chapter 1

"Doctor, I've decided to terminate the pregnancy."

Daisy Rivers kept her voice low and steady, but her hands were shaking.

"Alright, Ms. Rivers. Our records show you're human, and your mate is a werewolf. Under the laws passed after the Great War between human and werewolf, you don't need his permission for this. But the procedure is risky, and our witch needs time to brew the right potion. We can get you in two weeks from now."

The doctor's voice dropped, gentle and pitiful. "The good news is, your mate won't be able to smell it on you. Not yet. Human-werewolf pregnancies don't give off a scent in the first trimester. And if you need help—any kind of help—the Human Council has a hotline you can call."

Daisy let out a bitter laugh. Did the doctor really think she hadn't already tried calling the Human Council?

The problem was that her mate was Silas Blackthorn, alpha of Bloodmoon Pack. The man was powerful and terrifying, and no one was going to risk pissing off an alpha of his caliber just to help some ordinary human woman like her.

The sound of familiar footsteps came from outside the bedroom, and Daisy's breath caught. She hung up immediately.

The door opened, and she barely had time to set her phone down before she saw Silas standing there.

He smelled faintly of alcohol, but his eyes were clear and focused. He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, his fingers resting gently on her stomach. "Daisy, what'd the medical center say? Are we expecting?"

Daisy pushed down her fear and revulsion and shook her head. "No... I'm not pregnant."

She felt his lips brush against her temple, soft and tender, and her mind drifted back to the day they'd first met.

She'd met Silas six months ago at a party, tagging along with her human boyfriend. At the time, she'd thought it was just another random encounter, and she'd never intended to catch this man's attention.

But from that night on, her life had gone completely dark.

Silas told her she was his fated mate, the one he'd been searching for, his one true love. Then he used the Bloodmoon Pack's power to claim her, and he didn't care what he had to do to make her his.

To keep her family safe, Daisy had no choice but to leave her boyfriend behind.

But there was something she couldn't understand. If Silas loved her so much, why didn't he care that her human body was fragile? Why was he so obsessed with getting her pregnant when werewolf fetuses grew faster and stronger than human bodies could handle? Didn't he know the pregnancy could kill her?

Then one day, she'd stumbled across a stack of files in his study.

The woman in the documents had features strikingly similar to her own, and the pages were covered in dense medical notes.

It was Arvil Starwood, Beta warrior of Bloodmoon Pack, Silas's childhood friend. She was cursed by a witch during a battle and now dying from a fatal illness. The only cure was cord blood from a human-werewolf hybrid child.

The moment Daisy saw it, the truth hit her like lightning. She understood immediately why Silas was so fixated on her.

She was nothing but a stand-in and a tool to save his first love.

Ever since learning that Silas only wanted a baby to harvest its cord blood for Arvil, Daisy's fear had doubled, and so had her determination to escape.

But she was just a weak human, and escaping Bloodmoon Pack was impossible. Every time she got caught, the punishment only got worse.

She felt his hands moving with practiced ease up her slender waist, climbing higher, and then his fingers found the clasp of her bra. Her voice shook as she asked, "Silas, if I have your baby, will you let me go?"

"Daisy, unless you disappear from this world completely, you're never getting away from me."

His hands stopped moving, and his eyes narrowed. He seemed to sense something off about her and studied her more carefully. "Daisy, you're not lying to me, are you?"

The air in the bedroom felt thinner, and his hot breath fanned against her ear.

Daisy didn't dare resist. Her face went pale as she answered, "No."

Silas pressed a kiss to her neck, and when he felt her body go rigid, he retracted his fangs and bit down lightly instead. He lifted his gaze to watch her. "Daisy, if you even think about lying to me again, I don't mind playing the villain all the way. I'll lock you up for the rest of your life."

He paused, watching her reaction, and then added casually, "And then I'll throw that little human boyfriend of yours into a pack of rogue wolves and let them tear him apart."

His tone was cold and detached, and it sent terror shooting through Daisy's chest. She knew Silas would absolutely follow through on that threat.

Even though fear was clawing at her insides, she met his searching gaze and said with a tremor in her voice, "I'm really not lying to you..."

Silas stared at her panicked expression, and something flickered in his eyes—displeasure, maybe. "If you're not lying, then what are you so scared of? You're always smiling at that little boyfriend of yours. Why don't you ever smile at me, huh?"

He noticed how pale her face had gone and reached up to touch her forehead, checking that this fragile human wasn't running a fever. Then he took her cold hand in his and led her back to the bed.

"Get some rest. You need to take care of yourself if we're trying for a baby."

Daisy nodded and closed her eyes tight under his watchful gaze.

The moment the bedroom door clicked shut, she let out a shaky breath and immediately deleted the call log with the doctor.

Thinking about all of Silas's calculated kindness toward her made her skin crawl.

Right then, a message popped up on her phone.

"Daisy, I got it. Found someone on the black market selling mark-removal potions, and I secured ID papers for the Supernatural Neutral Zone. It's witch territory. So many mixed scents there that werewolves can't track anyone, and they don't dare go in. Two weeks from now, we just get you on that plane and I'll get you out. This is gonna work, I promise."

The timing was almost too perfect. She'd just confirmed the pregnancy, and now her boyfriend's message had arrived.

The text came from an unfamiliar number, probably from out of state, but she recognized his way of talking immediately.

Memories flooded back—the way he'd always been so gentle with her, so thoughtful and caring. Daisy couldn't hold back anymore, and tears slipped down her cheeks.

Her heart, which had felt dead for so long, suddenly came alive again.

At that moment, she made her decision. Two weeks from now, she'd meet him and they'd run.

She had to terminate this pregnancy and escape from Silas. No matter what it took.