Marking Territories

Valerie's POV

The harsh, sterile scent of bleach invaded my senses long before I managed to pry my heavy eyelids open. Blinding fluorescent lights assaulted my vision, sending a sharp throb through my temples that pulsed in time with my racing heartbeat. My throat felt like cracked parchment, and a dull, echoing ache settled deep in my bones, a physical manifestation of the invisible chains tightening around my neck. I was in the pack hospital. Again.

A metal chair scraped loud and harsh against the linoleum floor, cutting through the suffocating silence.

"Valerie."

I turned my heavy head. My loyal lieutenant, Tobin, leaned over the cold metal bed rail. His gray-blue eyes were tight with profound worry, the dark, bruised circles beneath them speaking volumes of his exhaustion. His golden hair stood up in messy tufts, as if he had spent the past few hours running his hands through it in raw, helpless frustration.

"You fainted cold at the packaging plant," Tobin murmured. He reached out, resting a steadying, warm hand over my icy fingers. "Gemma found you collapsed by the filing desks. She panicked and called me right away. The pack doctor said your stress levels are critical."

I swallowed hard, trying to moisten my dry throat. The memory rushed back in a suffocating wave. The endless stacks of treaties. The phone call with Alpha Vance. The crushing, suffocating weight of the council's blatant refusal to intervene against Kaelen and Celia's treachery. My exhausted body had finally given out, buckling under the agonizing strain of a mate bond pushed to its breaking point.

"No Alpha treats their bonded mate this way," Tobin gritted out. He pulled his hand back, his fists clenching so tight by his sides that his knuckles turned a stark, bone-white. Disgust radiated from him in sharp, angry waves, souring the sterile air of the room. "This is a horrific betrayal of our sacred bond. The mate bond is supposed to be our foundation. Kaelen should be on his knees begging for your forgiveness, not parading that woman around."

I let out a dry, bitter laugh that felt like shattered glass slicing through my chest. "He doesn't care about the bond anymore, Tobin. He only cares about his political legacy."

I pushed myself up against the stiff hospital pillows, gritting my teeth and ignoring the dizzy spell that washed over me. "I spoke to Alpha Vance before I passed out. The political reality is agonizingly clear. The council will not interfere in internal pack affairs. They see my suffering as a mere domestic dispute. As long as Kaelen doesn't lay a hand on me to kill me, they will turn a blind eye to his mistress and his bastard heir."

Tobin’s jaw tightened, a muscle ticking in his cheek. "So what do we do? Just lay here and wait for your inevitable ruin? Let him strip you of your title, your dignity, and your pack while we watch?"

"No." My voice dropped to a low, dangerous whisper. A desperate idea took root in the darkest corners of my mind, a seed of rebellion watered by my lingering fury. "We don't wait for him to discard me. I am going to reach out to Darius."

Tobin froze. The color drained rapidly from his face. "Darius? You mean Darius Hemlock? Alpha of the Hemlock Pack?"

"Yes. The older brother of my best friend, Evelina," I confirmed, my gaze hardening into unyielding steel. "He commands the most formidable and dreaded pack in the region. He is the only Alpha powerful enough to make Kaelen and the council back down."

"Valerie, that is a massive risk," Tobin warned, shaking his head in disbelief. "Darius is lethal. His stance toward you over the years has always been incredibly cold, distant, and unclear. He never stepped in when Evelina left. Why would he step in for you? Entering his territory is like walking straight into a wolf trap."

"Because I have nothing left to lose," I replied, the raw truth of the words burning like acid on my tongue. "If Kaelen solidifies his power with a new heir, I am dead anyway. It is a gamble we have to take if I want to survive."

Our urgent strategic planning was abruptly cut short by the sharp click of the door handle.

The hospital room door swung open. Celia strolled in uninvited. She wore a pristine, flowing maternity gown that clung purposefully to her curves, a smug smile plastered across her delicate features. She gently and performatively cradled her pregnant belly, parading into the room with the arrogance of a queen inspecting her conquered territory.

Tobin stood up tall, his broad shoulders instantly blocking her path to my bed. He fiercely protected my space, refusing to entertain her hypocritical, sugary sweetness.

"Who the hell are you?" Tobin spat viciously, his voice echoing loudly in the small room. "A homewrecker parading around with a lover's title? Get the hell out of this room. You have no business here."

Celia’s smile faltered for a fraction of a second before returning with double the venom. "I am carrying the Alpha's heir, Tobin. You should watch your tone before I tell Kaelen how you treat the future mother of his child."

"Tobin, stop," I intervened quickly. I saw the dangerous, calculating glint in Celia's eyes. Fearing his outburst would invite Kaelen's disproportionate wrath and cost Tobin his rank on my behalf, I gave him a stern, commanding look. "Leave us. I can handle her."

Tobin hesitated, his muscles coiled tight, ready to spring. "Luna, she shouldn't even be in the same wing as you—"

"Go. Please," I urged, softening my tone just enough to show my gratitude.

With a frustrated grunt, Tobin spun on his heel and marched out of the room. The door slammed shut behind him, the loud crack echoing off the bare walls.

The second we were alone, Celia’s innocent mask slipped. The venomous snake beneath reared its ugly head. Her sweet posture dissolved into a predatory slouch, and she stepped closer to the foot of my bed, her eyes gleaming with dark, malicious triumph.

"The pack doctor just finished my ultrasound," she gloated, her voice dripping with manufactured pity. She paused, glancing toward the closed door. I could see the shadows of pack members lingering in the hallway through the frosted glass, drawn by the drama.

She purposefully raised her voice, making it dramatic and loud enough to ensure the eavesdropping wolves heard every single syllable.

"Luna Valerie, you really don't need to feel so guilty for not being able to bear children," she preened, heavy condescension lacing every word. "I will do it for you. Our pup is perfectly healthy and strong. Kaelen is so proud. Our pup will be strong, and the pack will love him as their true heir."

The crushing weight of the pack's judgmental whispers filtered through the door.

"Did you hear her? The pup is healthy."

"We need a strong heir. The Luna's womb is useless."

I heard the muffled agreements, the harsh scoffs of wolves who valued fertility over loyalty. They wanted a strong heir, and they didn't care whose blood paid for it.

I refused to cower under their judgment. I adjusted my posture, sitting up straighter against the pillows, and offered her a remarkably calm, razor-sharp smile.

"Celia, you are so selfless," I countered smoothly, my voice chillingly even. "But I actually do worry about you."

Her brow furrowed in genuine confusion, the smugness faltering slightly. "What are you talking about?"

"I am reminding you of a well-known tragedy," I said, locking my eyes onto hers, letting the ice in my veins seep into my words. "There was a mistress in the Boreal Pack who suffered a remarkably similar fate. The Alpha swore he loved her. He paraded her and her pregnant belly around just like you are doing now. She thought she had secured her place."

I leaned forward, dropping my voice to a lethal, cutting cadence. "But once the child was successfully born, she was immediately cast out. The Alpha kept the heir and tossed the mother straight into the rogue lands. She had no real place, no title. She was just a used womb."

I watched the color drain from her cheeks, delivering my final blow. "I sincerely hope you are luckier than she was when the time comes. Men who cheat on their mates rarely stay loyal to their mistresses."

Her smugness shattered into a million pieces. The arrogant tilt of her chin vanished. Her eyes darkened with visceral resentment and blinding panic as the harsh reality of my words hit her. She knew Kaelen was ruthless. She knew she was merely a political pawn in his game of legacy.

Then, a flash of vindictive, theatrical brilliance crossed her face.

She suddenly clutched her stomach. Her face twisted in a dramatic mask of pure agony. She dropped her knees, collapsing heavily to the hard floor with a pitiful, blood-curdling shriek that tore through the quiet hospital wing.

"My baby! Ah! It burns! Help me!"

The door burst open. Kaelen stormed in like a hurricane. The scent of his frantic, enraged pheromones suffocated the room, making my wolf whimper in distress. His eyes swept the scene, frantic and wild, before he immediately dropped to his knees to protectively cradle her writhing form.

"Celia! Celia, look at me," he commanded, his voice trembling with panic as he pulled her into his chest.

"She used her Alpha pheromones on me..." Celia whimpered weakly. She buried her face into his solid chest, playing the ultimate, helpless victim. "I just wanted to check on her... but she is so angry, Kaelen. She wants me and the baby dead..."

Kaelen snapped his head up. He glared at me with enough unadulterated ice to slice right through my skin. The literal, physical blow of his suspicion hit my chest, stealing my breath. The mate bond twisted, feeding his blinding hatred straight into my soul.

"You attacked a pregnant woman?!" he roared, the sound vibrating the medical monitors beside my bed.

"You would rather believe her blatant lies over your own bonded mate?" I asked, my voice trembling with suppressed rage. I gripped the bed sheets, fighting the urge to scream at his sheer blindness.

"How can I possibly believe you?" he snapped, his eyes merciless and devoid of any affection we once shared. "Look at her! She is carrying my child! Valerie, stop pushing me—before I lose every last bit of patience I have for you!"

Outside the open door, the loud, affirming murmurs of the pack members echoed through the corridor.

"We need an heir," a senior warrior muttered loudly.

"A barren Luna is a curse on this pack. The Alpha is right to protect the mother of his child," an elder agreed eagerly.

Hearing his pack eagerly agreeing on their desperate need for an heir over me, Kaelen's spine stiffened with righteous authority. The murmurs validated his cruelty. He stood up, lifting Celia securely into his strong arms, holding her like a fragile treasure while treating me like toxic waste.

He looked down at me, making his final, humiliating decree right then and there.

"Briggs!" Kaelen barked.

Gamma Briggs stepped through the crowd of onlookers, his expression hard and unreadable. "Yes, Alpha."

"Banish Luna Valerie back to the packaging plant until further notice," Kaelen ordered coldly, his voice echoing with finality. "She is confined. She is officially ordered not to go anywhere near my precious Celia. If she steps out of line, you have my permission to use force."

My fists clenched tightly at my sides, my nails biting deep into my palms until I felt the sharp sting of breaking skin. The timeline had just vastly accelerated. I was losing ground by the second. I had to contact Darius fast, or my temporary imprisonment would only worsen into a permanent exile. I would be stripped of everything, tossed out just like the mistress in my story.

I refused to be dragged out like a defeated prisoner.

Ignoring the staring, whispering eyes of my treacherous pack, I yanked out my own IV. A bead of blood welled up on the back of my hand, dripping onto the pristine white sheets, but I didn't care. I swung my legs over the side of the bed, stood up with my head held high, and followed Briggs out of the room—ready to wage a war.