After My Mate Poisoned Me, I Exposed His Affair

I woke to darkness, my body feeling heavier than it had the day before. The sunlight filtering through the blinds seemed too bright, too harsh. I lifted my hand to shield my eyes, noticing how my Luna aura—once vibrant and commanding—now flickered weakly around my fingertips.

"You're fading," Aria whimpered inside me. "We're both fading."

I struggled to sit up, my limbs protesting even this small effort. Five months pregnant, and I felt like I was carrying the weight of the entire pack on my shoulders. Or perhaps it was the weight of Christopher's betrayal pressing down on me.

"We need to see the data," I murmured, reaching for my pack datapad on the nightstand.

The screen illuminated my pale face as I navigated to my medical dashboard—the one Christopher had assured me would monitor my health and the pup's development. The numbers stared back at me, perfectly normal. Perfectly healthy.

Perfectly lies.

"No," I whispered, zooming in on the vitals. "This can't be right."

My heart rate was listed as 72 beats per minute. Steady. Normal. But I could feel it racing in my chest, far faster than the screen indicated.

Aria growled. *He's manipulated the data. We're trapped in his digital cage.*

I scrolled through the dashboard, checking each measurement. Blood pressure. Oxygen saturation. Aura strength. All showing optimal readings while I sat here, weak and trembling.

"He's been altering my medical records," I realized aloud, my voice hollow. "Making sure I wouldn't see the truth."

The truth that I was dying. The truth that our pup was in danger.

I set the datapad down, my decision crystallizing. "We need outside help. Someone who isn't loyal to him."

---

"The quarterly facility inspection is a Luna duty," I announced to the pack administrator the next morning, keeping my voice steady despite the effort it cost me. "I'll be conducting it today."

The young Beta nodded quickly. "Of course, Luna. Would you like an escort?"

"No need," I replied, offering a smile that didn't reach my eyes. "I prefer to conduct inspections personally."

It was a lie—I'd never shown interest in facility inspections before—but my Luna status granted me the authority to roam the pack house freely. Including the medical wing.

I made my way through the corridors slowly, conserving my strength. Each step felt like walking through water, but I forced myself forward. The pack clinic was at the far end of the east wing, conveniently empty during midday shifts.

Except for Dr. Nathan Oliver, who remained in his office regardless of schedule.

"Luna Tessa," he said, rising from his desk as I entered. His eyes narrowed slightly at my appearance. "You don't look well."

"Lock the door," I whispered urgently.

His expression shifted from professional concern to alarm as he complied. "What's going on?"

I pulled the flash drive from my pocket first. "Everything you need to know about Christopher's betrayal is on here." Then I placed the vial of smoothie sample on his desk. "And everything you need to know about why I'm dying is in there."

Nathan's hands trembled slightly as he accepted both items. "Luna, if this is what I think it is—"

"It is," I cut him off. "And I need your help."

---

The blood test took twenty minutes. Twenty minutes of silence broken only by the hum of medical equipment and Nathan's occasional muttered curses.

I sat on the examination table, watching his face grow increasingly grim as he analyzed the samples.

"This is..." he began, then stopped, shaking his head. "This is wolfsbane, Luna. Trace amounts, but consistent with long-term exposure."

The room seemed to tilt around me. "How long?"

"Weeks, based on these levels." Nathan's voice was tight with controlled anger. "Who's been giving this to you?"

"My mother-in-law," I whispered. "In her special smoothies. For the pup's development."

Nathan's hands clenched into fists. "This isn't just poisoning—it's attempted murder. Of you and the heir."

"She wants me gone," I said, the pieces falling into place. "She wants Sylvie to take my place. To bear Christopher's pups instead of mine."

"The former Luna has violated every medical and pack law," Nathan said, his professional demeanor cracking to reveal genuine disgust. "And the Alpha—your mate—he's been covering it up."

I nodded slowly, one hand resting protectively over my belly. "Can you help me?"

Nathan met my gaze, his eyes filled with determination and something else—something that looked remarkably like loyalty to me rather than to his Alpha.

"I took an oath to protect all pack members," he said firmly. "And I intend to honor it."

As he spoke, I felt something shift within me—a spark of hope igniting where there had been only darkness.

But first, we needed a plan.