Chapter 1

LIZABELLA

Opening my eyes, the first thing I felt was my soul was being dragged across shards of glass. My lungs ached, my skin burned, and my heart felt like it was shattering into pieces.

“Jerry!” I whispered my mate’s name, as if it would ease the pain inside me. 

The bond between us pulsed weakly, and no matter how hard I reached for him through it, there was nothing but emptiness and silence.

“Jerry!” I tried again, louder this time. 

I called out for him over and over again, but the silence that answered was deafening. I tried to reach for my phone on the nightstand, but my hand slipped. 

It hit the floor and slid under the bed. 

“Shit!” I muttered, gasping as another wave of pain hit me.

I screamed louder, calling for the guards, the maids, anyone who might be around. But no one came.

Somehow, I managed to swing my legs off the bed, landing hard on my knees. The floor felt cold against my skin as I crawled toward the door, with one hand pressed against my chest.

“Help…” I whispered, dragging myself forward until I finally reached the doorknob. I managed to turn it, just enough for the door to crack open and then everything went blank.

When I opened my eyes again, I was staring at a white ceiling. My head turned instinctively toward the noise beside to see a nurse adjusting an IV drip.

“Where… where is Jerry?”

The nurse glanced at me quickly, startled, then moved closer. “Please, don’t sit up too fast…”

But I was already pushing myself up. “Where’s Jerry?”

She froze. 

“Where is he?” I asked again.

The nurse hesitated. “I… sent a guard to inform him, but…”

“But what?” I snapped.

She fiddled with her clipboard. “The guard returned saying Alpha Jerry was busy with Pack duties.”

I stared at her, unable to process what I’d just heard. “Busy?” I repeated slowly, like the word itself didn’t make sense in my mouth. “Busy while I’m here? While I…”

My hand instinctively moved to my stomach and I felt a sudden chill crawl up my spine. 

“My baby.” I turned sharply to the nurse. “Where’s my baby?”

The nurse’s lips trembled. “The doctor will be here soon to explain…”

“Fuck the doctor!” I screamed. “Tell me how my baby is!”

“I’m so sorry, Luna. You… lost the baby,” she whispered.

For a second, I couldn’t breathe. My eyes stung, and tears spilled down my face before I even realized I was crying, but I quickly wiped them away with the back of my hand. 

“When the guard went to get Jerry…” I said slowly, my voice trembling. “Did he tell him that I lost the baby?”

“Yes, Luna.” She nodded. “When he said that he was busy the first time, Doctor Mei insisted that he told him about the baby. But…”

“But Jerry still said he was busy?”

The nurse hesitated, but the truth was written all over her face.

I felt something crack inside me. 

Recently, Jerry had been so distant and always busy with “Pack matters.” I’d told myself it was stress, responsibility, and leadership. I’d convinced myself he still cared. But now… now I wasn’t sure of anything. 

‘Still.’ I thought. ‘The least he could do,  the very least , was care for our baby.’

I exhaled shakily and looked down, noticing the tears still streaming down my face.

I wiped them again. “Take this off.” I said, pointing to the IV.

The nurse’s eyes widened. “Luna, you shouldn’t…”

“Take it off.”

She hesitated for a moment, then obeyed. She cleaned the area gently before removing the cannula. I swung my legs over the bed, slipped my feet into the flip-flops waiting on the floor, and stood. 

The clinic was part of the Packhouse, a private wing reserved for the Alpha, the Luna, and the inner circle. I knew every face here excluding the new workers that were assigned last week because I was ill at the time. 

Maybe that's why I failed to recognize the nurse.

Walking out, I made my way toward the main building, trying to steady my breath. I wanted to go to our room, but as soon as I reached the door, I stopped. 

Jerry wasn't there this morning when I screamed, or when I fell.

I clenched my fists. 

So, if he wasn’t in our room, then he was in his Study. But he wasn’t there either when I checked.

I spotted one of the maids passing by. “Have you seen Jerry?” I asked.

She shook her head nervously. “No, Luna. I haven’t seen Alpha Jerry all day.”

“All day?” I repeated and my heart raced.

Without thinking, I turned around and started walking. 'I need to talk to someone before I break completely.’ I said to myself.

And there was only one person I could still trust, Josie, my best friend.

Josie had been with me long before Jerry ever came into my life. She’d been my sister in everything but blood. She’d warned me more than once about Jerry, that he wasn’t as devoted as he seemed, that his eyes sometimes lingered elsewhere, but I’d brushed it off as overprotectiveness. 

But right now, I didn’t care. I just needed her.

When I reached her door, I didn’t knock, I just turned the knob, pushed it open and froze.

A sharp, startled scream cut through the air and my gaze shot toward the bed to Jerry and Josie both scrambling to pull the blanket over themselves like that could hide what I was already seeing.

For a moment, I couldn’t move. Then, suddenly, I laughed. I don’t even know why, but the sound came out loud and hollow, like it was echoing through me.

“Wow,” I said between shaky laughter. “So this is what you were doing while I was in the clinic?”

Josie’s face turned pale. “Lizzie, please, it’s not what you think…”

“Don’t,” I cut her off sharply. “Don’t you dare!”

Jerry, on the other hand, didn’t even flinch. He just pulled Josie closer and said. “Why are you explaining anything to her?”

“You’re not even sorry?” My voice broke. “You’re not even going to pretend?”

“Let’s stop pretending, Lizabella.” He looked at me, eyes cold. “I’ve tried, I really have. But I don’t love you, I never did and I never will because the person I love is Josie.”

“You weren't supposed to be my Mate.” My eyes widened as he continued. “However, I tried to make it work, I tried to stay away from her, but I couldn’t. I’ve marked her now and she’s carrying my child. So she’s going to be the future Luna of this Pack.”

For a split second, the room was silent until I laughed again. “Did you just say ‘future Luna of this Pack’?”

He didn’t answer, but his jaw tightened.

You seem to be forgetting something, Jerry.” I stepped closer. “This Pack belongs to my father and you only have the title of Alpha because I chose you as my husband. And last I checked, we’re not married yet.”

He stared at me, his expression shifting for the first time.

“So.” I said, standing tall, my voice cold as ice. “I’ll give you both until the end of today to pack your things and get out of my Pack because if you’re still here after sunset…” I smiled faintly. “I’ll throw you both out myself, like the traitors you are.”