[2]

When I opened my eyes, the first thing I felt was a sharp, searing pain in my abdomen.

“Ugh…” I groaned softly, trying to piece together what had happened. And then it all came rushing back—memories crashing through my head like shards of broken glass.

My trembling hand moved to my stomach. That place… where warmth once lived, where life once stirred within me. Now it was flat. Empty. A hollow ache bloomed in my chest.

“Where… is my baby?” My voice came out barely above a whisper. Panic clawed at me as my eyes darted around the room, desperate to find someone—anyone—who could give me an answer.

And there he was. Alaric.

My husband. My Alpha. For a fleeting second, relief washed over me. Of course he was here. He should be here. He was my mate—the father of my child.

“Alaric,” I called out, my throat tight. “What happened? Where’s my baby? Why am I… here?”

He turned slowly. His eyes locked on mine—cold, dark, and merciless, like a moonless night.

And in that moment, I realized there was something far more terrifying than the pain tearing through my body.

His anger.

“Tell me the truth, Cassandra.”

That voice cut through me—deep, heavy, and laced with so much fury it made the very air tighten around us. I had just woken, my head pounding with a dizzy ache, and I didn’t even know what was happening. The last thing I remembered was the disaster of my birthday party… chaos, humiliation, pain. After that, everything went black.

“Answer me, Cassandra!”

His roar shook me. For the first time, I realized—he wasn’t calling me Cass. Since when had he stopped? Since when had my name become nothing more than a curse on his tongue?

“Whose child is it?!” His voice thundered, sharp enough to slice through bone. “How could you dare bear a bastard child?”

My heart thrashed violently in my chest. I looked at him—Alpha of SilverFang, admired and feared across every Pack, even by our rivals. Yet now his eyes burned into me with nothing but accusation, as though I were the betrayer.

“What… what are you saying?” My voice trembled. “How could you call the child in my womb—”

The words died in my throat. Panic surged as I tore the blanket off my body, ignoring the agony rippling through me. None of it mattered. Only one thing did. “Where’s my baby? Alaric, where is my child? Why is my stomach—”

“You just gave birth.” His reply was cold, merciless. His gaze darkened further, staring at me like I was a criminal deserving punishment.

“I… I gave birth?” The memory of the fall, the blood, the searing pain slammed into me. My voice shook as I forced the words out. “Then… where’s my baby?”

“She’s alive,” Alaric said flatly. “And the child is a daughter.”

A thousand emotions stormed me at once—fear, relief, disbelief, but most of all a fragile joy that clawed its way up through the chaos. I have a daughter. At last, I could hold her. What would she look like? Would she have his eyes? His smile? The Alpha I had loved for so long?

“I need to see her. Please, will you take me—”

“Answer me, damn it!”

His hand snapped around my throat. The very same hand that had once held me gently, now crushing, merciless. My breath hitched, the pressure burning, stealing the air from my lungs.

“Al… Alaric—it hurts.”

But he didn’t stop. As if strangling me was his duty, his right.

“I don’t understand…” I gasped, clawing at his wrist, desperation flooding me. “Alaric—why are you—”

Finally, he let go, but there was no kindness in his eyes. None of the man I once knew. Only a sharp, merciless gaze, and a smile so cruel it stripped me bare.

“You’re not worth my trust at all,” he sneered. “Congratulations, Cassandra, you’ve given birth to a bastard.”

I froze. My blood turned to ice. “What…?”

I forced myself to hold steady, though my insides were shattering. “What are you saying? How could I ever bear a bastard when you are my Alpha?”

Alaric threw a stack of photographs at me. They scattered across my lap, every image showing me... with another man.

“What is this then?”

My eyes widened. I knew those photos. “No… this isn’t real! That was the night I helped Lyra home from the bar. I didn’t—”

“Enough!” His roar cracked through the air like a whip. “How dare you drag Lyra into your filth!”

“It’s not true! I would never betray the love we—”

“Damn your love and that so-called bond between us, you worthless woman!”

The slap came fast and brutal. My head snapped to the side; the sting exploded across my cheek. For a heartbeat, I couldn’t move. The pain was nothing compared to the hollow ache spreading in my chest.

“You’re not just a disgrace, Cassandra,” he said coldly. “You’re a traitor.”

My hand flew to my cheek, trembling. Tears spilled freely down my face, unstoppable. “I never betrayed you, Alaric. I love you—you know that.”

“Love?” Alaric laughed bitterly, the sound cutting through me like ice. “Don’t talk to me about love. I don’t even feel a bond with that child.”

My heart lurched. “No… that’s not possible. She’s your child. I can feel it.”

“There’s no wolf connection between us,” he spat. “And now I understand why—because that child isn’t mine.”

I shook my head frantically. “No, Alaric! You’re wrong! That’s impossible! We’re mates—we’re fated! You know that!”

“Mates?” He scoffed, his expression twisting with disgust. “Are you sure we were ever truly mates, Cassandra?”

The air left my lungs. His words pierced deeper than any blade. Those storm-gray eyes I once adored—eyes that used to look at me with warmth—now burned with pure hatred.

It felt like my heart was being crushed from the inside. I didn’t know which hurt more—the loss of my child or the loss of his trust.

“Alaric, please…” I whispered, desperate. “Listen to me. I swear on the blood of this Pack, I never betrayed you.”

“I’ve been blind for too long,” he said through gritted teeth. “If it weren’t for Lyra, I’d still be living in your lies.”

“Lyra?” My voice cracked. “You trust Lyra more than your own Luna?”

“She opened my eyes, Cassandra. Without her, I would’ve cast that bastard child out the moment it was born.”

I gasped, horror clawing through me. “Are you insane, Alaric?! That’s your child!”

“Say whatever you want, Cassandra. I don’t care. But don’t think your lies will last forever.” His voice dripped with contempt as he turned his back on me, walking away as though I was nothing. At the door, he paused. “Be grateful to Lyra, Cassandra. If not for her begging, I’d show no mercy to you or that child.”

“Alaric—Alaric! No, please! Don’t! My child—give me back my child!” I cried, forcing myself out of bed.

My body screamed in pain, every nerve raw, but I didn’t care. The moment my feet touched the floor, I collapsed.

“Argh!” Hot liquid spilled between my thighs, but it didn’t matter. None of it mattered compared to what Alaric had just done to me. My Alpha—my mate—walked away without even a glance. Without a shred of compassion.

With the last of my strength, I clawed my way to my feet, dragging my broken body forward, breath ragged, tears blurring my vision.

“I have to find my daughter,” I whispered hoarsely. “I have to make Alaric see the truth.”

The moment the hospital door opened, my steps faltered.

My eyes widened in disbelief. This time, what I saw wasn’t a nightmare or a cruel trick of my imagination. Alaric stood in the corridor—his arms wrapped tightly around someone. Lyra Vale.

They clung to each other as if the world belonged only to them.

And then, her gaze found mine. Lyra’s lips curved into a wide smile, triumphant and sharp. But that smile vanished, the instant Alaric looked at her. In a heartbeat, she shifted—her face softening, sorrowful, as though she were wounded.

“I never imagined Cassandra could be so cruel to you, Alpha Alaric.”

Lyra brushed the corner of her eye, and my stomach dropped.

“I’m grateful you’re by my side, Lyra.”

Alaric’s voice was low, and he drew her closer, his arm tightening around her like a claim.

“If it weren’t for you, I would have gotten rid of that wretched woman already.” I watched as Alaric softly said to Lyra, “You are the one who truly deserves to be Luna.”

My throat went dry. What… did that mean?