Chapter 2

Brother Li's tail lashed the air like a whip. He bared his incomplete canines, his nostrils flaring dramatically: "Look at this mangy old she-wolf, even the tip of her tail is bald. How could the Alpha have ever desired such inferior stock?" His words were laced with contempt, and I felt a surge of anger.

Cassian Valen's golden pupils contracted into fine lines with the shifting light, his throat emitting a low growl of approval, a distinct sign of an Alpha wolf's ire. His elongated claws unconsciously traced Lorelei Marispera's waist—a primal gesture of possession.

"Had it not been for the Elders monitoring..." His canines flickered into view, "I would have driven her into the border wastelands long ago." The threat hung in the air, heavy with malice.

Bate Li arched his back, a servile posture Beta wolves assumed before higher-ranking wolves, yet his eyes brimmed with malice: "Hear that? The she-wolf who's borne pups... her pheromones reek of sour decay," he sneered, deliberately snorting in my direction, The insult stung, but I refused to show weakness.

"Silence! Lorelei Marispera is with child," Cassian Valen's tail reflexively encircled the young Omega's ankle—a protective gesture that rightfully belonged to me. Lorelei Marispera, his Mate, feigned tears..

Bate Li immediately retreated half a step, groveling. "Miss Lorelei Marispera’s pups will surely have pure coats, unlike certain old she-wolves..." His hand pointed suggestively at my pregnancy-marked abdomen, "What she bears is likely a mongrel that can't even maintain its wolf form..." The accusation was a blow, and I felt my control slip.

"It's the water breaking!" I trembled, clutching Cassian Valen's pants, my wolf ears flattened against my scalp from the agony. Yet my Alpha merely flared his nostrils, his expression one of offended disdain: "The full moon is the due date!" His canines bared fully, "Are you scheming even the birth date of your own pup?" His accusation was baseless, but in his eyes, I was guilty.

Bate Li seized the moment to sneer: "I've heard that only she-wolves marked repeatedly..." He pointed suggestively at my neck, "would have labor disruptions..." The implication was clear, and I felt my strength waning.

Cassian Valen's fur bristled as if electrocuted, his pheromones suddenly radiating aggression. Lorelei Marispera seized the moment frame me"The Pack Doctor said that only she-wolves who spread their legs indiscriminately during heat would give birth prematurely..." Her words were a death knell.

The words had barely left her lips when Cassian Valen's talons clamped around my throat, lifting me off the ground. His grip was merciless, and I struggled to breathe.

His pupils constricted into two golden slits, the hallmark of a wolf about to kill. The stench of murder in his pheromones was like rust under scorching sun. This was the same Alpha who used to gently comb my fur under the full moon, now regarding me as prey.

His hind muscles tensed—a prelude to a fatal strike. At thirty-two, I was in my prime, yet in his eyes, I had become a "molted old she-wolf," my coat losing its luster due to pregnancy hormones.

"Speak! Whose pup is it?!" His fangs pressed against my throat, his hot breath searing my scent gland. The mark he had left there now burned like fire.

I instinctively shielded my swollen belly. "It's... it's your child!" Amniotic fluid mixed with blood dripped to the floor, its distinctive odor permeating the corridor. "The pup is coming early... Please, call the Pack Doctor!" My plea fell on deaf ears.

A flicker of hesitation crossed Cassian Valen's eyes as he flared his nostrils. But Lorelei Marispera's cloying voice shattered the brief silence: "Alpha brother~" She coiled her tail around Cassian Valen's arm like a playful pup, "How is bleeding and water breaking proof?"

Her pink tongue flicked her canines as she drawled, "She-wolves who fornicate during heat have loose... leaks are normal~" Her words were a final blow.

These words ignited the powder keg. Cassian Valen's fur stood on end, his pupils bleeding to blood red. "Bitch!" His claws raked my shoulder, blood splattering the pristine white wall. "I can sire pups with Lorelei Marispera! Her coat is glossy—her pups will be a thousand times superior to yours!" His declaration was a nail in my coffin.

I endured the pain, baring my fangs: "This hospital is your territory! If it weren't your bloodline, the Pack Doctor would have—" My words were cut short by another blow.

"Cassian Valen brother~" Lorelei Marispera suddenly gazed up at Cassian Valen with her seemingly innocent round eyes, her tail tip lightly brushing his chin. "Luna here has the authority to command medical staff, you know..." She pointedly glanced at the blood seeping from between my legs. "What if she threatens the Pack Doctor to conceal the truth?" Her accusation was a knife in my back.

Cassian Valen's roar shook the corridor lights into a flickering dance. He hurled me against the wall. The back of my head struck the metal Elias Thornweaver, and my vision blurred into darkness. In that final moment before unconsciousness, I heard his declaration brimming with murderous intent:

"Abort this bastard now, then throw her into the lowliest Omega pen—let every male wolf ride her to their heart's content!" The cruelty of his words echoed in my mind as I lost consciousness.