Chapter 1

Years later…

Briar's POV

"Congratulations, Luna Briar, you are officially carrying the Alpha's heir."

The words should have filled me with joy, but instead, they felt hollow. I sat on the edge of the hospital bed, staring at the nurse as she recorded the results in her clipboard without so much as a smile. Her tone was flat, indifferent, as if my news was nothing special.

It should be though. The alpha's heir. It was great news. 

But not for the people of Crimson Pack. It was a nightmare and a weakness.

"Thank you," I said, my voice quiet.

She didn’t bother to look up.

No smile. 

No warmth. 

Just a curt nod. I wasn’t surprised. As far as the pack was concerned, I was just an omega who had lucked out. The Alpha’s mate, sure, but still an omega. And an omega carrying the Alpha’s child was an inconvenience to most.

Here in the crimson pack, mates weren't taken seriously. They had expected their alpha to get another wife, to rule, whereas I would just be a mistress. 

But he never did. He loved me, took care of me after he found out I was his mate. Took me away from that crazy orphanage, made me happy and to repay that kindness all I have to do is bear him a child.

Which he didn't want.

He had told me not to rush but there was a part in me who knew he fears that the child would be an omega. 

I stood and pulled my jacket tighter around me. My chest ached with something I couldn’t put into words—like a heaviness that had no place to land. I should be happy. This baby should be a new beginning for Slade and me. It would change everything. Or at least, that’s what I’d been telling myself for weeks.

At this moment it felt like my brain had gone into repeat, like a broken record. 

I ignored the disdainful looks I received from the people and walked as fast as I could to leave the hospital. 

Standing outside the cold air hit my face, and that ache in my chest only deepened. I had to tell Slade the news—this would fix everything between us. The late nights, the recent distance, the arguments that had crept in over the past few months. 

This baby was the fresh start we needed.

Hopefully.

It was winter, close to the Luna Mass. Celebration of her glory and beauty, the town was filled with decorations, the higher class wolves had money to spend and hire omegas as their slaves. 

Hence as I walked past where they put up the line tree, the faces of the people there scrunched up in disgust. 

I ignored it. I was used to it anyways, since I entered the limelight it had been so, better to just let it roll off your back than think about it.

I breathed into my hands as I walked through the estate gate, and walked up the steps to our house.

That was when I felt it.

That tingling feeling. 

Something felt wrong. 

I could hear hushed voices from inside, followed by a soft laugh that sent a shiver down my spine.

Zaya’s laugh.

I froze, my hand hovering over the doorknob. What was Zaya doing here? I hadn’t seen her in weeks. She had told me she was going on a trip, so why was she here in my home? 

I twisted the knob and stepped inside, my heart hammering in my chest. I followed the sound of the voices upstairs. The door to our bedroom was slightly ajar, and I pushed it open without a sound.

And there they were.

Slade and Zaya. Tangled in the sheets naked. His hand tracing her bare back, her lips brushing against his neck. 

Time stopped as I watched my world crumbled in that moment, the air rushing out of my lungs like I’d been punched.

I couldn’t move.

I couldn’t breathe. 

This wasn’t happening. This couldn’t be happening.

“Slade?” I managed, my voice barely above a whisper.

Both of their heads snapped toward me, their eyes wide with shock. Zaya made no attempt to cover herself, while Slade, the man I had loved more than life itself, scrambled to pull the sheet over his body.

“Briar,” he breathed, his face draining of color.

“What—what is this?” My voice shook, the words catching in my throat. I took a step forward, my hand resting on my stomach as if the child inside me could somehow protect me from the pain slicing through my chest.

“It’s not what it looks like,” Zaya said coolly, sitting up as if this was all perfectly normal. She stretched, her bare skin glowing in the dim light. She didn’t even bother looking ashamed. No guilt. No apology.

I stared at Slade, waiting for him to say something, anything. But he just sat there, the guilt clear on his face, but not a word of explanation. As if he felt sorry but wasn't that bothered. 

“How long has…this been going on?” I choked out.

He looked down, his silence answering the question for him.

“How long, Slade?” I repeated, my voice rising.

Zaya smirked. “Does it matter? You had to know this was coming, Briar. Didn't you notice? When the wife doesn't fulfill her duties, another would come in. It's how it works. Survival of the fittest and we both know you aren't fit for anything.”

My eyes snapped to hers. “Shut up Zaya. You don't know what you are talking about.”

Zaya stood, pulling on her clothes casually, like this was just another day for her. “You’re an omega, Briar. Did you really think that was enough for an Alpha? Slade deserves someone strong, someone who can give him everything. Someone who can provide an heir strong enough to rule. Not… this.”

I recoiled as if she’d slapped me. "I’m carrying his child,” I spat, my hand tightening over my stomach. “Our child.”

Her smirk only deepened. “You think that matters?”

Slade finally stood, stepping toward me with his hands raised, as if he could somehow calm the storm raging inside me. “Briar, listen—”

“No,” I snapped, stepping back, away from him. “You don’t get to tell me to listen. You don’t get to explain this away. You don't get to deceive me again.” My voice broke, tears stinging my eyes as the weight of what I had just walked into crashed down on me. “I trusted you, Slade. I believed in you. You said you didn't want a child. I waited. You said you didn't want me involved in pack affairs. I understood. You said you were busy and you still love me. But those were all lies. You turned me into your perfect doll , perfect follower. And this is how you repay me?”

Zaya let out a cold laugh from behind him. “Don’t act surprised, Briar. You’ve always known you were never enough for him. You were convenient. He was like that to you because of the mate bond. Honey you aren't special.”

The room spun, my chest tightening as I struggled to hold back the flood of emotion threatening to drown me. I could feel my heart shattering with every word she spoke, with every second of silence from Slade.

“Say something,” I whispered, turning to him, my voice cracking as tears rolled down my cheeks. “Tell me this isn’t real. Tell me she’s lying.”

He looked away, his jaw clenched. His silence was all the answer I needed.

“I see.” 

I didn't want to stay there any longer. My heart clenched with pain as I turned on my heel, desperate to get away, to escape the suffocating betrayal that hung in the air, but Zaya’s voice stopped me in my tracks.

“Before you go, you should know,” she called out, a wicked edge to her tone. “I’m pregnant too.”

I froze.

“What?”

I turned back slowly, my eyes locking on Zaya’s as she placed a hand on her stomach, her expression smug and triumphant. “Slade’s child, of course. An alpha to be.”

Something inside me snapped. The pain, the betrayal, the humiliation—it all turned into a raging fire that burned through every inch of me. I lunged at her, my vision going red with fury, but before I could reach her, Slade grabbed me, his grip like iron as he shoved me backward.

I stumbled, my body hitting the ground hard. A sharp pain exploded in my abdomen, and I gasped, clutching my stomach. The baby.

“Slade!” I screamed, my voice raw with panic. I prayed it was just an injury, I prayed it wasn't my baby that was staining my blue jeans with blood. 

His eyes widened in shock, but he didn’t move. Zaya was beside him in an instant, pulling him back, her expression twisted with satisfaction. “Let her be for a few hours,” she whispered, her voice low and venomous. “She’s not worth it. The baby isn't worth it.”

I could barely hear them over the ringing in my ears. My vision blurred as the pain tore through me, each breath a battle. I tried to stand, but my legs wouldn’t hold me. I collapsed back to the floor, my hand desperately clutching my stomach, praying that my baby—our baby—would survive this.

“Slade,” I whispered, tears streaming down my face. “Please… help me.”

But he didn’t move. He didn’t even look at me.

“You’re done here, Briar,” Zaya said, stepping toward me with a sneer. “Slade’s mine now. He was always going to be.”

I looked up at her, the world spinning around me, my heart breaking beyond repair. And in that moment, I knew—this was it. I had lost everything.

As darkness started to close in, the last thing I saw was Slade turning away, leaving me on the floor like I was nothing.

I wouldn’t forget this. I wouldn’t forgive this.

When I woke up, they would both regret it.

I’d make sure of that.

But as my vision blurred and my consciousness slipped away, one last thought lingered in my mind: Would I ever wake up again?