Julia sat on the edge of the pack clinic bed, one hand resting protectively over her barely-there bump. The whispers in the pack house had grown louder—everyone now knew she was pregnant with the Alpha's heir, yet still unmarked, still questioned, still judged.
Alan had been busy the entire day dealing with rogue movements near the northern border. He had asked Julia to rest, promised he would be back soon, and even kissed her forehead before leaving. Julia held onto that warmth…But the moment he was gone, the cold entered—straight in the form of Olivia.
The door creaked open without a knock.
Julia looked up, startled. "Olivia?"
Olivia stepped inside with a slow, predatory grace, her expression soft but her eyes glinting with something venomous.
"You look pale," she said sweetly. "Pregnancy doesn't seem to be suiting you."
Julia stiffened. "What do you want?"
Olivia tutted. "Relax. I'm just here to talk. Alan asked me to check on you."
A lie—Julia felt it instantly. Alan would never send Olivia. Not after what happened between them in the past. But Julia didn't speak; she didn't trust her voice.
Olivia came closer, lowering her voice as if sharing a secret.
"You know… Alan is worried."
Julia's heart thudded. "W-worried about what?"
"That you're not strong enough to carry an Alpha's child," Olivia said bluntly, her words sharp like a knife slipping between ribs. "Your body is too fragile. You fainted yesterday. The pack is talking. They think the baby will kill you."
Julia swallowed hard. She hated how Olivia's voice found her insecurities and stabbed into them.
"That's not true," Julia whispered. "Alan never—"
"Oh?" Olivia raised a brow. "So he didn't tell you he's considering… removing the problem?"
Julia's breath caught. "What?"
Olivia stepped closer, her perfume suffocating.
"Alan doesn't want to embarrass you. He knows how emotional you get. So he asked me to speak to you first—to help you make the right decision before things get… dangerous."
Julia's eyes filled with tears.No.Alan would never.Never.
"You're lying," she choked out.
Olivia smiled—cold and satisfied. "Do you think the Alpha wants a weak Luna? A Luna who isn't marked yet? A Luna who can't protect herself or her child?"
Julia's hand instinctively covered her stomach.
"You're cruel," she whispered.
"I'm honest." Olivia sighed dramatically. "Look, Julia. You're already struggling. You fainted, your blood pressure is low, and the healers are whispering that your body is rejecting the shift in hormones. You could die. And Alan… he doesn't want that guilt."
Julia's chest tightened with panic.
Olivia leaned forward, voice low and poisonous.
"End it before it ends you."
Julia felt everything collapse inside her. Her legs trembled, and she gripped the bedsheet.
"Alan wouldn't want me to abort our child," she whispered.
Olivia's lips curved. "Are you sure? Because he told me himself—no child is worth losing you. He said you should make the decision before he returns."
Julia felt dizzy. Her ears rang. She didn't know what to believe anymore.
Olivia straightened, stepping back toward the door.
"I care about you, Julia. You're too gentle for this world. Think about it. The Alpha will accept whatever choice you make… but he won't choose an unborn child over your life."
Julia's entire body shook.
Olivia opened the door and threw one last dagger:
"And if you lose this baby, the pack will stop questioning why he still hasn't marked you."
Then she disappeared down the hallway.
The silence that followed was suffocating.
Julia's vision blurred with tears. Her mind spun with Olivia's words, twisting like a knife.
Fragile. Unmarked. Weak. Embarrassment. Abort the baby… Alan wants it gone… Alan told her to say this… Alan told her…
Julia dug her nails into her palms.
"No," she whispered. "No, Alan would never…"
But doubt—sharp, painful doubt—crept in like frostbite.
She remembered how protective he had been… yes.But she also remembered the fear in his eyes when she'd fainted.The panic.The guilt.The anger.
What if Olivia was telling the truth? What if he was afraid she wouldn't survive the pregnancy?
Julia curled into herself, tears falling silently as she whispered to her belly:
"I will protect you… even if no one else does."
But deep down, Olivia's poisonous words had already sunk their claws in.
Julia was terrified.Terrified of losing Alan.Terrified of losing the baby.Terrified of being weak.
And worst—terrified that Alan truly didn't want this child.
That night, Julia prayed Alan would come home early.She needed him.She needed the truth.
But Olivia's plan was already working—cracks spreading inside Julia's heart.
And she didn't know that far down the hallway…Olivia was smiling.