01

Chapter 1

I woke to the sound of children crying and hushed whispers. "What's all the noise? Can't you see someone's trying to sleep?" I shouted, sitting up. My eyes fell upon a flower bed – my flower bed. Three small girls stared at me, their eyes wide with a mixture of fear and apprehension.

"Mom?" one whispered hesitantly.

A scream erupted from the nearby house, jarring me. My head throbbed, a dull ache spreading behind my eyes. Where was I? The last thing I remembered was a field, the comforting embrace of sleep…

A little girl's voice, small and tentative, pierced the confusion. "Mom? Are you hurt?" Mom? I had a child? When had this happened?

Another child, her voice choked with tears, pleaded, "Mom, don't leave us. We won't be naughty, we promise!" Panic seized me, a cold wave washing over me. Where was I? My gaze dropped to my swollen belly.

A gasp escaped my lips. "What?! I'm pregnant!" I scrambled to my feet, a surge of disbelief and terror coursing through me. Three children, pregnant… did that mean I had an Alpha? My head spun, the fragments of memory refusing to coalesce into a coherent picture. Who was the Alpha? More importantly, who was I?

The children's cries intensified. "Quiet!" I snapped, my voice harsher than I intended. They instantly fell silent, huddling together, murmuring apologies. Their patched clothes, their thin frames, and the visible healing wounds on their small bodies spoke volumes about their lives.

"Alruna!"

A strikingly handsome man strode towards us, his presence commanding attention. Time seemed to slow, the world narrowing to focus solely on him.

"Dad!" the children cried, their voices filled with a mixture of relief and trepidation.

He knelt, gathering them into a protective embrace. Then, his gaze shifted to me, his eyes blazing with a mixture of anger and suppressed pain. "Alruna, I know you're angry about what happened, but you can't blame the children. After the baby is born, I'll divorce you. You can do whatever you want."

"What?!" I yelled, my voice raw with disbelief and fury. He stood, his posture rigid with suppressed emotion. "That's what you want, isn't it? To leave me for Alpha Faolan?" His voice was laced with bitterness, a deep well of resentment bubbling to the surface. "You don't want me, a lowly beta, because I can't give you a son. You humiliate me constantly. It's better we divorce. I can't bear to see you hurt the children anymore."

I abused my children? The relationship had been one-sided, my desires focused on a different Alpha…

I pointed at myself, then at him, my mind struggling to grasp the reality of the situation. "You're my husband?" I circled him slowly, studying his features. "You're a beta, yet… you have this body? Is this what our race looks like now?"

"You scumbag," I spat, the words raw and venomous. His shocked expression… was unexpectedly cute. "You saw I'm pregnant, and you want a divorce? Four children, and you're leaving me?" I cut him off before he could offer any explanation. "No divorce. Period."

Whoever Alruna was, it wasn't me. I looked at my children, their small faces etched with worry, then at my handsome beta husband. Cute children, a handsome husband… I wasn't losing anything. Not really.

"Dad, does that mean Mom won't leave?" one girl asked, her voice trembling. Another hid behind him, her small body shaking with fear. "I'm scared. What if Dad leaves? Will Mom hurt us again?"

Poverty, neglect, broken relationships… What was I going to do?

My stomach rumbled, a stark reminder of my physical needs. I touched my belly, a new wave of apprehension washing over me.

"I'll prepare some food," Curtis said quietly, leaving the makeshift hut. The children followed, avoiding my gaze. At least there were beds in two rooms. A small comfort in this strange new world.

I looked back at the flower bed, a fresh wave of confusion washing over me. Had they been mourning me? A vivid memory flashed: me hanging from the ceiling, people desperately trying to save me. "Curtis! I hate you! I want Faolan!" I screamed in the memory, my voice filled with rage as I struck him.

I gasped, clutching the edge of the flower bed, my breath catching in my throat. "Wow, if I were Curtis, I'd be looking for a new omega. The former Alruna had incredible endurance," I muttered, a mixture of disbelief and fascination coloring my tone. More memories flooded back: Alruna abusing the triplets because they were omegas. Omegas might be considered low class, but their rarity made them highly valuable in the marriage market due to the higher chance of producing an alpha.

A small voice broke the silence. "Mom, it's time to eat."

A girl peeked from the doorway, her face a mixture of hope and apprehension. I went outside. A rough table stood outside the fence; Curtis and the triplets ate bread, their meager meal a stark contrast to my own. My bowl held thin soup with a few scraps of chicken.

"Is this all we have?" I asked, my voice quiet. Curtis nodded, his gaze downcast. "I lost my wages gambling. This is all we have left."

"No food tomorrow!" I exclaimed, my voice sharp with frustration and guilt. Curtis stopped eating; a child dropped her bread, her eyes wide with fear. "Mom, don't be angry. You can have mine," she offered, her voice trembling.

"Freya, it's okay. I'll find a way," Curtis said, his gaze meeting mine, a flicker of determination in his eyes. "I'll borrow money." I bit my lip, clenching my fists. Why had I yelled? They didn't deserve my anger.

I took a piece of bread from a child, the action feeling both necessary and wrong. They stared at me, silent, their eyes filled with a mixture of fear and hope. I placed the soup in the center of the table. "You need this more," I whispered, biting into my bread. Their gazes remained fixed on me, intense and unwavering.

"Are you going to eat, or do three of you want to be spanked?" I asked, my voice a harsh contrast to my previous gentleness. They scrambled to eat, their movements quick and nervous.

"The baby needs food too," Curtis said softly, his voice a quiet counterpoint to my harshness. I held up the bread. "I know I won't be hungry for long. You said you'd find a way." He split his bread, offering me half. I pushed it away. "I'm on a diet."

I went inside, sitting on the bed, the weight of the situation pressing down on me. I needed to introduce myself to this new life, to this new me. I was a lycan doctor, the best in my pack. I could heal almost anything deseased.

Alruna's memories flooded back: an omega given to Curtis as a reward, a favored woman of the Alpha's son, enraged at being married to a beta, abusing her children.

I raised an eyebrow. Besides being an alpha, there was nothing particularly special about the man she obsessed over. Curtis, on the other hand, was far more handsome and capable.

I fell asleep, exhaustion finally claiming me. I awoke to silence. "Where are the children?" I called out, my voice echoing in the stillness.

"Mom?"

The three entered, holding hands, their small bodies huddled together for comfort and support. "What time is it? Don't you have homes?" I asked, my voice sharper than I intended.

"Mom, we're waiting for Dad," one replied, her voice soft yet firm.

A woman's voice drifted from outside, laced with pity. "Those poor children..." Another memory flashed: Alruna beating the children.

I raised a hand, stopping their movements. They closed their eyes, trembling. I sighed, placing a hand on one's shoulder. "Come inside; it's cold outside."

I sat, struggling to move, my body heavy with exhaustion and the weight of my new reality. A child pulled out a chair for me. "Mom, are you thirsty?" another offered to get me water.

Curtis arrived, his clothes dirty and torn. "Husband, I only asked you to get food. Where did you dig it up?" I joked, trying to lighten the mood. He winced, brushing himself off, his movements stiff and weary. I remembered Alruna rejecting his food, demanding only money.

He offered me money. I looked at it, then at him. He took it back, wiping it on his trousers. I remembered Alruna pushing his hand away, calling it dirty.

"You're not going to feed that to us, are you? If you're tired, rest first, then buy food," I said, my tone firm but not unkind. He seemed confused, his eyes reflecting his exhaustion and bewilderment.

"Ah! I'll buy food!" He ran out, his movements clumsy and hurried. I smiled at his clumsiness, a small flicker of warmth in the midst of the overwhelming chaos.

"Clean yourselves and heat water for your dad," I instructed the children. They obeyed, their movements quick and efficient. I never dreamed I'd have this life: a husband, children, a home. In my past life, I had awards, money, respect… but no husband, children, or home.