The Alpha's Cruel Bet On His Unborn Heir

Aleida POV:

The chat log scrolled endlessly on the screen, a waterfall of depravity.

Derek (Alpha): Current bid for the first night with the ex-Luna starts at 50k.

RogueOne: Does that include the pregnancy hormones? I like them soft.

Edison (Beta): She's all yours, mate. Just don't damage the face. We want her pretty for the photos.

I read the words, and a part of me died. The part that still remembered Derek proposing to me under the moonlight. The part that believed in the sanctity of the Mate Bond.

He wasn't just rejecting me. He was selling me. He was trafficking his own wife to the highest bidder among the pack's enemies and lowlifes.

I scrolled up.

Elsa: Attached: Ultrasound image.

Elsa: Target: The Pot of Gold. Once the brat is born, we use it to extort her family for the land rights in the North. Then we dispose of it.

Dispose of it.

My hand hovered over the keyboard. I was shaking, not with fear anymore, but with a cold, calculating fury.

I selected everything. The video of them plotting in the living room. The chat logs. The audio of the bet in the office.

I hit Send.

The progress bar crawled across the screen. 50%... 80%... 100%.

Upload Complete.

I sent the files to a secure cloud server, one I had set up years ago for my photography hobby. Then, I set a timer.

48 hours.

Exactly when the party would be at its peak.

I heard the front door open. Derek was back.

I quickly closed the windows, wiped the browser history, and ran back to the couch. I arranged myself exactly as I had been, slowing my breathing.

"Aleida?" Derek's voice came from the hallway.

I stirred, faking a groggy awakening. "Derek? I fell asleep."

He walked in, looking at me with that mask of concern. "The milk must have helped. How is the baby?"

"Moving," I said, placing a hand on my stomach. "He's strong."

Derek's eye twitched. "Good. You need your strength. The Gathering is in two days."

"Do I have to go?" I asked, making my voice sound small and pathetic. "I feel so heavy."

His face hardened. "You are the Luna. You have duties. You will be there, Aleida. And you will look perfect. I don't want anyone saying I don't take care of my mate."

"Yes, Alpha," I whispered.

"Wear the red dress," he commanded. "The one with the open back."

I knew why. The red dress was easy to tear.

"I will," I promised.

He turned to leave, but stopped at the door. "Oh, and Aleida? Don't embarrass me. If you act out, if you cause a scene... the pack laws regarding disobedient Lunas are very severe."

He was threatening me with physical punishment.

"I understand," I said.

He left me alone in the dark room.

I looked down at my belly.

"They think this is a hunt," I whispered to my unborn son. "They think I am the prey."

I stood up, feeling the weight of my body, the ache in my back, and the fire in my soul.

"But they forgot one thing, little wolf. A mother protecting her young is the most dangerous creature on earth."

I went to the closet and pulled out the red dress.

It would be the color of their ruin.