CHAPTER 3

Alpha Marcus had called for help the moment she collapsed. She was barely conscious but he was still furious at her. If she hadn’t collapsed on the floor, he would probably not stop hitting her with his fist. At that moment, Nadine despised the man he became. He was no longer the person she was in love with. He had become a monster! 

While waiting for someone to help me, he kept glancing at his watch as if he wanted to leave the room as soon as possible. Then, when the door swung open, I was confused to see my best friend, Kate Fox.  As Kate entered, she smiled at Alpha Marcus but his jaw tightened. 

“What’s going on?” Kate's voice trembled slightly as she approached Marcus then her gaze darted toward Nadine. “Alpha, what happened to the Luna?” she asked again and his response was curt. 

"She’s pregnant with Zander’s baby,” he replied. 

Nadine wanted to correct Alpha Marcus because it wasn’t true that Zander impregnated her. She didn’t sleep with anyone except for Alpha Marcus and the Moon Goddess could attest to that. But how could she prove her innocence when Alpha Marcus refused to listen to her explanations? 

“W-what?” Kate asked for confirmation if she heard it right. 

“You heard me, Kate. The Luna is pregnant with my friend’s baby!”  

Kate gasped before she decided to help Nadine. “What happened to you, Luna?” she asked but the Alpha’s voice interrupted Kate from questioning Nadine. 

“Take her to the hospital, Kate. I don’t care about the baby, but make the Luna is fine,” he ordered and Kate recoiled  at the Alpha’s callousness. 

 "You shouldn’t have hit her in the first place, Alpha. She is your Luna,” Kate said but his gaze hardened even more. 

“Can you blame me? Just take her to the nearest hospital and stop asking questions!” he ordered. 

“Yes, Alpha Marcus,” Kate responded.

As Kate assisted Nadine to stand up, Alpha Marcus left the room with a grunt. Then, to avoid gossip inside the Alpha’s residence, Kate took Nadine to the back door of the mansion where a car was waiting. Then, the driver helped Nadine to get in the car. 

The drive to the hospital felt like it would never end and every bump in the road made Nadine  wince in pain as she lay in the backseat. Her breathing was weak and uneven because of a possible fracture on her ribs. Then, from now and then, her eyes opened, but the pain was too much for her to focus. 

Her best friend, Kate, sat beside her, and Kate was holding Nadine’s hand tightly. Suddenly, tears rolled down on Kate’s face before she asked the Moon Goddess to save Nadine. As Nadine listened to Kate’s prayers, she was thankful that she had Kate as her best friend. 

“Thank you, Kate,” Nadine mouthed in between rugged breathing. 

“You can always count on me,” Kate responded. 

Then, when they finally reached the hospital, the medical staff carefully lifted Nadine from the car and placed her on a stretcher. She looked pale and barely moved so the medical team moved quickly to help her. Kate followed behind them to a private room where a male doctor and nurse awaited. 

“I’m sorry, Nadine,” Kate murmured softly as the nurses settled Nadine into the operating table. 

“What do you mean, Kate?” she asked but she already panicked at the thought that something bad was going to happen to her or the baby inside her. “Kate, why did you apologize?” she asked again but Kate was hesitant to respond. 

"Alpha Marcus ordered me to have the baby aborted," she explained. “This hospital specializes in abortion, I’m sorry.” 

Nadine's breath caught in her throat and her hands clenched into fists while listening to Kate’s explanation. When she glanced at the doctor, he couldn’t care less. As she looked around, Nadine realized nobody would help her. 

"No, I refuse to believe you! Kate, help me get out of here," she pleaded desperately.

"I’m sorry, Luna. But I can’t disobey the Alpha," she whispered brokenly.

"But you’re my best friend! You’re supposed to be on my side in this," Nadine protested but Kate’s expression only hardened. 

“Not anymore, Nadine. I can’t be friends with you anymore,” Kate responded coldly. 

"Why not?" she demanded and her voice was raw with hurt.

"Because I love him!" Kate confessed.

Then, for a moment, there was total silence inside the hospital room. Nadine wanted to convince herself that she heard it wrong, but Kate’s facial expression told her it wasn’t a joke. As it dawned on her, Nadine felt as if the ground had shifted beneath her, and the room was spinning above her. 

"Why are you doing this to me?" she choked out.

"Because I can't stop myself from falling for him!" Kate repeated.

“But he is my husband and you are my best friend, Kate! Of all the people who could betray me like this, I didn’t expect you’re one of them. It’s heartbreaking to know that you’re one of the reasons why I cried myself to sleep at night. H-how could you do this to me?” 

“I’m sorry, but I can’t dictate my heart, Nadine. I can’t unlove him anymore,” Kate replied and then, her eyes darted toward the medical staff. “Doc, please do it now,” she commanded. 

As Nadine realized that Kate and Alpha Marcus intended to kill her child, she struggled against the medical restraints. She was desperate to get out of the operating table but it was hard to do it. She was trapped! 

"Stop this, Kate! Please, don’t let them do this," she pleaded when there was no other option. 

"Once you leave this clinic, you won’t be the Luna of White Pride anymore. Alpha Marcus will introduce me as his second chance mate, Nadine,” Kate announced and Nadine’s heart shattered into a million pieces. 

"Why?" she asked as tears streamed down her cheeks.

 "Because you cheated first. Have you forgotten the night you spent with Zander Blaze?"

When Kate mentioned it again, flashes of memory flooded her mind. It was the Alpha’s birthday celebration, but after dinner, she had a stomach ache. She excused herself and went to the room to relieve herself but Kate followed her and gave her something to drink to relieve the pain. 

"It’s your doing, right? You misled Zander into my room," Nadine accused and Kate’s sudden laughter confirmed her suspicion. 

"Bravo, Nadine. You finally figured it out. But it’s too late now,” Kate said. “Doc, can you do it now? We have wasted enough time already,” Kate spoke to the doctor. 

“Right away, Miss Fox,” the doctor replied, and then he approached the operating table.