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The Beta’s Betrayal,Her Bond Rejection
NovelShort
Hoàn thành
Seven moons along with pup. Confined to my chambers on healer's orders. Anxiety clawing at my chest as I scrolled obsessively through the pack-net mark-threads. "Should I make my mate try a whelping s...
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第1章
Seven moons along with pup. Confined to my chambers on healer's orders. Anxiety clawing at my chest as I scrolled obsessively through the pack-net mark-threads.
"Should I make my mate try a whelping simulation?"
A reply with captured images caught my eye.
"Definitely! My intended did one and swore he'd never let me endure that alone. But I'm about to become a mother anyway."
Someone challenged her: "If you're not carrying the pup yourself, where's it coming from?"
The poster replied smugly: "My intended's bonded mate spent five heat cycles trying to conceive and finally caught with pup. Once she whelps, the little one belongs to me."
"She's seven moons along now, just resting in her den like a fool, waiting to birth. Has no clue whose pup it truly is."
Five heat cycles of trying. Seven moons pregnant. I knew exactly how brutal that journey was.
I couldn't stop the rage boiling inside me at this shameless she-wolf.
I kept scrolling—and froze.
A healer's scrying image. The kind that showed the pup's form in the womb.
My breath stopped. She was showing off a picture of my pup.
——
Hands trembling, I pulled up my own scrying image from the last healer visit and compared them side by side.
I wasn't wrong. That was my child she was flaunting.
No wonder I couldn't catch any trace of my own scent-signature in those images.
I tapped into her profile and found her previous viral howl-stream.
"Documenting my intended's whelping simulation experience "
Her intended's face wasn't visible, but I caught something else.
The bonding mark on his left ring finger. The hand he kept clenched tight.
Identical to Kael Ironclaw's.
My heart seized. I gripped my swollen belly, gasping for air.
No wonder Kael had recoiled every time I mentioned doing a whelping simulation together.
He'd already done it. With her.
He knew exactly how excruciating birthing a pup was—bones shifting apart, the agony of full transformation during labor.
And he'd decided to use my body to give another female a child.
The comments below were vicious.
"Everyone spread this! That poor she-wolf needs to see it. She can't be tricked into being a vessel for some shadow-mate!"
"Even if she whelps, there's no way she's handing over that pup. Once a rogue consort, always a rogue consort."
"I feel so bad for her. Seven moons along... she probably can't bring herself to terminate under moon-sanction."
The poster responded to every single comment.
"So what if she sees it? She's weakened. Seven moons pregnant. If she terminates now, her womb may never quicken again."
"Don't worry about it. My intended says she stepped down from her pack duties for bed rest. Once the pup is past nursing age, he's filing for bond rejection."
"The rejection will be easy. She's got this thing about mate-bond purity—can't stand betrayal. Add the moon-sickness after whelping to the mix, and she'll be the one begging to sever the bond."
The smugness dripped from every word.
She was right about one thing. I did have that devotion to mate-bond purity.
And because my late-term symptoms had been so severe, I'd had to withdraw from my duties within the pack. The strain on our territory resources alone was crushing me.
Moon-sickness after birth? Almost guaranteed.
"Stop being jealous, everyone. The only reason she couldn't conceive for five heat cycles? My intended wasn't done having his freedom yet."
"All those fertility herbs she took? He swapped every single dose for heat-suppressants."
I yanked open my bedside chest and stared at the leftover herbs from my last conception cycle.
Could it be true? Were these laced with suppressants?
I sent word through the pack runners to have the herbs rushed to the nearest healer-den for testing.
Then I sat there, eyes fixed on the glowing marks, waiting for her next reply.
Maybe it was the evening hunt. The poster went quiet.
No matter how viciously pack members attacked her, she didn't respond.
I rested my hand on my swollen belly.
For this pup, I'd endured countless healer interventions. My feet were so swollen I could barely walk across my own chambers.
Because of one unverified mark-thread, I was supposed to—what? Seek moon-sanctioned termination at seven moons?
I couldn't. I wouldn't.
My mind buzzed with chaos, thoughts tangling into knots.
If I confronted Kael now—
Without evidence, he'd just accuse me of pregnancy-madness, the paranoia that sometimes gripped expecting she-wolves.
Then a new comment appeared.
"Stay jealous, she-wolves My intended just prepared me an entire fresh hunt. He slipped away from his Beta duties to share a meal with me. He doesn't have time for you bitter ones."
第2章
She'd posted images—a full spread of dishes that carried the unmistakable essence of Kael's cooking, the same recipes he'd learned from the Ironclaw kitchens.
I reached for him through our bond. Again and again, the connection went cold, deliberately blocked.
Then a message flickered across the pack-link. From Kael.
My moon, just finished the council session. Bringing home all your favorites. Be there within the hour.
I stared at the moon dial on the wall, counting every slow rotation of its silver hand.
An hour later, the ward-stones at our den entrance hummed with recognition.
"Selene, come eat! Got everything you crave."
The moment I saw those containers—not a trace of warmth left in them, the scent of the food already stale and cooled—
Tears spilled down my cheeks before I could stop them.
"Selene, is the pup giving you trouble? Just hold on a little longer, alright?"
He crouched down, gently massaging my swollen ankles with careful hands, his touch still familiar despite everything.
"It's all your favorites. Got delayed on the way though—a few territory disputes needed my attention through the pack-link."
"Wait here. Let me warm these up."
He grabbed the containers and headed for the hearth-stone.
My connection to the pack-net pulsed. A new reply on that mark-thread.
[My mate made way too much food, so I had him bundle up the rest. Picked out this adorable moon-rabbit container myself—can't have my precious wolf going hungry.]
The moon-rabbit container sitting on our table burned into my vision like silver against flesh.
The tears wouldn't stop.
So the foolish she-wolf in that mark-thread—the one being made a fool of—was actually me.
"Selene, it's all warmed up. Let me feed you."
I looked at Kael's gentle expression, his dark eyes soft in the firelight.
I still didn't want to believe it. That he could scheme against me with another wolf like this.
We'd been matched through the Council of Elders. He'd seemed so sincere during our courtship, so devoted to building our bond, so steady in his position as Beta.
We'd formed our mating bond because our bloodlines were compatible, but somewhere along the way, I'd fallen deeply in love with him.
Every time my heat passed without conception, he'd comfort me so tenderly, holding me through the disappointment.
When the assisted conception rite finally worked—when the healer confirmed the pup's heartbeat—he was even happier than I was, howling his joy to the moon.
I'd been naive enough to think our devotion had moved the Moon Goddess herself.
Turns out I was just stupid enough to walk right into someone else's trap.
I pushed away the spoon he held to my lips.
"Kael." I met his eyes, searching for any flicker of his wolf. "What if there was interference during the conception rite? I want to get it verified through a bloodline test."
His spoon froze mid-motion. Something flickered across his face—guilt, maybe, or the shadow of his wolf retreating.
"My moon, you've been reading too many old pack tales. That's impossible. A healer-den that established, with blood-craft that precise? They don't make those kinds of errors."
"But I'm scared. I asked around—the Blood-Scribe can perform a sire-line verification even now. Please, Kael. Let's just do it."
He set down the bowl, anxiety flashing in his amber eyes.
"Selene. I'm worried the ritual might strain you or the pup. Trust me—there's no way they made a mistake."
He pleaded with me, patient and earnest, his hand covering mine. But I wouldn't budge.
His pack-link pulsed with an incoming call. He glanced at the source.
"Selene, there's an issue with the border patrols. Let me handle this real quick."
He disappeared into the bathing chamber and turned on the water flow.
The rushing water drowned out his hushed conversation through the private link.
Five minutes later, he emerged—brow smooth, tension gone from his shoulders.
"Selene, if you're really that worried, then let's do it. I'll send word to the Blood-Scribe right now."
"Really? But you just said—"
Kael cut me off with a gentle squeeze of my hand. "Selene, I love this pup. But I love you more. If you have doubts, we verify the bloodline. Once you're at peace, the pup can grow strong and healthy."
Something nagged at me, a warning instinct deep in my bones. What had changed his mind so suddenly?
On the way to the healer-den, I found my answer in that mark-thread.
[The barren she-wolf suddenly wants a sire-line verification. Did she actually see this mark-thread?]
[Whatever. Let her test all she wants. One little blood-rite report won't be a problem for me to handle.]
第3章
My claws threatened to break through my fingernails as I gripped my communication stone, pressing my lips together in silence.
"Selene, are you feeling okay? Your scent is off—something's wrong."
The pack carriage rolled to a stop before the healer-den entrance. I reached out and grasped Kael's sleeve.
"Can we go to a different healer-den? I don't want the examination done here."
Kael shot me a suspicious look, his amber eyes narrowing. "Selene, we've done all your pup expectation monitoring here since we registered with the Blood-Scribes. Why would you want to switch now?"
"You chose Healer Frostvein yourself. It's too late to change healers."
He took my hand, his palm warm against mine, the mate bond humming faintly between us.
"Have you been too anxious lately? That's my fault—I've been working so hard, trying to secure a larger territory allocation from the Pack Council, to give you and the pup a better life."
Before, I would have melted at his dedication.
But now, that pack-net mark-thread was a thorn buried deep in my heart.
"Selene, every other healer-den in the territory is fully claimed. Let's just do the examination today, okay?"
The cold sensing crystal pressed against my swollen belly. I couldn't stop trembling.
Kael held my hand tightly, his thumb smoothing the furrow between my brows.
"The patient needs to rest lying down. Bloodline results will be ready in forty-eight hours."
Maybe the tension had exhausted me—I actually fell asleep.
When I woke, Kael was gone.
The main corridor was crowded with wolves of all ranks. I braced one hand against my belly and took the back passage down.
At the landing between floors, I caught his scent before I saw him.
Kael had his arms around a she-wolf younger than me, her Omega scent cloying and sweet.
"What are you doing at the healer-den? There are so many sicknesses spreading through the lower dens."
He pulled out a scent-mask, his face creased with concern, and fitted it over her delicate features.
"I was worried about the pup. When do the bloodline results come out?"
She pressed her body against his chest, her fingers curling into his tunic.
"Don't worry. I've got everything arranged—the results will show what we need. You'll get to be a mother, just like you wanted."
"Now you—it's freezing. Go back to your den before you make me worry."
The she-wolf stamped her foot, pouting. "No, no, I want to stay with you. She's asleep anyway."
"I'm hungry. Will you take me to hunt?"
Kael looked at her with helpless affection, brushing the loose dark hair from her forehead.
"Whatever you want. Anything you want. What are you craving?"
The tenderness in his eyes—I had never seen it once in five years of our mating bond.
She whispered something against his ear, her breath warm on his neck. He scooped her up by the waist.
They headed down the passage together.
A sharp pain tore through my abdomen. I clutched my belly, slid down the stone wall, and crumpled to the floor.
I activated the bond-link to reach Kael. Heavy breathing filled the connection.
"Selene, you're awake? Something came up with pack business at the central den. Rest at the healer-den—I'll come for you when you're done."
"Kael, my belly hurts. Can you skip the den and stay with me? Please?"
"Don't be difficult, Selene. It's almost the Midwinter Council gathering. I can't let anything affect my standing with the Elders. Be good."
The she-wolf's voice, low and urgent: "Hurry up, hurry up. My paws are cold. End the link."
The connection went dead.
The pain ebbed.
I pulled myself upright and walked to the healer's receiving chamber.
I requested another audience with Healer Frostvein.
"Selene, you want a termination?"
Healer Elena Frostvein stared at me, disbelief etched across her weathered face.
"Do you understand what you're saying? You're seven moons along. Your womb's condition is fragile—after a termination, you may never carry another pup again."
I met her worried gaze and nodded.
"I've made up my mind. I want the termination. Please schedule the ritual for tomorrow."
She opened her mouth to argue. I pulled up the mark-thread I'd seen that morning and handed her my communication stone.
Her jaw dropped. She stared at the glowing runes, speechless.
"That's impossible. Absolutely impossible. This mark-thread has to be lies. Selene—this is a life. A pup of your blood."
Healer Frostvein was my pack-sister Lyra's den-neighbor. I trusted her completely.
第4章
Before I had pleaded with Kael to undergo the bloodline rite alongside me, it never crossed my mind that something could go wrong within the healer-den.
But the moment I caught sight of that she-wolf in the shadowed corridor, her lips grazing against his ear, her body pressed close enough to mingle their scents—
My trust shattered like ice beneath a heavy paw.
"Try to keep your heart steady. Let us wait for the bloodline results before making any decisions, yes?"
Once I had gathered myself, Healer Elena worked to calm my racing pulse. She began compiling a record of every wolf who could have accessed the specimens—from the initial harvest during my heat cycle to the sacred conception rite itself.
"Selene, I give you my word—if this breach occurred within our healer-den, we will treat it with the utmost gravity."
"I have already pushed for the bloodline results. Rushed under moon-seal authority. You will have them by nightfall at the latest. I will send word the moment they arrive."
Kael, meanwhile, kept playing the role of devoted mate.
The pack escort he had arranged for me was already waiting outside the healer-den gates.
"Selene, I will be working through the night at the central den. I arranged for fresh-caught game to be delivered—make certain you eat."
He rushed through the words, eager to sever our mind-link.
"Kael, I truly feel unwell. Can you return to our den and stay with me? Forget the territory negotiations. I just want you here."
His voice turned sharp with impatience. "Selene, do not be difficult. Those negotiations mean better resources for our pup."
When I sensed no softening through our weakened bond, I cleared my throat. "Kael, let me ask you something. Did you ever undergo the phantom-labor trial—with someone else?"
A beat of silence stretched between us like a hunter's snare.
"Selene, I know I should have gone with you. But honestly, I would rather spend that time securing our territory's future than waste it on something without practical purpose."
A female voice carried through in the background, urging him to hurry with a familiar ease that made my fur want to rise.
Kael's words came faster. "Selene, my pack liaison is calling. I must go."
I set the communication crystal face-down on the fur-draped couch and wiped the tears from my cheeks.
A message arrived through the pack-net from Dorian Stormhart.
He had found her.
Her name was Raven Duskthorn. Kael's first love.
Her broken bloodline and rogue-touched family had never met the Ironclaw Pack's standards for a Beta's mate. The season they came of age, under pressure from the pack elders, Kael had been forced to sever their bond-courtship.
But after he mated with me, they had never truly let go.
Raven loved documenting her life. She was a moderately popular howl-caller on the pack-net.
On her mark-thread, I discovered a different Kael.
He smiled. He posed for memory-captures. He prepared meals with his own hands.
Nothing like the Kael I knew—the one who did nothing but work himself to exhaustion for pack standing.
It turned out that during our bonding journey, they had already reconnected.
For all ten nights of our mating celebration travels, she had stayed in the den chamber next to ours.
That was her very first pack-net mark.
In the captured image, Kael wore the bonding band I had selected for him myself—silver etched with our intertwined house symbols.
He was holding Raven on the moonlit shore, kissing her.
And in that moment, it finally made sense.
The scarred marking on his left ring finger—the one he had been so desperate to burn away with silver salve.
It was the initial runes of her name.
Like a wolf drawn to her own wounds, I scrolled through all 349 of her posts.
Then I opened her latest update.
A modest waystation den near the healer-territory.
Kael's rumpled clothing and leather belt draped over a carved chair.
That belt. The one I had given him for our first mating anniversary, tooled with protective wards.
Raven had marked beneath the image: "My wolf's hunting skills are impressive. I am well-fed tonight."
I replied to her mark: "That belt belongs to my bonded mate."
I attached the memory-capture of Kael examining that same belt the night I had gifted it.
The howl-stream erupted.
Wolves flooded in from across the territory networks, calling Raven a bond-breaker, a shadow-mate, a disgrace to Omega-kind.
My communication crystal hummed. Healer Elena's voice came through, low and steady as a winter stream.
"Selene. Tomorrow morning, first light. I have secured you the earliest ritual time for the termination."