MATED

The moment the car crashed through the guardrail, weightlessness swallowed me whole.

"Go to hell, Anya! He's mine!" Hattie's shrill laughter echoed in the cabin.

A second later, freezing water flooded in.

My wolf gave me one last surge of strength. I kicked open the mangled door and clawed my way to the surface.

Breaking the surface, I gasped for air. I grabbed a floating log and hit the SOS button on my Pack communicator to call the patrol.

I didn't contact Jaxon, my Alpha mate.

The patrol arrived in under a minute. From a distance, I spotted Jaxon's familiar figure.

He saw me clinging to the log, frowned deeply, and dove straight into the water without a second thought.

He swam right past me. Only when he pulled Hattie from the river, ignoring me completely, did my own cry for help finally escape my lips.

On the bank, the patrol stood in a row, looking down at me as I dragged myself through the mud.

Not a single wolf offered a hand.

Every thermal blanket and first aid kit was rushed to Hattie's side.

Jaxon strode toward me. He glared at my soaked, pathetic state. Anger and a hint of hidden panic raged in his eyes. He gritted his teeth, "Anya, have you lost your damn mind?!"

Cold sweat broke out all over my body from the pain. Blood pooled in my mouth. I could feel the little life inside me slipping away fast.

In my past life, Hattie and I sent SOS signals at the exact same time. For the sake of me and the pup, he chose to save me from the wreckage first.

By the time he went back, the currents were too strong. Hattie drowned. Her body was swept into the undercurrents, never to be found.

Jaxon said it was fine and told me not to blame myself. To keep me calm, he even stepped back from pack duties to stay with me until labor.

But the day I gave birth, his gentle facade shattered.

He dragged me and our newborn pup into his car.

Driven mad by revenge, he drove us straight off the cliffs and plunged us into the unforgiving sea.

The freezing water rushed into the sinking cabin, mirroring the absolute madness in his bloodshot eyes.

"Anya, do you know what it feels like to slowly suffocate in freezing water? You killed her just to have me to yourself! I'll make you pay a hundred times over!"

Later, I sank to the bottom of that dark ocean with my pup, just like he wanted.

This time around, I just wanted to get far away from him.

I never thought he'd deny me even the most basic care after I clawed my way to shore.

I caught sight of the heavy bleeding beneath me. My trembling hands clutched my stomach as I forced out a hoarse, desperate plea.

"Save my pup... please..."

A patrol guard grabbing supplies for Hattie finally noticed me. He looked over, his eyes full of disgust and mockery.

He nudged me with his boot.

"Give it a rest, Luna. The whole pack knows you're jealous of Hattie. You knew Alpha keeps his promises, yet you staged a car crash while pregnant! Alpha is already saving her, your act is over."

"Honestly, I admire how far you'd go for Alpha's attention. Too bad Hattie's brother saved Alpha's life! You'd better pray she's okay, or he might just reject you!"

I didn't realize the rest of the pack had long been blinded by Hattie's fake innocence and hated me too.

Severe contractions ripped through my stomach, stealing my voice. I had been in the freezing water too long. My skin turned a scary shade of purple, and I couldn't stop shaking.

The patrol was busy securing the scene. Nobody asked if I was okay.

As I drifted out of consciousness, someone nearby gasped.

"Goddess! Why is there so much blood? Shit, is Luna actually hurt?"

"What could be wrong? She just wants Alpha to look at her. She's been throwing a fit all day. Whatever, go get Alpha."

Jaxon pushed through the crowd. He stood over me, staring at the pool of blood.

His breath hitched for a second. His fists clenched at his sides, but he forced himself to stop.

"What are you faking now, Anya? You drove off the bridge on purpose, and now you're using blood packs to fake a miscarriage so you can avoid punishment?"

Even now, he thought I caused the crash. He thought I was playing games with the baby he cared about most.

I wanted to explain, but my mouth was too dry to speak. My stomach was killing me.

All I could do was grab his sleeve, hoping he'd see I was begging for help.

He froze for two seconds, then violently shook off my hand. As if to punish me, he pressed down hard on my stomach.

It wasn't actually that hard, but on my tearing womb, it felt like being sliced open.

"Good acting. Fake blood? You're using our pup as a pawn to make me cave? Anya," he whispered, his voice dangerously low, "I am so disappointed in you."

With that, he turned and walked away without looking back.

A second later, a guard screamed in pure terror.

"Alpha! It's real blood! Luna is hemorrhaging!"

"Is she miscarrying?"

"Leave her alone. I knew she'd come prepared. She used some fake blood to mask the pup's scent. How could my heir die so easily? She's definitely faking!"

A wave of agonizing pain hit, my vision went black, and I passed out completely.