl. Once her son's safely born, you can deliver however you want."

She stood and barked orders at the guards by the door:

"Watch her. If she screams, gag her."

The door slammed shut.

The cellar had only one dim oil lamp.

I lay on the floor, blood already soaking through my dress.

My mind-link had been severed when I entered the healing hall.

Kieran said it would drain my strength, bad for the pup.

Now I understood—he was afraid I'd reach anyone outside.

I curled into myself, trying to breathe through the pain.

But all I could see were Kieran's eyes.

Cold. Calculating. Like I was a thing.

Not his mate. Not the woman about to bear his child.

Three months ago, his eldest brother died in a border raid.

He left behind his widow Vivienne, three months pregnant.

At the funeral, the Old Alpha wept, gripping Vivienne's hand:

"You must deliver safely. The Frostwood Pack can't end here."

I'd felt sorry for Vivienne then and offered:

"Father, don't worry. My pup with Kieran will honor you too."

The Old Alpha glanced at me and said nothing.

From that moment, my child was already abandoned.

"Ahh..."

Another contraction hit, fiercer than before.

The drug was wearing off. The pup was coming.

I clawed at the door, pounding with everything I had.

"Someone—I'm in labor—save my pup!"

Silence from the other side.

Only when my voice went hoarse did I hear a guard's irritated voice:

"Shut up already. Miss Lyra said wait."

"But my pup..."

"If it dies, that's fate. Who told you not to carry a son?"

I collapsed on the floor, my body going cold.

Not fate. Someone wanted my child dead.