After My Mate Killed Our Pup, I Wanted Blood

The safe house smelled of pine and stale air. I sat hunched over a laptop, my fingers trembling as I logged into the inter-pack mind-link network. Reed had set up this secure location months ago—a precaution I'd never thought we'd need.

"You should rest," he said, his voice gentle as he placed a mug of tea beside me. "You've been through enough."

I shook my head. "I need to see what he's doing."

The screen flickered to life, and my stomach twisted into knots. There he was—my mate, my betrayer—looking every bit the wounded Alpha. Dante sat in his wheelchair, his expression somber as he addressed the allied packs through the network broadcast.

"It pains me to make this announcement," he began, his voice carrying that familiar tone of authority that had once made me feel safe. Now it just made me sick. "My Luna, Willa, has suffered a complete mental breakdown."

Beside him stood Penny, her eyes red-rimmed and glistening with false tears. She clutched a handkerchief, dabbing at her face in a performance worthy of an Oscar.

"Our poor Luna discovered some... misunderstandings between Alpha Dante and myself," she sobbed. "The stress must have triggered something in her already fragile state."

Former Luna Elena—Dante's mother—stood behind them, her face a mask of maternal concern. "We've tried everything to help her," she said, her voice breaking perfectly on cue. "But she's become violent. Dangerous."

I gripped the edge of the table, my knuckles white. Luna stirred within me, her growl a low rumble in my mind.

"They're painting us as the villains," Reed muttered, his fist slamming against the wall.

On screen, Dante's expression hardened. "What none of you know is that Willa has been unstable for years. In fact, I have reason to believe she may have orchestrated the rogue attack that left me... like this."

A collective gasp rippled through the mind-link network. I watched in horror as the chat flooded with messages:

*Execute the traitor!*

*How could she attack her own mate?*

*She must be put down before she harms others!*

"Turn it off," I whispered, but Reed shook his head.

"We need to see everything they're planning," he said grimly.

Dante leaned forward, his eyes intense. "I ask all packs to be on alert. If you see Willa, do not approach her. She is feral and dangerous."

The broadcast ended, leaving me shaking with rage and disbelief.

"They're trying to justify killing you," Reed said, his voice tight with fury. "We need to move fast."

I nodded, forcing myself to focus. "Let's see what else we can find on that phone."

Reed handed me the burner phone we'd retrieved from Dante's safe. "Password?"

I tried his birthday—nothing. Then his mother's—nothing. Finally, I typed in the date of our mating ceremony.

The screen unlocked.

"There must be something here," I muttered, scrolling through files. "Financial records, communications..."

We spent hours combing through the data, searching for evidence of embezzlement or territory schemes. Reed's warriors kept watch outside while we worked, the tension in the small room growing thicker with each passing minute.

"Look at this," Reed said suddenly, pointing to a folder labeled "Medical."

I opened it, finding dozens of encrypted messages between Dante and Dr. Thornfield—the pack healer who had certified Dante's paralysis.

"Decrypt them," I ordered, my heart pounding.

Reed worked quickly, his fingers flying across the keyboard. One by one, the messages appeared on screen:

*Continue wolfsbane regimen. Concentrated dose. Daily.*

*Monitor her condition. If she suspects, increase dosage.*

*The miscarriage was successful. No permanent bond formed.*

The room tilted around me. I grabbed the edge of the table to steady myself.

"Two years ago," I whispered, the memory crashing over me like a tidal wave.

I had been pregnant. We had been so excited—until the cramping started, the bleeding. Dante had held me as I cried, whispering that it was my fault, that my "late-blooming" wolf was too weak to carry his pup.

"It was wolfsbane," I said, my voice hollow. "He poisoned me. He killed our baby."

Luna's howl of anguish tore through my mind, but I felt strangely calm. The pain had crystallized into something else—something colder, harder.

"He wanted no bond between us," I continued, staring at the screen. "No child to complicate his plans when he finally decided to discard me."

Reed's face had gone pale. "Willa..."

I met his eyes, and he stepped back, startled by whatever he saw in mine.

"They think they've won," I said softly. "They think I'm broken."

I stood up, my legs stronger than they had been in years. Luna stirred within me, her presence growing more substantial with each passing moment.

"They have no idea what they've created," I continued, my voice steady and cold as winter frost. "They wanted a monster? They got one."

As I stared at the evidence of Dante's ultimate betrayal, something shifted inside me. The last remnants of the devoted, loving mate I had been crumbled away, replaced by something new—something forged in betrayal and tempered by rage.

Vengeance wasn't just a possibility anymore. It was a promise.