He had already reached out to Zion twice, subtly hinting that the situation was slipping beyond his control. But Zion wouldn’t allow any talk of failure.

“Please, doctor… save my pup… my pup…” Claire whimpered, her voice barely audible as she drifted in and out of consciousness. Blood continued to trickle down her legs from the fall, and though her wolf should’ve begun to heal her, the damage was too deep. Her emotional turmoil only worsened the pup’s instability, and the doctor feared that if this continued, he would lose them both.

“Don’t worry, Miss Claire. I’ll do everything I can to save both you and the child,” the doctor said calmly, though tension sat heavily on his shoulders as he got to work with his assistant.

After hours of exhausting effort, following the Alpha’s strict orders, he had done all he could with the limited resources at hand. Desperate, he eventually sent his assistant out to gather more herbs. That’s when the assistant encountered the healer, who had just returned from the pack hospital after collapsing from the strain of healing Addison.

While the assistant hurried out, the healer quietly stepped in to take her place beside the old doctor. The doctor looked up at her as though he’d just found a lifeline—his silent plea clear: ’Help me save this child.’

But the moment the healer arrived, Claire’s behavior shifted drastically. It was as if her panic doubled. Her crying turned into frantic pleas, and she began thrashing on the bed, claiming the pain was unbearable. Each movement seemed more like an attempt to avoid the healer’s touch than a genuine reaction to her injuries.

The healer tried to channel her healing power toward Claire’s womb to stabilize the pup, but Claire kept pushing her away, either deliberately or under the guise of pain. It became increasingly obvious that something was wrong—that someone didn’t want this child to survive.

Ironically, the pup in Claire’s womb was fighting harder than anyone else in the room. Tough and resilient, it clung to life despite the chaos around it, even as its mother seemed intent on resisting the very efforts meant to save it. The doctor and healer exchanged a grim look—saving the baby wasn’t impossible, but not with Claire fighting them every step of the way.

Claire nearly shifted into her wolf form when the healer continued channeling energy into her womb.

More than anything, the doctor and healer noticed something deeply troubling—Claire’s bleeding wouldn’t stop, as if her wolf wasn’t doing its job to heal her or protect the child. But in truth, Claire’s wolf was suffering. It had been whining nonstop, its maternal instincts screaming in desperation to save the pup. The wolf wanted to act, to heal, to protect—but Claire was suppressing it.

She only allowed a minimal amount of her wolf’s healing ability to keep herself from bleeding out entirely. Just enough to stay alive—but not enough to stabilize the pup. It was a deliberate choice.

Claire didn’t want to die, but she didn’t want the pup either. She was bleeding on purpose, pushing her body just far enough to force the doctor and healer into a corner, forcing them to choose between saving her or the baby. She knew what she was doing.

Because Claire understood something: Zion believed she was the royal princess. And if it ever came down to a decision between her life and the child’s, she was certain Zion would choose her.

Even if she lost the pup, she could always have another in the future. But if she died here—on Zion’s territory—he would have to answer to the Alpha King. She was gambling with her own life, knowing full well it was a calculated risk that Zion would never be willing to take.

“I said it hurts! Can’t you do something about the pain?!” she snapped, her voice rising in fury before she caught herself. Remembering the gentle, kind persona she’d cultivated for the pack, Claire quickly softened her expression and let out a sob. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to lash out. I’m just in so much pain and stress,” she added, her voice trembling as tears streamed down her face.

But inside the room, both the doctor and the healer were beginning to lose patience. The old doctor had been treating Claire for hours, and with each moment, his fear of Alpha Zion’s temper grew stronger. Zion didn’t tolerate failure, and the doctor was already nearing his limit.

Then, suddenly, Beta Greg’s furious voice echoed through the pack-wide mind link. The sharp tone sent a jolt through both the doctor and the healer. Their hands faltered, exchanging uneasy glances. They didn’t know what was happening outside, but the tone of Greg’s roar told them one thing: trouble was brewing.

Then, they heard his voice roar through the mindlink: “The prisoner has escaped! Find her—now!” The thunderous force of his fury echoed in their heads, so intense it felt like their skulls might split from the sheer weight of his rage.

The healer was the most worried about Addison—she had seen firsthand the severity of Addison’s injuries. Knowing how furious Beta Greg was, she could only hope they wouldn’t find her… not in that vulnerable state.

The pack doctor and healer both instinctively looked toward the door, half-expecting their Alpha to burst in. But no one came.

They had no time to lose. Pushing the worry aside, they returned to their work. Every second counted if they were going to save the child. But because of that same pack-wide mind link, the assistant who had gone out to gather herbs never returned—he had been intercepted.

Unbeknownst to them, the dead omega had cornered the assistant and locked him inside the shed, making sure he wouldn’t come back.

After locking the assistant in the shed, the omega carried out Beta Greg’s order to clean up the dungeon. But before doing so, she ensured the assistant would remain unconscious until morning.

To accomplish that, she used a knockout drop she had taken from the small clinic connected to the pack house. These drops were originally used by the former Luna, who became dependent on them after her mate’s death left her unable to sleep naturally.

The clinic kept a generous supply on hand for her. Since this omega had once served the former Luna before being assigned to Claire, she knew exactly where the drug was stored—and how to use it on others without raising suspicion.

While the pack doctor and healer struggled to treat Claire, it wasn’t long after Beta Greg’s pack-wide mind link that they heard a loud thud outside the door, startling them both to their feet.

Moments later, Alpha Zion’s pained roar echoed through the halls: “NO!” This was quickly followed by the unmistakable sound of shattering glass just outside the room. Shocked and uncertain of what was happening, they stood frozen. The oppressive pressure that had been radiating from Zion on the other side of the door suddenly vanished—along with the sound of his pacing. Without another word, he was gone.

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Thank you so much to LxC4hearts, Jennifer_Toney_9894, and Lindsey_Tennyson for the Golden Ticket and your amazing support! 💛 I truly hope you’re all enjoying the story so far. Please don’t forget to leave a review, hit like, drop a comment, or send a gift if you’re feeling generous.