The private courier envelope sat on my vanity table like a bomb waiting to detonate.
My hands were shaking as I tore it open. It had cost me a fortune to bribe the lab technician to rush this DNA test, but it would be worth it.
Mara, that stupid maid, had actually come through. She swore the tissue she retrieved was used by the man Elena was living with.
"Please let it be a rogue," I prayed, pulling out the papers. "Please let it be some random, dirty guard."
If Elena was pregnant with a nobody's brat, I could laugh her out of the pack. I could convince the Council she was unfit, impure, a disgrace to her bloodline. Liam would be disgusted forever.
I unfolded the document. My eyes scanned past the medical jargon, looking for the summary at the bottom.
SUBJECT A (Mother): Elena Vance. SUBJECT B (Paternal Source): Unknown Male (DNA Match Found in Database).
PROBABILITY OF PATERNITY: 99.9998%
I smirked. She was pregnant. Step one complete.
Then, my eyes drifted to the section titled "Paternal Lineage Analysis."
The smile froze on my face.
PATERNAL IDENTITY:MATCH CONFIRMED - CLASS S ARCHIVE.NAME:KILLIAN BLACKWOOD (EX-ALPHA KING).
I stopped breathing. The paper rattled in my trembling hands.
It was true. She really was sleeping with the monster. But that wasn't the worst part.
Under the name, there was a red warning stamp that the lab only used for high-level bloodlines.
GENETIC MARKERS:ROYAL LYCAN STRAIN (DOMINANT).POTENTIAL RANK:ALPHA PRIME / KING.
The room spun. I had to grab the edge of the table to keep from collapsing.
"Royal Lycan Strain..." I whispered, my voice sounding strangled.
Liam wasn't a Royal Lycan. His father, Killian, was the last one. But because Killian was exiled, everyone assumed the bloodline would end with him. Liam was strong, yes, but he was just a regular Alpha.
But this baby...
If Elena gave birth to this child, it wouldn't just be a bastard. It would be an Heir.
A true Heir.
According to the Old Laws, a Royal Lycan by blood outranks an appointed Alpha by decree. If this baby was a boy, he would have a legitimate claim to the throne. He could challenge Liam. He could take the entire pack from us.
And Elena... Elena would be the Queen Mother.
"No," I hissed, crumpling the paper in my fist. "No, no, no!"
This wasn't a scandal I could expose. This was a death sentence for my future. If the Council saw this paper, they wouldn't exile Elena. They would protect her. They would worship her belly.
I couldn't leak this.
I had to bury it.
I grabbed my lighter from the drawer. With shaking fingers, I lit the corner of the report. I watched the flames eat away Killian's name, watched the words "Royal Lycan" turn into black ash.
I dropped the burning paper into the metal wastebasket and watched it turn to dust.
Panic was replaced by a cold, desperate clarity.
Elena couldn't have this baby.
Humiliating her wasn't enough anymore. Getting her exiled wasn't enough.
As long as that heart was beating inside her, my position as Luna—and Liam's position as Alpha—was in danger.
I picked up my phone. I didn't call Liam. He was too soft; he still looked at Elena with those puppy-dog eyes. He wouldn't do what needed to be done.
I scrolled down to a number I had saved years ago, a number given to me by a shady merchant in the lower district.
"The Apothecary."
It was a code name for a witch who dealt in poisons. Poisons that left no trace. Poisons that could make a miscarriage look like a tragic accident.
I hit dial.
It rang twice before a raspy female voice answered.
"What do you need?"
"I need something strong," I said, my voice steady now. "Something that can get rid of a parasite. A very... strong parasite."
"It will cost you double for a wolf," the witch said.
"I'll pay triple," I said, staring at my reflection in the mirror. My eyes looked wild, desperate. "Just make sure it works. I want it gone by the weekend."
I hung up and looked at the pile of ash in the bin.
"You wanted war, Elena?" I whispered to the empty room. "Fine. But in this war, only one of us gets to be a mother."