Rise of a Silenced Wolf

July I never thought the day I told my beloved husband I was pregnant would be the day he pushed me and our unborn child off a cliff. But right now, I am falling. The wind howls in my ears like a wounded beast. Playing on a loop in my mind is the look in Joseph's eyes right before he pushed me. Those grayish-blue eyes I had kissed countless times, the ones I smiled at every morning of our five-year marriage—the exact moment he said "I'm sorry," they turned completely into the eyes of a stranger. The sun had been as bright as ever that day, showing absolutely no sign of the horror to come. It was early summer on the east coast of the Silverlining Pack's territory. I leaned over the bathroom sink in our vacation cabin, staring at the two distinct red lines on the pregnancy test. My hands shook so badly I could barely hold the plastic stick. Two lines. "Oh, Moon Goddess," I gasped. There must be a silly smile on my face but I couldn’t care less. Right now only one thought consumes my mind. I’m going to be a mother! Joseph and I are having a baby! For a wolfless she-wolf, getting pregnant is no easy task. But against all odds, after five years of marriage, it happened. I practically tripped over the threshold as I rushed out of the bathroom. Joseph was leaning back in a rattan chair on the balcony, scrolling through his phone. The sea breeze played with his curls, and his white shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, revealing the hickey I had left the night before. Hearing me, he looked up. I threw myself around his neck and shoved the pregnancy test right in front of his face. "Guess what!" I must have screamed it, because seagulls scattered from the neighboring balcony. Joseph froze for three whole seconds, staring at those two lines. I caught a strange flicker in his eyes—something I had never seen before. It was too fast, gone in an instant. Then, he suddenly stood up, scooped me into his arms, and spun me around. His deep laughter vibrated right against my chest. "July!" he called my name. "We're having a baby!" "Yes, we're having a baby," I smiled softly. He set me down, cupping my face and showering me with kisses. "Praise the Moon Goddess," he murmured, his forehead resting against mine, his warm breath brushing my face. "My beautiful, amazing wife. You're going to give me a little pup." My cheeks flushed at his praise. Sometimes, my life felt almost too perfect to be real. I was abandoned by my birth parents, but a kind pack adopted me. My foster parents, Andy and Samantha, treated me wonderfully, and I had a doting older brother, Teddy. My family never looked down on me for being wolfless. Instead, whenever I felt insecure, they would comfort me and reassure me of their love, telling me I was a gift from the Moon Goddess. Thanks to their endless care, my childhood was carefree. But as I grew older, fear crept in. I was terrified that when I came of age, I would find my fated mate only to be rejected. Then, the Moon Goddess brought me my mate. Joseph was the son of the Greenville Pack's Beta. He was handsome, charming, and possessed a smile that could make every woman in the room lose her breath. We met at a climbing gym and instantly recognized each other as mates. I was anxious at first. In a world where power dictates status, the wolfless are seen as second-class citizens and would usually be shunned by packs and often rejected by their mates. But Joseph didn't reject me. He asked for my number, we started dating, and soon, we walked down the aisle with my parents' blessings. The only regret was that Joseph's family didn't attend our wedding. According to him, his parents cut ties with him the moment they found out he was marrying a wolfless girl. I felt guilty about it, but secretly, I was thrilled that my mate had chosen me so fiercely. I pressed my palm against my flat stomach. There was no visible change yet, but I could already feel life taking root. I wanted to call my mother. I wanted to hear her scream with joy through the phone. I wanted to tell my father he was going to be a grandfather, and tell Teddy he was going to be an uncle. I could already picture the awkward, goofy smile that would break across Teddy’s usually stern face. "I want to call my parents," I said, grabbing Joseph's hand. His smile stiffened for a split second. "Sweetheart," he said, squeezing my hand gently but firmly. "Let's wait a few days. Let's tell them in person when we get back from vacation. Give them a real surprise. Your parents are definitely going to cry—don't you want to see that yourself?" He was right. My parents had been waiting for a grandchild for so long, hinting at it during every single phone call. Telling them face-to-face and watching them get choked up with joy would be worth the wait. I nodded, suppressing my excitement, and put my phone back on the nightstand. Joseph kissed my temple. "Ready to go see the sunset at Red Cliff?" Red Cliff was the most iconic landmark on the Silverlining Pack's east coast. It was a ninety-meter sheer drop straight into the ocean, its walls made of reddish-brown sandstone carved with thousands of ripples by the waves. At dusk, the setting sun would paint the entire cliff face a brilliant golden-red. It was said to be the Moon Goddess’s own paint palette, a breathtaking sight you'd never forget. Joseph said he had rented out the observation deck at the top just for us. I had been looking forward to this trip, but the two lines on the test made me hesitate. "I'm not sure, honey," I said. "Now that I'm pregnant, I don't really want to hike up a mountain." "Silly girl," Joseph chuckled. "There's a cable car that goes straight to the top. You won't even have to climb a single step." "Oh, good." I smiled. "Let's go then!" Half an hour later, we were in the cable car. The transparent glass pod slowly ascended along the side of the cliff. I pressed my face against the glass, watching the ocean recede beneath us, the waves turning into delicate white lace. Joseph wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, resting his chin on my shoulder, his steady breathing warm against my ear. "Do you remember our first date?" he asked. "How could I forget?" I smiled. "You rented out the entire movie theater but picked a horror movie. I jumped out of my seat, and you used it as an excuse to hold my hand." "All part of the plan," he chuckled against my ear, his lips brushing my earlobe. Soon, we reached the top. I stepped out of the cable car. The observation deck wasn't big, but the view was incredible. The sun was just dipping below the horizon, bathing the entire world in gold and orange. Seagulls circled in the distance, and the wind carried the sharp, salty tang of the sea. "Come here, sweetheart. Let's take a photo together." Joseph walked over to the wooden railing at the edge of the cliff and waved me over. I took a few steps toward him but froze when I looked past the railing into the abyss below. I’d had a crippling fear of heights since I was a child; even looking down from a third-story balcony made my knees go weak. "s**t," I called out. "I don't want to go over there. It's too high." Joseph laughed, walking back to offer me his hand. "Come on, baby. Hold onto me and you won't be scared. Just like our first date. You have to see this—the water looks like molten gold." I hesitated, but gripped his hand tightly and took a few more steps forward. "Can we stop now?" I asked. "Just a bit closer, baby," he urged. "You can do it." "No, this is enough, right here—" I dug my fingers into his arm. "The view is better over there." Joseph pulled me another two steps closer to the edge. His voice was gentle, but his grip was unyielding. He guided me right up to the railing. My back was pressed against his chest, my heart hammering wildly. Joseph wrapped one arm around my waist and held up his phone with the other. The cliffside wind whipped my skirt around. Staring nervously at our reflection on the screen, I forced a smile. Click. "Perfect." He put his phone away but didn't let go. Instead, he tightened his grip. His lips pressed against the sensitive skin behind my ear, his breath hot and heavy. Expecting a sweet whisper, my body instinctively relaxed, leaning back into his embrace. "July," he murmured softly, almost to himself. "Is there anything else you wish you could have done in this life?" I blinked, surprised, then laughed. "No," I said, gazing out at the horizon where the sky was rapidly darkening. "I think everything is perfect. I have parents and a brother who love me, the best husband in the world, and our baby in my belly. The Moon Goddess has been too good to me." He fell silent for three seconds. "Good." His voice suddenly sounded incredibly strange. Before I could process the sudden shift in his tone, his arms locked around me. It wasn't a hug—it was a restraint. He clamped down on my ribs like a vice, stealing the air right out of my lungs. "Joseph?" I gasped, confused. "You're hurting me—" "I'm sorry, July." It was his voice, yes, but there was no warmth in it. No love. No emotion whatsoever. I snapped my head around to look at him, and that was when I saw his eyes. Those eyes looked like a frozen lake. They were so cold it made me shiver. His hands moved from my waist to my back. "What—" He pushed me. I didn't even get to finish the word. My body flipped over the railing. Weightlessness slammed into me, grasping at my internal organs like a giant fist. I was falling. The howling wind swallowed my screams as the sky and ocean spun violently before my eyes. I reached out to grab anything, but my hands caught nothing but empty air. The last thing I saw was the silhouette of my mate standing at the edge of the cliff, framed by the burning sunset. He coldly watched me fall.