Chapter 2

Elara POV

The suffocating silence in the SUV was broken by a sharp ping from my phone. An audio file from an unknown number. Piper.

With trembling fingers, I tapped play. Gavin's cold, familiar baritone filled the car. "The pup is the only reason she's still here. Once the heir is born, I will formally Reject her."

The word Reject sliced through my soul like a silver blade. I tossed the phone onto the center console. "Listen to it, Bastian," I choked out.

The old butler glanced at the screen, his face draining of color. He couldn't weave any more lies.

"He was never coming to the clinic, was he?" I whispered.

Bastian bowed his head in shame. "I only wanted to protect the pup from your distress, Luna."

My inner White Wolf let out a shattered, agonizing howl. I was entirely alone, surrounded by deceit.

Before I could speak, a deafening roar tore through the night. A massive truck slammed into the side of our SUV. Metal shrieked. The world spun in a violent blur of shattered glass and crushing force. We rolled, coming to a violent halt off the road.

Pain-blinding and absolute-ripped through my abdomen. Warm blood soaked my thighs. Bastian was slumped over the wheel, unconscious. Gasping for air, I reached for the frayed Mate-bond, screaming Gavin's name in my mind. Nothing. Just a wall of ice.

With blood-slicked fingers, I found my phone and hit redial on speaker.

"What now? I'm busy," Gavin snapped.

Then, Piper's giggles echoed through the cracked speaker. "Gavin, darling, which one do you think I'd like? The diamond or the sapphire?"

I couldn't breathe. Through the shattered window, I saw the truck driver stepping out. He didn't have the feral, crazed look of a Rogue. His eyes were cold, calculating-a professional making sure the job was done.

Darkness dragged me under-until the roar of motorcycle engines split the night. My father's enforcers.

I woke to the scent of bitter herbs in the Pack Healer's Clinic. The agonizing emptiness in my womb told me everything. My pup was gone.

Bastian stood by my bed, a thick bandage around his head. "The Alpha..." he started, his voice trembling. "He was here. He just left a few minutes ago."

"Stop lying!" I snarled, my voice raw with grief and fury. "Tell me what he actually said."

Bastian flinched, finally breaking under my icy glare. "He mind-linked me. He said... 'It's unfortunate. Let the Healer handle it. I'm busy.'"

The last shred of my love for Gavin Blackwood turned to ash.

"Get out," I commanded, my tone leaving no room for argument. Once alone, I dialed my father.

"Elara?" His voice was rough with sleep.

"Father," I whispered, my voice breaking. "I need you."

Three days later, the grand foyer of the Alpha's Manor was dead quiet. I stood at the top of the sweeping staircase, wearing a simple white dress, mourning the child I lost, and the mate I was about to kill in my heart.

The heavy oak doors opened. Gavin walked in, looking exhausted. Even from up here, I could smell the lingering scent of Piper's cheap floral perfume on his clothes.

He stopped at the base of the stairs, looking up at me with a frown. "Bastian told me about the accident," he said, his voice tight. "But the pup-"

"Is dead," I finished for him, my voice echoing like ice against the stone walls. "Just like you wanted."

Gavin's face twisted in shock. "That's not-"

"And now," I continued, staring down at the man who broke me, "there is nothing left between us. So, get ready for my Rejection."