Chapter 3

Hazel’s POV

“He’s a doctor, Blaine.” My voice was shaky but I forced myself to look into his eyes. “He saved me from an accident earlier. That’s all.”

Blaine growled; his eyes were starting to turn amber, and I knew that his wolf was just under the surface. Any minute now, and it would burst out.

“Really? Just a doctor?” His eyes moved down to my hand. “And what’s this?”

Before I could react, he yanked the chocolate from my grasp.

“Blaine!”

His name barely left my mouth before he flung the chocolate aside. It hit the wall and dropped to the floor.

I gasped. “what has come over you?”

His lips curled. “You tell me.”

I stared at him. He wasn’t saying it outright, but I understood the accusation. He thought I was being unfaithful to him.

I almost laughed in surprise. “You think I’m..." I shook my head, pressing a hand to my stomach. “Do you really believe I’d cheat on you? While carrying your children?”

His silence was answer enough, and the answer made me sick to my stomach.

“Blaine.”

We both turned to see Eloise walking towards us.

She was breathtaking as always, standing there in a fitted dress with her makeup flawless and her hair done. Next to her, I looked plain. T-shirt, jeans, no makeup. My belly was barely showing but it was still there, marking me as different.

I glanced down at myself. No man would pick me over her, not in a million years. Not even Blaine, my fated mate.

Eloise walked closer to him and draped an arm over his shoulder. “Calm down, Blainey. You’re in a hospital.” She turned to me, smiling. “Hello, Hazel. It’s been a while.”

I forced a tight nod. “Hello, Eloise.”

I saw through the act; I was the only person who could see it. She never cared about me, nor about my babies. Not about anything other than herself. If she did care, she shouldn't be with my mate.

Blaine exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. “What the hell are you even doing here?”

“I had a pregnancy check-up today, which you were supposed to be at." I retorted. "The real question is, where were you?”

His eyes darkened. “I was busy.”

“Busy?” I repeated. “Too busy to be with your mate? Too busy to check on the children you helped create?”

Blaine's eyes were on Eloise as he spoke. “Your father the Alpha asked me to bring Eloise to her dental appointment. I didn’t have a choice.”

Of course. Of course, it was because of her.

I forced a smile, even though I felt far from happy. “So, let me get this straight. I had a prenatal appointment, the last one in my first trimester, but I got ditched because Eloise needed someone to hold her hand while the doctor poked around in her mouth? And what's more, you brought her to the same hospital I was in, yet you couldn't even pop in to say hello to me? Why are you—"

Blaine’s face suddenly twisted, and before I could finish that sentence, his hand came down against my face. The slap echoed through the hospital lobby. My head snapped to the side violently, and I tasted blood.

For a moment, everything blurred. Then I turned back to him. “YOU ANIMAL!”

“Lower your voice!" He roared. “You’re making a scene!”

“I’m making a scene?” I whispered. “You just hit me, Blaine!”

“Maybe if you didn’t run your mouth...”

“Excuse me, Prince Blaine." I turned to see two hospital security guards approaching us.

“I'm sorry, Prince, but this is a hospital,” one of them said. “If you three could just step outside.”

Eloise sighed dramatically. “Guys, please,” she said, placing a delicate hand on Blaine’s arm. “There’s no need to fight. We can just....”

My sister paused suddenly, and a cough escaped her lips. It was soft at first, but then she pressed a hand to her throat, coughing again.

Blaine immediately turned to her. “Eloise?”

She waved a hand weakly. “I’m fine,” she murmured, but her voice was feeble. “Just… my throat feels a little dry.”

I watched the shift happen. I watched as his fury at me melted into concern for her. I watched the irritation in his eyes disappear the second she played weak. I watched the way he yelled for the nurses to help Eloise because she was now coughing blood.

I started to cry, but neither of them heard me, or maybe they just didn’t care. Nobody ever did, not when Eloise was in the same room with me.

I turned and walked out of the hospital.

***********

I spent the rest of my day in total fury in the pack house. I was positively seething with anger at Blaine. Why did he have to treat me like that, in front of his pack members no less?

The sudden ring of my phone pulled me out of my thoughts. I turned away from the TV show I was supposed to be distracting myself with, and picked it up.

“Mrs Marshall,” a familiar voice said. “This is Dr. Whyte from the pack hospital.”

I straightened. “Yes?”

“I wanted to check in,” he said. “Your test results were fine, but I need to stress this again: stress is dangerous for the twins. You’ve already lost weight, and if this continues, the risk of miscarriage increases.”

I shut my eyes. I knew what he was saying was true, but I didn’t know how to stop. The emotional pain was so deep inside me that I didn’t even know how to let it go.

“You need to take care of yourself,” Dr. Whyte continued. “Carrying twins is rare, Mrs Marshall. If you lose them, the chances of conceiving twins again are very low.”

I nodded. “I understand.”

“Good,” he said. “Rest well tonight.”

The call ended, and I lowered the phone to the counter.

Rest well. As if I could.

Blaine’s eyes had told me everything I needed to know today. The way he had looked at Eloise wasn’t just admiration. It wasn’t just fondness. It was love.

And I couldn’t live like this anymore.

It was close to eleven when Blaine finally came home. I smelled the alcohol before I saw him. The scent stuck to his clothes, mixing with the sharp tang of cologne, as if he had tried to cover it up. His steps were slow but steady, and when his eyes landed on me, I saw a flash of hatred.

Ignoring it, I called out to him. “Blaine, I need to talk to you."

He didn’t respond. Instead, he closed the distance between us, reaching for me with hands that weren’t gentle. His mouth crashed onto mine and I tasted his whiskey-spiked lips. I turned my head away, pushing at his chest.

“Blaine, stop!”

The smack came fast. My head snapped to the side, heat blooming across my cheek. Before I could react, he shoved me backward, hands gripping my wrists, forcing me down onto the bed.

Fifteen minutes later, I lay there naked, staring at the ceiling.

Blaine’s breathing had evened out beside me and his body was slack with sleep. I felt nothing but a hollow sort of understanding.

I had spent years wondering if I could ever make him love me. If I could be enough.

Tonight, I had my answer. I wanted a divorce.