ANOTHER SAD DAY

PAULINE

The white walls of the doctor’s office felt like they were closing in on me as I waited for the results. Ricardo sat next to me, his hand resting on my knee. His grip was firm—not painful, but possessive.

"Congratulations, Alpha Ricardo," the doctor said, looking up from the chart with a professional smile. "Pauline is indeed pregnant. About six weeks along."

My heart did a strange somersault. It was a mix of pure, instinctual joy and paralyzing fear. I was carrying a life. A little soul was growing inside me, unaware that it was born into a house of mirrors and shadows.

Ricardo stood up abruptly. For the first time, the coldness in his eyes vanished completely. He looked at me, and a genuine, radiant smile broke across his face.

"A child," he whispered. "My heir."

Before I could say a word, he swept me off my feet. I gasped, clutching his shoulders as he carried me out of the clinic like a prize. He didn't let me walk to the car; he held me as if I were made of glass.

"Ricardo, people are looking," I whispered, my face flushing.

"Let them look," he said, his voice booming with pride. "Let the whole world know."

When we got back to the house, Ricardo didn't waste a second. He gathered the entire family and the high-ranking members of the pack in the main hall.

"I have an announcement," Ricardo declared, his arm wrapped tightly around my waist. "My wife is carrying the next Alpha of the Blue Sky Pack. We will celebrate tonight!"

The room erupted. The old Alpha smiled and nodded, looking relieved. The maids cheered. But in the corner, I saw Evelyn. Her face was a mask of bitterness. She hissed under her breath, a sound so sharp it made my skin crawl, and walked out without a word. I didn't care. She was just a bitter woman losing her grip on power. For the first time, I felt safe. I felt loved.

"Are you happy, Pauline?" Ricardo asked, leaning down to kiss my forehead.

"I am," I said, and for once, I meant it. "I want this baby to have a happy life, Ricardo. No more wars. No more revenge."

"Tonight is for you," he promised.

The party was in full swing. Music filled the halls, and the scent of roasting meat and expensive perfume was everywhere. I wore a loose silken gown, feeling the tiny life inside me like a secret treasure.

Suddenly, the music stopped.

Ricardo was standing by the buffet, his phone pressed to his ear. His face went from joyful to ghostly pale, then to a shade of red that terrified me. His hand started to shake.

"What?" he roared into the phone. "How? When?"

He hung up and stared into space. The silence in the room was suffocating.

"Ricardo?" I walked toward him, my hand reaching out. "What’s wrong? Is it Maria?"

He looked at me, but he didn't see me. He saw a target. "Maria had a miscarriage," he said, his voice a low, vibrating growl.

The room gasped. I felt a physical pain in my chest. "Oh, no... the baby? How?"

"She and Leo got into a fight," Ricardo spat the words like venom. "He pushed her. She fell. The doctors couldn't save the child. My nephew is dead, Pauline. Your brother killed him."

I burst into tears, the horror of it overwhelming me. "Leo... how could he? I know he’s angry, but to hit a pregnant woman? It’s unforgivable!"

I grabbed Ricardo’s arm, my voice cracking with emotion. "Ricardo, I am so sorry. I will help you. I will punish him myself. I’ll speak to the elders. He shouldn't get away with this. No man should hit a woman, especially not his own wife carrying his child. We have to do something!"

I expected him to agree. I expected us to mourn together. But Ricardo brushed my hand aside with a force that sent me stumbling.

"Punish him?" Ricardo laughed, but there was no humor in it. It was the sound of a man losing his mind. "You think a 'talk' with the elders is enough?"

His eyes were bloodshot, glowing with a dangerous, feral light. He turned his gaze slowly toward my stomach. The love I had seen there just hours ago was gone. It had been replaced by a cold, calculating math.

A mirror.

The word echoed in my head. Whatever happens in their house will happen in mine.

"Ricardo, no," I whispered, backing away. "Don't look at me like that. This is your child. Your heir. You were so happy."

"Leo took my sister’s child," Ricardo said, stepping toward me. The guests began to back away, sensing the Alpha’s shift. "Why should he get to have a niece or a nephew? Why should his sister be happy while mine is bleeding in a hospital bed?"

"This isn't Leo’s baby! It’s yours!" I screamed.

"It’s your blood!" he yelled back. "It’s the blood of a murderer!"

He raised his hand. The same hand that had carried me to the car was now trembling with the urge to strike. I didn't wait for the blow. I turned and ran.

I bolted through the dining hall, my heart screaming. I had to get out. I had to protect my baby. I ran toward the back exit that led to the gardens, but as I reached the heavy oak doors, a figure stepped out from the shadows.

Evelyn.

She stood there with a twisted, satisfied smile. "Going somewhere, dear?"

"Evelyn, move!" I cried, trying to push past her. "He’s lost his mind! He’s going to hurt the baby!"

Instead of helping me, Evelyn grabbed my arms with surprising strength. She shoved me back, right into the center of the hallway.

"I think you should stay and face your husband, Pauline," she whispered, her eyes gleaming with malice. "It’s only fair, isn't it?"

I fell to the floor, and before I could get up, Ricardo was there. He towered over me, his shadow swallowing me whole. Evelyn stood behind him, watching like a spectator at a gruesome show.

I looked at Evelyn, then at Ricardo. The realization hit me like a physical weight. Evelyn wasn't just a bitter stepmother, she was an enemy who wanted to see this family tear itself apart. And Ricardo was so blinded by his "mirror" revenge that he was willing to kill his own legacy to satisfy his pride.

"Get up," Ricardo commanded.

I didn't get up. I crawled backward until my back hit the wall. I wrapped my arms tightly around my stomach, shielding my unborn child with my own body.

"No," I said. My voice didn't tremble this time. It was cold. It was professional. It was the voice of a mother.

"You think you can stop me?" Ricardo asked, his fist clenching.

"You can hit me, Ricardo," I said, staring him straight in the eyes. "You can kill me. But if you touch this child, you are no longer an Alpha. You are just a coward hiding behind a 'mirror.' Maria’s baby is gone because of a tragedy, but if my baby dies, it will be because its father is a monster."

Ricardo flinched. The word monster seemed to pierce through his rage.

"Leo pushed her!" he roared.

"And you’re about to do the same!" I shouted back. "Look at yourself! You’re becoming the very thing you hate! If you want to be like Leo, then go ahead. Strike me. Show everyone that the great Alpha Ricardo is no better than a common abuser."

I looked over at Evelyn. "And you... you’re enjoying this, aren't you? You want him to kill his heir so your own interests are protected. You're a snake."

Evelyn’s smile vanished. "Watch your mouth, girl."

I ignored her and looked back at my husband. "Ricardo, look at me. Look at us. Is your revenge worth the blood of your own son? Because if you touch me tonight, I will never forgive you. I will make sure this pack knows that their Alpha murdered his own child to settle a score."

The silence in the hallway was long. Ricardo’s chest heaved as he fought the wolf inside him. His eyes flickered between amber and brown. He looked at my protective stance, my arms locked over my womb.

Slowly, his hand lowered. The tension in his shoulders broke. He looked at his own palms as if he didn't recognize them.

"Leave," he whispered.

"What?" Evelyn snapped. "Ricardo, she insulted you!"

"I said LEAVE!" Ricardo roared, turning his fury on Evelyn. "Get out of my sight before I forget you're my father's wife!"

Evelyn turned pale and scurried away into the shadows.

Ricardo turned back to me. He didn't offer me his hand. He didn't apologize. He just stood there, looking broken.

"Go to your room, Pauline," he said, his voice hollow. "Lock the door. I don't want to see you for the rest of the night."

I stood up slowly, never taking my arms off my stomach. I didn't say thank you. I didn't feel relief. I felt a cold, hard resolve. The man I had shared a bed with, the man I had started to love, had almost killed our child for a woman who wasn't even there.

"The mirror is broken, Ricardo," I said as I walked past him. "From now on, I am not a reflection of Maria. I am the mother of your child. And if you ever threaten us again, you won't have to worry about Leo. You’ll have to worry about me."

I walked up the stairs, my head held high. My heart was still racing, but for the first time in this house, I wasn't a pawn. I was a queen protecting her throne. And I knew that tomorrow, the war would be different.