I Escaped After My Alpha Betrayed Me and Our Son

I couldn't leave. Not yet. Not without a plan.

My hands trembled as I clutched Wren against my chest, his tiny body still warm from birth. The revelation of Maddox's betrayal echoed in my mind like a death knell. Every moment I remained in the Pack House put my son at risk.

"They want to dispose of him," I whispered, my voice breaking as I rocked Wren gently. "My baby."

The storm outside mirrored the chaos in my heart. Lightning flashed through the small window of the records room where I'd taken shelter. I needed to think—to use the brilliant mind that had earned me admission to the Royal Lycan Academy.

Maddox would come looking for us soon. He'd expect me to bring the stem cells to him, to complete his "test." When I didn't appear, he'd send his warriors to search. And when they found us...

I couldn't be found.

"We need to disappear," I murmured to Wren, who slept peacefully unaware of the danger we faced. "Completely."

My training in chemistry flashed through my mind. The Academy had taught me more than just biology and pack politics. I'd excelled in all subjects, including the properties of volatile compounds.

I knew exactly what to do.

Moving carefully with Wren secured against me, I slipped from the records room toward the janitor's closet at the end of the hall. The storm provided perfect cover—thunder masked my footsteps, and the flickering lights created shadows I could hide within.

The closet was unlocked, as I'd hoped. Inside, I found what I needed: industrial cleaning agents, ammonia-based and highly reactive. From my memory of the medical supply cabinet layout, I knew exactly what else to gather.

Moving swiftly, I collected vials of accelerants used for sterilization and a timer from the maintenance cart. In the small utility sink, I began mixing the compounds with careful precision.

"Too much ammonia," I muttered as the mixture hissed. "Need to balance it with the oxidizer."

My hands moved with practiced efficiency despite their trembling. The chemical reaction would be delayed—designed to give us time to escape before the flames engulfed the area.

Next, I needed scent blockers.

I made my way to the infirmary where I knew Lyra would be working the night shift. My best friend since childhood, she was the only one I could trust now.

"Jo?" Lyra's eyes widened when I slipped through the door. "You should be resting! You just gave birth hours ago!"

"They lied," I said, my voice hollow. "All of them. Maddox isn't dying. He's the Alpha. He was testing me."

Lyra's face drained of color. "That's impossible."

"I heard him." My voice cracked. "And there's more. They know about Wren's condition. They want to dispose of him."

Lyra's hands flew to her mouth. "No."

"Yes." I stepped closer, Wren still bundled against me. "I need your help, Lyra. I need scent blockers and money. We have to disappear."

Tears filled Lyra's eyes as she looked at Wren, then back to me. "They'll hunt you."

"Only if they know we're alive." I held her gaze. "Please."

Without another word, Lyra moved to the emergency supply cabinet. Her hands shook as she unlocked it and pulled out several vials of high-grade scent blocker—the kind used during pack border disputes to mask wolf scents.

"I'll get fired for this," she whispered, pressing them into my hand along with several hundred dollars from the emergency fund.

"You saved our lives," I said, embracing her quickly. "I'll never forget it."

Back in the records room, I applied the blockers to myself and Wren, wrapping him in layers of linen to suppress his heartbeat sound. The chemical mixture was ready.

I placed it in the waste disposal unit of the clinic with the timer set for twenty minutes. Then I positioned my blood-stained hospital gown near the ignition point, arranging it to look like I'd collapsed there.

"Time to go," I whispered to Wren as I heard footsteps approaching.

The fire alarm blared as the chemical reaction ignited. Smoke billowed through the corridor as I slipped out the back service exit into the raging storm.

"Maddox!" I heard Marcus shout as I disappeared into the rain. "The clinic's on fire!"

I didn't look back as I fled into the darkness, Wren secure against my chest.

Inside the Pack House, Maddox stood frozen in his office, his enhanced senses suddenly alert to the acrid smell of smoke.

"Josephine," he growled, his wolf surging forward in panic.

He raced toward the clinic, his Alpha aura flaring violently around him. The warriors parted before him as he charged down the corridor.

"Alpha!" Marcus grabbed his arm. "The structural beams are collapsing!"

"I don't care!" Maddox roared, trying to push past him. "My mate and son are in there!"

"Josephine!" he howled, his wolf taking over as he lunged toward the inferno.

Gamma warriors tackled him to the ground as the ceiling collapsed in a shower of flaming debris.

"She's gone," Marcus said grimly as they dragged their struggling Alpha away from the blaze. "They're both gone."