Elowen's POV
"What did you say?"
Cassian's voice is deadly quiet. Too quiet. The kind of quiet that comes before explosions.
I force myself to repeat the words that will destroy everything. "I'm pregnant. With your child."
For three heartbeats, he just stares at me. His amber eyes wide with shock, his face pale. Then color floods back into his cheeks—rage red, panic white, fury blazing.
"You STUPID girl!"
He slams his fist on the desk so hard papers fly everywhere. I flinch backward, my hand instinctively moving to protect my stomach.
"How could you let this happen?" Cassian demands, pacing like a caged animal. "Were you not careful? Did you do this on purpose? Answer me!"
"I didn't—it just happened—"
"Nothing 'just happens,' Elowen!" He whirls on me, and I've never seen him this angry. Not even on the night we met. "Do you have ANY idea what you've done? I'm engaged! My wedding is in three weeks! And now you're telling me you're carrying my bastard?"
The word hits like a slap. Bastard. That's what he calls our child. Not "baby" or "our child" or anything that suggests he cares.
Just bastard.
"I'm sorry," I whisper, tears streaming down my face. "I'm so sorry—"
"Sorry doesn't fix this!" Cassian runs his hands through his hair, breathing hard. "If anyone finds out an omega is pregnant with my child, it'll destroy everything. My engagement, my reputation, my future—EVERYTHING!"
"Maybe if you just explained about the mate bond—"
"Are you INSANE?" He laughs, but there's no humor in it. "You think the pack will accept 'Oh sorry, I'm actually mated to an omega, so I've been using her secretly while courting Seraphine'? They'll lose all respect for me! My father might even strip my Alpha title!"
Each word is another nail in my coffin. He's not thinking about me or the baby. Just himself. His position. His precious reputation.
"What do you want me to do?" I ask, even though I already know the answer.
Cassian stops pacing. When he looks at me, his eyes are cold. Empty of everything except calculation.
"Get rid of it."
My hands move to my stomach protectively. "What?"
"You heard me. Terminate the pregnancy. There are doctors who do it quietly, no questions asked." He walks to his desk and pulls out a thick envelope. "Here. Money. More than enough for the procedure and to keep you comfortable for a few months after."
He throws the envelope at me. Bills scatter across the floor like dead leaves.
I stare at the money, my mind refusing to process what he's asking.
"You want me to kill our baby?" My voice sounds strange. Distant.
"It's not a baby yet. It's barely anything. And it can't exist, Elowen. Not if you want to stay in this pack. Not if you want to stay alive."
"You're threatening me?"
"I'm giving you a choice." Cassian's face is stone. "Get rid of it and stay here. Continue as you were. Or keep it and leave the pack. Those are your only options."
"What if I tell everyone about the mate bond? About what you've been doing to me for six months?"
His laugh is cruel. "Who would believe you? An omega claiming the future Alpha is her mate? They'd think you're delusional. Desperate. Pathetic." He leans close, his voice dropping to a whisper. "And even if they believed you, it wouldn't matter. I'd still choose Seraphine. Because she's worthy of being Luna, and you're just... you."
The mate bond screams in agony, tearing at my chest. This is my fated mate. The person the Moon Goddess chose for me. And he's telling me to kill our child or disappear forever.
"You have three days," Cassian says, walking to his office door and opening it. "If you're still here and still pregnant after that, I'll exile you myself. Now get out. I have a wedding to plan."
I gather the scattered money with shaking hands. My fingers are numb. My whole body feels numb.
This isn't happening. This can't be happening.
But it is.
I stumble toward the door, clutching the envelope full of blood money.
"Elowen."
I stop, some stupid part of me hoping he'll say something kind. Something that proves he's not a complete monster.
"If you tell anyone about this conversation," Cassian says quietly, "I'll make sure you regret it. Understand?"
I nod and leave before I start screaming.
The hallway outside Cassian's office blurs through my tears. I make it three steps before my legs give out.
I collapse against the wall, sliding down to the floor, the envelope clutched to my chest. Sobs tear from my throat—ugly, broken sounds I can't control.
Three days. I have three days to decide whether to kill my baby or lose everything.
Some choice.
"Ellie?"
Papa's voice breaks through my crying. He kneels beside me, his weathered face creased with worry.
"What happened? What did the Alpha do?"
I can't tell him. Can't explain that his future grandchild has a death sentence. That the mate bond brought me nothing but pain.
"Nothing, Papa," I sob. "Everything's fine."
"You're crying in the hallway clutching a pile of money. That's not fine." He tries to pull me up. "Come on. Let's get you to our room—"
"I can't stay here," I whisper. "Papa, I can't stay in this pack anymore."
His eyes widen with fear. "What are you talking about? Where else would you go?"
Anywhere. Nowhere. Into the forbidden forest to die. What does it matter?
"I don't know. I just... I can't do this anymore."
Papa hugs me tight, and I cry into his shoulder like I'm five years old again. But he can't fix this. Nobody can.
We sit in the hallway for a long time. Until the tears finally stop. Until I'm empty inside.
"Let me help you to bed," Papa says gently. "You need rest."
He walks me back to the omega quarters. Maya takes one look at my face and starts preparing my bed, asking no questions.
Papa kisses my forehead. "Whatever's wrong, we'll figure it out. Okay? We're survivors. That's what we do."
But I don't want to just survive anymore.
I curl up in bed, the envelope of money hidden under my pillow, and try to make an impossible choice.
My baby or my home.
My child or my safety.
Three days to decide my whole future.
I must fall asleep because Maya's urgent whisper wakes me.
"Ellie. Ellie, wake up. Someone's here."
I sit up groggily. The room is dark—middle of the night. The other omegas are asleep.
"What's wrong?"
"Three beta females just came in," Maya whispers, her eyes wide with fear. "They're looking for you."
My blood runs cold.
Before I can move, they appear—three of Seraphine's closest friends, all strong beta warriors who've made my life hell for months.
The leader, a tall blonde named Kira, smiles viciously.
"Hello, Elowen," she says sweetly. "We need to have a little chat. About you and Alpha Cassian."
The other omegas pretend to sleep, but I know they're listening. They're just too afraid to help.
"I don't know what you're talking about," I say, my voice shaking.
"Don't play stupid." Kira steps closer. "We know you've been sneaking to his quarters. We can smell him all over you. And we know you're trying to ruin his engagement to Seraphine."
"I'm not—"
"Shut up." Another beta grabs my arm, yanking me out of bed. "Seraphine is going to be our Luna. Not some pathetic omega whore who spreads her legs for the Alpha."
Maya gasps. "Leave her alone!"
Kira backhands Maya casually, sending her sprawling. "Stay out of this, or you're next."
They drag me toward the door. I struggle, but they're so much stronger than me.
"Where are you taking me?" I cry.
"Somewhere quiet," Kira says. "So we can teach you a lesson about knowing your place."
They pull me out into the dark hallway. The castle is silent—everyone asleep, no one to hear me scream.
"Please," I beg. "Please don't hurt me. I'm pregnant—"
Kira's eyes flash with something terrible. "Even better. Then we'll make sure that problem disappears too."
They drag me toward the back exit, toward the woods where no one will hear.
And I realize with horrible certainty: they're going to kill me.
They're going to kill me and my baby, and tomorrow everyone will think I just ran away.
Cassian gave me three days to choose.
But Seraphine's friends just made the choice for me.