Chapter 1 1

To get rid of our pup and date with his assistant on Valentine's Day, my mate Marcus forced our injured pup to go rock climbing and poisoned him. When I rushed my dying pup to the hospital, I unexpectedly saw my mate accompanying his assistant for a prenatal checkup. Our terrified pup lay convulsing from the poison, but Marcus didn’t even care about him. "He's just an Omega. If he was a proper wolf, he'd heal instantly!" I clutched the $100 million Moonlight Blessing herb in my pocket. I accidentally found it in the forest this morning. I was planning to tell him the good news today. But now? It was time to break this five-year mate bond. …… After packing up my herbs for the day, I reached for my mate Marcus through our mindlink. "Honey, please come home early for Valentine's Day! I found something incredible!" His response came sharp and rushed: "Claire, we've got a crisis at the pack trading post. I have to deal with it!""Where's Noah? You were supposed to pick him up from school!""Oh, I sent him to rock climbing training. He's having a great time, so don't worry!" My heart stopped. Noah had broken three ribs at that same climbing center just months ago. The injury had barely healed, and he was terrified of heights now. "Marcus, are you crazy? He can't climb with his injuries!""He's a wolf pup, Claire. He can't be that weak. Stop babying him!" The mindlink went dead. The streets were crowded with Valentine's couples. I sat trapped in traffic, my heart pounding with worry. When I finally reached the climbing center, I saw a crowd gathered at the base of the wall. My blood ran cold when I spotted Noah lying on the ground, his small body convulsing violently. I pushed through the crowd, scooping him up and desperately reaching for Marcus through our mindlink. "Marcus! Something's wrong with Noah! Meet us at the Moon Valley Healing Center now!" There was a moment of tension in his response: "What happened?""He's having seizures! Get there now!" There was a moment of tension in his response: " Seizures? How the hell did that happen?""This must be because of all those herbs you keep around the house. She probably ate something poisonous!""I'm dealing with suppliers. Take him yourself!" I gripped the steering wheel, fighting back tears. Anger burned through me. Every weekend, I ventured into the dangerous northern forests at dawn, searching for rare herbs to sell. I'd come home exhausted, clothes torn and hands bleeding, but I kept going because Marcus's trading post was drowning in debt. Last month alone, I made $30,000 from selling winter bloom herbs - money that barely kept his business from collapsing. His trading post had lost over half a million in bad deals, and my herb sales were the only thing keeping the creditors away. Now he had the nerve to blame my herbs for Noah's condition? Pushing aside my anger, I broke every speed limit getting to the healing center, carrying Noah straight to emergency. The pack healer's face turned grave after examining Noah. "Mrs. Anderson, your son has ingested battle sage - an enhancement herb meant for adult warriors. It's absolutely lethal for cubs. He needed immediate treatment." I felt like I'd been struck by lightning. Battle sage was strictly controlled - only available to pack warriors before combat. Watching them take my baby away, his little body still shaking, I would have given anything to take his place. Panicked, I tried reaching Marcus again. Nothing but silence. ... Finally, after two hours of agony, the treatment was done. They moved Noah to a recovery room for observation. When I entered, his little eyes fluttered open. "Hey baby," I stroked his hair gently. "Did someone give you something to eat or drink at climbing?" Noah's lower lip trembled. "Daddy said it would make me stronger for climbing. He gave me special tea..." A knot formed in my stomach. Before I could ask more questions, my phone buzzed. It was from the climbing instructor. “Mrs. Anderson, is everything all right?”"Mrs. Anderson, I've been so worried! How is Noah doing? I've never seen a seizure that severe in a cub before." His genuine concern made my throat tight. A stranger cared more about my son than his own father. "He's... he's stable now." There was a pause. "Listen, Mrs. Anderson... I hate to say this, but you should know - your mate insisted on Noah taking the class today, even when we reminded him about Noah's previous injury." Before I could press him further, Noah started coughing violently, his small body shaking. Questions would have to wait. My pup needed me now. I rushed to his side, holding him close as the coughing fit wracked his tiny frame. ... Watching Noah's fever finally break, I could breathe again. My phone showed 11:30 PM. Exhausted and hungry, I decided to contact Marcus again and ask him to come to the hospital to help. But he directly blocked my mind connection, didn't answer the phone calls, and didn't reply to the messages. That's when I saw them - my mate who was supposedly handling a trade crisis. Marcus was accompanying his assistant Sarah to the prenatal care wing, his hand hovering protectively over her back. Being an Omega without a wolf spirit, I couldn't sense mate bonds or smell pregnancy pheromones like other wolves could. But watching Sarah lovingly caress her swollen belly, no enhanced senses were needed to understand what I was seeing. "I'm so sorry the morning sickness made us late, Marcus. Some Valentine's Day this turned out to be.""Are you kidding? Finding out I'm going to be a father to a pure-blooded wolf pup... this is the greatest Valentine's gift I could ever receive."“I have spent over $50,000 to prepare a crystal pendant for you. Just wait until you see it.”"You'll be an amazing father..." I pressed my hand against the wall for support, bile rising in my throat. As an Omega, I'd always felt vulnerable not being able to sense my mate's emotions or location like other wolves could. But I'd trusted Marcus completely. What a fool I'd been. While our poisoned son fought for his life upstairs, Marcus was here celebrating his new family - one that would give him the pure-blooded heirs an Omega like me never could. He stood there glowing with pride and joy, as if Noah and I didn't even exist. He didn't even care if our child survived! The tears came without warning, hot and bitter. While he spent over $50,000 to prepare the crystal pendants for Sarah, I didn't even own a simple moonstone bracelet. Marcus and I met at a pack gathering five years ago. When he wanted to open a trading post, I sold my grandmother's precious herb collection for 150,000 dollars as startup money. During those early days, I gathered herbs in the harshest weather, saving every penny we could. Even when the trading post started showing promise, I kept living modestly. Building a future meant being careful with resources. Especially recently, with rival packs cutting into our trade routes, I'd become even more frugal. I spent hours bartering with other herbalists to get the best prices. But my sacrifices meant nothing to him. He was too busy building a new life with an another she-wolf. I wiped my tears, clutching the Moonlight Blessing herb in my pocket. Yes, I'd found an herb worth $100 million, and I'd planned to tell him tonight during our Valentine's Day celebration. I was going to share how I'd already given notice at the herb shop so I could focus on raising Noah. But now... Well, he didn't need to know about the herb. Five years of dedication had led to this moment of clarity. It was time to walk away.

Chapter 2 2

After the nightmare at the healing center, Noah was finally cleared to come home the next day. His tiny body was still weak from the Battle Sage overdose. Every whimper he made tore at my heart. Back home, I prepared his special wolf pup formula with calming herbs and got him settled to sleep. "Mommy, don't leave," he whispered, clutching my hand. I stroked his hair until his breathing evened out. "Never, baby. Mommy's right here." The exhaustion of staying up all night finally caught up with me. I collapsed on the couch, still fully dressed. When I woke at noon, the climbing coach's words kept echoing in my mind. Something wasn't right about Marcus's insistence on the climbing class. My hands trembled as I reached for my phone. Deep down, I already knew something was terribly wrong. I called the coach back. "Could you send me the surveillance footage from yesterday? I need to understand what happened.""Mrs. Anderson..." His voice was heavy. "The footage... it's not easy to watch.""Please. I need to know what happened to my son." The footage arrived minutes later. What I saw made my blood turn to ice. Noah was crying, his small body pressed against a bench near the climbing wall. "Daddy, please! My ribs still hurt! I'm scared!" Marcus yanked him up roughly by the arm. I could see Noah wince in pain. "Stop being such a coward! You're embarrassing me in front of everyone. What kind of wolf cub are you?" Noah tried to pull away. "But daddy, the healer said-""Shut up! No son of mine will be this weak. Now go change!" My hands clenched into fists, claws extending unconsciously. When Noah shuffled away to change into climbing gear, Marcus pulled out a small vial. The label was clearly visible - Battle Sage Extract. His phone rang. Sarah's name flashed on the screen. "Yeah, I got the brat to go climbing," Marcus laughed, his voice cruel. "Maybe he'll fall to his death this time. Can't have a weakling Omega son shaming me, right?" He uncapped the vial, checking to make sure no one was watching. "I made sure to sign a waiver saying I know the risks," he continued. "If anything happens, it'll just look like an accident." The camera caught his smirk as he poured the Battle Sage into Noah's water bottle. "One way or another, I'll be rid of this embarrassment soon." I felt bile rise in my throat. My mate - the father of my child - had deliberately tried to kill our son. Everything suddenly made horrible sense. The "accidents" that kept happening to Noah. The unexplained injuries. Tears blurred my vision, but this time they came from pure rage. No mother could forgive anyone hurting her child - not even the father. I forced myself to calm down and kept watching the footage. Marcus's cruelty to our son played out in high definition. Every harsh word. Every rough grab. Every moment of calculated abuse. Perfect. Just perfect. With shaking hands, I saved multiple copies of the video evidence. Then I called the pack council. "This is Claire Anderson. I need to file for mate separation and reclaim all my pre-marital assets." The council member's voice was grave. "That's a serious request, Mrs. Anderson.""I have video evidence of my mate attempting to murder our pup. How's that for serious?" I was done with Marcus - that worthless excuse for a wolf! ... Just as I ended the call, I heard the front door open. Marcus walked in carrying several shopping bags, wearing a smile I hadn't seen in months. That smile vanished when he saw me. His eyes narrowed. "Why aren't you gathering herbs?" I gave him a cold look, fighting the urge to rip his throat out. "Unlike some people, I can't ignore our pup when he's fighting herb poisoning." Marcus frowned, his jaw tightening. "Do you have to start arguing the moment I walk in? I was working late!""If I wasn't providing for you and Noah, would I be exhausting myself every day?" That's when I noticed the slender figure hovering in the doorway, her expensive perfume filling our den. Sarah. She extended her hand gracefully, false concern painted on her face. "Sister Claire, hello. I'm so sorry to intrude. I heard about Noah's accident." I ignored her hand and didn't move from the doorway. The word "accident" made my blood boil. Marcus grabbed my arm, his grip painfully tight, and pulled me aside. He guided Sarah to our couch like she was made of glass. "Sarah's injured her ankle. She needs to stay with us for a few days." I looked between them, noting how his hand lingered on her shoulder. "Injured? So she needs to stay in someone else's den? How considerate of you, Marcus." Marcus waved dismissively, not even trying to hide his irritation with me. "You know Sarah's alone in the city. It's tough for a young she-wolf. She works for me, of course I need to look after her.""We're just colleagues. Don't read too much into it." Sarah's eyes welled up with perfectly timed tears. "Sister Claire, I'm so sorry to impose on you and Marcus. If it's too much trouble..." I nodded. "You are imposing. As you can see, we have a sick pup. It's not convenient.""Claire! Shut up!" Marcus cut in, his face reddening with anger. "Have some compassion! Sarah's five years younger than you. How can you be so cruel?""We have a guest room, don't we? What's wrong with Sarah staying? Besides, I bought this den. I decide who stays here. Stop causing problems." Marcus spoke righteously, but he seemed to have forgotten that when I suffered by his side, I was Sarah's age. In my prime years, I chose to build a life with him from nothing. I remembered those early days. His gentle touches. His promises of a beautiful future together. He'd shown me such tenderness then, swearing to give me a good life. Now he saved his tenderness for another woman. I smiled faintly, surprising them both. "Of course I agree. The guest room is down the hall." Before heading to bed, Marcus brought me a cup of warm milk, his expression concerned. "You seem tense. This will help you sleep." My keen herbalist's nose immediately caught the scent of sleeping herbs mixed in. I pretended to drink it, but quietly disposed of it when he wasn't looking. Earlier that day, I'd hidden a small camera in our bedroom. Call it intuition, or maybe I just finally saw Marcus clearly. After getting into bed, I feigned sleep, keeping my breathing slow and steady. An hour later, I heard our bedroom door creak open. Footsteps. Whispers. Giggles. "Are you sure she's asleep?" Sarah's voice, thick with excitement. "Trust me, those herbs would knock out a full-grown alpha. Besides, she's always been a heavy sleeper." The bed dipped as two bodies joined me. They didn't even bother going to the guest room. I lay there, fighting the urge to vomit as they rutted next to me, thinking I was drugged into a deep sleep. "You're so much better than her," Sarah moaned. "So much stronger." Marcus chuckled darkly. "Once the brat's out of the way, we can start our own family. Pure-blooded wolves, not mixed with weak Omega blood." I kept my breathing steady, letting the camera record everything. More evidence for the pack council. I'd already transferred the footage of Marcus poisoning Noah to multiple secure locations. The sounds of their passion made my skin crawl, but I forced myself to stay still. Marcus had always claimed I was too cold, too focused on herbs and money. But here he was, betraying me in the cruelest way possible. Soon, I would take everything from him - just as he had tried to take everything from me.

Chapter 3 3

The next morning, I found Marcus and Sarah at the breakfast table. The scene before me made my stomach turn. Marcus was hand-feeding Sarah pieces of rare venison, letting the blood drip down her chin. It was an intimate wolf courting gesture - one he'd never done for me. Their heads were close together, lost in their own world. Thinking I was still drugged asleep, they'd grown bolder in their actions. Sarah licked blood from her lips, stroking Marcus's arm. "Marcus, Claire seems like a good mother. Maybe spend some time with Noah too? He is your pup after all." Her voice dripped with false concern. Marcus beamed at her, his eyes full of adoration I'd never seen directed at me or Noah. "I couldn't care less about that little runt. I'm saving all my energy for our pure-blood pup in your belly! The perfect blend of our bloodlines!" He placed his hand on her stomach possessively. Sarah blushed, preening under his attention. "Stop... but remember your promise. If the child I'm carrying is a pure-blooded pup, you'll break the mate bond with her and claim me properly." Marcus nodded eagerly, kissing her fingers. "Of course, my love. When have I ever lied to you? Our pup will be everything that weak Omega could never give me." My claws dug into my palms, drawing blood. I silently activated my crystal recorder, capturing every cruel word for the pack lawyer. So that's why Marcus had grown so bold - Sarah was carrying his pup. A pure-blood heir to replace my "defective" son. What infuriated me most was how Noah, who I'd nearly died bringing into this world, meant nothing to Marcus. We weren't even part of the Royal Pack, yet he was obsessed with having a pure-blood male heir. Disgusting. I went to Noah's room, finding him already awake and playing quietly. Such a good boy, never wanting to be a bother. I placed him in his stroller, planning to take him for a walk in the healing gardens. The burns from yesterday still needed fresh air to heal. Seeing me enter the kitchen, Marcus quickly stopped feeding Sarah, wiping the blood from her chin. "Claire, come have breakfast. I got fresh venison from the hunting grounds." I looked at their leftover food, remembering how he'd hand-fed her so tenderly. "No thanks. It's a nice day. Noah needs fresh air." Being so young and innocent, Noah instinctively reached for Marcus when he saw him, wanting his father's touch. "Daddy! Up!" His little face lit up with hope. But suddenly Sarah moaned loudly, clutching her stomach. "Oh! My stomach... the pup!" Marcus's face changed instantly. He completely ignored Noah's reaching arms and rushed to Sarah. "What's wrong, love? Is our precious pup okay?" Sarah clutched his arm dramatically. "I don't know... could you help me back to bed? I feel faint..." Without a second glance at his son, Marcus scooped her up and carried her straight to the master bedroom. Noah's arms slowly lowered, his eyes filling with tears. I swallowed my rage and comforted my disappointed son, hugging him close. "It's okay, baby. Mommy's here. Let's go see the pretty flowers." I'd planned to sell the Moonlight Blessing herb today while they were distracted. At the rare herbs merchant, the herb was appraised at $100 Million dollars. The merchant's eyes went wide. "This is the purest specimen I've ever seen." I thought of Noah's future as I completed the sale. A portion went straight to a secret account - our escape fund. I donated $100,000 to the Pack Orphan Fund, hoping to help other pups and bring good karma to Noah. The rest would fund our new life away from Marcus. Somewhere he could never hurt our son again. ... The pack lawyer needed a few days for the separation papers. To avoid suspicion, Noah and I returned home after selling the herb. Back home, I got an urgent call from the herb guild about incomplete paperwork that needed immediate attention. "Mrs. Anderson, we need your signature right away or the special permit will expire." Sarah approached while I was on the call, holding Noah's toys. Her smile didn't reach her eyes. "Sister Claire, let me watch him while you work. We should bond, since we'll be family." I hesitated. Something predatory in her expression made my maternal instincts scream. But the guild master was waiting, and it would only take a few minutes to send the files. "No need. He can play alone." I placed Noah in his protective playpen, surrounding him with his favorite toys. "Mommy will be right back, baby. Just five minutes." I rushed to my office to send the files. Less than five minutes later, I heard Noah's blood-curdling screams. The sound chilled me to my core. These weren't normal cries - they were sounds of pure agony. "MOMMY! HOT! IT BURNS!" I ran out to find a horror scene that would haunt me forever. Sarah stood over Noah, an empty kettle in her hand and a satisfied smirk on her face. Steam rose from my baby's skin where she'd poured boiling water over him. His precious face and arms were bright red, already starting to blister. The skin was peeling away in places. Noah's screams tore through me like physical pain. He reached for me with trembling, burned hands. Something primal in me snapped. With a roar of fury, I lunged at Sarah, slamming her into the wall. My vision went red with rage. My claws extended, ready to tear out her throat. In that moment, I wanted nothing more than to end her life. Her crystal communicator clattered to the floor as she screamed for Marcus. He burst in, taking in the scene. Instead of rushing to his injured son, he pulled me off Sarah with a snarl. "What the hell are you doing?" His eyes glowed with anger - at me, not at the one who'd hurt his son. I fought against his grip. "She poured boiling water on Noah! Look what she did to him!" Marcus glanced dismissively at our sobbing son, his face twisting with disgust. "He's just an Omega. No self-healing ability. Otherwise this would be nothing." My heart stopped. "Nothing? He's covered in burns! Your son is in agony!" Sarah wiped her crocodile tears, clutching her stomach. "He kept kicking my belly! I had to protect our pure-blood pup! I didn't mean to hurt him...""He's three years old!" I screamed, my voice breaking. "He can barely walk properly!" Marcus shoved me aside roughly, gathering Sarah in his arms. "Claire, you're overreacting. It's just a little hot water. If he was a proper wolf, he'd heal in minutes." I stared at him in horror, not recognizing the man I'd mated. "A little hot water? She deliberately hurt your son!""Stop embarrassing yourself," Marcus snapped. "Take the weak pup to your room. And don't you dare touch Sarah again, or I'll have you arrested for attacking a pregnant she-wolf." As he led Sarah away, cooing comfort to her, I saw her dropped crystal communicator on the floor. The message on its screen made my blood run cold. I stared in shock at the words before me.