Chapter 3_My Baby

The white ceiling of the pack clinic was the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes.

A sharp, awful smell of antiseptic filled my nose. For a few seconds, my mind was completely blank. I didn’t know where I was or why my body felt so unbelievably heavy. But then, like a tidal wave hitting a shore, every terrible memory came rushing back the gathering hall.

Emily’s hand wrapped around Xavier’s arm.

The cruel rejection.

The horrific pain of the mate bond tearing apart.

My heart panicked. My hand flew instantly to my lower stomach.

"My baby..." I choked out, my voice raspy and dry. "Goddess, please... my baby..."

"Calm down, Lyra. Breathe."

The pack doctor, an older man with gray hair named Doctor Thomas, walked quickly over to my bedside. He placed a gentle, steady hand on my shoulder.

"Is my baby gone?" I sobbed, tears instantly blinding my vision. "I bled... I saw the blood..."

"The baby is still here, Lyra," Doctor Thomas said softly, his voice full of quiet sympathy. "It is a miracle, honestly. The shock of the rejection nearly caused a full miscarriage. Your body took a severe blow, but the child’s heartbeat is still strong."

I let out a long, ragged breath, covering my face with both hands as fresh tears spilled over my cheeks. Thank the Moon Goddess. My baby was alive. My small, innocent child was still holding on.

"However," Doctor Thomas warned, his face growing serious, "you are in a very fragile state. You cannot handle any more emotional stress or physical strain. If you go through another shock like that, you will lose the baby. You need rest. Pure, absolute rest."

"Thank you, Doctor," I whispered, holding my stomach as if to protect the tiny life inside me from the rest of the world.

He nodded gently and walked out of the room, closing the wooden door quietly behind him.

Silence filled the small medical room. I lay back against the white pillows, staring up at the ceiling. A deep, hollow ache sat in the center of my chest where my mate bond used to be. It felt like a piece of my soul had been roughly carved out with a rusty knife. Xavier had thrown me away like garbage in front of everyone. He had called me weak. He had chosen my own sister over me.

Suddenly, the door handle turned.

My head snapped toward the door. For one foolish, fleeting second, my broken heart wished it was Xavier. I wished he had realized his mistake. I wished he was coming to apologize, to hold me, to tell me he was sorry.

But it wasn't Xavier.

It was Emily.

She walked into the room with slow, deliberate steps, clicking her expensive heels against the clean floor. She was still wearing the stunning red dress from the gathering. Her light brown hair was flawless, and a sweet, fake smile rested on her lips.

She closed the door behind her and leaned back against it, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well, well," Emily said, her tone light and casual, as if she were talking about the weather. "Look who survived."

I stared at her, my hands tightening around the thin bedsheets. "What are you doing here, Emily?"

"Oh, don't be like that, little sister," she cooed, walking over to the side of my bed. She picked up a small glass of water from the bedside table, looked at it with disgust, and set it back down. "I came to check on you. A good future Luna always cares for the weak members of her pack."

The word Luna spilled from her mouth like sweet poison. It made my stomach twist into a tight, painful knot.

"You stole him," I said quietly, staring right into her eyes. "You knew he was my mate. You knew I loved him for two whole years."

Emily let out a sharp, musical laugh that made my skin crawl. It was the most irritating, arrogant sound I had ever heard.

"Stole him?" Emily tilted her head, looking down at me like I was an ignorant child. "Lyra, please. You can't steal a man who didn't want to be yours in the first place. Xavier is a powerful Alpha. He needs a real woman by his side, not a pathetic, quiet little charity case."

"We were fated mates!" I snapped, my voice rising despite the dull pain in my chest. "The Moon Goddess chose us!"

"And he rejected the Goddess's choice for me