Chapter 1

When I was eight months pregnant, my husband Orion—the Alpha heir of Pathseekers Pack—and I were attacked by a group of Rogues.

We fought them fiercely.

Because of my pregnancy, I was at a disadvantage in the fight and was quickly surrounded by several Rogues.

Orion quickly defeated the Rogues he was fighting.

I used the mind-link to ask Orion to help me, but suddenly he said he had to leave immediately.

He replied: "Tia just mind-linked me. Her cat is missing. I need to go help her find it."

Tia was Orion's dead brother's wife. Orion had always taken care of her.

I'd been understanding before, but now, facing the Rogues surrounding me, I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

Orion lost his patience and just left, throwing out one last sentence:

"Tia can't wait any longer. I'll send someone to rescue you. They'll be there in half an hour!"

Watching Orion leave, my heart sank to rock bottom.

During that chaotic fight, I'd done everything I could to avoid several fatal attacks, but my pregnant body wasn't what it used to be.

The wound on my left arm where a Rogue had clawed me was still bleeding, and my abdomen had several gashes. The dull pain made cold sweat break out all over my body.

Several Rogues Orion had knocked down still lay around me, groaning, temporarily unable to move.

But there were still several Rogues forming a circle around me, closing in.

I stood alone on this desolate interstate highway, eight months pregnant, surrounded by vicious Rogues. My stomach hurt more and more—it felt like I was about to give birth.

Suddenly, a black SUV came speeding up from behind and screeched to a stop beside me.

A young, athletic woman got out. She quickly took down two Rogues, broke through their encirclement, and reached my side.

"Are you okay?" Her eyes showed a trace of concern as she quickly scanned my swollen belly and the wound on my arm.

My trembling hands clenched into fists as I forced out a few words with difficulty: "I think... I'm going into labor."

She cursed under her breath and quickly helped me into the back seat, telling me her name was Kalia, daughter of the Ashclaw Pack Alpha.

Seeing my face grow paler, she asked anxiously: "Where's your mate!"

The question left me at a loss for words. I was carrying Orion's child, close to delivery, yet I couldn't compete with Tia's missing cat.

Even this strange she-wolf was more worried about my life than my own husband.

The pain of contractions suddenly hit. I hurriedly took a deep breath.

I pulled out my phone and called Orion.

He hung up without hesitation.

Once, twice, three times...

It wasn't until the sixteenth call that he finally answered impatiently.

"What now!"

It was quiet on the other end, but within two seconds, I heard Tia's voice.

"Orion, I think I see Snowball!"

Hearing this, Orion had no patience to listen to me anymore, leaving only: "Leo will be there soon, just wait a bit longer!"

Then he hung up.

The words "I'm in labor" stuck in my throat.

Warm fluid flowed down my legs. My heart sank.

Seeing this, she hurriedly tried to drive to the roadside.

But every lane was already completely blocked.

Several cars damaged by the Rogue attack lay across the middle of the road, and with the security vehicles that had arrived afterward, the entire highway was almost completely paralyzed.

She pounded her fist heavily on the steering wheel and cursed. But she didn't forget to turn back and comfort me: "Don't be afraid, everything will be okay!"

She stuck her head out the car window and roared toward the front: "Move aside! I've got a pregnant woman in labor here!"

But the endless line of cars couldn't hear her shouts and didn't budge an inch.

I tried to calm myself and hurriedly called Leo, the son of Orion's brother—the Beta guard. As long as they arrived in time to clear the road, my baby and I would be saved.

"Clara? What's wrong?" The sound of horns and wolf howls on the other end nearly drowned out his voice.

The pain hit again at that moment. I gritted my teeth hard, forcing myself through the agony to explain frantically.

"I'm in labor, but the car is stuck on the highway, you guys..."

Before I could finish, I heard a scoff from the other end.

"Clara, if Orion hadn't specifically warned us, we almost would've believed you."

"You're only eight months along. It's way too early for labor. We'll get there as fast as we can, so just wait there like you're supposed to!"

The call was hung up mercilessly.

The pain tormented me until I could barely hold my phone.

Seeing this, Kalia hurriedly got out of the car and knocked on the windows of cars in the emergency lane one by one. "Please move aside, there's a pregnant woman about to give birth in the car!"

"It's a matter of life and death, please save her!"

I collapsed onto the seat, struggling to dial Orion's number. This was my last hope.

But—his phone was off.

I tried again—still off.