Chapter 2

The sunlight filtering through the grimy window of the healer’s quarters felt like a cruel joke.

I lay on the narrow cot, my body still weak from the heatstroke that had nearly claimed my life—and the lives of my unborn pups—two days ago. Elara had insisted I stay under her care, though I could see the worry lines etched into her face every time she glanced at me.

Worry for my health, yes. But also worry about what Blake might do when he realized I hadn’t returned to the servant quarters.

I stared blankly at the cracked ceiling, my fingers absently tracing the curve of my swollen belly. The pups were safe, for now. Elara had assured me their heartbeats were strong, though I could still feel the faintest tremor of fear whenever I thought about how close I’d come to losing them.

My phone buzzed on the bedside table, the screen lighting up with a string of notifications. I groaned softly as I shifted to reach it, my muscles protesting the movement.

“What now?” I muttered under my breath as I unlocked the device.

The first notification was a tag from Blake’s Instagram account. My stomach dropped as I opened the app, my thumb hovering over the screen.

There he was—my mate, the future Alpha of the Silvermoon Pack—standing on the edge of a sunlit mountain meadow. His arms were slung carelessly around Victoria Sterling’s shoulders, her golden hair catching the light as she leaned into him.

“Peak season,” the caption read, accompanied by a smirking emoji. “Only a worthy she-wolf by my side.”

I felt sick.

The photo was geotagged—a luxury mountain retreat in Colorado, one of those exclusive resorts that catered to high-ranking wolves and their mates. I’d heard whispers about it from the other Omegas, how lavish it was, how only the most elite packs could afford to vacation there.

A second photo loaded, then a third. Blake and Victoria skiing down a pristine slope, their faces flushed and happy. Blake feeding her a bite of food at a candlelit dinner. Victoria laughing as he twirled her around in the snow.

Each image was meticulously staged, designed to showcase their perfect, idyllic romance.

“Altitude too high for those who can’t keep up,” Victoria commented below one of the photos, her tone dripping with false sweetness.

A snarl ripped through my mind, my wolf’s voice echoing my own outrage. *He’s flaunting her in front of the entire pack,* she growled. *After everything he’s put us through, he’s rubbing this in our faces.*

I clenched my jaw, my nails digging into the phone’s screen. “He’s not worth it,” I whispered, though the words felt hollow.

But I couldn’t tear my eyes away.

Blake’s next post was a video—a panoramic shot of the resort’s opulent dining hall, the tables laden with crystal and silver. “Pack business never stops,” he said smoothly, his voice carrying across the room. “Even on vacation, I’m working to secure the best for Silvermoon.”

A lie.

I knew it, deep in my bones. This wasn’t a business trip. It was a vacation, one he’d paid for using pack funds while leaving me to suffer in the sweltering servant quarters.

My wolf growled again, her anger a palpable thing. *He’s spending our money on her, while we’re stuck here fighting to survive.*

I couldn’t argue with her.

The final image loaded, a selfie of Blake and Victoria sitting on a private balcony overlooking the mountains. Her head was tilted back, her lips brushing his jawline. “Best view in the world,” she’d captioned it, her words oozing with false affection.

Something inside me snapped.

I reached out through the mate bond, my mental voice trembling with barely contained rage. *Blake.*

There was a pause, then a flicker of irritation from his end. *What is it, Mia? Can’t you see I’m busy?*

“You’re humiliating me,” I said, my voice breaking. “Parading her around like this, spending pack money on her while I’m—”

“While you’re what?” His tone turned mocking, his words laced with venom. “Weak? Pathetic? Inconvenient?”

My breath hitched, but I forced myself to continue. “Our pup deserves better than this. Better than you.”

For a moment, there was only silence. Then, a low, cruel chuckle. “You really think I care what you or the pup deserve?”

The bond went dead, severed by his end.

I sat there, my phone still clutched in my hand, the remnants of his words echoing in my skull.

Our pup deserves better than this.

Better than you.

The truth of it hit me like a physical blow, leaving me gasping for air.

I wasn’t just fighting for my own survival anymore. I was fighting for my child’s. And if that meant tearing down the very foundation of this pack… then so be it.