When My Mate Let His Mistress Kill Our Baby

The grandfather clock in the hallway chimed seven times, the sound echoing through the cavernous dining hall of the Crescent Moon Pack house like a death knell. Tonight was the third anniversary of the day the Moon Goddess tied my soul to Damon’s. Three years of marriage. Three years of silence.

I smoothed the silk of my white gown, my fingers trembling slightly. My father, General Roberts, had sent this dress from the Northern Territory. He thought I was happy. He thought his little girl was ruling beside a powerful Alpha, secure in her position. He didn’t know that the high neckline was there to hide bruises, or that the long sleeves covered the grip marks Damon left when his temper flared.

"You’re vibrating, Seraphina. Stop it," Damon growled from the head of the table. He didn't look at me. He was too busy staring at his phone, probably checking the perimeter reports—or so he claimed.

"I'm sorry, Alpha," I whispered, lowering my gaze. My wolf, usually a source of comfort, was curled into a tight ball in the back of my mind, too weak to even whimper.

Across from me sat Gia Snyder. The Beta female. The woman who wore my husband’s hoodies and slept in the room next to his while I was relegated to the guest wing. She was picking at her steak with a bored expression, her dark eyes flicking toward me with predatory amusement.

"Happy Anniversary, Luna," Gia said, her voice dripping with false sweetness. She reached for the bottle of expensive red wine Damon had opened. "A toast to your... endurance."

As she poured, her hand "slipped." It was a clumsy, theatrical jerk of the wrist. The dark crimson liquid splashed across the table and soaked into the pristine white bodice of my dress. It looked like a gunshot wound spreading over my chest.

The cold wetness seeped through to my skin. I gasped, standing up abruptly. "Gia!"

"Oh, goddess!" Gia dropped the bottle, shattering it. She clutched her head, her body convulsing in a fake tremor. "My wolf... she's unstable tonight, Damon! The Luna's scent... it's triggering her! She thinks it's a threat!"

It was a lie. A pathetic, obvious lie. But Damon slammed his hand on the table, the silverware jumping.

"Seraphina!" His voice was a whip crack. "Look what you've done. You've agitated her."

I froze, the wine dripping down my front. "Damon, she threw wine on me. I didn't do anything."

"Do not argue with me," he snarled, his eyes flashing with the command of an Alpha. The pressure in the room spiked, a heavy weight pushing down on my shoulders. "Gia is vital to this pack. Her wolf is sensitive. Apologize to her. Now."

My heart hammered against my ribs. *Apologize? For being assaulted?* But I knew the drill. If I refused, he would lock me out of the pack mind-link. He would cut the funding to the orphanage. He would find a way to hurt someone I cared