The Night He Chose Her

Chapter 2 

 Astrid's POV 

Darius and Iris used to be inseparable. Back in school, everyone thought they were the golden couple and perfect together. But when fate bound me to him instead, when he found out I was his fated mate, everything changed. Or at least, I thought it did.

After we married, Darius never spoke to Iris again, or so I believed.

Now, standing outside that room, I could barely breathe. I almost stormed in to demand answers.

Why was he here?

Why lie about handling pack business?

Had he been seeing Iris all along?

“Natural labor?”

Did he mean… last night?

A shiver ran through me, anger and fear twisting deep inside. Had I really almost let him put our babies in danger?

Was that why he touched me that way to force my body to give in?

To save Iris?

Did he know about my mother’s insane plan for the cord blood?

Questions crashed over me, one after another, until I couldn’t tell which hurt more. The fear, or the realization that I might already know the answer.

My fingers dug into my palms until I felt the sting of my own skin breaking. 

The man I’d trusted with everything. The man I thought loved me, had betrayed me in the ugliest way imaginable!

“We don’t have much time. Iris needs their cord blood immediately,” my mother emphasized, cutting my thoughts.

I went cold all over.

Of course. Of course it was about Iris again.

It always had been.

 But hearing it out loud still made me want to throw up.

 "Has the lab made any progress? I don't want to risk the babies and Astrid," Darius added.

  For a moment, I felt almost grateful. At least he was trying to protect our babies.

 Until my father spoke.

 "Who cares about Astrid? Iris is the one who matters." He said, not hiding the irritation in his voice.

Then came Iris's voice, soft and shaking. "Darius... do you actually love her now?"

  The room fell silent that if a pin should fall, we'll all hear it and it had nothing to do with our super hearing ability. My heart pounded so loud I was sure they'd hear it. I waited, begging the Moon Goddess for him to say yes.

  For him to tell her he loved me.

Darius said finally. "You know… I only married Astrid for the blood. For you."

 Hot tears filled my eyes. Everything was a lie. My husband had been pretending this whole time, just to help my sister. Inside me, my wolf howled in pain, begging me to run and protect our babies.

“Mom, C-sections are really safe these days, right? Astrid and my nieces will be okay, won’t they?” Iris asked anxiously.

“Of course, sweetie. Everyone will be fine,” Teresa replied.

I couldn’t listen anymore. I had to run. I didn’t trust any of them.

  I ran back to our house as fast as I could, legs shaking. I grabbed a bag and started throwing some of my clothes in. I had to escape before they could hurt my babies.

"Luna?"

 I jumped. James stood in the doorway, wiping his hands on his apron. He was the gardener and the only person who still called me Luna without pity in his voice.

"I'm fine," I lied, trying to smile through the tears running down my face.

 He didn't believe me. His eyes softened. "If you ever need help, Astrid, any help at all, just say the word."

 I nodded, pretending I hadn't heard him, pretending I wasn't about to break into several pieces.

He left quietly.

 Before I could pack another thing, the bedroom door burst open. Darius rushed in, his eyes finding me instantly. He wrapped his arms around me, and despite everything, my body still shivered at his touch.

 "The doctor says one of the babies is in danger!" he said. If I hadn't heard his conversation with my parents, I would've believed him. "You need to come to the hospital right now!"

 I swallowed hard, shaking my head while fighting tears. "She told me everything was fine. I saw it myself."

  I turned to face him, waiting to see what he'd say. Hoping what I heard was wrong. That he actually loved me.

 But I knew better.

 "I don't know what happened," he lied. "She probably found out after you left."

 "We don't have time. We need to go." He took my hand, turning to leave, but I didn't move.

  "No, I'm not going," I said as calmly as I could. "The doctor told me everything's fine today. How do I suddenly need an early C-section?"

 "Now's not the time for question, Astrid,” he said instead, "once we're sure our babies are okay, we'll come back to them.”

Still lying.

 "And this has nothing to do with Iris needing my cord blood?"

 He froze for a second with eyes blank, then went cold again..

   “Since you already know, let's hurry back to the hospital, Iris can't wait anymore, she needs your blood now.”

“Darius, did you ever even care about me and our babies? Did you ever love me?” 

  Before he could say anything, the door swung open and my dad stormed in first, his face red with anger. "Enough of this nonsense! You're coming with us, Astrid."

  My mom followed quietly, still in her lab coat, eyes calm and cold at the same time.

 She smiled like a mother comforting a scared child. "Sweetheart, please don't make this difficult. The babies will be fine. I'll do the surgery myself."

  "I'm not going." My voice shook, but I stood my ground. "The doctor said everything was normal today."

  My dad slammed his fist on the dresser. "I am your father! You think I'd harm my own daughter?"

I almost laughed. He already had, several times for that matter, he just never felt guilty about it.

  My mom stepped closer, her voice soft as silk. "I know you're scared. But this could save your sister's life. You're a mother now. You understand what that means, don't you? Family. Sacrifice."

Her hand touched my cheek. It was warm. Too warm.

 The same hand that once wiped my tears now felt like it was burning my skin.

"You were always the sensible one," she whispered. "Do this, and we'll make it up to you. I promise."

Make it up to me?

Like all the other promises they'd broken?

"I won't," I said, backing away. "Not this time."

  My dad's patience snapped. "You ungrateful brat!" He lunged forward, grabbing at my hands as I gripped the doorframe.

"Let me go!" I screamed.

He slapped me hard. My vision went white.

  Darius shouted, "How dare you hit her!" and pulled me behind him. But his arms felt like a cage, not protection.

 "You still think she's your Luna?" my father barked. "She stole you from Iris! Now she'll fix what she broke!"

  My mom spoke again, her voice cutting through the shouting, "Enough!" She said, “We're wasting time. Iris's fever is getting worse. We need the surgery now."

  My dad, who had had enough of the talking, grabbed me.

But I wasn't going to give up without a fight. My fingers clawed the doorframe until my nails split, but compared to my dad, I wasn't strong enough.

"Enough! Astrid, stop these dramatic reactions," Darius said, his voice sharp but controlled. "Iris's life is at stake. We need to save her immediately. An early C-section carries risks, but it won’t cost you your life."

"Who can guarantee the babies won’t be affected?" I demanded.

My mom slapped her hand over my mouth. "Hush, sweetheart. You'll scare them."

That didn’t stop me. 

I was dragged through the hallway, out of the house, until we reached the garden, where I caught sight of James.

"Help—" I tried to scream, but mom’s grip tightened on my hand.

"She's just feeling sick," she said sweetly. "We're taking her to the hospital."

James looked confused. Before he could say anything, Darius used his Alpha command. He bowed his head and stepped back, shattering the little hope I had left.

  As they pulled me toward the car, despair settled in my chest like ice.

 Darius opened the door while my parents stood behind him, watching me like I was nothing but a vessel.

 My mother's voice turned sharp. "Iris doesn't have time, Astrid. If you keep fighting, her death will be on your hands."

Her words cut through me. I almost believed her.

  My dad's phone rang and my brother Blaise's voice came through the speaker. "She's seizing again! We need that blood…now!"

 Teresa nodded grimly. "You heard him. Get her in the car."

 I curled around my belly, shaking my head. "No. Please. Not my babies."

 Mom sighed. "You'll thank me later. Once this is over."

My heart sank. No one could save me now. They were going to take my babies. I prayed, begging the Moon Goddess to save me. The least she could do after ignoring all my other prayers was grant me this one wish.

  Just as my mom's hand reached for the car door—

 A voice thundered across the garden.

"Wait!”