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CHAPTER 1

Cora’s POV

"She must tell me who got her pregnant!"

That was the first thing I heard as I woke up. My eyes opened slowly. The pale hospital lights in the ward were way too bright for me. My tongue felt dry, and my head was pounding heavily.

"She’s awake," Vanessa, my so-called sister, sat up and called to my father and stepmother in her shrill voice. She could hardly hold back the menacing smile.

My father turned to look at me, cold and seething. “Who was he? Who got you pregnant?"

I watched the flame of anger and disgust burning in his eyes. He didn’t bother to ask what happened, he didn’t care how I felt; he just felt ashamed of having a daughter like me. As he always does.

My lips trembled when I tried to form an answer. Yet the words coming out of my mouth could hardly form a sentence. “I didn’t… I don’t know…

Father looked at me impatiently, and I stammered on. “It was the club… Vanessa left me with—”

“What?!” Vanessa stood up screaming, “I have nothing to do with this! Dad! You can’t believe her!”

I gripped my cover tight as if it could shield me from further attack. “Please, dad, I’m not lying!” I pleaded.

“It’s Vanessa! She drugged me!”

“You are lying!” She leaped forward and clawed my face. My cheek was burning with pain, while she pretended to cry, “

“How dare you blame it on me!” Vanessa choked out, pretending to cry. “You begged me to take you to the club, I thought you wanted to bond with me!”

Tears ran down her face, and I looked at her performance in shock. “No… That’s not what happened...”

"You ran away with some random guy. I tried to stop you!" She lied on.

“No! That’s not true!” I sat up on the bed, trying to clutch my father’s sleeve, but he smacked me hard across my cheek.

I almost fell out of bed when tears of pain poured out of my eyes.

I looked up at him in despair. Of course, he believed her. He always does.

"What kind of filth have you become?" my father roared, "You snuck out like a whore. Slept with some stranger. Got yourself pregnant. And now you’re blaming your sister?"

"No, Dad!" I cried. "It was Vanessa who tried to arrange some rogues to rape—"

"Shut up you lying bitch," My stepmother yelled. Her eyes were red with anger. "You’re lying in a hospital bed, pregnant with a bastard. Vanessa was so worried for you when we received the call from the doctor, how could you say this about her?!” I looked at each and every one of them. There was anger, disgust, condescension, but not a single trace of care.

"You're just like your mother. A whore! You should have just died with her that day!"

"I’m sorry…" I sobbed.

My father's words stabbed through my chest. I wanted to disappear. I knew my dad hated me so much because he was forced to marry my mother when she got pregnant for him. But I never knew he hated me to the point of him wishing I was dead.

"You listen to me," he said darkly. "You’ll find the man who did this to you. You’ll fix it quietly. No one must know. Do you understand?"

"I can't remember who it was…"

"Then figure it out!" he barked. "The Alpha is having a dinner party tonight. All members of the pack are invited. You should find him there."

"I brought your clothes just in case." Vivienne scoffed as she threw a bag at me.

"Get dressed," Father commanded. "You're following us. Now!"

---

The Alpha’s mansion was everything you’d expect—huge, golden, full of wolves with fake smiles and power in their blood.

I stepped in, feeling left out. I had just one mission. To find the man who got me pregnant.

Suddenly, I felt a strange pull making my wolf stir inside me.

My mate was here. I turned slowly to see who it was and my heart stopped when I saw him.

I could recognize him instantly. The man from that night. The one I'd slept with. The one I was pregnant for.

Hope bloomed inside me. The Moon Goddess had mated me to him.

My heart jumped.

He was really the one.

I straightened my posture, and brushed my fingers through my hair. I quickly smoothed out the wrinkles from my dress trying not to look like a complete mess.

My eyes found him again, only to realise that he wasn't alone. He was surrounded by many ladies who were laughing at what he had just said. One even leaned in and whispered something in his ears.

Then his eyes met mine.

I froze.

Different emotions flashed through his gaze.

And then he began to move towards me, ignoring the ladies calling out to him.

I swallowed hard. Nervousness filling my bones to the core.