The Bitter Aftermath

POV: Sabrina

Five months later.

"So how long have you and Cassian been trying?" Dr. Greta asks. The sharp snap of her latex gloves echoes in the sterile medical room.

The white walls and bright fluorescent lights of the pack clinic do nothing to ease my nerves, but I force a confident smile.

"We have been at it for months," I lie without missing a beat.

The doctor does not need to know the truth. She does not need to know Cassian barely touches me outside of aggressive, emotionally hollow encounters. Ever since Marcella handed him those fake fertility documents and ran off to who knows where, the Alpha treats me like a convenient punching bag for his frustrations. My sister is gone, yet her ghost still haunts my marriage. I need a pup. An heir is the only way to cement my position as Luna and make Cassian forget about his little brat with Marcella.

"Does it hurt when you have intercourse?" Dr. Greta asks, pulling up a stool to the end of the examination table.

I roll my eyes. "No. Cassian is a true Alpha. He only gives me pleasure," I smirk.

Dr. Greta gives me a tight, uncomfortable smile. She checks the metal stirrups. "Okay," she nods. "Just relax for me. I am going to take a quick look inside and take a few samples. Make sure everything is okay. Alright?"

I puff out my chest. "I am in perfect health, doc. You will see. The Moon Goddess must be waiting for the perfect time to bless me with the pack heir."

Dr. Greta does not look convinced, but I do not care what the old woman thinks.

I bite my lip and lay flat on my back. I stare at the ceiling tiles, counting my breaths. The cold metal of the speculum enters me. A sharp whimper escapes my lips as Dr. Greta expands the tool. She scrapes at my vaginal walls with a large cotton swab. She hands the samples to her medical assistant, who seals them in glass test tubes.

Dr. Greta removes the metal tool. She inserts her gloved fingers inside me and presses against my internal walls.

"Hmmm… A little swelling in this area," she mutters, moving her fingers deeper.

My stomach drops, but I shove the anxiety away.

After a few minutes, the doctor removes her hand. She prepares the transvaginal ultrasound probe, coating the thick plastic tube in cold gel. This device will take a full digital image of my uterus. I grip the crinkly paper beneath me as the probe enters my body. The pressure is uncomfortable.

My heart pounds against my ribs. Dr. Greta stares at the glowing monitor, her brow furrowed.

"There is some concerning scarring on the fallopian tubes…" she says, her voice low. "Are you sure you have not been feeling any discomfort in your pelvis? Any bleeding, heavy discharge, or difficulty peeing?"

"Yes, I am sure," I nod franticly, lifting my head to look at her. Panic claws at my throat. "What does the scarring mean?"

Dr. Greta ignores my question. She adjusts the probe, scrutinizing the gray blobs on the screen.

"Your Luna is speaking to you! Answer me, damn it! What does it mean?" I scream.

Dr. Greta pauses. She frowns at me and sighs. "It means… you could very likely be sterile."

… One week later …

The clinic office feels like a prison cell. Dr. Greta sits across from me behind her desk. She slides her reading glasses up her nose and looks down at my test results.

"You tested positive for gonorrhea," Dr. Greta states clinically. Her eyes hold a mixture of pity and professional detachment.

"What?" I snap, jumping out of my chair. My blood runs hot with indignation. "Are you calling me a whore?"

A blank look overtakes her face. She shrugs. "I did not say anything of the sort. You came to that conclusion on your own."

White-hot rage boils in my veins. She would have never dared to speak to Marcella like this. Without a second thought, I lunge across the desk. I swing my hand and slap her hard across the face. The smack rings loud in the small room.

"Remember who you are speaking to, Doc! I am your Luna!" I screech, my voice tearing through the sterile air. "I will not tolerate you mocking my purity!"

Dr. Greta does not flinch. She touches her red cheek and fixes her glasses. "Yes, Luna," she mutters coldly.

I drop back into my seat, crossing my arms over my chest, waiting for her to fix whatever minor issue this is.

"It appears you experienced no visible symptoms for your gonorrhea. As such, you went untreated for months," Dr. Greta explains, her tone shifting back to medical reality. "Your untreated, severe infection caused advanced pelvic inflammatory disease. You showed no obvious symptoms for that either. The infection festered and grew, tearing through your reproductive tract."

I blink at her. "So what does that mean? I take some pills and I am good as new?" A bitter taste coats my tongue.

"Antibiotics will get rid of the active infection, but the physical damage is irreversible," Dr. Greta says quiet. She removes her glasses again. "The extensive scarring on your fallopian tubes and uterus is permanent. I am sorry to say this, Sabrina, but you will never be able to have children of your own."

The words hit me like a physical blow.

I stare blankly at her. I place a trembling hand over my flat stomach. The realization that I will never swell with a child crashes over me. I will never carry an heir. A jagged sob gets caught in my throat. I push my chair back and rise to my feet.

Dr. Greta stands up. She reaches out and places a hand over mine. "Luna… we need to know where you got this infection—"

"Don’t touch me!" I scream. Hot tears spill down my cheeks. "You are wrong! You are fucking wrong!"

Dr. Greta shakes her head. "Luna, I saw the damaged tissue with my own eyes. The test results confirm it."

"Then run it again!" I snatch the medical file from her desk. I rip the papers in half. I tear them into tiny shreds and throw them into the air like confetti. "Do it again because you are wrong!"

She purses her lips. "You can take the test as many times as you like. The medical reality will not change."

I refuse to believe it. In a fit of blind denial, I grab her by the collar of her white coat. I strike her again, my fist clipping her jaw. "Do it again," I hiss, spit flying from my lips. "Now!"

… Five months later …

The old hag was right. Time and time again, I visited private doctors outside the territory. Time and time again, I laid on my back, spread my legs, and let them probe me. The answer never changed. The irreversible truth has fully sunk in. I am permanently infertile. I will never give Cassian the pups he craves.

Humiliating rumors of my total infertility spread through the pack like wildfire. The omegas whisper about me in the kitchens. The guards give me pitying looks. The pack elders grow restless about my performance as Luna.

I am stressed out of my mind, and Cassian is worse than useless. He remains obsessively, dangerously fixated on finding Marcella. He spends all his time sending scouts into neighboring territories and torturing anyone who brings back bad news.

I need physical comfort. I need validation that I am still his mate.

I walk down the main hall toward Cassian's private office. The heavy oak door is slightly ajar. I push it open, stepping inside, ready to demand his attention.

I freeze.

The scene before me makes my blood run cold. Cassian has a lowly omega pushed back onto his mahogany desk. Her skirt is shoved up around her waist, her bare legs wrapped tight around his waist. Cassian's pants are unbuckled and shoved down his thighs. He is gripping her hips with his massive hands, his raw, carnal thrusts driving his hard cock deep into her cunt. The wet slapping sounds of their bodies colliding fill the room. He grunts loudly, pulling out and slamming back into her pussy with brutal force, a blatant display of his total disregard for our marriage.

"Cassian!" I scream, slamming the heavy door shut behind me.

The omega yelps. She scrambling off the desk, her face flushed red with shame. She pulls her skirt down, her hands shaking. I recognize her. She is one of the kitchen staff.

Cassian does not even look surprised. He just looks annoyed that I interrupted his release. He waves a hand, ordering the girl out.

She scurries toward the door, keeping her head down.

My stomach churns with sick disgust. As she passes me, I grab her shoulder and violently shove the naked girl out into the hallway, slamming the door in her face.

I turn back to Cassian. Tears stream down my face, ruining my makeup. I betrayed my own sister for this man. I lied, schemed, and gave up everything to stand by his side.

"After everything I have done for you, how could you do this to me?" I cry, my voice cracking. "I am your Luna!"

Cassian merely shrugs his broad shoulders. He pulls up his pants and buckles his belt without a shred of guilt.

"And yet you cannot give me a son," he retorts coldly.

I open my mouth, but the sheer cruelty of his words chokes me.

He stalks around the desk toward me. His eyes are dark, filled with predatory intent. Before I can take a step back, his large fingers wrap tight around my throat. He lifts me off the ground and slams me aggressively against the office wall. The impact knocks the wind out of my lungs.

"I should kill you for being such an inadequate Luna," he snarls, his face inches from mine. His hot breath hits my cheek. "How can you expect anyone in this pack to respect you when you are barren and useless?"

I claw at his wrist, gasping for air. My feet kick uselessly against the wall.

"You are half the Luna Marcella was," he spits malice directly into my eyes. "And when I find her, you will go back to being the little slut you were."

He opens his hand. My body drops. I hit the cold floor hard, gasping and coughing as I rub my bruised neck. He looks down at me like I am discarded trash. He steps over my body, walks to the door, and leaves the office.

I curl into a ball on the floor, the heavy silence of the room crushing whatever is left of my soul.

POV: Cassian

Four years later.

The territory is drenched in blood.

"Alpha, we found another body on the pack border," the young soldier reports. His knees tremble, and the pungent stench of his fear fills my office. "Female. Twenty-four. Omega status."

I stare at the map spread across my desk. Four bodies. That makes four brutally mutilated corpses this month alone.

I know the dark, horrifying truth. I know exactly what happened last night. My inner wolf, Brutus, took control while I slept. In a state of feral grief, Brutus hunted down that innocent omega, pinned her to the dirt, and tore her throat out with his bare teeth.

Over the past four agonizing years, Brutus has mercilessly slaughtered over fifty pack members. He demands blood every single time my incompetent scouts fail to locate Marcella and our hidden son. I know the pup is a boy. I can feel it in my bones. My heir is out there, growing up without me, and the agonizing separation has driven my wolf to the brink of insanity.

*Kill him,* Brutus snarls in the deep recesses of my mind. *Tear his head off. He brought us nothing!*

"We placed extra guards along the perimeter just as you requested, but..." the soldier stammers, snapping me back to reality.

"But you failed," I growl, pushing off my desk. "Am I to assume you are all incompetent? My pack is bleeding out, and you idiots cannot stop a phantom from crossing our borders?"

"Alpha, we are doing the best we can..."

Boiling with rage, I cross the room in two strides. I grab the failing soldier by the collar of his uniform and shove him back. My hand closes around his throat. I squeeze, cutting off his air supply. His face turns a blotchy purple as his hands claw at my unyielding grip.

*Snap his neck!* Brutus roars, the bloodlust vibrating through my skull.

"Do your job better," I warn the choking man, my voice dropping to a lethal whisper. "Or I will make sure the next corpse we find on the border is yours."

I violently toss him aside. The soldier hits the ground, coughing and scrambling backward toward the door.

Just as he reaches for the handle, the heavy door swings open.

My mother waltzes into the room. She steps over the cowering soldier without glancing down. She wears a tailored suit, her posture radiating the undisputed grace of a true Luna.

"Leave us," she orders the soldier. The man scrambles to his feet and runs out, shutting the door behind him.

My mother turns her sharp gaze to me. She looks around the chaotic office, noting the smashed glass in the corner and the bloodstains on my knuckles. She sighs heavy.

"The pack elders and the members have expressed profound concern over your erratic leadership," she begins, crossing her arms. "And your Luna's total incompetence."

I clench my jaw, returning to my desk. I sit down and rub my temples. A headache throbs behind my eyes. "What do you want, mother?"

"I want you to fix this mess," she snaps, her voice losing its composed edge. "Sabrina is an absolute disaster. She spends her days drinking and hiding in her quarters while you let this territory fall to pieces. The pack needs a real Luna, Cassian."

*Tear her throat out!* Brutus snarls, offended by the mere mention of Sabrina. *We only have one Luna!*

I grip the edges of my desk to keep my wolf from surfacing. "Sabrina is merely a temporary placeholder," I snap back defensive. "She is filling in until Marcella rightfully returns. Once I find my true mate, Sabrina steps down."

My mother refuses to back down from my temper. She walks right up to my desk and slams her palms against the wood.

"Own up to your actions and be a goddamn man!" she shouts fierce. "You completely tarnished your sacred bond by sleeping with her sister! You broke that girl's heart and drove her away. Stop acting like she is just going to walk back into this pack with open arms."

"I needed an heir," I growl.

"And she was carrying one!" my mother fires back. She stands up tall, glaring down at her imposing son. "Marcella was poised, intelligent, and strong. She had the makings of the greatest Luna this pack has ever seen, and you threw her away because you lack patience and loyalty."

I bare my teeth, a low growl rumbling in my chest. "Watch your tone."

"No, you watch your back," my mother retorts cold. She turns toward the door. "Get it together, Cassian, or your reign as Alpha will end. The elders have held a secret council."

My blood freezes. "What are you talking about?"

She pauses with her hand on the doorknob. "Another Alpha has already been officially chosen by the elders. Fail to turn things around, and he will Challenge you for your title. You will lose everything."

She walks out, leaving me alone with the roaring monster inside my head.

POV: Marcella

Present Day.

Miles away from the bloodshed, betrayal, and chaos of the Iron Fang Pack, a soft voice breaks the morning silence of my small bedroom.

"Mommy?" Kyler whispers sweetly.

I feel the mattress dip beside me. Tiny, gentle fingers press against my face, attempting to pry my heavy eyelids open.

"Mommy, I want pancakes today," he whispers again, his breath warm against my cheek.

I keep my eyes closed, pretending to still be deeply asleep. I bite the inside of my cheek to hide a massive, warm smile.

Kyler lets out a dramatic sigh. He leans in closer and places a soft, wet kiss right on the tip of my nose, then another on my cheek. He wiggles his little body under my blanket, pressing his warm side against mine. "Please, Mommy? Can we make pancakes?"

I cannot hold it in anymore. I suddenly turn over and wrap him tight in my arms.

Kyler shrieks with laughter as I pull him flush against my chest. I shower his giggling face with loud kisses, making exaggerated smacking sounds until he is breathless with joy.

"What are the magic words?" I ask playful, holding him steady so I can look at him.

My heart swells to the point of bursting. I look down into his beautiful, mismatched eyes. One is a bright, clear cerulean blue. The other is a deep, rich amber-brown. He inherited the blue from me, but that striking amber belongs entirely to his father. It is the only piece of Cassian I allow in this house.

Kyler grins wide, showing off a missing front tooth. "I love you."

"How much?" I whisper.

He stretches his little arms out as far as they can go. "This much!"

This quiet room, bathed in the soft morning sunlight, is my ultimate heaven.

Escaping Cassian was the hardest thing I ever did, but I did not do it alone. Kyler was born secretly in this remote safehouse with the profound magical help of a rogue witch. She cloaked our scents, hiding us from the trackers, the scouts, and the Alphas.

My little boy has brought more immense joy and fierce purpose into my life than anything else in the entire world. He is my life. He is my soul. He is my absolute everything.

I pull Kyler back against my chest and rest my chin on top of his soft hair. As I listen to his steady heartbeat, I make a fierce, silent vow to the universe. I will do whatever it takes. I will lie, run, and fight. I will make sure Cassian Vance never, ever finds him.