After My Mate Gave Our Son to His Mistress

The weight of the supply pack dug into my shoulders as I trudged behind Elena and the border patrol. My hands were raw from the rough straps, but I dared not complain. Not after what happened at the Alpha Summit.

"Keep up, Omega," Beta Ryan called over his shoulder. "We don't have all day."

I quickened my pace, ignoring the ache in my muscles. Three days of serving as Elena's personal attendant had left me exhausted, but I couldn't show weakness. Not now.

"Elena, stay close to me," Jaxxon said, his voice tender in a way it had never been with me. "There have been reports of increased rogue activity near the eastern ridge."

Elena giggled, touching his arm. "I'm not afraid when you're here, Alpha."

The forest grew denser as we approached the ridge. Luna stirred restlessly within me, her senses more acute than my human form could perceive.

*Danger*, she warned. *Many heartbeats approaching.*

Before I could process her warning, the trees around us came alive with movement. Rogues—at least a dozen—emerged from the shadows, their eyes wild with hunger and desperation.

"Protect the Alpha!" Beta Ryan shouted, drawing his weapon.

Chaos erupted. I dropped the supply pack and reached for the small dagger hidden in my boot—a precaution I'd taken after years of studying attack patterns.

Elena froze, her face draining of color as a massive rogue lunged toward her. In that moment, I saw raw terror in her eyes—the look of someone who had never truly fought.

"Help me!" she screamed, her voice high and brittle.

Then, in one fluid motion, she grabbed my arm and shoved me forward just as the rogue attacked.

"Take her instead!" she cried.

Time slowed. The rogue's yellowed teeth were inches from my throat when I pivoted, using the momentum of Elena's push to sidestep his attack. My dagger found its mark between his ribs as I executed a defensive maneuver I'd documented in my now-burned journals.

The rogue collapsed, blood soaking into the forest floor.

"Scarlett!" Jaxxon's voice cut through the fighting. "What have you done?"

More pack members arrived, reinforcing our position. The remaining rogues fled into the depths of the forest.

Elena composed herself quickly, straightening her clothes. "I was just about to strike when Scarlett jumped in front of me," she said, her voice steady now. "I managed to direct her movements through our pack link."

Jaxxon's eyes softened as he looked at her. "You saved her life."

"But I—" My protest died as his Alpha tone silenced me.

"You nearly got yourself killed," he growled. "Stay out of the way next time."

---

Days later, I returned to my small quarters after serving at a pack dinner. The weight of exhaustion pressed down on me as I made my way to the back of the Pack House where my moon garden grew.

Or rather, where it had grown.

I froze at the edge of what had once been my sanctuary. The carefully tended rows of moonflowers—some rare varieties that bloomed only under specific lunar conditions—lay uprooted and trampled in the mud.

"No," I whispered, dropping to my knees. "No, no, no."

Footsteps approached behind me. Elena's scent reached me before her voice did.

"Oh, you're back," she said with false brightness. "I had the Omegas clear this area. We need space for a sunbathing patio."

I gathered a crushed moonflower in my trembling hands. "These took years to cultivate. Some are extinct everywhere except here."

"Then you should have thought about that before you became so... unnecessary." Elena's smile didn't reach her eyes. "The pack needs recreation space more than it needs your little hobby garden."

I looked up at her, fighting back tears. "This was the last thing that was mine."

"Everything belongs to the pack," she replied coldly. "Everything belongs to Jaxxon. And soon, everything will belong to me."

---

Three nights later, I slipped through the shadows toward the nursery. I hadn't seen Eliam in weeks—Elena had made sure of that.

"I just need to see him," I whispered to myself. "Just for a moment."

The nursery was quiet save for the soft breathing of the pack's youngest members. I found Eliam sitting alone in a corner, playing with a toy soldier.

"Mommy's little soldier," I said softly, kneeling beside him.

His eyes—so like mine—looked through me rather than at me. Something was wrong. His movements were mechanical, his expression vacant.

"Eliam?" I reached for him, but he recoiled from my touch.

"I must wait for Luna Mother Elena," he said in a flat voice that wasn't his own.

Ice flooded my veins as I realized what was happening. "Eliam, it's me. Your real mother."

"Luna Mother Elena is coming," he repeated, his eyes glazing over further.

Horror washed over me as I understood. Jaxxon was using an Alpha command—a forbidden technique that could rewrite memories and loyalties. He was erasing me from my son's mind.

"No," I whispered, gathering Eliam into my arms despite his resistance. "I won't let them take you from me too."

But even as I held him, I felt the invisible threads of our bond stretching thin under the weight of Jaxxon's manipulation.