The Alpha Who Faked a Broken Wolf

My Alpha mate-to-be, Caleb, was ambushed the night before our bonding ceremony.

The healer diagnosed that he had been wounded by silver, his inner wolf damaged, leaving him temporarily unable to sense me as his mate.

Any mention of the ceremony sent him into a spiral of agony.

At the same time, I discovered I was pregnant with a Gifted Child of the Moon Goddess—a pup with an exceptionally precious bloodline.

"Perhaps the power of this child's bloodline can awaken his true feelings for you," the healer suggested.

I clung to that sliver of hope until, at the pack's training grounds, I accidentally overheard their conversation through a mind-link.

"Faking a damaged wolf to get out of the bonding ceremony? Caleb, you're a genius," one of his friends said with a laugh.

"You actually pulled it off. Playing the tragic Alpha just to get a little more time to screw around at The Crimson Fang? That's inspired, man."

"Shut up," Caleb snapped, but there was no real heat in his voice.

"I love Eve. It's just this one time. Let me have my fun at The Crimson Fang, and then I'll go through with the ceremony."

"Especially with her cousin, Chloe," another voice taunted. "Seriously, Caleb? You're messing with your own mate-to-be's cousin? That's twisted."

Caleb just chuckled.

"You don't get it. The forbidden thrill… I can't get enough. It's addicting."

My hand trembled, crushing the Moon Goddess petals I held for the blessing into powder.

Without a word, I turned and strode away.

That night, at the Sanctum, I scheduled a Bloodline Severing Ritual.

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1

My Alpha, Caleb—the man who once swore he loved me—was at The Crimson Fang.

It was the most notorious den of debauchery in the territories, and he was lost in it, indulging in unspeakable acts.

There, he reveled with my cousin, Chloe, her seductive laughter echoing in the air.

"A little harder, my powerful Alpha..."

"Ah! If you get any rougher, I don't know if I can take it!"

Caleb had accidentally opened a mind-link to me. I heard Chloe's familiar voice—panting and giggling.

He was so consumed by pleasure that he hadn't even realized his mistake.

I couldn't believe it. My own cousin and my future mate, wallowing in their own filth.

Disgust burned like acid in my veins. I severed the link and went straight to the Sanctum.

That night, I returned to my birthplace, the Silvermoon Clan.

That was where I belonged, a place I hadn't set foot in since I began my courtship with Caleb.

As the Moon's Favored Daughter of the Silvermoon Clan, I had once believed I could sacrifice everything for him—even my title, my pride.

Now, I finally saw how blind I had been.

When I informed the healer of my decision to undergo the Bloodline Severing Ritual, his eyes filled with confusion.

"Princess Eve, this is a Gifted Child of the Moon Goddess. This is exceptionally rare! Are you certain? If your mate-to-be finds out, it might worsen his 'condition.'"

I smiled bitterly, my gaze falling to my flat stomach. "If I told him I was pregnant, I'm sure his 'condition' would get much worse."

After all, he was still hopelessly entangled with the she-wolves at The Crimson Fang.

It was incomprehensible. The man who had once begged for our bonding ceremony was now faking an injury to deceive me.

Seeing he couldn't change my mind, the healer reluctantly prepared the ritual documents.

However, he insisted on contacting Caleb through a mind-link.

"Princess Eve, the pup isn't just yours. Even if Alpha Caleb is unwell and claims not to want the pup, he still has to be informed and give his consent. What if there's been some misunderstanding?"

I didn't stop him. Deep down, I knew this child was our last, strongest bond—a bond I cherished, knowing how difficult it was for me to conceive due to a curse on my family's bloodline.

When the healer told me I'd struggle to conceive, Caleb had been my rock. He claimed he loved me enough to defy his parents, fighting them fiercely just to be with me.

Now, as I chose to part with our child, he should at least be here to say goodbye.

But when the link connected, his cold laughter echoed through my mind.

"Eve's pregnant? Impossible. How much did she pay you to break the healer's code and play along with this charade? If she thinks a fake pup will force me into the ceremony, tell her to save her breath. And who's to say the pup is even mine?"

The silence after he severed the link was deafening, his scornful laughter haunting the quiet ritual chamber.

I signed the consent form myself, closing my eyes as the ink dried on the parchment.

When I woke after the ritual, my messages were flooded with notifications from Caleb.

Caleb: [Eve, I didn't realize you cared so little about me. I'm injured, and you're still trying to trap me in a bonding ceremony? You, the 'Moon's Favored Daughter' of the Silvermoon Clan, stooping so low as to fake a pregnancy? As of now, we're done. Get out of the house. I don't want to see you again.]

And he had the audacity to kick me out of the house *I* paid for! His pack was poor; that lavish residence was built with my dowry.

I glanced at the bloodied remnants of the ritual and replied calmly: [Okay.]

He didn't deserve to be a father.

During the three days I spent recuperating at the Sanctum, he never once appeared. Meanwhile, his social feed was a constant stream of parties, liquor, and an endless parade of she-wolves draped over him—making up for all the "wild times" he thought he'd missed out on because of me.

I knew he was posting it all for me to see, so I indulged him, liking every single post.

The day I was discharged, I saw an unexpected sight: Caleb and a healer rushing a crystal bed toward the emergency room.

What was the Alpha of the Blackstone Pack doing here in the Silvermoon Sanctum? It made no sense.

Caleb's gaze flickered over me for a fraction of a second before he looked away, pretending not to know me.

But the urgent shouts of the emergency healer reached my ears clearly.

"Emergency Room One, prepare! The patient's forced First Embrace Ritual failed, causing magical backlash and severe internal bleeding—we need Dawnbright Blood, now!"

"What? The Sanctum's reserves are empty?"

After the mind-link was cut, the healer hurried over to Caleb and whispered something in his ear.

Caleb stopped dead. The next moment, he spun around and strode toward me, a flash of desperation on his face.

"Eve, give Chloe your blood," he commanded, his voice urgent. "Do it, and I'll forget about you spying on me."