Abandoned by False Mate

The rumor started small, whispered in the pack laundry room where gossip spread faster than wildfire.

"I heard Luna Sophie might be expecting," I murmured to Sarah, one of the younger pack members who worked in the kitchens. My voice carried just the right note of nervous excitement, the kind that made people lean in closer.

Sarah's eyes widened. "Really? That's wonderful news!"

"Well," I lowered my voice conspiratorially, "it's still early, but..." I placed a protective hand over my flat stomach, letting my words trail off meaningfully.

It was a desperate lie, born from the ashes of my shattered world. After Andrea's threats and the revelation about Grandmother's death, something cold and calculating had awakened inside me. If Zachary wanted to play games, if he thought he could keep me trapped as his fake Luna while his real mate plotted my destruction, then I would give him something to truly rage about.

The pregnancy rumor was my weapon—the one thing that would cut through his Alpha arrogance and possessive nature like a blade. Even if our mate bond was a sham, his wolf would never tolerate the thought of me carrying another male's pup.

By evening, the whispers had reached the pack dining hall. I sat at the Luna's table, picking at my dinner while conversations buzzed around me. Pack members kept glancing in my direction with curious, hopeful smiles. A few of the older women approached to offer congratulations and parenting advice.

"You're glowing, dear," Mrs. Henderson said, patting my shoulder. "Zachary must be over the moon."

I managed a wan smile. "We're... processing the news."

The lie tasted bitter on my tongue, but I forced myself to play the part. I excused myself early from dinner, claiming morning sickness, and retreated to the Luna quarters I shared with Zachary. He wouldn't be back until late—probably with Andrea—so I had time to prepare for the storm I'd unleashed.

I didn't have to wait long.

The door slammed open at eleven-thirty, rattling the picture frames on the walls. Zachary stood in the doorway, his golden eyes blazing with fury, his massive frame filling the entrance. Behind him, I could see Andrea hovering in the hallway, her face a mask of vindictive satisfaction.

"Pregnant?" The word exploded from him like a gunshot. "You're telling the pack you're pregnant?"

I sat up in bed, pulling my silk robe tighter around me. "News travels fast."

He crossed the room in three swift strides, his Alpha aura pressing against me like a physical weight. "Don't play games with me, Sophie. Whose pup is it?"

The question hung in the air between us, loaded with all the poison of our destroyed relationship. I met his gaze steadily, drawing on every ounce of strength I had left.

"Not yours," I said quietly.

The sound that came from his throat was barely human—a growl that seemed to shake the very foundations of the packhouse. His hands clenched into fists at his sides, and for a moment, I thought he might actually strike me.

"You lying little—" He caught himself, but his control was hanging by a thread. "You haven't been with anyone else. I would know. I would smell it on you."

"Would you?" I tilted my head, letting a cruel smile play at my lips. "You've been so busy with your real mate, maybe you haven't been paying attention."

Andrea stepped into the room then, her presence like a poisonous cloud. "She's lying, Zachary. She's just trying to hurt you."

"Am I?" I stood up slowly, my bare feet silent on the cold hardwood floor. "Maybe I finally decided to find someone who actually wants me. Someone who doesn't need to keep me as a secret shame while parading his real mate around in private."

Zachary's face went white with rage. "Tomorrow morning," he snarled, "you're going to the pack doctor. In front of witnesses. We're going to settle this once and for all."

"Fine," I said, lifting my chin defiantly. "But when that test comes back positive, don't come crying to me about pack honor and bloodlines."

It was a bluff—a desperate, dangerous bluff—but I held his stare until he turned and stormed out, Andrea trailing behind him like a shadow.

Alone in the darkness, I sank back onto the bed, my hands shaking. Tomorrow would bring the reckoning, and I had no idea how I would survive it. But for tonight, for just a few precious hours, I had given Zachary Bradley a taste of the helpless fury that had been eating me alive.

The lie would destroy me, but at least it would hurt him first.