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My mate, Alpha Damien, was holding a sacred naming ceremony for his heir.
The only problem? He was celebrating a pup he had with Lyra, a rogue he brought into our pack. And I, his true mate, four months pregnant with his actual heir, was the only one not invited.
When I confronted her, she clawed her own arm, drew blood, and screamed that I had attacked her.
Damien saw her performance and didn't even look at me. He snarled, using his Alpha's Command to force me to leave, the power of our bond twisted into a weapon against me.
Later, she attacked me for real, making me fall. As blood bloomed on my dress, threatening our child's life, she tossed her own pup onto a rug and screamed that I had tried to kill him.
Damien burst in, saw me bleeding on the floor, and didn't hesitate. He scooped Lyra's screaming pup into his arms and sprinted away to find a healer, leaving me and his true heir to die.
But as I lay there, my mother's voice echoed in my mind through our own link. My family's escort was waiting for me just beyond the territory border.
He was about to find out that the Omega he threw away was actually the princess of the most powerful pack in the world.
Chapter 1
Elara POV:
My fingers trembled as I held the cold phone to my ear, a useless human device. The real conversation was happening in my mind, a silent, shimmering thread of thought connecting me to my mother hundreds of miles away.
"I'm going to do it, Mom. I'm leaving him." The thought was a painful whisper in the vast space of our Mind-Link. The Mind-Link, a gift from the Moon Goddess, was supposed to be a source of comfort, a way for pack members to feel connected. Tonight, it felt like a lifeline I was about to sever.
My mother, Luna Seraphina of the Silver Moon Pack, responded instantly. Her mental voice was a soothing balm of moonlight and ancient power. "It's about time, my sweet girl. We were worried. That boy, Damien… his ambition stinks more than his pack's territory. The Bloodstone Pack is built on shaky ground."
"I know," I sent back, a wave of relief washing over me. I had been so afraid of her disappointment. "I just… I wanted to believe he was the one. The Goddess's gift."
"The Goddess gives us choices, Elara, not chains. We are waiting for you. The pack is waiting."
I cut the link, the sudden silence in my head feeling both empty and liberating. I leaned against the cold stone archway of the grand hall, the chill seeping through my thin dress. From here, hidden in the shadows, I could see everything.
My mate, my Alpha, Damien, stood in the center of the room.
He was holding a baby. A pup, not yet a month old, wrapped in the ceremonial furs of the Bloodstone Pack. And next to him, beaming as if she were the queen of the world, was Lyra.
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