After My Alpha Betrayed, My Healer Found Strength

The pain was constant. Ten pregnancies in three years had left my body a shell of what it once was. I lay on the thin mattress in the healer's den, my abdomen still cramping from delivering Jason's latest heir just hours ago. The scent of medicinal herbs did little to mask the metallic tang of blood that clung to me.

I should have been resting. I should have been recovering. Instead, I was straining to hear the conversation filtering through the thin walls of the den.

"How much longer do we need to keep her?" Vanessa's voice, sweet as poisoned honey.

"Just until we secure our position in the Northern Alliance." Jason's reply sent ice through my veins. "The last pup she produced has strong Alpha potential. That makes ten successful productions. The Alliance can't deny us now."

"And then?" Vanessa purred.

"And then I reject her publicly." Jason's voice dropped lower, but not low enough. "She's served her purpose. Just a breeding tool, nothing more."

My wolf whimpered inside me, the pain of his words cutting deeper than any physical wound. I'd given him everything—my body, my health, my future. Each pregnancy had drained more of my life force, each birth taking longer to recover from. And all along, I was nothing but a means to an end.

"You promise?" Vanessa asked, her voice dripping with anticipation. "I've waited so long to be your Luna."

"I promise, my love. Soon, you'll have the position you deserve, and that breeding stock will be nothing but a bad memory."

Their laughter mingled, slicing through what remained of my heart. I curled into myself, tears silently streaming down my face. How could I have been so blind?

The door to my recovery room slammed open the next morning. Jason stood there, his face a mask of impatience.

"Get up," he ordered. "The pack needs your services at the healing den."

"But I just gave birth yesterday," I whispered, my voice hoarse. "The healer said I need at least a week to—"

"Did I ask for your opinion?" His eyes flashed dangerously. "The pack comes first. Always."

I struggled to my feet, pain shooting through my abdomen. My legs trembled as I followed him through the corridors of the pack house. Pack members averted their eyes as we passed. They knew what was happening to me—they all knew—but no one dared defy their Alpha.

At the healing den, three injured Delta warriors waited. Their wounds weren't serious, just training injuries that would heal on their own with time. But Jason didn't believe in waiting.

"Use your gift," he commanded, shoving me toward them.

I placed my shaking hands on the first warrior's arm. My wolf was too weak to protest as I drew on what little energy we had left, channeling it into healing energy. The wound closed, but darkness edged my vision. By the third warrior, I could barely stand.

In a moment of desperation, I reached out through the pack bond, seeking Clara, my only friend here. *Clara, please. I can't take much more of this. I think he's going to kill me with this pace.*

The mind-link had barely formed when Jason's hand connected with my face. The slap echoed through the den, and I crumpled to the floor.

"You DARE?" he roared, his Alpha aura crushing down on me. "You think you have the right to complain?"

The pain in my head was blinding as he forced his way into my mind, systematically blocking my ability to mind-link with anyone. I gasped at the violation, at the cold, calculated way he stripped away my last means of communication.

"Breeding stock doesn't need to speak," he announced to the room. "It just needs to produce."

Three days later, I was dragged to the pack's central gathering area. My body still ached, blood still occasionally spotting my clothes. Jason had announced a special celebration—our tenth successful heir meant prosperity for the pack.

I stood, swaying slightly, as pack members filled the seats around the training arena. Jason sat on his elevated chair, Vanessa perched beside him, her hand possessively on his arm. Her smile was vicious as she leaned to whisper in his ear.

Jason stood, raising his hands for silence. "Tonight, we have special entertainment!" he announced. "A demonstration of our pack's strength against the rogue threat."

Two Delta warriors seized my arms. Before I could process what was happening, they were dragging me toward the center of the arena. The iron gate clanged shut behind me.

"Place your bets!" Jason called out. "How long will our former healer last against three rogues?"

The crowd roared as three feral werewolves were released into the arena. Their eyes were wild, their movements jerky and unpredictable. They circled me, snarling, as I stood there, too weak to run, too broken to fight.

My fingers found the small silver moon pendant at my neck—the one thing Jason had never taken from me. As the rogues closed in, I closed my eyes, waiting for the end.