Chapter 2

Deandra’s POV

I was so sure that I was dreaming because there was no way that these images on my phone were real. There was no way Daniel would betray me like that, or at least that was what I told myself as I scrolled through the five pictures I had received from the unknown number.

In all five pictures, Daniel was there with his childhood friend, Hope, which was nothing out of the ordinary since they were usually inseparable. Rather, it was what they were doing that was completely shocking and took my breath away. In the first picture, Daniel was caressing Hope’s protruding belly, and they both had wide grins on their faces.

Again, this picture would have been completely normal if Hope wasn’t wearing a sash that read “Mom to be” around her body. Daniel had a matching sash around him too, but his read

“Dad-to-be.”

The second picture was even more heartbreaking and showed more evidence of what was happening in the first picture. The two of them were holding an ultrasound picture with big smiles on their faces.

My phone fell on the floor with a thud, alerting everyone around me that something was amiss. It was Layla who reached me first. She held my hand and shook me a couple of times before bending to pick up my phone when I didn’t offer any reaction.

Her scream of shock jolted me from my thoughts, and I crumbled to the ground, the chair I had been sitting in crashing to the floor beside me. Layla reached for me immediately, but I refused to be consoled.

I knew it would have been frustrating waiting for three years without a child, but it took two people to make a baby! Did he really have to do this to me?

“Everyone, sorry, but the party's over. Thanks for coming, and make sure to grab a souvenir on the way out.” I heard Elliot say, and I would have offered him my thanks under different circumstances.

Every part of my body hurt, and I wasn’t injured. My heart was the most affected. That tiny organ that is responsible for pumping blood had stopped, and I didn’t know how I was still alive because it hurt too bad.

“Come on, Andra, let’s get you to bed.”

I shook my head but got up anyway. Instead of following him upstairs to the bedroom I had shared with Daniel for the past three years, I walked to the refreshments table and grabbed a glass of wine. I knew I wasn’t supposed to be drinking, but I didn’t care about that at that point.

All I wanted was to numb the pain I was feeling, so I drank and drank until I couldn’t stand on my own two feet.

Elliot grabbed my hand as I tried to reach for another glass and lifted me up in his arms, bridal style. “I think that’s enough now.” He carried me out of the room as the last of the guests rolled out of the room, and I saw Layla look at the door before we left the room completely.

I woke up the next morning with a nasty headache and a mountain of regrets. I know I was in a bad place, but I still had my child to think about. Why did I have to drink so much? As soon as I woke up, I ignored how I was feeling and got dressed hastily, driving myself to the hospital before I could attract attention to myself.

On the drive to the hospital, I could only think about my child. Why did I let Daniel get to me so much that I lost sight of what was most important? For three years I had suffered and faced torture at the hands of his family because of my inability to conceive, and then when I finally had a chance to, I was going to destroy it because Daniel was being a jerk. Never!

I didn’t even park the car properly before I stormed into the hospital and demanded to see the head doctor at the clinic. Normally, I wouldn’t use my title and the privilege that came with it like that, but I was desperate.

Immediately I was sighted, I was taken inside to meet the head doctor, who looked surprised to see me.

“Is everything okay, Luna?’ She asked, her tone tinged with concern, and I shook my head, narrating everything that happened yesterday to her in one breath.

“Is my child going to be okay?”

She shook her head and smiled, sending chills through my body. “Yes, Luna, your baby is going to be okay, but first I need to run some tests.”

Half an hour later, I walked out of her office with a relieved smile on my face only to run into Daniel and Hope on my way out of the hospital.

“What are you doing here?” Daniel asked, trying to hide the fact that he had been holding Hope’s hand so affectionately, but I had seen it. “Is something wrong?”

I almost laughed at his sudden show of affection, and if I hadn’t seen the pictures yesterday, then probably I would have fallen for it. “Where have you been? I called and texted.”

His face showed a strange reaction to my question, but I didn’t call him out on it. Instead, I started walking away. I would be a fool if I stayed there and allowed my intelligence to be insulted.

Rushing towards the exit, I crashed into someone and almost tumbled to the ground, but he caught me.

“Watch where you’re going, woman; wouldn’t want to get you admitted because of carelessness.”

At his words, I broke down in tears, which scared him. I didn’t mean to cry; I was just feeling a bit too emotional. From confirming that my child was okay and had survived last night’s drinking ordeal to running into Daniel and his lover, who I thought was just his childhood friend.

“Come on, let’s get you out of here.”

As I followed him out of the hospital, I questioned my sanity at the same time I wanted so badly to get away from Daniel, who was running after us. In the end, my desire to get away from Daniel won.

***

I don’t know how long I slept for, but when I woke up, I found that we were parked outside the packhouse and that he was just sitting in the driver’s seat staring at me. I jolted awake and glared at him.

“Relax, all I did was drive around for a while so you could sleep a bit and so your husband wouldn’t follow you.” He pointed out the window at the packhouse. “And then I brought you home some minutes ago.”

I nodded, unable to do much else, and got out of the car at the same time he got out. He was at my side of the car, opening the door before I had time to react. “Thank you,” I mumbled as I made my way out of the car.

He nodded and helped me out when it seemed that my cloth was stuck. I had started to walk towards the packhouse when he spoke again. “I can help you get back at him, you know.”

I spun to face him immediately, shocked by his words. So many questions were running through my mind, but one was prominent.

“What do you know about me?”

“Everything there is to know.” He sent me one last smile as he walked back to the driver’s side. He got in while I stood there staring at him.

“Think about it.”

And then he was gone, leaving me wondering who he was and just how much he knew about my situation with Alpha Daniel of the Dagger Pack. “Who is he?” I asked myself in deep thought.