After Her Alpha's Betrayal, I Claimed My Power

The Northern Packs had been colder than usual, their Alpha's words even icier as they negotiated territory boundaries. I'd cut the diplomatic mission short, my wolf Luna growing increasingly agitated with each passing hour. Something was wrong—I could feel it through the mate bond, like a discordant note in what should have been a harmonious melody.

"Just a few more hours," I whispered to Luna as our car approached Silver Claw territory. The familiar pine scent of home should have calmed us, but instead, my wolf paced restlessly in my mind, her silver fur bristling with unease.

The pack house stood silent in the moonlight, most of our members already retired for the evening. I'd planned to surprise Ethan, maybe ease whatever tension had been building between us since Father's death. My hand unconsciously touched the crescent moon pendant at my throat—Dad's last gift to me. Three months. It had only been three months since the rogue attack that stole him from us.

My footsteps echoed softly on the marble floors as I made my way through the west wing. The private quarters I'd shared with Ethan for over a year beckoned ahead, but something made me slow my approach. A scent lingered in the air—vanilla and jasmine. Rebecca Mitchell.

My stomach clenched. Why would she be in our private wing at this hour?

Luna whimpered in my mind as I crept closer, my healing abilities allowing me to move with more stealth than most she-wolves. The door to our bedroom stood slightly ajar, warm lamplight spilling into the darkened hallway. I pressed myself against the wall, heart hammering so loud I feared they might hear it.

"—can feel him getting stronger every day," Rebecca's voice drifted out, sickeningly sweet. "Your son will be magnificent, Alpha."

My blood turned to ice. Son?

I peered through the crack in the door, and the sight that greeted me shattered something fundamental inside me. Ethan sat on our bed—our bed—with Rebecca perched beside him. His large hand rested tenderly on her visibly rounded belly, his thumb tracing gentle circles over the fabric of her dress. The same gesture he used to make on my stomach, back when we still had hope that the Moon Goddess would bless us with pups.

"He'll be everything the pack needs," Ethan murmured, his voice holding a warmth I hadn't heard in months. "Strong. Capable. Everything a true Alpha heir should be."

Rebecca leaned into him, her blonde hair cascading over his shoulder. "Unlike what she could have given you. Even before the accident, did you really think her weak bloodline would produce a worthy successor?"

The casual cruelty of her words made me bite my lip to keep from gasping. But it was Ethan's response that truly destroyed me.

He chuckled. Actually chuckled. "The Moon Goddess has interesting timing. If Marcus hadn't died saving me, I might have been stuck with a barren Luna forever. At least now I have options."

"Three months," Rebecca purred. "We've been so careful for three months. When will you tell her?"

Three months. Since right after Father's funeral. While I was drowning in grief, barely able to function, my mate had been—

I must have made a sound, because suddenly both their heads snapped toward the door. Without thinking, I pushed it open fully, standing in the doorway like a ghost of the Luna I used to be.

"Olivia." Ethan's voice held no surprise, only mild annoyance. He didn't even remove his hand from Rebecca's belly. "You're back early."

"Explain." The word came out steadier than I felt. Luna was howling in my mind, the sound of a wolf whose entire world had just imploded.

Ethan stood slowly, his six-foot-four frame imposing as always. But for the first time, I noticed how his brown eyes held no warmth when they looked at me. When had that changed? When had I become an inconvenience rather than his cherished mate?

"What's there to explain?" His eyes flashed Alpha red, the dominance in them pressing against my skin like a physical weight. "You can't give me what I need, Olivia. The pack needs an heir. Rebecca can provide that."

"We're mates," I whispered, hating how broken I sounded. "The Moon Goddess—"

"The Moon Goddess made a mistake." His words were ice-cold daggers. "Or perhaps she simply knew you'd become damaged goods. Either way, I need a son. A legacy. Something you'll never be able to give me."

The room spun. This couldn't be happening. This man who'd held me as I sobbed over Father's grave, who'd sworn to love me through everything—he was looking at me like I was nothing. Like our bond meant nothing.

Like I meant nothing.

Rebecca stood then, her hand possessively covering her belly. The smirk on her face told me everything I needed to know. This wasn't just about an heir.

This was about power. And I'd already lost.