You're a hunter?

Serenya’s POV

This engagement party feels like a funeral.

I’m twenty-three, six months pregnant, and I should feel happy at my own engagement. I should feel excited, but instead, I’m sitting in this stiff hall with… let me count… one, two, three, four people. That’s it. Four people to witness a day I’ve imagined in a hundred different ways.

Jade said he wanted it private. *“No unnecessary attention, Serenya,”* he told me, as if he were doing me a favor, not taking away what I actually wanted.

And because I love him, I agreed. Because I thought love meant giving up my dreams. Because I believed a small, quiet celebration would be enough. I’ve always imagined an extravagant engagement party, one filled with people choking on their envy.

I try to straighten my back, to smile properly. I want to look like everything is fine, but my baby kicks inside me, reminding me of the life I’m supposed to be celebrating.

I glance at Jade—my fiancé. The man I’ve been dating for two years now. The man I’ve come to trust more than anyone else in the world.

He sits opposite me, his hand resting on the table, his eyes flicking to the door over and over for the past thirty minutes, as if he’s waiting for someone.

“Jade,” I whisper, leaning slightly forward. “Why do you keep looking at the door like that? Are you nervous?”

He lets out a short laugh. “Don’t be ridiculous with your curiosity.”

“I’m pregnant. Me being curious is allowed—over my man, especially,” I say, my voice sharper than I intended. “Actually, more than allowed.”

He doesn’t smile like usual, and that’s when a cold twist spreads through me, not from the baby but from him. Something isn’t right. I adjust my posture, keeping my head high. I’ve learned that weakness gets noticed and weakness is dangerous.

Then the door opens and a woman walks in.

I notice her instantly. She’s perfectly put together, carrying herself with a confidence I can’t place. Two little boys follow her—one around seven, the other five and a tiny girl rests in her arms. They look like the perfect family I’ve always dreamt of having with Jade.

Two boys and a girl.

I shift in my chair. My baby bump suddenly feels huge, my hair flat, my lips dull. I tug at my dress, trying to adjust it because I suddenly feel exposed.

Jade notices her, and then what I thought was impossible happens. He rises from his seat, leaves me sitting there, and walks toward her..kissing her cheek. A simple, brief kiss but at my engagement party, it feels like a punch to the gut.

I grip my wine glass tightly. “Really? Now?” I mutter under my breath. “Do I clap?” Maybe I shouldn’t get worked up. She might just be a friend he invited—she has three kids already. No need to panic, right?

But he’s already guiding her to the table where I sit, holding her hand the way he never holds mine.

She sits across from me, smiling as if we’ve been friends for years.

“Hi,” she says softly. “I’m Maya.”

I frown. The name scratches at something in my memory, but I can’t quite place it. “I’m Serenya,” I reply, keeping my voice calm and polite. “Jade’s fiancée.”

Her smile widens, like I’ve said something amusing.

I glance at Jade. His eyes avoid mine and my chest tightens. My hands tremble slightly on the table. Something is very wrong. I can feel it.

Minutes crawl by as Maya leans close to Jade, whispering in his ear. His lips twitch in ways I hate and my stomach knots uncomfortably.

“Wow,” I say loudly, tapping my fork against the table. “I see this is a very private party. Do you want me to leave so you two can finish your private conversation?”

He clears his throat and walks toward the podium at the front of the room. My heart skips a beat. Maybe he’s going to finally give the speech I’ve been imagining. Maybe he’ll announce me. Maybe he’ll tell everyone how much he loves me now..

Yes… after all, I’m his. There’s no need to get jealous over some woman’s gestures.

“Thank you, everyone,” he begins, his voice even. “I would like to introduce my fiancée and my only family.”

My lips part in a tentative smile. My heart flutters. This is it. The moment I’ve been waiting for. He’s going to announce me—Serenya, his fiancée. Our baby. Our life together.

But then his gaze slides past me to her.

He stretches his hand toward Maya. “This is my fiancée, Maya..and my kids. In a few days, we’ll be married.”

My heart stops. My mouth opens but nothing comes out. I blink, trying to make sense of it. Did he just…? No, it has to be a joke. Maybe a prank. Cameras will pop out any second—*Surprise! It’s a prank!*

But she rises gracefully, walks to him, takes his hand and smiles.

I grip the edge of the table. “No. No, no, no. This isn’t funny, Jade. Tell me this is a joke!”

He doesn’t look my way. My stomach churns.

“As you all know,” he continues, “today I’ll also complete my first mission as a hunter. After this, I’ll be a full member.”

My mind stutters. *Hunter? Mission?* I don’t understand. My voice catches in my throat.

I look at him, trying to read his expression, but there’s nothing familiar there. No warmth. No love.

I swallow hard. “Jade… what are you talking about?”

I press my trembling hands against the table. My vision narrows, my breathing heavy. My baby kicks relentlessly, it can feel what I feel.

“What I’m talking about,” he says, “is that I am a hunter, Serenya Lopes—for killing you, the Alpha princess.”

He says, each word slicing through me. My chest tightens. I stare at him, unable to speak. Every moment, every smile, every touch now feels like a lie I’ve been living beside him.

His voice stays calm, almost bored. “You are the Alpha princess of the BlueRidge pack. A werewolf. Something that shouldn’t exist here.”

I can’t breathe. My secret—the one I’ve carried for four years, the reason I ran from everyone I knew is out. I clutch my stomach, feeling the baby’s sharp kicks. My world has shrunk to fear and the tiny life inside me.

“I found out who you are a year ago,” he continues, his eyes distant. “You fled your pack to hide here. But this town… it’s full of hunters. Did you really think I wouldn’t figure it out?”

I shake my head, trying to process his words. “I… I hid it because I didn’t want that life anymore. I didn’t want to marry the man my father chose. I wanted freedom. I wanted… you.” My voice breaks, choked and raw.

He doesn’t move. Tears sting my eyes but I force myself to meet his gaze. “So what now?” I murmur. “You spent a year and a half with me just… what? To win some prize?”

He stays silent.

A bitter laugh escapes me. “All this time… everything… it was part of your plan, wasn’t it? Even this baby… it was all practice for you?”

He bends slowly and pulls a dagger from his boot. My heart stops. My legs stiffen. I stumble backward, clutching my stomach as if sheer pressure can keep the baby safe.

“No. No, Jade, don’t.” My voice cracks. “I’m sorry I hid it. But I love you. I’m carrying your baby. Please… please don’t do this.”

Maya watches silently behind him. Her perfect smile twists into a frown. Her eyes flick to my stomach. “That monster inside you dies with you,” she says coldly.

I shake my head violently, tears streaming. My chest feels like it’s splitting open. “No… please… not my baby.”

Then the lights go out. Darkness swallows the room. I can’t see or move properly. My hands fly to my belly, pressing shakily. My heart hammers so loud it fills my ears.

A sharp pain stabs through my stomach—hot, deep. My scream tears out of me. “AHHH!”

I collapse, my knees giving way, clinging to his arm. “Jade! Stop! Please! Please, it’s me! Serenya! Please!”

“Die,” he hisses, close enough that I smell the cologne I bought him for Christmas.

He stabs me again, deeper. Pain blooms, twisting through me. I choke on a sob. My hands are slick with blood or sweat. I can’t tell. I can’t think. The baby inside me is moving frantically, struggling in the same body that’s failing to protect it.

The lights come back on.

The room feels unreal as I see their faces, not shocked, not horrified but smiling. Applauding. Cheering. Hunters.

Every single one of them.

“Congratulations on your first mission, Jade Owens!” someone shouts.

I gag on my own blood. My baby. My baby. Warmth spreads downward wrong and terrifying. My hands clutch my stomach tighter. “No… no, please… don’t let me lose my baby,” I whisper, my voice broken.

Tears blur my vision. I try to crawl backward but the floor is slick, wet, and red my blood pooling around me.

Jade stands over me, the dagger dripping. His expression is calm and proud, like a man who just succeeded.

I try to laugh but it comes out twisted. “Congratulations, Jade on your first successful mission.”

They keep clapping. Everyone. Smiling. Watching.

Maya tilts her head, looking down with fake pity. “It’s better this way,” she says softly, as if stating a fact.

*Better for who?* I rasp silently, blood bubbling in my throat. *For this… game you’ve played with my life?*

I shake violently, tears streaming, trying to push myself upright. My stomach burns. Every muscle screams to run, but I can’t. I can only sit here, exposed and helpless.

“I gave you everything, Jade,” I stutter. “I gave you love. Loyalty. This child.”

He doesn’t move and just smirks.

“Oh God…” I whisper, pressing my head to the floor. “Goddess, please. Help me.”

The cheering grows. My heartbeat slows. My ears ring. I reach weakly toward him, blood dripping from my fingers.

“And this is what I get?” My voice cracks, jagged.

My lips tremble as my belly feels hollow, like the life inside me is slipping away.

“Oh God… my baby…” A broken sob rips from my chest.

Darkness creeps at the edges of my vision. My body grows cold. The applause fades to a distant hum.

I stare at Jade one last time. His face shines with pride. I loved that face. I trusted it. Now, I hate it.

I open my mouth, but no words come..only blood.

Then, a voice cuts through the room.

“STOP!”

The world tilts in my vision and the cheers vanish but it’s already too late for me.