Chapter 1
When I was three months pregnant, Damian’s elder brother, Evander Bradley, the former Alpha of the Bradley Pack, passed away. Lorelei, the Luna and my mother-in-law, was distraught over the idea of her eldest son leaving no heir to secure the pack’s lineage. She demanded that Cynthia, a Delta from the rival Robinson Pack, bear a child with Damian, the current Alpha and my mate, to continue the family line.
Even as I resisted, Lorelei struck me, her alpha tone lashing out like a whip. “You’ve only given us daughters, Willow. Why not let Cynthia have a go? The pack’s future depends on a strong heir.”
I had always trusted Damian’s integrity, but that trust crumbled as he betrayed me so soon after his brother’s passing. The faint sounds from Cynthia’s room shattered my dreams, leaving me hollow and numb. My wolf whimpered in the back of my mind, but I silenced her. There was no room for weakness now.
I sat outside their room all night, lost in thought. At dawn, Damian emerged, his dark eyes avoiding mine. “It was just one night,” he said, his voice cold and dismissive. “Can’t you be a little more understanding?” Silent tears flowed as despair overtook me. I decided to end my pregnancy and became the first Omega in our pack to request a mate rejection, citing Damian and Cynthia’s betrayal.
The winter nights in our territory were deathly still and freezing, mirroring my heart. On one side was the muted sound of Damian and Cynthia, and on the other was Lorelei’s unrelenting criticism. In the main hall, I sat across from a portrait of Evander, feeling defeated and shedding silent tears.
Cynthia’s soft cries reverberated in my ears until the early morning light broke and the pack’s enforcers had made their rounds three times before Damian finally emerged from her room. With a shred of hope, I weakly asked, “Last night you…”
But before I could finish, Damian snapped, his alpha tone cutting through the air like a blade. “Willow, it was just one night with Cynthia. Can’t you be reasonable and stop making a scene?”
“The Luna mentioned we’re all pack. Do we really need to split hairs?”
His voice was forceful, as if trying to convince us both. As I looked into his eyes, my last bit of hope faded, and I felt a biting coldness.
There's an old saying, “Mate an Alpha and secure your place,” but I mated Damian out of love. He was a sincere eighteen-year-old who won my heart with his earnestness, even when I was just an Omega. But in five years, he was a stranger to me.
I touched my belly, my tears having dried. Cynthia, a Delta from the rival pack, had drawn Damian in while I was pregnant, leaving me to consider our future in this pack. The harsh Northern winters kept everyone inside, so for half a month, no one in the pack noticed that Damian spent all day in Cynthia’s room. My daughters and I were banished to the cold, damp guest house by Lorelei.
In freezing temperatures, the guest house felt like an ice cave without heating. My younger daughter, Makayla, less than a year old, shivered relentlessly. I knelt outside Lorelei’s room, pleading for us to come in for warmth. Her response was cruel, her alpha tone sharp and unyielding. “Let the girls freeze if they must. You can return when Cynthia is expecting.”
Though times had changed, our life in Damian’s pack felt more oppressive than an era long past. On another frigid night, Cynthia announced her pregnancy, and we were allowed back into the main house. I finally saw Damian again.
He greeted me with his usual facade of simplicity and honesty, trying to wrap his arms around my waist. “Willow, don’t be mad. I’ll be with you every night now, okay?”
I looked at the marks on his neck, feeling repulsed, and instinctively pushed him away. But Damian’s strength, honed from his Alpha training, was too much for me to resist. Just as he was about to tear at my clothes, Lorelei’s voice barked from outside, her alpha tone cutting through the tension.
“Damian, what are you doing? Cynthia isn’t feeling well. Go check on her.”
Damian stopped suddenly, concern flashing across his face, and rushed out. “Luna, what’s wrong with Cynthia? She was fine after breakfast. Why is she unwell now?”
Our older daughter, Mina, hadn’t seen her father for a while, and as he left again, she reached for him, “Daddy.”
Damian paused briefly before saying, “Mina, be good and stay with Mommy. Your aunt is having a baby and will soon give you a brother. Be understanding, don’t cling to Daddy like before, okay?”
The mention of “brother” stirred a nausea within me. Mina, too young to grasp the situation, inquired, “But why does Daddy only love the brother in Aunt’s belly, when Mommy is also pregnant?”
Damian’s expression briefly showed guilt before he spoke with feigned sympathy, his alpha tone softening slightly. “Willow, don’t overthink. You know Cynthia needs extra care since it’s her first. We’ll have more children, but this is her only one…”
Lorelei interrupted from outside, and without glancing back, he left again. Mina, seeing her father disappear once more, became upset and asked me, “Mom, is Aunt Daddy’s mate now too? Will Daddy leave me?”
I held Mina tightly, trying to share any remaining warmth, speaking words of comfort that felt as much for me as for her, “It’s alright, Mina. You still have Mommy. I’ll always be here with you.”
“Even if… even if… I get a mate rejection, I’ll never leave you.” My voice grew weaker with each word, my uncertainty about the future echoing in my own heart.