My Alpha Let His Mistress Kill Our Pup

The scent of pine and earth filled the car as we wound our way through the forest road. I stared out the window, watching the trees blur together in a green haze. The solstice ceremony awaited us at the pack boundary—a ritual as old as our kind itself.

"You should be prepared, Jocelyn," the Dowager Luna said, her voice cutting through the silence between us. "Salma's ambition has grown dangerous."

I turned to look at my mother-in-law. The silver streaks in her dark hair caught the sunlight filtering through the trees. Despite the tension between us over the years, there was something in her eyes now that made my wolf stir uneasily.

"What do you mean?" I asked, though part of me already knew.

"She's not satisfied with being Ethan's mistress anymore." The Dowager Luna's fingers tightened on the moon pendant hanging from her neck. "She wants your title. Your position. Everything that should be yours by right of the Moon Goddess."

My hand instinctively moved to my stomach, where our pup grew in secret. Ethan didn't know yet. I hadn't found the right moment to tell him, not since he'd brought Salma into our home.

"Luna Jocelyn," our driver called back, "we're approaching the boundary marker."

Before I could respond, a black SUV appeared from nowhere, tires screeching as it rammed into our vehicle. Metal crunched against metal. Glass shattered. We were thrown forward as the car careened off the road, tumbling down a ravine.

Pain exploded through my body as we crashed to a halt. The driver was unconscious, blood trickling from his temple. The Dowager Luna slumped against her seatbelt, her forehead split open.

"Help," I whispered, fumbling for my phone. "We need help."

The door beside me was wrenched open. A figure stood silhouetted against the afternoon sky—Salma, her perfect features twisted into something feral.

"Hello, Luna," she purred, reaching in to grab my arm. Her nails dug into my skin as she dragged me from the wreckage.

"What are you doing?" I gasped, struggling against her grip. "The Dowager Luna is hurt!"

"Good," Salma hissed, her eyes flashing amber. "One less obstacle."

She threw me onto the ground. I could smell her now—that artificial sweetness masking something rotten beneath. My wolf howled in warning as Salma began to shift, her body contorting as fur rippled across her skin.

"Don't," I pleaded, scrambling backward. "Salma, please—"

She lunged forward, grabbing me by the throat. Her wolf form was smaller than mine would be, but stronger than a human's. With a powerful swipe, she knocked me onto my back.

"You never deserved him," she snarled, her voice distorted by her partial shift. "You never deserved any of this."

Her clawed foot connected with my stomach—once, twice, three times. Each impact sent white-hot agony through my body. I screamed as something warm and wet spread between my legs.

"My baby," I sobbed, curling into myself. "Please, stop..."

Salma stood over me, breathing heavily. "Problem solved."

The sound of vehicles approaching made her head snap up. Pack healers—they must have sensed the disturbance. But instead of letting them pass, Salma positioned herself across the road, her body blocking their path.

"Go back!" she commanded, her voice carrying the weight of a high-ranking she-wolf. "Alpha's orders!"

I watched through tear-blurred eyes as she lied to them, as she turned away help that could save the Dowager Luna—that could save our child.

The last thing I saw before darkness claimed me was Ethan's familiar silhouette approaching through the trees, his Alpha aura radiating power and authority.

"Jocelyn!" His voice cut through my fading consciousness. "What happened?"

"She attacked me," Salma sobbed, her performance flawless as she threw herself into his arms. "She went crazy—said I was trying to steal you away."

"No," I whispered, trying to sit up. "Ethan, she's lying. She killed our baby..."

His eyes widened for a moment—had he heard me? Had he understood?

"Ethan, please," I reached toward him, my hand still bearing the Luna's ring he'd placed there years ago. "Our pup... she kicked me... she..."

"Silence!" His Alpha Tone crashed over me like a physical blow.

I couldn't breathe. Couldn't move. The weight of his command crushed down on me as he stepped forward, his boot coming to rest on my outstretched hand.

"Stop lying about Salma," he growled, his eyes cold as winter. "You're making things worse for yourself."

The pressure increased as he pushed down. I heard bones crack before I felt the pain.

"Ethan," I gasped through tears, "it's me... your Luna..."

But he was already turning away, Salma clinging to his arm as he helped her to their vehicle.

"I'll deal with you later," he called over his shoulder. "When you're ready to tell the truth."

As darkness closed in around me, I watched my mate walk away with the woman who had destroyed everything we had built together. And somewhere deep inside, something that had been warm and alive grew cold and still.