My Alpha Sacrificed Our Pup to Save His Ex

I stared at the two pink lines on the pregnancy test, my hands trembling so violently I nearly dropped it into the marble sink. The bathroom of our Alpha suite suddenly felt too small, the air too thick, as if the walls themselves were holding their breath with me.

Pregnant.

I was carrying Reid's pup. Our heir.

A laugh bubbled up from my chest, half-sob, half-euphoria. My free hand pressed against my still-flat stomach, and I swore I could feel something there—a warmth, a promise, a future. Five years. Five years of standing beside Reid as he built the Ironclaw Pack from nothing, of enduring whispered doubts about whether the prestigious Alpha's daughter had made a terrible mistake mating a former rogue. Five years of watching shadows cross his face whenever Karina's name was mentioned, of pretending I didn't notice how his jaw tightened at the memory of his "chosen mate."

But this—this changed everything.

I caught my reflection in the mirror. My cheeks were flushed, my eyes bright with unshed tears of joy. Even my scent had shifted; I could detect it now, that sweet, milky undertone that marked a carrying Luna. It was subtle still, but Reid would recognize it immediately. His wolf would know.

I had to tell him. Now.

I practically flew down the corridor toward his office, my bare feet silent on the polished hardwood. The afternoon sun streamed through the tall windows, painting everything in gold, and I took it as a sign. This was our moment. Our new beginning.

But as I approached Reid's office door, voices stopped me cold.

"—only hours, Alpha." Dr. Webb's gravelly tone carried through the heavy oak. "The Fading Syndrome has progressed too rapidly. Without an Essence Transfusion, her wolf will die by moonrise, and she'll follow shortly after."

"There has to be another way." Reid's voice was strained in a way I'd never heard before. Desperate. Broken.

"There isn't." The Healer's words fell like stones. "She needs Alpha blood. Pure Alpha blood. And there's only one compatible donor in our territory."

My stomach dropped.

No.

"Nora." Reid said my name like a prayer and a curse all at once.

Then came Karina's voice, weak and thready, punctuated by delicate coughs. "I don't want to ask this of her, Reid. I know how much you love her. But I'm so scared. I don't want to die."

"The ritual is dangerous," Dr. Webb continued, his professional tone cracking slightly. "It will drain the Luna's aura significantly. And if she's carrying—" He paused. "If she's pregnant, the fetus won't survive the energy depletion. The donor herself risks permanent damage to her wolf."

Silence stretched like a chasm.

"Nora is strong." Reid's voice had changed, hardened into something I didn't recognize. "She can bear another pup. Karina is dying now."

The pregnancy test slipped from my fingers, clattering against the floor.

I didn't remember turning. Didn't remember running. But suddenly I was racing back down the corridor, my wolf screaming inside