After My Alpha Chose Her, I Fled

Pain radiated through my body as consciousness returned, the scent of medicinal herbs and antiseptic filling my nostrils. The pack healer's den was quiet except for the soft beeping of monitors and my own labored breathing. I tried to move, wincing as fire shot through my abdomen—a reminder of Emma's difficult birth just days ago.

Through the haze of pain medication, I recalled Dr. Alistair's grave expression: "You nearly died, Luna Isabella. The hemorrhaging was severe. You must rest completely."

My wolf, Aurora, stirred within me, her presence warm and protective. *Our pup is safe. Our Emma survived.*

I smiled weakly, grateful for the small mercy. Blake had been here earlier—hadn't he? The memory was foggy. My mate, my Alpha, my childhood sweetheart... surely he'd been by my side during the worst of it?

A door creaked somewhere in the healing den. Voices drifted from the adjacent examination room, muffled but growing clearer as a door was left partially open.

"The pregnancy is progressing beautifully," Dr. Alistair's voice carried through. "Much smoother than our Luna's difficult case."

My ears perked up. Another pregnant she-wolf in our pack? I hadn't heard of anyone else expecting.

"Thank you, Doctor." A female voice, unfamiliar yet somehow familiar, responded. "Blake has been so worried."

*Blake?*

Aurora suddenly went rigid within me, her awareness sharpening like a blade. A scent wafted through the crack in the door—a female wolf, unmistakably pregnant, and carrying...

*Mate's scent. Our mate's scent is on her.*

The monitor beside me began beeping faster as my heart rate spiked. With effort that sent daggers of pain through my healing body, I pushed myself up on trembling arms.

"Blake, darling, you don't need to worry so much." The female voice again, sweet and lilting. "Rachel and baby are perfectly healthy."

My blood turned to ice. *Rachel?* Who was Rachel?

I reached for our mate bond, that sacred connection blessed by the Moon Goddess herself, trying to send my confusion, my fear through our mind-link.

*Blake? What's happening?*

Nothing. The bond felt... muted. Blocked.

Aurora whined, pawing desperately at the wall between us and our mate. *Wrong. Something is wrong.*

With strength I didn't know I possessed, I swung my legs over the side of the bed. Pain tore through my abdomen, but I bit down on my lip until I tasted blood. One step. Another. The cold floor beneath my bare feet grounded me as I approached the partially open door.

Through the crack, I saw them.

Blake—my Blake—stood with his arm around a beautiful she-wolf with copper hair. His hand rested possessively on her slightly rounded belly. Dr. Alistair was showing them something on a monitor, but I couldn't focus on that. All I could see was the tender way Blake looked at this woman, the way his thumb stroked circles on her stomach.

The exact way he had touched me when I carried Emma.

"I want the best care for my chosen mate," Blake was saying, his voice filled with