My Alpha Chose His Mistress Over Our Pup

The first rogue came out of nowhere, a blur of fur and fangs from the shadows of the pine trees. One moment the border patrol was routine; the next, chaos erupted.

"Rogues! Positions!" Marcus shouted, his Beta voice cutting through the sudden stillness.

I reached for my wolf, feeling her surge forward as we prepared to defend our territory. The Silvermoon Pack borders had been peaceful for months, but now the scent of unfamiliar wolves filled the air—at least seven of them, maybe more.

"Stay behind me," Calvin ordered, his Alpha tone brooking no argument as he positioned himself slightly in front of Dana.

My heart twisted painfully. Even in danger, he protected her first.

The rogues attacked in a coordinated strike, their matted fur and wild eyes marking them as long-time outcasts. I fought with everything I had, my wolf's strength flowing through me as I took down a massive rogue who lunged for one of our younger Delta wolves.

"Alice, watch your left!" Marcus shouted.

I spun just in time to see a rogue charging straight for Dana, who had wandered too far from Calvin's side. Without thinking, I threw myself between them.

"Don't touch her!" I screamed, launching myself at the rogue.

The impact was savage. We collided mid-air, a tangle of limbs and teeth. I managed to sink my claws into his side, but his momentum carried us both backward. My body slammed against the trunk of a massive oak tree, the force driving the air from my lungs.

A sharp, tearing pain ripped through my abdomen. Something warm trickled down my legs.

"No," I whispered, my hand instinctively moving to my stomach. "No, please."

The rogue recovered first, snarling as he prepared for another attack. I tried to stand, but my legs buckled beneath me. Through blurred vision, I saw Dana backing away, a small scratch on her arm where another rogue had grazed her.

"Calvin," I gasped, reaching through our mate bond as darkness crept into the edges of my vision. "Help me."

The pain intensified, stealing my breath. I felt something vital slipping away from me—my pup, our pup—dying inside me.

"Alice?" Calvin's voice echoed in my mind through our link.

"I'm hurt," I managed to send back, my thoughts growing foggy. "The baby..."

"What did you expect?" His response was ice-cold, laced with fury. "You ran straight into danger like an idiot!"

"Calvin, please," I begged, curling into myself as another wave of agony tore through me.

"Look what you've done!" His Alpha tone crashed through my mind like thunder. "Dana is bleeding because of you!"

"Dana?" I struggled to understand. "But she's barely hurt..."

"Are you seriously trying to downplay this?" His rage pulsed through our bond. "She could have been killed!"

The irony wasn't lost on me. I was dying—our child was dying—and he was worried about Dana's scratch.

"Calvin," I whispered through our link, but there was no response.

Darkness claimed me then, my wolf's howl of grief echoing