Chapter 3

Christine

The first thing I felt when I woke up was emptiness.

Not pain. Not fear. Not confusion.

Just emptiness.

A terrifying kind of emptiness that settled deep inside my soul.

The kind that made me afraid to open my eyes because, somehow, my heart already knew something was wrong.

My body felt heavy and weak.

Like every ounce of strength had been drained from me.

A sharp smell filled my nose. Smell of medicine and disinfectant.

My eyelashes trembled as I slowly opened my eyes.

For a moment, I stared at the unfamiliar ceiling above me.

Where am I?

The memories came back slowly.

The ballroom. The fire. The chandelier. The blood.

My baby.

My breath caught.

My entire body went cold.

My hand moved before I could even think.

Straight to my stomach.

But the moment my fingers touched my flat stomach, my heart stopped.

No.

No...

My lips trembled.

“No…” The word came out as a weak whisper.

I touched my stomach again. As if my baby would suddenly appear. As if this was all just a nightmare.

As if I could wake up and find myself back in Zack’s arms.

But there was nothing. No tiny heartbeat. No warmth. No connection.

Only silence.

My wolf, Lyra, was unusually quiet.

That terrified me more than anything.

“Lyra?” I called for her.

Nothing.

My eyes filled with panic.

“Lyra…”

"Christine…" A weak whimper finally answered.

Her voice was broken. My heart shattered.

"Our pup…"

I closed my eyes tightly. “No…” Tears immediately escaped. “No, don’t say it.”

I didn’t want to hear it.

I didn’t want the truth.

Because deep inside, I already knew.

But I wasn’t ready.

I was not ready to live in a world where my baby didn’t exist.

"I’m sorry." Lyra cried. "We lost our pup."

The room became silent.

So silent that I could hear my own heartbeat.

Except it didn’t feel like my heart was beating.

It felt like it was breaking.

A scream built inside my chest. A scream full of pain, anger, and grief.

But it never came out.

Instead, I just stared at the ceiling.

Frozen.

My baby was gone. My little miracle. The child I had protected.

The child I had loved before even seeing their face.

Gone.

A tear slid down my cheek.

Then another.

Then suddenly, I couldn’t breathe. My chest tightened. My hands gripped the bedsheet.

“No…” My voice cracked. “No, no, no…” I shook my head repeatedly. “This isn’t happening.”

But the empty feeling inside me answered.

It was real.

My baby was gone.

The future I dreamed about was gone.

The little hands I imagined holding.

The little voice I imagined hearing.

The first time I imagined my child calling me mother.

All gone.

Because the man who was supposed to protect us… Left us.

A broken sound escaped my throat.

I covered my mouth as tears poured down my face.

I had survived the fire. But my baby didn’t. And the cruelest part?

I didn’t know if I wished I had survived too.

Just then, the door opened quietly.

I quickly wiped my tears, but it was useless.

The doctor who entered immediately saw my expression.

He was an older man, probably in his fifties, wearing a white coat.

“Luna Christine.” His eyes softened.

My body stiffened.

He knew who I was. I didn’t care. Not anymore.

“Doctor…” My voice trembled. “My baby…”

The doctor became quiet. That silence answered everything.

But I still needed to hear him say it.

I needed to hear the words. Even though they would destroy me.

“Please.” My voice broke. “Tell me.”

The doctor sighed. “We did everything we could.”

My fingers tightened around the blanket.

No.

I already knew where this was going.

“Due to the impact from the chandelier and the amount of blood you lost…” He paused. “I’m sorry, Luna Christine. The baby couldn’t be saved.”

My eyes closed as the world stopped.

Again.

Those words.

Those horrible words.

Couldn’t be saved.

My baby couldn’t be saved.

Because I was too weak. Because I couldn’t protect my child.

A sob escaped my throat.

“I tried…” My voice shook. “I tried to protect my baby.”

“You almost didn’t survive either.” The doctor looked at me sadly.

I laughed weakly... A painful laugh.

“Almost?” I looked at him. “What does it matter?”

The doctor frowned slightly.

“You are alive.”

Alive.

That word hurt. Because I didn’t feel alive.

“I lost my child. ”My voice became smaller. “I lost my baby.”

The doctor didn’t know what to say.

Nobody knew what to say. Because some pain had no comfort. Some wounds were too deep for words.

After a moment, he spoke softly. “There is something you should know.”

I looked at him.

“The man who brought you here saved your life.”

“The man?” My brows furrowed.

“Yes.”

Oh, goddess.

I remembered.

The strong arms. The unfamiliar scent. The voice.

Hold on, Luna.

“Who was he?”

The doctor shook his head. “He requested that his identity remain private.”

“He saved me but doesn’t want me to know who he is?” I frowned.

“He said you would find out when the time was right.”

That was strange... Very strange.

“Did he…” My voice weakened. “Did he know about my baby?”

The doctor hesitated. Then nodded.

“Yes.”

My heart twisted.

A stranger knew. A stranger saw me bleeding. A stranger carried me to safety.

But my own mate… My own Alpha... Left me behind.

The pain came back like a knife twisting inside my chest.

Zack.

My eyes filled with tears again.

I hated that my heart still hurt because of him.

I hated that after everything, some part of me still wanted an explanation.

A reason.

Anything.

But there was nothing. Because the truth was simple.

He chose her. He chose Olivia. He chose another woman over his own mate.

......

Three days passed.

Three days since my life ended. My body slowly healed.

But my heart?

My heart was still bleeding.

I barely spoke. Barely ate. Barely slept.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the same thing.

Zack walking away. Leaving me. Leaving our baby.

Sometimes I wondered if I hated him. But hatred required strength. And I had none left.

I only felt tired.

Tired of loving someone who never loved me enough.

My phone suddenly rang. The sound startled me.

I looked at the screen and froze.

It was Zack.

My fingers went cold.

Three days.

Three days since he left me burning. Three days since I lost our child. And this was the first time he called.

Not to ask if I was alive.

Not to ask about our baby.

Not to apologize.

Just calling.

I stared at the screen. My wolf growled softly.

Don't answer.

For once… I listened.

The call ended.

A second later, a message appeared.

I opened it. And my heart broke all over again.

Where are you? Are you done with this childish behavior? You embarrassed the entire Blackwood Pack.

I stared at the words. My hands started shaking.

Childish behavior?

Embarrassed the pack?

Slowly, a bitter laugh escaped my lips.

I was bleeding on the floor. I lost our child. I almost died. And he was worried about embarrassment?

My eyes burned.

A different feeling slowly replaced my sadness.

Something colder... Something stronger.

Anger.

For the first time since the fire… I felt my blood burning with anger.

I looked at the message again.

Then I deleted it.

Because the woman who waited for Zack Kingsley to love her… Died with her baby.

And the woman who woke up today?

She was someone else.

.......

Five days after the fire, I returned to the Blackwood Pack mansion.

But this time…

I wasn’t returning as Zack Kingsley's loving mate.

I was returning as the Luna who had finally opened her eyes.

And they had no idea…

The woman they destroyed was about to become the woman they feared.