Chapter 1

My mate, Ethan, ran off to a human woman's house at two in the morning to fix her plumbing.

That human, Vivian, even went out of her way to post about it on Instagram.

The photo showed a man's hand gripping a pipe wrench, his sleeve rolled up to reveal a lean, muscular forearm.

Curving along the inside of his forearm was a wolf-head tattoo—a design I had drawn for him with my own hands.

Her caption was dripping with hidden meaning: *[So glad you’re here. Tommy’s fever finally broke, and watching you fix the pipes from behind is just the hottest thing.]*

A sudden, sharp pain stabbed through my chest.

I clutched my heart, my breath turning ragged.

As if sensing my agony, the pup in my belly kicked hard.

Immediately after, violent contractions rippled across my abdomen.

No, this was wrong. It shouldn’t be happening yet. My due date was still three days away.

Warm fluid gushed out all at once, soaking through the bedsheets.

Panic seized me. My hands shook violently as I dialed Ethan’s number.

First call: declined.

Second call: declined again.

Desperate, I redialed a third time.

Finally, it connected.

There was no worried inquiry on the other end, just a suppressed, angry growl.

“Mia, are you ever going to quit? Didn’t I tell you where I was going? Vivian is a single human mother struggling with a sick kid. Her place flooded in the middle of the night. If I didn't come help, was I supposed to just let them drown?”

The agonizing cramps made it impossible to breathe. I pleaded through tears, “Ethan, my water broke... It hurts so bad. Where are you? Can you please come back and take me to the clinic...”

Silence hung on the line for a second.

Then Vivian’s panicked voice cut through: “Ethan, Tommy threw up again! Is he having a seizure? Come quick!”

Any slight hesitation Ethan had vanished into thin air.

His tone turned bitterly impatient. “Did you see her Instagram post and get jealous? Mia, when did you become so manipulative? Lying about your water breaking just to trick me into coming home? You're not due for three days. Stay home and stop throwing tantrums!”

*Beep—*

He hung up cold.

When I called back, his phone was switched off.

Thunder roared outside. Lightning ripped across the night sky, illuminating my ghost-white face.

Despair swept over me like a tidal wave. The ache from the mate bond throbbed, reminding me of the cruel reality I didn’t want to face: he was right by her side. And I was left alone, enduring an early labor triggered by his betrayal.

Our house sat in an older neighborhood on the south edge of the pack territory, only two blocks from Vivian’s rented apartment in the human district. Ethan had deliberately picked this location so he could be at her beck and call. Biting my lip until it bled, I grabbed my hospital bag. Leaning against the wall, I dragged myself forward step by agonizing step. Every movement felt like my body was tearing apart. Sweat and tears ran into my mouth, bitter and salty.

By the time I dragged myself outside, torrential rain was pouring down. Drenched to the bone, I stood in the storm for twenty whole minutes before a cab finally stopped. The driver took one look at me, blanched, and floored the gas to the pack's only healer clinic.

The clinic was brightly lit. The healer on duty was Aunt Sarah from our pack. The moment she saw me stumble in, soaked and deathly pale, her expression changed instantly.

“Mia! Are you... are you in labor? Where’s Ethan? Where the hell is Ethan?!”

She shouted for a gurney, her voice laced with panic.

I collapsed onto the bed, rainwater and amniotic fluid pooling beneath me. The clinic wasn’t large, and several waiting pack members rushed over—some ran to get other healers, while others brought warm towels.

“Where's your mate? You need your mate in the delivery room! The mate bond helps stabilize your wolf during labor, or things could go horribly wrong!” Aunt Sarah squeezed my hand, lowering her voice. “Where is he? I’ll send warriors to fetch him!”

I shook my head, my lips trembling too hard to speak.

Aunt Sarah froze, instantly understanding the silence. She didn’t press further. Gripping my hand tight, she turned to the nurses. “Prep the delivery room! Now!”