After My Alpha Betrayed, My Healer Found Strength

The pain was constant. Ten pregnancies in three years had left my body a shell of what it once was. I lay on the thin mattress in the healer's den, my abdomen still cramping from delivering Jason's latest heir just hours ago. The scent of medicinal herbs did little to mask the metallic tang of blood that clung to me.

I should have been resting. I should have been recovering. Instead, I was straining to hear the conversation filtering through the thin walls of the den.

"How much longer do we need to keep her?" Vanessa's voice, sweet as poisoned honey.

"Just until we secure our position in the Northern Alliance." Jason's reply sent ice through my veins. "The last pup she produced has strong Alpha potential. That makes ten successful productions. The Alliance can't deny us now."

"And then?" Vanessa purred.

"And then I reject her publicly." Jason's voice dropped lower, but not low enough. "She's served her purpose. Just a breeding tool, nothing more."

My wolf whimpered inside me, the pain of his words cutting deeper than any physical wound. I'd given him everything—my body, my health, my future. Each pregnancy had drained more of my life force, each birth taking longer to recover from. And all along, I was nothing but a means to an end.

"You promise?" Vanessa asked, her voice dripping with anticipation. "I've waited so long to be your Luna."

"I promise, my love. Soon, you'll have the position you deserve, and that breeding stock will be nothing but a bad memory."

Their laughter mingled, slicing through what remained of my heart. I curled into myself, tears silently streaming down my face. How could I have been so blind?

The door to my recovery room slammed open the next morning. Jason stood there, his face a mask of impatience.

"Get up," he ordered. "The pack needs your services at the healing den."

"But I just gave birth yesterday," I whispered, my voice hoarse. "The healer said I need at least a week to—"

"Did I ask for your opinion?" His eyes flashed dangerously. "The pack comes first. Always."

I struggled to my feet, pain shooting through my abdomen. My legs trembled as I followed him through the corridors of the pack house. Pack members averted their eyes as we passed. They knew what was happening to me—they all knew—but no one dared defy their Alpha.

At the healing den, three injured Delta warriors waited. Their wounds weren't serious, just training injuries that would heal on their own with time. But Jason didn't believe in waiting.

"Use your gift," he commanded, shoving me toward them.

I placed my shaking hands on the first warrior's arm. My wolf was too weak to protest as I drew on what little energy we had left, channeling it into healing energy. The wound closed, but darkness edged my vision. By the third warrior, I could barely stand.

In a moment of desperation, I reached out through the pack bond,