Chapter 1

Willow's POV

On the seventh anniversary of the day I mated with Alpha Rowan, I discovered I was pregnant again.

I rushed to tell him the good news, only to find him and my adopted sister, Isolde, locked in the heat of passion in his car, deep within the Forbidden Forest.

"In another month, we will have no more use for Willow."

"I used the blood of her three unborn pups to heal you, and now you carry my child. It is a true blessing from the Moon Goddess."

Hearing that familiar voice, I bit my lip so hard it bled just to keep myself from screaming.

My three children were not lost to natural miscarriage. They were murdered, sacrificed by their own father for another woman.

I could hardly believe it. The fated mate I had loved for seven years had never loved me at all.

So be it. I would find Rowan's greatest rival and make him help me burn Rowan's world to the ground.

But in that moment, a tearing pain ripped through our mate bond.

Dread flooded my heart. Had something happened to Rowan?

A chill ran down my spine, but the tears that welled in my eyes were for the bond, not the man. "No... Moon Goddess, please, please do not let this happen..."

Seven years as mates and three lost pups. After countless nights spent weeping in an empty nursery, I was finally carrying a child again.

But was he going to die now? Was my pup destined to be born without a father?

I shook my head violently, refusing to accept that possibility.

I followed the fading trail of our mate bond, calling his name over and over, but he did not answer.

The other end of our mind link felt deliberately blocked, as if he had locked a door from the inside.

Still, a faint residual connection told me he was alive, lingering at the edge of the pack lands in the Forbidden Forest. The feeling had not vanished.

The sharp sting of his mental shield was baffling. Being intentionally cut off felt completely wrong.

I grabbed my keys, slammed my foot on the accelerator, and peeled out of the driveway.

A few minutes later, I saw Rowan's black SUV parked by the abandoned stone circle marking the entrance to the Forbidden Forest.

The vehicle was intact. There were no signs of a struggle, no blood, and no hint of a rogue attack.

I let out a breath of relief, thinking my inner wolf was just playing tricks on me because of the pregnancy hormones. We had experienced false alarms like this before.

But as I drew closer, I froze.

If he was fine, why was his vehicle parked in the Forbidden Forest? Why had he deliberately blocked our mind link?

I quieted my footsteps, masked my scent, and crept closer.

Through the tinted window, I could vaguely make out two entangled bodies in the back seat.

Then, the hot, breathless sounds of lust drifted from the partially open window.

The suppressed moans of a she-wolf and the deep, guttural growl of an Alpha lost in primal urges.

That scent... an Omega in heat.

I went rigid, my teeth sinking into my lip to stifle a sob before it could escape.

My mind screamed at me to turn and run, to pretend I had not seen anything, but my legs defied me, rooted to the spot.

My gaze fixed on the gap in the window, and the image burned itself into my mind. Rowan's shirt was open, revealing angry red scratches raked across his chest. His fingers were tangled deep in a mane of silver-white hair as he buried his face in the woman's neck, sinking his fangs into her flesh.

And that woman was my adopted sister, Isolde.

A vise clamped around my heart, and a sharp pain shot through my chest. I did not dare make a sound. I pressed myself against the cold metal door, my hands clamped over my mouth as silent tears splashed onto the dead leaves below.

Rowan, the man who had sworn a blood oath to me before the Moon Goddess, the fated mate I had loved for seven years, was now claiming the very sister he had so often openly despised.

Just when I thought my soul could not be torn apart any further, a flicker of awareness came through our blocked mind link.

"Damn it," he growled, breathing hard, his tone laced with irritation. "Hang on."

He opened the mental channel, his voice sharp with annoyance. "What is it?"

The pack healer's respectful voice came through from the other end.

And then Rowan smiled.

He pulled Isolde into his arms, his face lit with a genuine warmth I had not seen in years.

"You are pregnant," he whispered, his voice so gentle it made my stomach turn.

Isolde gasped, her hands flying to her stomach. "Is it true, Alpha?"

"It is true," he said, leaning down to kiss the corner of her eye. "The witch confirmed the blood magic worked. Your body is fully healed. Just one final purification at the full moon ceremony next week, and the process will be complete."

Isolde began to cry, her sobs mixed with laughter. "Rowan, we are going to have a pup."

"Yes, my little she-wolf," he said, cupping her face. "You will be the most revered mother this pack has ever known."

My heart fractured. My fingers instinctively curled over my own belly, where another life, unknown and unwanted by its father, was secretly growing.

The flush on Isolde's cheeks faded slightly, replaced by a look of faux concern. "But what about my sister, Willow?"

Rowan's smile turned cold. "Do not worry, baby. After the next full moon, she will have served her purpose."

"I might have had some feelings for her when we first mated. But now, I am just using her status as the Head Elder's daughter to solidify my position as Alpha."

"I cannot believe she still does not suspect a thing," Isolde giggled, covering her mouth. "You made up that ridiculous excuse about 'bloodline incompatibility' for her miscarriages, and she bought it hook, line, and sinker."

"Willow is not very bright," Rowan scoffed, his voice dripping with disdain.

"She signed every pack medical decree I put in front of her without a second glance. Consent forms for the witch's rituals, blood magic extractions, even authorizations to terminate her own pregnancies. She approved them all herself."

"She actually believed they were 'treatments' to save the pregnancies and overcome her 'bloodline incompatibility.' When she lost each pup, she never suspected a thing. She just blamed herself, drowning in guilt."

My knees buckled, but I dug my fingers into the seam of the heavy door to hold myself upright.

I had to hear it all.

"Those three pups..." Isolde said softly. "You really used their life force to heal me?"

"Every single one," Rowan replied without a trace of guilt.

"Each one required a different ritual, depending on the lunar cycle. The witch said the closer the unborn pup was to term, the purer its magic. And look at the results. You are healed, and you are carrying my child."

Isolde giggled again. "I suppose we have my dear sister and her three short-lived pups to thank for this."

My knees finally gave out, and I crumpled to the ground.

My ears were ringing, the world spinning around me. For a few seconds, darkness threatened to swallow me whole.

My three pups were not lost because my body was weak. They were murdered, sacrificed while they still breathed, by their own father for his lover.