My mate’s first love, overwhelmed by despair, threw herself from a rooftop.

       Blinded by fury, Alpha Caius dragged me—his mate, heavy with his child—to a desolate clearing at the outskirts of our pack’s land. His warriors stood by, their faces impassive as they strapped me to a towering wooden frame, the cold metal restraints biting into my wrists and ankles.

       “If not for you provoking Seraphina, would she have been driven to such desperation?”

       Panic clawed at my chest, my swollen belly making it hard to even breathe. I struggled, tears spilling down my cheeks, my voice breaking as I pleaded, “Alpha Caius, please… I swear, I never meant to upset her. I won’t go near her again, I promise!”

       But my mate only gazed at me with an eerie detachment.

       “Aeris, for the pup’s sake, I won’t reject you,” he murmured, his tone almost gentle, but his next words cut through me like ice.

       “But the suffering you caused Seraphina—I want you to experience it a thousandfold.”

       With a flick of his hand, he ordered the machinery into motion. Then, without sparing me another glance, he turned and walked away.

       The contraption rumbled to life, gears screeching as the frame jerked, hoisting me high into the air. My screams echoed into the night, raw and desperate. Each time the structure plunged, my stomach churned, the terror so consuming I thought I might black out.

       Then, on a particularly brutal drop, agony erupted through my body—searing, relentless. A gush of liquid surged between my legs, soaking my dress and the seat beneath me.

       By the time Alpha Caius returned the next day, he spoke as if my torment had been nothing more than an inconvenience.

       “Aeris, Seraphina has calmed down now,” he stated, void of sympathy. “Apologize to her, and I’ll let you down.”

       What he didn’t know—what none of them knew—was that the blood had already dried beneath me. My pup had been torn from my body, lost somewhere between the sky and the earth, reduced to nothing but mangled silence.

       That morning, Pack Doctor Jason called with news.

       “That woman is avoiding her prenatal checkups again. What stunt is she pulling to get your attention this time?”

       A flicker of disgust crossed Alpha Caius’s sharp features.

       Beside him, Mason, the family butler, hesitated before speaking, his face pale. “Alpha, Luna is still up there. And she’s terribly afraid of heights—she won’t even step onto a second-floor balcony. Now that she’s so far along… could something have happened?”

       For a fleeting moment, Alpha Caius’s expression faltered. “Afraid of heights?” he echoed, as if hearing it for the first time.

       Before Mason could confirm, Alpha Caius scoffed. “It’s just a little drop. It’s not as if she’s leaping off a cliff. Let her be scared—maybe it’ll teach her not to torment Seraphina again.”

       Mason bowed his head, unwilling to argue further. But his **Beta’s** assistant could no longer hold back.

       “Alpha, at first Luna was screaming. But then… she went completely silent. And she’s carrying your pup—your heir. Shouldn’t you at least check on her?”

       For a moment, something unreadable flickered in Caius’s eyes. But just as quickly, scorn replaced it.

       “I knew it. Even her fear of heights is just an act. If she were truly terrified, she wouldn’t have gone quiet. Aeris is as manipulative as ever. Since she wants attention so badly, let her stay there until morning. Then she can kneel before Seraphina and beg for forgiveness.”

       With that, he dismissed any further objections and strode towards his chambers.

       Inside, Seraphina lay draped in silken sheets, her delicate shoulders exposed beneath the dim glow of candlelight. Alpha Caius’s gaze darkened as he approached, his desire stirring as he leaned down and captured her lips in a deep, possessive kiss.

       Seraphina whimpered, her fingers pressing weakly against his chest before she hesitantly parted her lips. “Caius… this is your room. If Aeris finds out, she’ll be heartbroken.”

       Her voice quivered with just the right amount of hesitation, her wide eyes brimming with guilt and apprehension. “And about before… I only did it because I love you too much. I thought if I left this world, Aeris would stop fighting for you. I never wanted her to suffer because of me. Should I go and apologize to her?”

       She bit her lip, looking utterly devastated.

       And just as she intended, Alpha Caius’s rage flared once more. His hands roamed her soft curves, his breath turning heavy as he flipped her beneath him.

       “Seraphina, you’re too kind. If not for you, I wouldn’t be alive today. Even your fear of heights stems from saving me. Just thinking about Aeris telling someone as pure-hearted as you to jump makes my blood boil.”

       His grip tightened, his voice dropping into a cold promise. “If she ever dares again—even if she carries my pup—I’ll make sure she never has the chance to do it again.”