Dahlia trembled in Zane’s arms, her hands clutching his collar.
But Zane’s shock lasted only a second before it twisted into raw fury.
“Are you insane?” he roared. “You’re dragging the Royal Guard into this over something so petty?”

His voice was dripping with disappointment and accusation.
“We’re mates! Five years together, and you’re just throwing it all away?”
I watched him, my face a cold mask. I said nothing.
His voice grew frantic. "Do you have any idea what I need right now? I need to get Dahlia to a doctor. Now. I need to make sure our baby is safe!"
He lifted his chin, his expression defiant.
“I need an heir, Cassia! An Alpha needs an heir to secure his bloodline!”

His words were daggers in my chest.
An heir.
He said he desperately needed an heir.
My mind flashed back five years.

Back then, Zane was just an ambitious nobody from a minor pack.
My father had been furious. He hated our match.
“Cassia, he's beneath you!” he had yelled. “He's just a social climber, trying to use you!”
But I was young and blinded by love.
Zane knelt before me, holding my hands, his eyes shining with sincerity.
“I will sign the Sacred Mating Vow,” he’d said, his voice thick with promises. “I swear to the Moon Goddess, I will be forever loyal to you. If I ever betray you, my life is forfeit.”
He seemed so sincere. So devoted.
I believed him. I chose him against all reason.
Four years ago, when I learned I was pregnant, Zane was ecstatic.
He used to gently touch my flat stomach, his eyes shining with hope.
“Our child,” he’d whisper. “I'll give them the world.”
He built the nursery with his own hands, using the softest cloud-silk. He obsessed over every detail.
He would stroke my belly at night, humming ancient lullabies to our unborn baby.
But fate was cruel.
I lost the baby at seven months.
A deep depression swallowed me whole. I cried day and night. I refused to eat.
Zane dismissed the servants. He took care of me himself.
He patiently fed me. He held me through every nightmare.
“Cassia, don't blame yourself,” he’d whisper, his voice soft as a feather. “It doesn’t matter if we have an heir. All I’ll ever need is you.”
Back then, he made me believe I was his everything.
Now, he was overjoyed about a child in another woman’s belly.
And he dared to ask if I understood his need for an heir.
“Don’t you get it?” Zane pressed on, his voice laced with impatience. “Do you have any idea what it means for an Alpha—a leader—to be without an heir?”
Oh, I understood. I understood all too well.
I understood his obsession with power and status. He had crawled his way up from nothing.
I understood his desperate need to continue his bloodline, to prove himself.
What I didn't understand was how he could forget his vows so easily.
Where did that man go? The one who knelt before me and swore his life to me.
Dahlia let out a pathetic whimper in his arms. “Zane, I’m so scared… I’m scared for our baby…”
“Shh, it’s okay,” Zane soothed her instantly. “I’ll protect you both.”
He turned to the Captain of the Guard, his voice hardening.
“I have to take her to a doctor. We can talk about these legal papers later.”
The Captain shook his head, his face impassive. “I'm afraid not, Mr. Zane. According to the contract, you have been stripped of your Alpha status. All associated assets and authority are now frozen.”
“What?” All the color drained from Zane’s face. “You can’t do this!”
“It’s the contract you signed,” the Captain said calmly. “You knew the consequences of breaking it.”
Zane clutched Dahlia, desperation flashing in his eyes.
He looked at me, a plea on his face I had never seen before.
“Cassia, call it off,” he begged, his voice trembling. “We… we can still talk about this.”
I looked at him. The man I once loved with everything I had.
A tidal wave of grief crashed over me, threatening to drown me.
But beneath the grief was a chilling cold.
I spoke, my voice soft but steady.
“Just go.”
Zane’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Cassia… what did you say?”
“I said, just go,” I repeated, still calm. “Take your Omega and your child, and go.”
Zane opened his mouth, but no words came out.
The Captain of the Guard gestured for them to leave.
Zane, holding Dahlia, stumbled toward the door.
And then they were gone, swallowed by the night.
Silence returned to the manor. The Captain approached me and bowed respectfully.
“Your Highness, we have executed the contract's terms as you commanded. Is there anything else?”
I was silent for a long time.
“Your Highness?” the Captain asked carefully. “Are you just going to let them go like that?”
I turned and looked out the window at the night sky. The moon was hidden behind the clouds, only a sliver of light breaking through.
“No,” I said. “This punishment isn't enough. Not yet. I want him to think he still has a chance. And when he's at his most confident, when he truly believes he can replace me, that's when I'll destroy every last shred of his hope.”
A flicker of understanding crossed the Captain's eyes. “Your Highness, you mean…”
“Hold the execution order,” I commanded, my voice cold as ice. “Watch him. The moment he rallies the elders to challenge our bond, you will end him.”