My Mate Betrayed My Child

The morning light filtered through the cabin windows as I carefully checked the moonflower elixir for the hundredth time. The luminescent blue liquid caught the sunlight, casting ethereal patterns across my palm. Four days had passed since my journey to the trading post, and Emma's condition had stabilized enough for her to rest comfortably, though her fever still burned beneath her skin.

"Is that my medicine, Mommy?" Emma's voice was weak but hopeful as she watched me from her bed, her chestnut curls splayed across the pillow.

"Yes, baby." I smiled, carefully returning the vial to its protective case. "Tomorrow night when the moon rises, you'll take this and your wolf will be free."

Emma's eyes flickered between hazel and amber. "Will she have a name? My wolf?"

"She already does," I assured her, stroking her forehead. "You'll hear it when she can finally speak to you."

My daughter smiled, the simple gesture sending warmth through my chest. I had sacrificed my grandmother's journals—my family's legacy—but seeing that smile, I knew I would have given far more.

A sharp knock at the door startled us both.

"Stay here," I whispered, tucking the blanket around Emma before hiding the elixir in the locked cabinet where I kept my most precious healing supplies.

When I opened the door, Sophia stood on my porch, her perfect features twisted in anguish. Blood-tinged tears streaked down her face, smearing her mascara in dramatic rivulets.

"Luna," she gasped, clutching at my arm with desperate fingers. "Please help me. It's Jason—he's dying."

I stepped back, instinctively pulling away from her touch. "What's wrong with him?"

"Wolf-fever," she sobbed, her body trembling. "Elara confirmed it this morning. He can't shift, and the full moon is tomorrow. Please, I know you have the elixir."

My blood ran cold. I had never trusted Sophia, not since Derek began spending his evenings at her cabin under the guise of "family duty." But a child's life—even hers—wasn't something I could dismiss.

"Sophia," I said carefully, "there's barely enough for one child. Emma needs the full dose tomorrow at moonrise."

Something flashed in her eyes—a calculation that didn't match her tears. "We could split it. Half for each child."

"That's not how it works," I explained, keeping my voice steady despite the alarm bells ringing in my head. "Elara was clear—anything less than a full dose is ineffective. Emma's been suffering for days."

Sophia's face transformed, the mask of maternal desperation slipping to reveal raw fury. "My son is the Alpha's grandson," she hissed. "The only male descendant of the Mitchell bloodline. Emma is just a girl."

Before I could respond, she lunged forward, her manicured nails raking across my arms as she tried to push past me into the cabin. "Where is it? I know you have it!"

"Sophia, stop!" I shouted, blocking her path to protect both Emma and the elixir. "This is madness!"

We grappled in the doorway, her desperation giving her unnatural strength. I could hear Emma crying from her bedroom, calling for me.

The sound of heavy footsteps on the porch made me turn, hope flaring briefly—Derek was home. My mate would stop this, would protect us.

But when our eyes met, I saw nothing of the man I had loved for seven years. His gaze was cold, distant, fixed on Sophia with an intensity that made my stomach drop.

"Derek," I gasped, still struggling against Sophia's grip. "Help me!"

His nostrils flared as he inhaled Sophia's scent, his pupils dilating. When he spoke, his voice carried the unmistakable resonance of an Alpha tone—a power he shouldn't possess as a Delta warrior.

"Where is the elixir, Luna?" The command vibrated through my bones, making my knees weak.

"Derek, what are you doing?" I whispered, disbelief paralyzing me. "It's for Emma. Your daughter."

His face hardened. "The elixir, Luna. Now."

When I didn't move, couldn't move, he grabbed my shoulders and slammed me against the wall. My head cracked against the wooden surface, stars exploding behind my eyes.

"The cabinet," I heard Sophia say. "Check her healing cabinet."

The world tilted and darkened around me as Derek released me, letting me crumple to the floor. Through blurring vision, I watched him break the lock on my cabinet with one powerful twist. The last thing I saw before consciousness slipped away was Sophia's triumphant smile as she clutched the vial of glowing blue liquid to her chest.

And Derek—my mate, my daughter's father—helping her flee with our child's only hope of survival.