CHAPTER TWO

Ondina's POV

"I am so sorry, sissy," Ivy said, her voice shaking just enough to sound real to everyone else. "I tried to let him go. I really did. But I love him so much. And I am pregnant."

The words hit my chest hard. I stared at her flat stomach. Pregnant.

"Pregnant?" I asked, my voice cracking completely. "You are pregnant with my boyfriend's child?"

"He is not your boyfriend anymore," Ivy cried loudly. She buried her face into Ezra's chest. "Please do not yell at me, Ondina. I did not mean for this to happen. We just could not fight the mate bond anymore."

"The mate bond?" I repeated, looking straight at Ezra. "You told me we had to wait for children. You told me we needed to be more settled first. You told me the timing was not right."

"The timing was not right for you," Ezra replied coldly. He wrapped his arms securely around my sister. "I never wanted to wait to be a father. I just did not want to have a child with you."

"You used me," I screamed at him, taking a step forward. "You used my life and my time just to hide your dirty affair with my own sister. You stole seven years of my life."

"We did not have an affair," Ezra shouted back. "She is my true mate. That is why we cannot be together, Ondina. She is carrying my child. My heir. You are nothing but a mistake I kept around out of pity. Ivy is the woman I actually want."

"You are evil," I cried, tears falling down my face again. "Both of you are evil. How could you do this to your own sister, Ivy? We grew up together. We shared a room."

"I said I was sorry," Ivy whined, clutching Ezra's shirt tightly. "You do not have to be so mean to me. I am carrying a baby."

The large crowd around us stayed quiet for a few seconds. Then, the whispers started. The voices rose from every single direction. They spoke loud and clear for me to hear.

"How could she make a pregnant woman cry like that?" a woman in a red dress said, pointing an accusing finger at me.

"She should be absolutely ashamed," an older man replied, shaking his head. "She is forcing herself on an Alpha who clearly loves someone else."

"She is a nurse at the pack hospital," another woman added loudly. "Does she not know that yelling and stress are terrible for a baby? She is going to hurt the Alpha's child."

"She is just jealous," a young warrior laughed from the back of the group. "Maybe she should try losing some of that ugly weight. Then a man would actually want to claim her."

"Exactly," someone else agreed. "No Alpha wants a fat pig for a Luna. Ivy is beautiful. Ivy deserves this."

I looked around the large balcony. I searched the faces of the people I grew up with. I looked at neighbors, friends, and pack members who knew me for my entire life. Not a single person stepped forward to defend me. Not a single person looked at my shaking hands or my wet face with pity. They all looked at me with pure disgust.

"You are all horrible," I yelled at the crowd. "He lied to me for seven years. She betrayed her own sister. And you are blaming me?"

"You are making a scene, Ondina," my father's voice suddenly cut through the noise.

I turned and saw him standing near the front of the crowd. He did not look angry at Ivy. He looked disappointed in me.

"Dad," I sobbed, reaching a hand out toward him. "Did you hear what they did to me? She is pregnant with his child. They were cheating the whole time."

"I know," my father said flatly. "Ivy told me yesterday. You need to stop this embarrassing behavior right now. You are ruining the pack banquet. Go home."

"You knew?" I asked, feeling a sharp pain in my chest. "My own father knew about this?"

"She is giving the pack a strong heir," my father replied without any emotion. "You were never going to be a proper Luna anyway, Ondina. Accept it."

"Just leave," Ezra ordered, stepping forward slightly to block Ivy from my view. "You are upsetting my mate. You are upsetting my baby. Get out of my sight before I throw you out myself."

I looked at Ivy one last time. The tears slid perfectly down her smooth cheeks. But I noticed the way she moved her head. She glanced sideways at the crowd. She checked to see if they were watching her cry. She checked to see if they believed her act.

Those were not tears of guilt. They were a completely calculated performance. The timing and the location were all part of her plan. She wanted to humiliate me in front of the entire pack. She wanted to make sure everyone took her side. And I was the very last person in the entire room to see the truth.

"I hope you two miserable people make each other rot," I spat at them.

"Get out," Ezra roared, using his Alpha tone.

I turned around and ran.

I did not know which direction I was going. I pushed past the laughing pack members. I ignored the cruel insults they threw at me as I ran through the grand doors. I just needed to get away from the loud noise. I needed to get away from the cruel laughing. I needed to escape the horrible sight of Ezra holding Ivy so protectively.

I ran down the long, empty hallway of the pack house. My heavy dress dragged on the floor. My heels clicked loudly against the marble tiles. I wiped my face violently, trying to clear my blurry vision.

"Stupid," I told myself out loud as I ran. "You are so stupid, Ondina. You believed them."

I did not stop to check my surroundings. I rounded a sharp corner in the corridor way too fast. I did not see the large figure walking toward me.

I slammed straight into a solid, hard chest.

The impact knocked the breath completely out of my lungs. I stumbled backward, ready to fall hard onto the stone floor.

Strong hands shot out instantly. They grabbed my arms and caught me before I could hit the ground. The grip was firm and incredibly warm.

"I am so sorry," I gasped, looking up quickly to apologize to whoever I hit.

I froze completely.

I looked at the tall man holding me. He had sharp features and a strong jaw. But that is not what made me stop breathing.

I stared directly into his eyes. They started as a normal deep brown color. But right as I looked at him, the color shifted violently. The brown melted away in a split second. His eyes turned into a burning, unnatural gold. They locked directly onto my face. He stared down at me like I was the absolute only person left in the entire world.