Alpha's Betrayal of His Mate

I felt the familiar warmth of my wolf, Lyra, stirring inside me as I placed a protective hand over my swollen belly. Five months pregnant with James's heir—our miracle, our future. The pack house was quiet tonight, most wolves already retired to their quarters after the full moon celebration.

"Something's wrong," Lyra whispered in my mind, her anxiety rippling through our shared consciousness.

I frowned, setting down the herbal tea I'd been sipping. "What is it?"

"Our car... someone's taken our car."

I moved to the window of our Alpha suite, peering out into the moonlit courtyard. The space where my silver SUV should have been parked was empty. A chill ran down my spine that had nothing to do with the night air.

"James?" I called through our mate bond, reaching for the comforting presence of my Alpha. The connection felt strangely muted.

I grabbed my phone, dialing him quickly. No answer. My heart rate accelerated as I tried the pack Beta next.

"Luna Aria?" Beta Marcus answered, his voice thick with sleep.

"My car is missing," I said, trying to keep the panic from my voice. "And I can't reach James."

"I'll send out patrols immediately, Luna."

I paced the floor, Lyra growing increasingly agitated within me. Then, without warning, a searing pain tore through my abdomen, doubling me over.

"ARIA!" Lyra's howl inside my mind was deafening as images flashed before my eyes—my car careening down the mountain road, tires screeching against wet pavement, a figure behind the wheel I recognized instantly.

Mia. The rogue James had taken in three months ago.

The bond between wolf and human is mysterious even to our kind. Sometimes, in moments of extreme danger, a wolf can see through distance, can feel what threatens their human half. Lyra was witnessing my car's fate in real-time.

"No, no, NO!" I screamed as Lyra showed me the SUV smashing through the guardrail, plummeting toward the jagged rocks below. I felt every second of Mia's terror, felt the moment of impact as if it were happening to my own body.

Then darkness.

---

Pain. Blinding, all-consuming pain.

I floated in and out of consciousness, aware only of the agony radiating through every inch of my body. The antiseptic smell of the pack infirmary filled my nostrils, the fluorescent lights stabbing at my eyes whenever I managed to crack them open.

"Multiple fractures... internal bleeding... the pup didn't survive."

The healer's words filtered through my haze of pain. Our pup. Our baby. Gone.

"James," I whispered, my voice a broken rasp. I needed my mate. Needed his strength, his comfort, his arms around me.

"Increase her pain medication," someone said.

"The Alpha said minimal pain relief," came Elara's hesitant response. "He's concerned about addiction."

Through swollen eyes, I finally managed to focus on the room around me. And there, across the infirmary, stood my mate—my Alpha, my everything. Relief flooded through me, until I realized his back was to me. His powerful arms were wrapped around a trembling figure, his head bent low as he whispered soothing words.

Mia.

The girl who had stolen my car. The girl who had killed our unborn child. And James was comforting her while I lay broken and bleeding.

"It was so scary, Alpha," Mia sobbed, her face buried against his chest. "I just wanted to feel free for once. I didn't mean for anyone to get hurt."

"Shh, it's okay," James murmured, stroking her hair. "You're safe now."

Lyra howled in rage and grief inside me, the sound echoing through my soul even as my body remained too broken to move.

"James," I called again, louder this time. The effort sent spikes of pain through my ribs.

He turned, finally acknowledging me, but his eyes held something I'd never seen before—not concern, not love, but irritation. As if my suffering was an inconvenience.

"You're awake," he said flatly, approaching my bed with Mia still clinging to his arm. "We need to discuss something important."

"Our baby," I whispered, tears streaming down my face. "James, our baby is gone."

His face hardened. "There will be other pups, Aria. Right now, we have a more pressing matter."

The pack council filed into the room, their faces solemn. Elder Marcus looked particularly troubled as he took his place at the foot of my bed.

"Luna Aria," James said, his voice suddenly taking on the unmistakable resonance of his Alpha tone. "As your Alpha and mate, I require you to use your Luna authority to pardon Mia Rodriguez from all consequences related to this... unfortunate accident."

The command hit me like a physical blow, the Alpha tone compelling obedience even as my heart shattered into a thousand pieces.

"She killed our baby," I whispered, my voice breaking.

James's eyes flashed dangerously. "Pardon her, Luna. Now."