My Alpha Married His Lover and Made Me Serve Her

The needle slid into my vein with a sharp sting. I flinched, but Knox's grip on my arm remained unyielding.

"Be still," he ordered, his silver eyes fixed on the tube connecting my arm to the collection bag.

I watched my blood—my ancient, powerful blood—flow through the clear plastic. The faint blue glow within it was visible only to me, but its effects were evident in the way Knox's expression shifted from desperation to calculation.

"This is the third extraction this week," I whispered, my voice trembling. "Knox, please—"

"The pack doctor says Scarlet needs more." His fingers tightened around my wrist. "Her pregnancy is fragile, Freya. The baby needs your blood to survive."

The sterile medical room felt colder than it had minutes ago. Outside, Seattle's rain battered against the windows of the Crawford Estate's private medical wing. Inside, Dr. Helena Marsh busied herself with equipment, deliberately avoiding my gaze.

"I can feel her getting stronger," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "Scarlet doesn't need—"

"Enough!" Knox's voice cracked like a whip. "You don't decide what she needs. I do."

Something in his eyes had changed since we'd returned from the forest. The man who had carved me a wooden token under the moonlight now looked at me like I was nothing more than a resource to be harvested.

"Your blood saved me," he continued, his tone softening slightly as he stroked my hair. "Now you'll save my heir."

Tears burned behind my eyes. "I'm not a blood bag, Knox."

His expression hardened. "For the good of the pack, you are whatever I need you to be."

When the bag was full, he didn't even wait for Dr. Marsh to remove the needle properly before yanking it out himself. Blood welled from the puncture site, but he didn't notice—or didn't care.

"Rest," he commanded, already turning away. "You'll be needed again tomorrow."

* * *

The world tilted sideways as I stepped out of the medical room. My knees buckled, sending me crashing to the marble floor. The last thing I saw before darkness claimed me was Isla's horrified face appearing around the corner.

I dreamed of forests and moonlight. Of Snowball's soft fur against my cheek. Of Knox's promises whispered against my skin.

When I woke, I was in my bed, with Isla sitting beside me.

"You've been out for hours," she whispered, helping me sit up. "They're saying you're weak from... from giving too much blood."

Something felt different. A strange flutter in my abdomen made me pause.

"Get me my herbs," I said suddenly.

Isla hesitated. "They took most of them. Said you weren't to be trusted with sharp instruments or—"

"Please," I begged. "Just the small pouch under my mattress."

She retrieved it quickly. Inside was a mixture of dried wolfsbane and moonflower—not for healing, but for truth-seeking. I'd never used it on myself before.

I mixed a pinch with water and drank it down. The effect was immediate—a warm rush that spread from my core outward. My hands glowed faintly as I pressed them to my stomach.

"Oh," I breathed as understanding dawned. "Oh, Knox."

Life. A tiny spark of it, barely formed but unmistakably there. Our child.

Hope bloomed in my chest, bright and fierce. This changed everything. When Knox learned of our baby, he would have to choose me over Scarlet. He would have to stop the blood extractions. He would have to remember his promises.

"Knox needs to know," I said, swinging my legs over the side of the bed despite Isla's protests. "Where is he?"

"In the main house with Elder Ellis and Miss Scarlet."

I found them in the formal dining room, maps spread across the table as they discussed pack territories. Scarlet's hand rested possessively on Knox's arm.

"Knox," I called, my voice stronger than I felt. "I need to speak with you. Alone."

His eyes narrowed at my interruption. "Not now, Freya."

"It's important," I insisted, one hand instinctively moving to my stomach. "Please."

Something in my expression must have reached him because he excused himself and followed me into the hallway.

"What is it?" he demanded. "Scarlet's father is here to finalize the alliance terms."

"I'm pregnant," I said, the words hanging between us like a spell. "With your child."

For a moment, something flickered in his eyes—surprise, perhaps even joy. Then Scarlet's voice called from the dining room, sharp with irritation.

"Knox? Who is that woman bothering you?"

His expression hardened. "You're lying," he said coldly. "You're trying to escape your duty."

"Duty?" I echoed, disbelief washing through me. "Knox, this is our baby—"

"Enough!" He grabbed my arm, his fingers digging into the same spot he'd gripped earlier. "Only Scarlet's child matters for this alliance. Nothing else."

The hope that had bloomed so brightly inside me withered and died as he turned away, leaving me standing alone in the hallway with the weight of our child growing inside me—a child he had just rejected.