After My Mate Abandoned Me in Labor

The morning sun streamed through the windows of the pack's premium outfitters, casting golden light across rows of gleaming hunting gear. For the first time in years, I wasn't here to buy something for Marcus or his mother. Today, every purchase was mine.

"This crossbow has enhanced silver-tipped arrows," the shop owner explained, his eyes widening as I nodded without checking the price. "And these tactical boots are designed for extended hunts in rough terrain."

I ran my fingers along the sleek weapon, feeling its perfect balance. The old Isabella would have calculated every expense, worried about the household budget, considered what Marcus might need first. That Isabella had died in the clinic three days ago along with my pup.

"I'll take them both," I said, pulling out my final warrior stipend—money I'd earned through blood, sweat, and countless nights on patrol while Marcus slept peacefully at home.

The silver crescent birthmark on my wrist caught the light as I signed the receipt. Nyx stirred approvingly in my mind, her presence stronger than it had been in months. *Finally,* she growled. *Finally, you remember who you are.*

Next stop was the training grounds, where visiting instructors from the Northern Territories offered advanced combat courses. The kind of elite training I'd always wanted but never allowed myself—too expensive, too selfish, too much time away from supporting Marcus.

"Advanced predator tracking and elimination," I told the grizzled instructor, his scarred hands marking my enrollment. "And the tactical combat intensive."

His eyebrows rose. "Both courses? That's a significant investment, and the training is brutal. Most warriors take one at a time."

"I'm not most warriors," I replied, surprising myself with the steel in my voice.

As I walked home with my purchases, the weight of the gear felt like armor—protection not just for my body, but for the parts of myself I'd forgotten existed. Other pack members stared as I passed, unused to seeing me with anything that wasn't practical, necessary, or chosen with someone else's needs in mind.

The mind-link hit me like a slap as I reached our quarters.

*What the hell do you think you're doing?* Marcus's mental voice crackled with fury. *I can smell the new leather and steel on you from across the pack grounds.*

I paused at the door, my hand on the handle. *Investing in myself.*

*With what money? That was our money, Isabella! Our household funds!*

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. *My warrior stipend. My earnings. My choice.*

*You're being selfish and irresponsible!* His mental voice rose to a near-shriek. *What about our future? What about the sacred bond the Moon Goddess gave us? You're betraying everything we built together!*

I set my new gear down carefully, each piece a testament to my worth. *What we built? You mean what I built while you contributed nothing?*

*I supported you emotionally! I was your anchor, your reason for fighting!*

The audacity of his words sent Nyx into a snarling rage. *Your anchor?* I shot back through the link. *Where was that anchor three nights ago when I was bleeding on our kitchen floor?*

Silence stretched between us, heavy with his guilt and my growing fury.

*That's different,* he finally replied, his mental tone shifting to the wheedling manipulation I'd fallen for countless times. *Rachel needed me. She's fragile, not strong like you. You can handle anything—*

*I lost our pup, Marcus.* The words cut through his excuses like a blade. *I lost our child because you chose her over us.*

*You're being dramatic. The healer said—*

*The healer said delayed medical attention contributed to the loss.* I cut the mind-link before he could spew more poison, the mental equivalent of slamming a door in his face.

I was arranging my new hunting knives when the front door burst open. Patricia Williams stormed in without invitation, her face twisted with righteous indignation, Rachel trailing behind her like a smug shadow.

"How dare you!" Patricia's shrill voice filled the room. "How dare you abandon your sacred duties to the Moon Goddess for this... this selfish tantrum!"

I looked up slowly from my gear, meeting her furious gaze with calm indifference. "Patricia. You're in my home uninvited."

"This is my son's home too! And you're destroying it with your ungrateful behavior!" She gestured wildly at my purchases. "Wasting money on toys while Rachel carries the future of our bloodline!"

Rachel's hand moved protectively to her swollen belly, a gesture I'd once made myself. The sight should have hurt, but instead, it crystallized something cold and sharp inside me.

"The Moon Goddess blessed you with a strong mate and a warrior's calling," Patricia continued, her voice dripping with false piety. "And this is how you repay her? By abandoning your responsibilities? By turning your back on the sacred bond?"

I stood slowly, and something in my movement made both women step back. The Alpha blood I'd suppressed for so long began to sing in my veins.

"Tell me, Patricia," I said quietly, "where in the Moon Goddess's teachings does it say a mate should abandon his pregnant partner in her hour of greatest need?"

Her mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for air.

"Because I seem to remember her teachings about loyalty, protection, and putting your mate above all others." My voice dropped to a whisper that somehow filled the room. "Perhaps you should remind your son of those lessons before lecturing me about sacred duties."

The silence stretched taut as a bowstring, and in that moment, I saw something flicker in Rachel's eyes—the first hint of uncertainty, as if she was beginning to realize she might have chosen the wrong side in this war.

But it was too late for second thoughts. Far too late.