Chapter 1

The day I went into labor with our quadruplets, my fated mate, Alpha Caleb, took the Moonflower potion.

The Elders prepared this rare elixir specifically to protect me and ensure a safe delivery.

All because another she-wolf, Serena, was also going into labor.

He locked me in the manor, ignoring my pained cries, even after my water had broken.

Caleb’s voice was cold. “Serena is the widow of my best friend, Ethan. He died saving my life, and I promised him I’d take care of her. I can’t break my promise.”

"She’s always been fragile, and she’s delivering today. You still have three days until your due date. Relax, once she delivers safely, I'll find another Moonflower for you. It won't hurt our pups. Until then, stay quiet and don't disturb Serena."

I begged him, blood pooling at my feet, to come back and take me to the hospital.

But he coldly shut me out of our mind-link.

Caleb stayed by Serena’s side all night, not leaving until she safely delivered her pup. Only then did he finally remember me.

But a guard’s trembling voice came through the phone. “Alpha, the manor… it’s on fire. The room is covered in blood, and the Luna… she’s gone.”

In that moment, the stoic Alpha Caleb broke.

……

"Caleb, put the potion down."

I stood in front of him, my hands cradling my swollen belly. Heavy with rare quadruplets, I could barely stand straight.

He shoved the vial of Moonflower Potion into his pocket. "Serena's in labor. She needs this."

“The elders prepared that for me!” My voice trembled. “I’m carrying four pups. Without the Moonflower, I could die in childbirth. Caleb, they’re your children, too!”

“But your due date isn’t for another three days,” Caleb said, his eyes meeting mine with a flicker of impatience. “And Serena has always been frail. Without this, she and her pup could die on the operating table. Stella, Ethan died saving me. I promised I’d look after his widow.”

“But I think I’m going into labor too… I’ve been having pains all day…”

“Enough.” Caleb cut me off coldly. “You used that same excuse to pull me away from Serena’s side when she fell last time. Stella, you’re being selfish. To make sure you don’t bother Serena today, you’re staying here.”

"Caleb…"

"I warned you."

He turned and walked away. The heavy door swung shut in my face, followed by the sound of a lock clicking into place.

I stood frozen for a few seconds before it sank in.

I rushed to the door, pounding on it with my fists. "Caleb! Open the door! Don't lock me in here!"

No response.

"Open the door! I'm serious, I'm really going into labor!"

As my panic surged, a warm gush of liquid ran down my legs.

My water broke.

I looked down at the spreading puddle at my feet, and fear, cold as ice, shot through me.

"Help!" I slammed my hands against the door with all my strength. "Guards! Is anyone out there? I'm in labor, call a doctor!"

Footsteps approached and stopped outside.

"Luna." It was Marcus, one of the oldest guards in the pack. "The Alpha ordered us not to disturb you. He said you were… unstable today."

"I'm not unstable! My water broke!"

"Luna, the Alpha said you might say that, but your due date isn't today."

"Marcus!" My voice broke into a sob. "I'm your Luna! I order you to open this door!"

His voice remained hard. "I'm sorry, Luna. The Alpha's orders are absolute."

The footsteps faded away.

I slid to the floor as a sharp, twisting pain ripped through my abdomen, forcing me to curl into a ball.

No, I couldn't just wait here to die.

I crawled to the living room, fumbled for a dagger in a drawer, and stumbled back to the door. I tried to pick the lock.

The dagger scraped uselessly against the metal with a clang.

I tried again. The lock didn't budge.

Wiping sweat from my eyes, I looked closer. The lock was reinforced with a new alloy casing.

It was new.

When did he change it?

A bitter, powerless smile touched my lips. This wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision. He had planned this all along. To lock me away, to clear the path for Serena.

Another, more violent contraction hit me, and I collapsed. The blood was already soaking the hem of my dress.

I felt a faint stir from the pups inside me, and a new wave of determination washed over me.

I couldn't give up. Not on my babies.

I focused, pushing with all my might to reach Caleb through our mind-link.

Caleb, please.

But his side of the link was a cold, hard wall.

He had blocked me.

I pulled out my phone, my fingers trembling as I dialed his number.

He declined, again and again.

I kept dialing as I crawled toward the sofa, every breath feeling like my insides were being torn apart. A long, dark trail of blood followed me.

On the twenty-seventh try, he answered.

"Stella." His voice was thick with annoyance. "Are you done with your tantrum? I'm busy with Serena. Can you stop being a jealous brat for one minute?"

"Caleb…" My teeth chattered. "My water broke… I'm bleeding, the babies are coming…"

He scoffed, a sound full of scorn. “Stella, you’ll really say anything to get me to come back, won’t you?”

"I'm not…"

"That's enough," he cut in. "I have to deal with things here. Stop bothering me.”

He was about to hang up.

I looked down at the growing pool of blood beneath me, at my own purple fingertips, and used my last ounce of strength to scream into the phone, "Caleb, for the sake of our pups, just call a doctor!"