CHAPTER: 03 I Promise I Will Seek Revenge.

"It's been a month since she started taking that drug, but why is it taking so long for her to miscarry, Mom? I want to be with Elijah; I no longer want to endure hiding. I'm his fated mate. I need to become Luna." Fiona whispered her complaint to her mother as they stood on the hospital rooftop.

Fernanda lit a cigarette in her hand and took a puff. After exhaling the smoke, she picked up her phone and glanced at the screen. It seemed she was waiting for a message from someone, and she smiled upon seeing a message from Calisto.

"Don't worry, my princess. I'll make sure you become Luna of the Foresheart pack before your father arrives," she replied, whispering something into Fiona's ear. A broad smile immediately appeared on Fiona's face, excited about what she and her mother were planning.

"Omg! Mom, you're amazing! Thank you!" Fiona happily responded, quickly heading to her stepsister, Elara.

Entering Elara's room, Fiona briskly went to her side and adjusted her bed.

Fiona leaned Elara, her stepsister, against the headboard of the bed. Elara was currently confined to the hospital in their pack house due to weakness and an unexplained illness.

"Where did you go?" Elara weakly asked, and Fiona just smiled at her. "Mom and I just talked to your doctor." Elara didn't say anything more and looked outside the window, where a beautiful and towering willow tree could be seen.

"Take your medicine now. You need this to get better, sis. You can't afford to get sick because your baby needs you." Fiona handed the medicine to Elara and helped her take it.

"The nurse told me only to take the prescribed medicine from the doctor. Won't this medicine conflict with the others they're giving me?" Elara struggled to speak, forcing herself to talk because she was having difficulty breathing.

Her body was weakening, and she had no strength to work or visit Elijah. She really wanted to see her boyfriend, but she couldn't. She had been waiting for a message from Elijah for days, but she hadn't received any communication from him.

She is worried that something might have happened to her chosen mate, but she doesn't think about herself or wonder why Elijah hasn't visited her.

"Mom already asked your doctor about the medication. Don't worry; they're not incompatible. Trust us, we want you to get better," Fiona handed her a glass of water, and without hesitation, Elara took the medicine, thinking it would heal her, not knowing it would bring her closer to death.

"Fiona, do you know what Elijah is doing right now? H-He's not answering my calls and texts," Elara asked with a labored breath, and Fiona helped her lie down again.

Fiona glanced at Elara's emaciated body. Only a month had passed since they switched to a higher dose of the drug they were administering to her. Despite the drastic changes in her body, they were puzzled why Elara hadn't miscarriage or succumbed to the illness.

"Hmm... he's just in the pack house. I don't understand why he hasn't bothered to visit," Fiona fibbed, concealing the truth that Elijah had left for a mission and was unaware of Elara's hospitalization.

"Is that so." Elara's face betrayed her disappointment, her heaviness deepening upon hearing the news. She wanted to cry, longed to see Elijah, feeling utterly forgotten.

"Do you want to see Elijah? I can help you," Fiona whispered, her smile tender as she faced her sister.

"But the doctors won't let me leave," Elara struggled to reply. She wasn't sure what Fiona had in mind, but she desperately wanted to see Elijah.

"Tonight, I'll sneak you out. They won't notice us if we use the fire exit," Fiona whispered, winking at Elara.

"I've got you, sis," she added, and Elara smiled, nodding in agreement.

Elara knew escaping or running would be challenging, but she trusted Fiona to assist and support her.

For Elara, she'd do anything just to see and talk to Elijah. She worried about her boyfriend and knew he wouldn't endure being away from her.

"There must be something wrong or happened to Elijah. That's why I can't reach him. I need to see and talk to him; he might need me now."

As night fell, most people in the hospital were asleep. Fiona gently woke Elara, dressing her in loose clothes and a bandana to avoid drawing attention.

"I borrowed a wheelchair," Fiona said, and Elara smiled, appreciating Fiona's meticulous preparation to help her escape and reunite with Elijah.

After changing, Elara was assisted by Fiona into the wheelchair. "Wait, before we go, take your medicine again so your illness won't act up while we're on the run," Fiona softly said. In the dimness, with the lights intentionally kept off to avoid suspicion, Elara didn't notice the different color of the medicine Fiona handed her.

In Fiona's mind, Elara thought she was just worried about her. Little did she know that after ten minutes, her entire body would be paralyzed due to the medicine she had ingested.

Fiona promptly wheeled the wheelchair out of the room. The hallway was empty, allowing them to reach the fire exit quickly. Seeing the steep stairs, Elara felt dizzy, knowing it would be difficult for her to step down, especially since they were on the tenth floor.

"How am I going to—?" Elara was cut off when she felt her jaw stiffen. She couldn't open her mouth or move her fingers. She tried to turn to Fiona for help, only to see a wicked smile on Fiona's lips.

"Can't move, huh? Hahaha! You're so pitiful, too gullible. What do you think? I'll help you get to Elijah? Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but I'm his fated mate," Fiona sarcastically replied, grabbing her phone and dialing Elijah's number. He answered in less than a second, and Fiona put the conversation on the speaker so Elara could hear. She was helpless in this situation.

"Hello, babe?" Elijah's voice shattered Elara's heart as soon as she heard the voice of the man she loved.

"Babe, I miss you! Do you need to come home? I can't wait to taste your warm kiss. Please come home," Fiona said with her thin and seductive voice.

"I'm still at the border. I really want to come home to be with you. I miss you, babe," Elijah replied, and Fiona continued to smile mockingly at Elara.

"I miss you too, bye." After Fiona hung up, she laughed loudly, taunting Elara, who could do nothing but cry. Her tears were the only freedom she had as her entire body remained paralyzed.

Elara wants to scream, to unleash the torrent of tears building up within her. She yearned to grab Fiona by the shoulders and demand an explanation, questioning why they had done this to her.

But she found herself powerless, her mouth unable to open, her hands refusing to lift, and words trapped within.

"Fiona, enough with your bullying of your stepsister. You're tormenting her too much," Fernanda interrupts, Elara's eyes locking onto Fernanda descending the stairs. She sought help but could only manage a desperate whimper.

"What? Do you have something to say?" Fernanda asked irritably, noticing Elara's attempt to make noise, yet no words escaped her lips.

"Elara, stop your suffering. Don't resist because you have no allies here. Just follow your mother; she died defenseless because of these drugs. Hahaha," Fernanda revealed the drugs they forced Elara to consume, and it was then that Elara realized the strange changes in her body since Fernanda had switched her medication.

Then, she wondered why the medicine she was taking was yellow compared to the white one her father gave her. Initially, she thought it was normal, but now she knows why she's not getting better and why her condition is worsening.

"You know, Elara, I feel sorry for you. You're just too kind; that's why you get deceived and are easily swayed. Here's a piece of advice for your next life, dear: don't trust too much, don't be overly kind; you should also use your brain. So you won't end up pitiful like what's happening to you now," Fernanda responded with a smile, which was met with laughter from Fiona.

"Pfft— as if she's going to have a second life, Mom," Fiona said, chuckling while covering her mouth with her hand. She couldn't hide her joy because, finally, the obstacle between her and Elijah and her becoming Luna would be gone.

"Let's not prolong this. I don't want to see my child suffer." Fernanda leaned down to kiss Elara's forehead.

"Be a good girl for Mommy; die quietly and quickly, okay, baby?" Fernanda whispered, pushing Elara's wheelchair, sending her tumbling down the stairs.

Elara's head collided with each step, her thick blood staining the cold hospital floor. Her body struck the icy wall, rendered immobile. Helpless, she succumbed.

She lay sprawled on the hospital's cold cement, her gaze fixed on Fernanda and Fiona, who smiled cruelly. All she could manage were silent tears, especially as she felt the gradual loss of her child within her womb.

She witnessed the blood flowing down her thighs and the crimson stains on her white skirt. She wanted to scream, plead for help, seek revenge, but she sensed her breath fading.

In her final moments, she locked eyes with Fernanda and Fiona, and in those gazes, she made them feel her anger and sadness.

'I promise I will seek revenge in the name of Moon Goddess Chandara.'

TO BE CONTINUED