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Betrayed by the Alpha, I Fought Cancer and Rose Stronger
NovelShort
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Nine months into my pregnancy, I walked straight into my mate, Lucian Blackwood, and his lover inside the pack’s infirmary. Right after I collected my medical report, I saw the two of them together,...
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第1章
Nine months into my pregnancy, I walked straight into my mate, Lucian Blackwood, and his lover inside the pack’s infirmary.
Right after I collected my medical report, I saw the two of them together, quietly celebrating the impending birth of their pup.
Sabrina put on a show of concern. “Alpha Lucian, you really shouldn’t stay here with me. If Vivienne hears about this, she’ll be hurt. She’s expecting too. Don’t you worry she’ll be upset?”
Lucian let out a sharp, bitter laugh. “If she makes trouble, I’ll just sever the bond.”
If Lucian no longer wanted our family, then I would rather raise my little wolf without a father than remain in this mockery of a union.
I dialed my father, who was living beyond our territory.
“Dad, I’ve decided. I’m ending the bond. I’m taking my pup and moving in with you.”
After the call, I arranged the earliest flight I could get. Two weeks—just two weeks—and I would be out of Lucian’s life forever.
So then why… did that same wolf appear at my wedding later on, eyes bloodshot, begging me to return to him?
---
Nine months into my pregnancy—so close to my due date that my wolf was restless beneath my skin—I picked up my latest prenatal report from the pack infirmary. And right as I stepped into the hallway, I froze.
There was my mate, Lucian Blackwood… attending a prenatal check-up with Sabrina Cross, the she-wolf who had once been his first love.
Sabrina clung to his arm, her voice soft with false worry. “Lucian, you shouldn’t be accompanying me like this. If Vivienne hears about it, she’ll be devastated. She’s almost ready to deliver, too. Aren’t you even a little afraid she’ll take it the wrong way?” she whispered, though her eyes held a glint of triumph she didn’t bother to hide from me.
Lucian bent down, pressing a gentle kiss to her stomach as if it were the most natural thing in the world. His tone was icy as he replied, “She doesn’t know I’m here, and I have no intention of telling her. Her wolf has been overly sensitive lately—maybe it’s the hormones—but her moods swing for no reason. I don’t want her stirring up trouble for you.”
Sabrina’s brows pinched together. “We can’t keep meeting like this. Vivienne’s carrying your pup, too. If she uncovers the truth, I’m scared she’ll—”
“There’s nothing to fear,” Lucian cut in flatly. “It’s my responsibility to be here. This child is mine as well. If Vivienne decides to lash out, I’ll break the mating vow and end the bond.”
Hearing my mate talk about me as if I were an inconvenience, a burden he was eager to discard, made the blood in my veins turn to ice.
Since he had already chosen to throw us away, then I would take control of my own fate first. I would leave him—leave this pack—and raise my pup without a father who clearly didn’t want us.
A bitter smile ghosted across my lips as something in me finally snapped. I stepped aside, pulled out my phone, and called my father who lived outside the territory.
“Dad,” I said quietly, though my throat burned. “I’ve made my decision. I’m ending the bond with Lucian. I’ll take the baby and move in with you.”
“I’m relieved you finally see things clearly,” my father said, voice steady through the line. “The Blackwoods might hold status in their region, but our family stands firmly on its own. If staying in that pack only wounds you, then leave him. Start over with your child.”
“You’re right,” I breathed.
When the call ended, I immediately booked the earliest possible flight.
My mind drifted back to just that morning—when I had asked Lucian if he could accompany me to my own appointment. He had told me he was too busy with pack work. Yet here he was, not working at all… but standing beside Sabrina, proudly attending her check-up.
Nine months pregnant, and not once had Lucian set foot in the infirmary with me.
Three months ago, Sabrina’s engagement had fallen apart, and since the day she returned to the territory, Lucian had been sneaking off to meet her again and again. After her return, the time Lucian and I spent alone had nearly vanished.
It was humiliating how quickly he responded to her. Even a single message from Sabrina—just a brief call or a tiny text—and he would abandon whatever he was doing and hurry to her side.
He even embraced her openly in front of me, without a shred of shame.
I had confronted him more than once, but every time, he brushed me aside with the same rehearsed excuses: Sabrina was struggling, she needed help, he owed her support. According to him, all of his attention was simply to help her “heal.”
And when Sabrina turned out to be pregnant, Lucian acted as though it was his moral duty—his obligation as a wolf and as a man—to stay by her side.
He conveniently forgot one thing: I was pregnant, too. And I was further along.
Between the two of us, I was the one who needed care—yet he gave it all to her.
For the longest time, I believed the pup Sabrina carried belonged to him. I tried to ask him gently, carefully, indirectly. I even told him that if he no longer loved me, he needed to be honest.
But he always shut me down—snapping, impatient, refusing to discuss it. And the single time I dared to ask whose pup Sabrina was carrying, he exploded.
He insisted again and again that I was overthinking, that I lacked trust, until I forced myself to believe him.
I told myself he was simply being kind. That he wasn’t falling out of love with me.
But today shattered every illusion. Sabrina’s child had always been his.
They had been hiding their affair for gods know how long, and I… I had been nothing but their convenient cover.
When Lucian brought up divorcing me, Sabrina’s expression—barely a flicker—shifted with unmistakable satisfaction behind her carefully crafted mask.
“I never wanted to take you away from Vivienne,” she murmured, voice thin with forced guilt. “But if my fiancé hadn’t abandoned me, none of this would’ve happened. I came back to this pack with nowhere to turn. You were the only one I could rely on, Lucian. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”
Tears welled in her eyes, shimmering like she’d practiced it before. Lucian immediately pulled her into his arms, holding her as though she were something fragile he needed to protect.
“I told you, Sabrina,” he whispered into her hair. “I’ll look after you. If it weren’t for what happened between us back then, I wouldn’t have survived it.” He paused, then exhaled. “You saved me once. Taking care of you now is the least I can do.”
He smoothed her hair with a gentleness he had never given me. “Vivienne is my mate, so she should understand. And even if she doesn’t? I’m still staying by your side.”
Moments later, the pack doctor stepped out of the exam room, catching sight of them wrapped together. She smiled warmly at Sabrina. “You’re very fortunate, Mrs. Blackwood. Your mate never misses an appointment and he treats you so attentively.”
Sabrina blushed, ducking her head, and Lucian nodded proudly as though he deserved praise.
I watched them, hands curling into fists so tightly my nails broke skin.
Just two more weeks. Two more weeks, and I would be gone from Lucian Blackwood’s life forever.
第2章
Lucian followed the healer into her office to retrieve Sabrina’s prenatal results. Sabrina, meanwhile, murmured something about needing to use the restroom—but she didn’t move an inch. She simply lingered in the hallway, waiting.
The moment their footsteps faded behind the door, she drawled, voice dripping with mock amusement, “You can come out now. You’ve been hiding there long enough. Haven’t you stared your fill?”
I stepped out from behind the corner, keeping my expression as blank as stone.
Seeing my silence, Sabrina’s mask slipped; irritation flared through her eyes, quickly sharpening into ridicule.
“What’s wrong?” she taunted. “Not even a shred of dignity left? You’ve always known Lucian never chose you. Yet here you are, clinging to that Luna title like it means something.”
A cold, humorless laugh escaped me. “And you don’t feel embarrassed being the wolf who crawls into another woman’s marriage knowingly?”
Sabrina smirked, brushing her hand over her belly with a careless sort of pride. “I knew Lucian long before you ever crossed his path. If I hadn’t gone overseas, you never would’ve become Mrs. Blackwood in the first place.”
Then she leaned closer, voice syrupy and triumphant. “And now that I’m back—carrying his pup—it’s about time you remove yourself from the picture.”
I had known, from the very beginning of our bond, that Lucian had a woman he once deemed his fated one. But I never imagined her presence in his heart ran this deep—that she could simply return and eclipse everything we had built.
Pain ripped through my chest so sharply that I had to steady myself. My grip tightened instinctively on the document in my hand.
Sabrina noticed—and in a quick, snatching motion, she ripped the report away from me.
She scanned the conclusion, and her laughter exploded down the hallway—wild, cruel, echoing off the walls.
“Cancer?” she shrieked with glee. “Tell me, Vivienne, what do you think? Will you even survive long enough to birth that little mutt? Or will the two of you die together before that?”
The shrill laughter crashed against my ears like a pack siren. Something inside me—the last thread of restraint—broke. I stepped forward and struck her across the face.
Sabrina reeled back, then threw herself dramatically to the ground with a piercing cry.
“Vivienne!” she wailed, clutching her stomach. “I didn’t want you to find out this way! I’m pregnant—how could you hit me?!”
Tears streamed down her cheeks in exaggerated, theatrical rivers. I barely had time to process her performance before a force slammed into my back.
I lost my balance completely, crashing belly-first onto the cold, unforgiving floor.
Lucian’s hand clamped around my arm, yanking me upright. My head spun, the shock disorienting, but his roar cut through the haze.
“Are you insane?!” he shouted in my face. “How could you push Sabrina? She’s carrying a pup!”
I stared at him in disbelief, still catching my breath. Before I could utter a word, Sabrina whimpered pitifully from the floor.
“Lucian, please…” she sniffed. “Don’t fight with Vivienne because of me. I shouldn’t have asked you to come to my appointment. This is my fault. As long as the baby is fine, she can slap me if it makes her feel better.”
Her trembling-lip routine made her look like the moon goddess’ tragic martyr.
Lucian’s jaw clenched with fury. When he faced me again, his voice was low, harsh—sharper than claws.
“You’ve crossed a boundary you can’t take back, Vivienne,” he said coldly. “Apologize to her.”
I let out a hollow laugh, stunned even by the sound of it.
“You want me to apologize?” My voice cracked, thick with disbelief. “Lucian, do you even know what this is?”
My hands trembled as I shoved the medical report into his chest. My throat burned with unshed tears.
He didn’t glance at it.
He tore it in half—the entire diagnosis—without hesitation. The shredded paper fluttered to the floor like snow.
“I don’t care what your report says!” he snapped. “All I know is that you’ve gone too far this time. Spirits, Vivienne—you’re pregnant! How could you harm another expecting wolf?”
Hot tears escaped down my cheeks, unbidden and silent. My whole body shook—not from injury, but from a fury so deep it felt ancient.
Lucian saw the tears and, for a brief moment, his anger dulled. His tone shifted, trying to soften.
“Look… can you just apologize?” he murmured. “I know I haven’t given you attention these past few months. But once the pup is born, I promise I’ll make things right.”
Then, unbelievably, he placed his hand on my back and guided me toward Sabrina—pushing me like I was the offender, the villain.
Sabrina met my gaze with victorious, glinting eyes.
I looked at Lucian—really looked at him—and wondered where the wolf who once swore loyalty to me had gone. How could he transform so utterly just because Sabrina reappeared? Had he forgotten every vow he made beneath the moon the day we bonded?
I inhaled slowly, steadying the storm inside me.
“No,” I said quietly, firmly. “I won’t apologize. And Lucian… you’ve disappointed me more than you’ll ever understand.”
Then I turned around and walked away. Without looking back.
第3章
As I turned away from him, Lucian’s expression darkened like a storm rolling in. For a split second, genuine fear flickered in his wolf-bright eyes, as if he sensed our bond thinning. He started to move toward me—but Sabrina suddenly doubled over, clutching her stomach with a dramatic whimper.
“Lucian… my wolf… it hurts,” she breathed shakily. Then, in a trembling voice meant to sound noble, she rasped, “But go after Vivienne. She’s your Luna. Her feelings matter more.”
She said it loud enough to echo down the pack clinic’s hallway.
Lucian hesitated, jaw ticking, but only for a heartbeat. Then he shook his head and positioned himself between her and the attending healers. “No. Your condition comes first. Vivienne is just overwhelmed. She’s eight months along—any talk of separation terrifies a pregnant wolf. I’ll handle her later.”
His voice dropped to a low murmur, meant only for himself, “She’s only acting out.”
Then, without another glance in my direction, he swept Sabrina into his arms and carried her into one of the private pack infirmary rooms.
---
By the time I reached the packhouse, the moon had risen, casting cold silver light across the territory. I stood outside the front steps for a long while, staring at the home that was supposed to be sacred—the Alpha residence where I was meant to feel protected. But ever since Sabrina returned to our pack lands, Lucian’s scent had rarely lingered here. The warmth of this place had vanished, replaced by something hollow and foreign.
Inside, I walked straight to the wall of framed memories, reached for our wedding photo—a symbol of the mate bond I had once treasured—and pulled it down. Without hesitation, I tossed it into the trash bin.
I refused to leave behind a single reminder of the life I had been desperately trying to hold together.
Next, I gathered every shared item—our matching cloaks, trinkets from bonding ceremonies, little tokens wolves give their mates—and stuffed them into a black trash bag. I was carefully making my way down the stairs when the front door burst open.
Lucian walked in, carrying Sabrina in his arms like she already belonged here.
The moment his gaze met mine, a flicker of guilt rippled across his face, quickly masked by irritation.
“She’s not doing well because of your behavior,” he stated, as if it were an indisputable fact.
I let out a cold, humorless laugh. “Not doing well? Then why isn’t your precious she-wolf in the healing ward? Why drag her into the Alpha residence? Or is our packhouse now your personal refuge for mistresses?”
His eyes flashed with dominance. “Watch your tone, Vivienne. I’m trying to manage the situation. Whether you approve of it or not, Sabrina is staying here.”
Sabrina placed a hand on her stomach, stroking the curve of her unborn pup like she knew exactly how to provoke me.
“It’s true, Vivienne,” she whispered sweetly. “Nothing inappropriate is happening. Lucian only wants what’s best for the baby.”
Her words were crafted to slice through me the way rogue claws would.
My wolf bristled under my skin, rage simmering through my veins. I stared directly at Lucian, voice steady but sharp. “This is my territory. My home. I don’t want her living in it.”
Lucian hesitated—a moment of doubt—before Sabrina grabbed his wrist and guided his hand to her belly. The sensation of the unborn pup’s heartbeat softened him instantly.
Like magic. Or manipulation.
When he turned back to me, his voice was full of annoyance. “Enough, Vivienne. You’re carrying a pup too, yet you show no understanding. You pushed Sabrina earlier—I’m only making sure she’s safe. If you can’t accept her presence, then maybe you’re the one who should leave.”
His words struck like a rejection blow—sharp, freezing, merciless.
I felt the blood drain from my face. My whole body shook, not just from hurt but from the bond fraying under his disregard.
“As you wish,” I said evenly, my voice cold as a winter howl.
Tonight would be my final night in this packhouse. After this, I would walk away—and Lucian Blackwood would be nothing more than a chapter I had already burned.
Decision made, I tightened my grip on the trash bag and walked out the front door, ignoring the pain twisting in my wolf’s chest.
Behind me, Sabrina’s voice floated out, coated in feigned sympathy.
“Don’t fight because of me, Lucian. She’s so angry she even took down your wedding portrait.”
Lucian sighed, frustration rumbling through his chest like an Alpha’s growl. “She’s being dramatic. Once she realizes I’m not giving in, she’ll come running back.”
A single tear slid down my cheek. I stepped into the night wind, cold against my skin, and tossed the bag into the pack’s refuse bins—along with every last remnant of love I ever had for him.
第4章
The moment I pushed the door open, a faint sound drifted out of the nursery—and instantly my wolf bristled, heat flaring through me. That room had been Lucian’s pride the second he learned I carried his heir. He had personally overseen every detail: the carved wooden cradle from the Northern Pack, the rune-stitched blankets, the protective charms, the stuffed moonbeasts… all chosen by his own hands.
All chosen for our pup.
And now he intended to hand all of that over to Sabrina?
A savage fury rose like wildfire under my skin. I stormed down the corridor, claws itching to break free, and shoved the nursery door wide open—
Only to find Sabrina curled up inside the cradle, as if trying to claim it as hers.
I didn’t even think. Instinct roared to the surface. I grabbed her by the arm and lifted her straight out of the crib, rage pounding in my chest like a second heartbeat.
But before I could speak, Lucian appeared in a blur of movement, his Alpha strength clamping around my wrist as he yanked me back.
“What in the hell is wrong with you, Vivienne?” he barked, anger vibrating through his wolf aura. “You fly into a frenzy the moment you walk through the door!”
His dominance pressed down on me—until he saw the tears filling my eyes. His grip loosened, barely.
My voice cracked. “Are you truly giving this room to her?”
Lucian’s expression tightened. “Sabrina said she feels comfortable here. It doesn’t matter if she uses it temporarily. Stop overreacting.”
“Do you even remember—”
“Enough, Vivienne!” he snapped, slicing off my words with a growl of irritation. “Your behavior these past days has been unacceptable. If this continues, I might have to reconsider whether this mating bond is still viable.”
He paused, eyes chilling to frost.
“Unless you want the pup inside you to grow up without a father.”
He was threatening me. Threatening divorce. Threatening rejection.
As I stared at him—his profile turned away like he always did when he was done arguing—every warm memory we’d built disintegrated. The vows he whispered under the moon, the promise that this nursery would belong to our firstborn forever… all of it felt like smoke and lies now.
All of it meaningless.
Without another word, I turned and walked out. My fingers instinctively cupped my stomach, feeling the soft flutter of life beneath my palm.
“It’s alright, little one,” I whispered. “We don’t need that room. I’ll make you a better one. Somewhere safe.”
Behind me, Lucian remained motionless, watching me retreat. That same fleeting guilt I saw at the clinic flickered over his face again—sharp, fleeting, almost human. Then Sabrina called his name from the nursery, and he pivoted toward her without hesitation.
---
Later, when I returned to the master bedroom, my phone buzzed repeatedly. A string of voice messages from Sabrina.
I pressed play.
With each recording, Lucian’s gentle, doting voice washed over me—soft tones, comforting murmurs, the kind he once used with me when he thought he was being a good mate. But hearing them now, layered with Sabrina’s coy responses… the truth slammed hard into me.
Every affectionate gesture Lucian ever gave me had been nothing but training for her.
The soups he served me to “strengthen the pup.”
The gifts he bought for the nursery.
The care instructions he read out loud.
The nights he talked to my belly as though speaking to our future heir.
All of it—every last piece—had only been practice.
He had used me and my unborn child as a rehearsal, a trial run so Sabrina wouldn’t suffer through his inexperience. Even the nursery, which he swore was for our pup, had been prepared for the offspring in Sabrina’s womb.
I listened to the messages again and again until the ache in my chest twisted so painfully it forced out a laugh. A brittle, broken sound.
I wasn’t laughing because it was amusing.
I was laughing because the hurt was so deep it split something inside me.
Everything I had cherished since learning I was pregnant—every tender moment, every shred of hope—was nothing but a lie Lucian crafted so he could perfect his gentleness… for another wolf’s child.
His affection for my pup didn’t even scrape the surface of what he lavished on Sabrina’s unborn one.
My hand trembled as I gripped the phone, breath shuddering. My lungs felt tight, painful, like my ribcage had shrunk around my heart.
All I could do was whisper to myself, again and again:
“It’s fine. It’s fine. We’ll be alright.”
Because soon… we would be free of him.
Just me and my pup. And we would survive.
As if sensing my turmoil, the tiny life inside me gave a soft kick—gentle, reassuring, almost protective. Like he understood. Like he agreed.
I wrapped both arms around my belly, holding the little one close, anchoring myself.
I stayed like that for a long while, breathing slowly, waiting for the pain to loosen its grip.
And finally… eventually… it did.
第5章
After Sabrina settled into the packhouse, Lucian might as well have tied himself to her by the wrist. Wherever she went, he followed, his scent intertwined with hers so strongly it made my wolf recoil.
And me?
I’d cut the last thread of expectation the moment I finally saw them for who they were.
One late evening, when thirst pushed me downstairs for a glass of water, a soft murmur drifted from the slightly open door of the guest chamber—Sabrina’s temporary room, the one Lucian insisted she needed to “rest properly for the pup.”
“Lucian…” she purred, voice dripping sweetness, “I heard that Saint Christopher medal from your family line works miracles for easing fatigue. The little one has been restless all night… Would you mind letting me borrow it for a while?”
The medal was no simple trinket.
Among wolf packs, the Blackwood line guarded it fiercely. Passed from Luna to Luna, it marked the rightful mate of the Alpha—an emblem given only to the woman recognized as Mrs. Blackwood. Lucian had placed it around my neck himself beneath the moonlit vows. He promised it would stay with me forever.
Forever, he’d said.
Because, according to him, there would never be another Luna beside me.
The memory unraveled when I heard his reply.
Through the narrow gap in the doorway, I watched Lucian press a gentle kiss against her cheek, offering a soft smile that used to be mine.
“Of course, sweetheart. I’ll ask Vivienne. You can wear it as long as you need—at least until your pup arrives.”
A knife-sharp ache shot straight through my heart.
I couldn’t even recall his exact words from our mating ceremony anymore… but what did it matter? He clearly didn’t remember his own vows either.
I stepped backward, but the wooden floor betrayed me with a faint creak. In an instant, Lucian opened the door. The moment he saw me standing there, his expression faltered—surprise, followed by something that looked dangerously like guilt. He stepped out quickly, pulling the door shut behind him, guiding me toward a private corner of the hallway.
“Vivienne,” he said quietly, “you must’ve heard that, didn’t you?”
I kept my lips sealed.
He hesitated, then exhaled. “Sabrina’s been losing sleep. Could you lend her the medal for a while? Just until she feels better?”
I nodded slowly—right as a sharp pain coiled through my side. I gritted my teeth and pushed through it.
“I’ll give it to her,” I said, keeping my voice as steady as I could. “But I want one thing in return.”
Lucian brightened instantly, as if I had just thrown him a lifeline. He stepped closer, about to wrap me in a relieved embrace, but I shifted back before he could touch me.
Sabrina’s scent clung to him—thick and nauseating.
“I’m glad you’re being reasonable,” he said with a soft smile. “Once her pup is born, I’ll return it to you. Don’t worry—your place beside me isn’t changing.”
So he did remember the symbolism of the medal.
“I don’t care if she never returns it,” I replied quietly. “I just need you to sign something.”
Then I turned and headed upstairs.
A minute later, I descended with a set of papers—already opened to the signature page.
Divorce papers.
“There’s no need to get emotional,” Lucian murmured, as if coaxing a child. “Sabrina won’t keep it forever. I already told you—I’ll give it back once she’s delivered.”
He signed without even scanning the document.
When my fingers closed around the papers, a hollow calm flooded through me. I hadn’t expected it to be this effortless.
Lucian offered me a gentle smile, completely misunderstanding everything. “I know I haven’t treated you well lately. Go on—buy whatever makes you feel better. Put it on my tab.”
Ah.
So that was it.
He thought this was part of another petty argument. That I was angling for money, or gifts, or some emotional leverage.
I unclasped the medal, the familiar weight vanishing from my throat, and placed it in his palm with an empty expression.
For a moment, he froze. His fingers tightened around the necklace like he wasn’t sure he deserved to hold it—but eventually, he kept it.
“Don’t worry,” he repeated softly, almost like he needed the reassurance himself. “Once her pup comes, it’ll be back where it belongs.”
But his words didn’t touch me anymore.
“She’s welcome to keep it as long as she pleases,” I said, voice flat.
Overwhelmed by something he mistook for gratitude, Lucian suddenly pulled me into a hug. I shoved him off immediately, disgust curling in my gut—but he didn’t seem to care. Without another look at me, he walked straight back into Sabrina’s room.
A heartbeat later, her delighted squeal filled the hallway.
I stood there, staring blankly at the moonlit window.
Tomorrow, I would leave this place.
And for the first time in months…
…I wouldn’t look back.