LOGINDorian POV“Didn’t you say you took her virginity?”I frowned, the knot in my stomach tightening as I wondered what that had to do with anything.“Yeah.”“And you’re the only one she’s been sleeping with,” Damian went on. “I can only imagine how crushed she must have felt. The man who is always on top of her won’t take responsibility for the result of his actions.”“But I didn’t say I won’t!” I snapped back in my defense, my voice rising as the pressure in my chest built up. “I’m not a deadbeat. Which is exactly why I’m taking extra measures to make sure it never happens in the first place.”Damian went quiet for a moment after that, the static on the line the only sound filling the heavy silence. Then he let out a long, weary breath.“Just go easy on her,” he whispered. “She’s still young.”Those words made my entire head go quiet. Every defense I wanted to voice, every justification I had lined up in my mind vanished into thin air. The irritation drained out of me, leaving behind a
Dorian POV“I got dumped.”I had just gotten fully dressed for the morning meeting I had arranged and was sinking onto my couch as I waited for Rhea to arrive for her shift.I was desperately hoping we could finally have a proper conversation today. I figured the time she had spent at home with her mother must have improved her mood, but the truth was that it was simply getting harder and harder for me not to be beside her.In a weird way, my chronic insomnia had actually seemed to be improving.Without her by my side, I could now sleep for three hours without any sedatives.But after spending almost a week sleeping right next to her and waking up with her wrapped securely in my arms, the sudden emptiness of my bed still made me restless.I was seated on the couch, spiraling deep into my own head, when a call from Damian suddenly flashed across my phone screen.Since we hadn’t had a proper conversation since he left the territory, I answered without a second thought, mostly because I
Rhea POVI stared at him blankly, not understanding a single word. “They’re typically administered to patients in critical condition during the final stages of life, especially front-line soldiers during the war.” He explained. “They don’t treat the illness at all. They simply suppress the pain and numb the body enough for the patient to appear functional. Production of these drugs was heavily restricted because one of their major side effects is prolonged unconsciousness. Most patients end up sleeping for hours at a time after taking them.”Each word landed like a physical blow.Pain suppressants?Military-grade?My legs almost gave out beneath me if it wasn’t for kale anchoring me from behind. The doctor lowered the chart in his hands before looking me up and down, his gaze lingering on my cheap clothes and my disheveled appearance.“I see what happened,” he said coldly. “You couldn’t afford the actual medication your mother needed to survive, so you settled for buying cheap black
Rhea POV My hands trembled as I sat inside the small, cramped bathroom of the pharmacy I had hurried into. It was already past ten at night. Dorian had quietly dropped me off in my neighborhood, but instead of going straight home, my mind refused to rest until I could finally confirm the thought that had been tormenting me for days. I knew that the moment I stepped inside the house, I would have to come up with another excuse just to leave again. With how paranoid Mom was, there was no way that plan would work. So I had waited until the sound of Dorian’s car engine faded into the distance before quietly slipping away. Then I rushed to the farthest local pharmacy I could find, hoping to leave as little of a trail back to my neighborhood as possible. News spread incredibly fast around here, and this was the first time in my life I had ever bought a pregnancy test. Now, standing inside the dimly lit bathroom, the test stick lay face down on the edge of the tiny sink. My heart pound
Rhea POVThe question came out so suddenly that his entire body stiffened instantly.He froze completely, his breath catching as a heavy silence stretched between us. Then slowly, he turned his head, his gray eyes locking onto me as he asked carefully, “Are you pregnant?”My eyes widened in pure panic as I quickly shook my head, my hands lifting instinctively in denial.“No, no, no. Of course not.”I didn’t even want to get pregnant, at least not now, and definitely not under these chaotic circumstances with him. But the moment I saw Dorian visibly exhale in relief, a sharp, unexpected sting shot through my chest.It hurt more than I wanted to admit.Swallowing the bitterness, I forced myself to continue. “But just because I take those pills doesn’t mean there isn’t a chance I could still get pregnant. No birth control is a hundred percent foolproof, you know.”“That can’t happen,” Dorian suddenly snapped.I flinched at the force of his voice as he shot up from the bed and began pacin
Rhea POVWhen I opened my eyes again, I was back in the bedroom Dorian and I shared, but just like always, he wasn’t beside me. The sun was already high in the sky, streaming warmly through the large windows and illuminating the room.Thinking he was probably downstairs making breakfast, I forced myself to sit up, but my entire body groaned in protest.My mind immediately replayed the wonderful, exhilarating feeling of shifting, the pure freedom of running beneath the moonlight, right before the tragedy happened.Why had I been in pain? I wondered as I slowly pushed myself to my feet, only to stumble slightly when my knee buckled beneath me. After a moment, I finally regained my balance.Gripping the wall for support, I slowly made my way toward the door.But the moment I started walking down the stairs, my footsteps came to an abrupt stop.Angry, hushed voices echoed up from the bottom of the staircase.“You said there was nothing wrong with her.”The voice belonged to Dorian.Even t
Rhea POVIt had been less than a week since Mom was discharged when I noticed her health starting to decline again.She got tired too easily. She barely ate. Her cough wouldn’t stop, and most nights she burned up with fever. I’d sit by her side until dawn, sacrificing my sleep just to watch her pal
Dorian POV“Congratulations,” that fat old pig, Alpha Harrick, greeted me with the most disgusting smile plastered across his face. “Our families are now officially united.”He was Alpha Harrick of the Crescent Claw Pack—Vivienne’s father.The wedding was over. Officially done. A wedding I had been
Rhea POV“Why?” I blurted out in desperation, my voice even breaking a little.Mrs. Agnes only sighed, rubbing at her temples. “Even I, at my age, have no idea. This is a first. But since he personally requested you, you’d better hurry before he gets into a bad mood.”With that, she shoved a cleani
Rhea POVKale said he would help me. And even though part of me wanted to refuse, he was right—Mom’s condition was getting too bad for me to be prideful anymore. Besides, his offer was far better than Dorian’s.“I thought about what you said,” I murmured, standing with him under the oak tree—our fa







