Chapter 2: An affair.

Ella's POV.

 My heart dropped straight into my stomach. That had better not be true. Even if Jason hated me enough to do this, how could he hate his own children?

 But what does it matter now? I was already on the edge of losing the babies.

 Just before I passed out, I heard footsteps pounding up the stairs. The door burst open.

 “Ella!” Michael, Jason's cousin yelled urgently. His face went pale when he saw the blood pooling beneath me. He rushed over and knelt beside me.

 “What happened, Ella? Where’s Jason?”

 I gripped his wrist with what little strength I had left.

 “Please… just… save my baby.”

  – – – – – – – – – – – – –

 The next thing I woke up to was the steady beep of machines around me. I slowly forced my lashes apart, blinking against the sharp white light. My arm felt heavy. I lifted it, and I saw the cannula taped to the back of my hand, a thin tube feeding a clear bag of liquid into my veins. The Hospital.

 “Ella? Are you okay?”

 Sylvia’s voice jerked me toward her. She adjusted on her chair, and I could see panic bright in her eyes. Her black curls were tied in a messy knot, and she was on her white karate gi. She must have run here straight from class. She was the only one who never cared that I was an Omega despite her being a Beta. She was one of the few honest friends I had. The others only tried to get close after learning our pack's Alpha, Jason, was my fated mate. But Sylvia… She was there long before that.

 She wrapped both hands around mine like she was afraid I’d vanish if she let go. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying.

 “My babies…?” My voice cracked. “How are my babies?”

 From the corner, a shadow shifted. Michael was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, looking like he’d been there for hours.

 “The doctor will be here soon,” he said, keeping his voice low, like it was an effort to keep me calm.

 The door opened and Doctor Martins walked in, in his creased white coat. He held my chart tightly in his hands.

 “Ms. Rhaella…” His voice carried a heavy weight and I could sense they were about to break something inside me. “I’m so sorry. You had a miscarriage.”

 Please, tell me I didn't just hear that.

 “Mis… Miscarriage?” I asked in a choked whisper, tears threatening to spill from my eyes. “No, Dr. Martins… please there must be something we can do to save them. Please… I can't… I can't just let them go.” I said, trying to get off the bed, hardly able to control emotions.

 Sylvia’s grip tightened around me trying to hold me together. But I was broken already. Tears slid down my cheeks uncontrollably.

 My little miracles were gone.

 Michael’s jaw flexed, but he said nothing and just looked to the ground.

 “Ella…” Dr. Martins sighed. “I’m so sorry, but there’s nothing we can do to bring them back.” He hesitated, adjusting his glasses before continuing. “What matters now is you… you’re safe. If Alpha Michael hadn’t gotten you here when he did, it could’ve been worse. Your vitals are stable and there’s no lasting damage, and you’re recovering well. You should be discharged by evening.” His face wore a painful expression. “I’m so sorry, Ella.” Then he bowed his head and quietly stepped out.

 Recovery? Hell! It meant nothing when the only thing worth recovering from was gone. And my wolf? She was shattered inside me.

 The twins were not just babies. They were proof… a miracle in the face of every diagnosis and every unanswered prayer since I was 18. Proof that I wasn’t empty and that I could be a mother too.

 But now they are gone. Because of Jason.

 Sylvia let go of my arms and shot up from her chair so fast that it screeched against the tile. She paced around the room like a caged wolf. “Why is Jason not here, Ella?” she demanded. “Don’t tell me he’s behind this?”

 Sylvia had always been able to read me too well. I had told her every time Jason acted up, so I knew it wouldn't take her long to connect the dots.

 But, imagine her shock when she learns that the bitch he had been cheating with was Dahlia.

 “Alpha or not,” she growled, “I swear to the Goddess, I’ll tear that bastard to shreds.”

 “Sylvia!” Michael’s voice came quiet but sharp with warning.

 She stopped and spun facing him, flaring her nostrils. “What?! You want to defend him? Tell me you don't know he's got something to do with this!” She yelled, widening her eyes like she was going to snap his neck too if he wasn't careful. 

 “Can you just fucking calm down!” Michael yelled in frustration. “I know exactly what Jason is. But running your mouth like this won’t solve anything, if anything, it’ll only get you killed. He’s still the Alpha of this pack.”

 She scoffed, with a hiss escaping her lips. “Fuck you both!” she spat, storming back to me. “Alpha my foot!”

 I couldn’t speak. I just cried and cried until my eyes burned.

 The door opened again, and my mother rushed in. She was in her navy-blue uniform, with the Crestwood Villa insignia stitched over the breast pocket, her hair pulled into the same tight bun she wore to scrub marble floors for people like Jason.

 I had begged her to quit, to let me take care of her, but she’d always refused. Work was her pride. To her, no degree meant no other options… despite the fact that her daughter was Luna-to-be. She happily continued the job… hard as it was. 

 Her hands smelled faintly of lemon polish and soap. “Ella,” she breathed, crossing the room in hurried steps. “I’m so sorry, baby. Dr. Martins called to tell me what happened.”

 “Mom…” My voice cracked. “Jason… killed my babies. What am I going to do?”

 She wrapped me up, holding me like she could stitch my broken pieces back together with her arms.

 I tried to hug her back, but all I could do was cry. I was now a girl who’d lost everything worth holding.

 From the hall, voices drifted in. Whispers, but loud enough for us to hear. 

 “Isn’t that Alpha Jason’s Luna?”

 “What happened to her?”

 “And why’s Alpha Michael with her instead of her mate?”

 Sylvia’s head snapped up. And before I could blink or react, she was already at the door, swinging it open so hard that I flinched.

 “You’ve got something to say?” She asked as she rested an arm on the doorpost and placed the other on her hip. Her eyes swept over the nurses lingering too close. “You think gossip’s part of your job description, right?”

 One nurse rolled her eyes and walked away. Another muttered about reporting her. Sylvia arched a brow, curling her lips. “Go ahead, sweetheart. The HR’s going to love hearing how much time you spend whispering instead of working.”

 Then, her eyes landed on a patient in a wheelchair who was blatantly staring. “And you,” she said tilting her head toward him, flickering her manicured fingers, “if you put half this energy into your own life, maybe you’d be walking past me like the others, instead of rotting in that chair. Now go, before you sprain something else.” 

 She hissed and stormed back inside, shaking her head. “Idiots.”

 “I think you should leave,” I whispered to Michael, drying my eyes with the back of my hand.

 His brow furrowed. “Why?”

 “I don’t want you dragged into gossip because of me.”

 He opened his mouth to protest, but my mother cut in gently, “Alpha, she’s right. We’re deeply grateful for all you’ve done, but please understand that it won’t help anyone if you get caught up in this. You know how fast rumors spread in this pack.”

 He exhaled, then gave a small nod. “Alright. Please, call me if you need anything.” 

 Just as he turned for the door, his phone buzzed. He checked it and faced me in horror. His face instantly went pale.

 “What is it?” 

 Sylvia rushed to him, and leaned closer to peek at his screen. “Fuck!” She gasped as her hands flew to her mouth.

 “Ella, there’s a headline about you. It’s… it’s on the wolf community forum,” she stammered. 

 My mother stood. “What’s there?”

 She read aloud, voice shaking:

 “Scandal Rocks Alpha’s House: Luna-to-Be Rhaella Hammond Exposed in Shocking Affair and Abortion Attempt.”

 “What?!” my mother yelled in disbelief.

 “Me?! Wait, what? An Affair?!” I gasped. “That’s a lie! I'd never do that!”

 “True or not, Ella…” Sylvia’s eyes flicked with worry. “You’re in big trouble.”