Chapter 2

Elana POV

The acrid sting of antiseptic burned the inside of my nose. It was a stark, sterile contrast to the metallic tang of blood that still lingered in my memory.

I stared at the ceiling of the Healer's ward. It was white. Blank. Just like the future I thought I had.

My womb felt hollow. It wasn't just a physical emptiness; it was a spiritual void. The bond with the pup-that tiny, fragile thread of gold-was gone. Severed by the Alpha's Command.

The door creaked open. Emilio walked in.

He looked impeccable. Not a hair out of place, his suit crisp and pressed. He smelled of her-of vanilla and cloying sweetness. My inner wolf didn't purr. She curled her lip, baring her teeth in the back of my mind.

"Elana," he said, walking to the bedside. He reached for my hand.

I didn't move. I didn't pull away. I just let my hand lie there, a dead thing in his warm grip.

"It was an accident," he said. His voice was smooth, practiced. "I didn't know you were... delicate. You shouldn't have rushed the dais. You startled Leo."

*I startled Leo.*

"I lost the baby, Emilio," I whispered. My voice sounded like dry leaves scraping over concrete.

He sighed, patting my hand with a condescending rhythm. "It's for the best, really. The pack is unstable right now. We discussed this. It wasn't the right time for an heir."

"You gave Leo my bracelet."

"It's just jewelry, Elana. Don't be petty. Hayden has had a hard life. The boy needed comfort." He leaned down, brushing his lips against my forehead. I felt bile rise in my throat. "I'll buy you another one. Something better. Gold, maybe."

He pulled back, checking his watch. "I have to go. Council meeting. Rest up. We need those blueprints for the western watchtower by Friday."

He turned and left. Just like that.

"You bastard!"

Ayla burst into the room the moment Emilio walked out. She shoved past him, her shoulder checking his chest. He barely flinched, just cast her a warning glare before disappearing down the hall.

"Elana," Ayla sobbed, rushing to my side. She grabbed my face in her hands. "I'm so sorry. I tried to stop them. The Guardians held me back."

"It's okay," I said. And it was terrifying, because I meant it. I didn't feel sad anymore. I felt... clear.

Pain is a powerful lens. It burns away the fog.

"Did you hear him?" I asked Ayla. "He said it wasn't the right time for an heir. But Leo calls him Dad."

Ayla looked away, biting her lip.

"Tell me," I commanded.

"There are rumors," she whispered. "That Leo isn't just a ward. That he's... his."

I closed my eyes. The pieces clicked together like the tumblers of a lock. The late nights. The 'business trips.' The way he looked at that boy.

*Mind-Link connection opening...*

I caught a fragment of a thought. It wasn't directed at me, but the bond between Fated Mates, even rejected ones, sometimes leaked like a faulty pipe.

*...she's finally out of the way. The bracelet looks so good on him, Emilio. You promised me the Luna suite...*

It was Hayden's voice. Purring in his mind.

I opened my eyes. On the bedside table sat a small wooden wolf I had carved for Emilio for our first anniversary. He kept it on his desk. Now, it was here. Dumped with my personal effects.

He had erased me from his office.

I sat up. The pain in my abdomen flared, sharp and cruel, but I ignored it.

"Ayla," I said. "I need you to bring me my drafting bag."

"You're going to work?" she asked, incredulous.

"No," I said, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed. My hospital gown was thin, but I felt a strange heat rising in my chest. "I'm leaving."

"Leaving the hospital?"

"Leaving the Pack."

Ayla's eyes widened. "Elana, you're a Beta. You can't survive as a Rogue. And the Alpha... he won't let you go. You design everything here."

"He broke the bond," I said, my voice steady. "When he used the Command on a pregnant mate... he broke the sacred trust. My wolf doesn't recognize him anymore."

I looked at the wooden carving. I picked it up and threw it into the trash bin. It landed with a hollow thud.

"I am not a tool, Ayla. And I am certainly not a replacement for his mistress."

I stood up, swaying slightly as gravity reasserted itself. "Help me pack. I need to be gone before the moon rises."