CHAPTER 8

~ Hazel ~

A FEW WEEKS LATER

I stood over the sink in the restroom, holding tightly onto the cold edges of the sink. Another strong wave of nausea hit me, making my whole body shake as I threw up again. It felt like the tenth time I had been sick that morning.

My throat burned, and I struggled to catch my breath. After a few moments, I slowly stood up and turned on the tap. I splashed cold water over my face, hoping it would help me feel better. Water ran down my nose and chin as I lifted my head and looked at myself in the mirror.

I took a deep breath, but deep down, I already knew the truth. There was no way I could deny it anymore. The morning sickness, the strange tiredness, and the small change in my scent all pointed to the same thing. I was definitely pregnant. Just like in my past life, the child growing inside me was Rowan Logan’s.

My hand moved to my stomach without thinking. A strong feeling of love and protectiveness filled my heart.

Mia.

My sweet little girl was back.

My parents hadn't noticed the signs yet. They were too busy treating me like an invisible ghost in their house to pay attention to my health. But as I grabbed a towel to wipe my face, I caught a shadow moving in the doorway behind me.

I slowly turned around.

Rosaline stood against the doorframe with her arms crossed over her chest. A cruel, proud smile spread across her face, and her eyes shone with a dark happiness.

“Well, well, well,” Rosaline mocked as she stepped into the restroom. She walked toward me with a proud smile and stopped just an inch away from me. “I’ve been waiting for days for you to finally start showing those disgusting symptoms.”

I didn’t say a word. I simply turned back to the sink and turned on the tap again, washing my hands as if she wasn’t even there.

I didn’t have the time or energy to waste on her cruel words. She could say whatever she wanted. Nothing she said could hurt me anymore. In fact, her cruel actions were helping me with the plan I had already made.

I needed my parents to find out about my pregnancy so they would force a confrontation at the pack house. Rosaline thought she was setting a trap for me, but she had no idea that she was actually becoming a pawn in my plan.

For the past few weeks, I had been watching Rosaline closely. At first, I was afraid that being reborn meant she remembered every single detail about her past life. But the more I watched her, the more I realized that was not true.

She remembered some important events, like how I stood up to our parents and the fact that I had become pregnant. But her memories were broken and unclear. She didn’t remember all the small details that could have changed the future.

She was only partially reborn.

Her memories were still missing important pieces of the past. That gave me confidence that the fate waiting for her in this life would still be the same. Rosaline was still heading toward the tragic fate she had created for herself.

Rosaline leaned closer until her lips were almost touching my ear.

“Since I can’t hurt you enough with my own hands, maybe I should just sit back and watch Mom and Dad tear you apart instead.”

Before I could even react, Rosaline suddenly pulled back and turned toward the hallway. Then she screamed as loudly as she could.

“MOM! DAD! HURRY! COME QUICK!”

Within seconds, footsteps came rushing down the hallway. My parents burst into the restroom, looking worried and confused.

“What’s wrong, honey?! What happened?!” Mom cried as she rushed in without even looking my way. She quickly wrapped her arms around Rosaline and held her close, treating her like she was made of fragile glass.

"Mom! Dad!" Rosaline spat, pointing a shaky, accusatory finger straight at my face. "I think Hazel is pregnant! She's been hiding in here throwing up all morning! And look at her—she's getting even fatter and uglier than before!"

Mom slowly turned her head toward me, her eyes filled with disgust. She stepped away from Rosaline and walked straight toward me.

Without saying a word, she grabbed my chin tightly and forced my face up. She pulled down my lower eyelid and stared at my pale eyes, as if she were looking for something wrong with me.

Suddenly, her hand struck my left cheek with such force that my head snapped to the side. A sharp pain spread across my jaw, and my cheek burned.

"Hazel, who is responsible for putting a child in your filthy, worthless womb?!" Mom screamed, her face flushed red with rage.

I held my aching cheek and looked at my mother. Then I slowly turned to my father. He was staring at me with pure disgust, as if I were some dirty parasite that had crawled out from under a rock.

A small, cold smile appeared on my lips.

Then, a quiet laugh escaped from my chest. It slowly grew louder, filling the small bathroom. Soon, I was standing there, laughing right in their faces.

In my past life, this same moment had been a terrible nightmare. I was terrified of what my parents would do to me if I said Rowan’s name.

Back then, my mother and father had beaten me until my face was covered in bruises. They locked me in a storage room for hours without food or water until I finally told them who the father was.

I had been weak, scared, and completely broken.

“What is wrong with you?!” Dad roared as he stepped closer and jabbed his finger into my collarbone. “You think this is funny?! I’m not going to feed your fat ass and that dirty bastard growing inside you in my house too! Now open your mouth and tell us who is responsible!”

Feed me?

A dark look flashed in my eyes. They really had the nerve to talk about feeding me?

For years, the only food I was allowed to eat in this house was the rotten food they were about to throw in the trash or the stale pieces of bread left on the counter.

My stomach had become their personal trash can.

"I asked you a question, you useless being!" Mom yelled, raising her hand to strike me again.

I looked her straight in the eyes, my voice calm, cold, and clear.

“Rowan Logan is the father.”

Mom’s raised hand froze in the air. Dad stopped shouting as if someone had suddenly cut off his voice. Even Rosaline’s proud smile disappeared from her face.

Mom took a slow step backward, her mouth opening and closing in shock. The color drained from her face as she stared at me, unable to believe what she had just heard.

For three long seconds, no one dared move.

“What… what did you just say?” Dad whispered.

“You heard me,” I replied calmly, pushing a strand of hair behind my ear. “Rowan Logan, Alpha Levi’s younger brother, is the father of my child.”

“Liar!” Rosaline screamed from behind Mom. Her voice cracked with desperation. “She’s lying, Dad! Why would a powerful and handsome warrior like Rowan Logan ever touch a fat, wolfless girl like her? She’s only making up stories to hide what she’s done!”

Dad finally snapped out of his shock, and his disbelief quickly turned into anger. As the former Beta of the pack, he knew how dangerous my words could be.

“Rosaline is right!” Dad shouted, slamming his fist against the doorframe. “Rowan Logan wouldn’t even look at you if you were the last woman in this world! You’re making false claims about the Alpha’s family. If the Logan family hears this rumor, they could execute our entire family for treason!”

“Then take me to the pack house,” I said, stepping closer to my father and looking him straight in the eyes. “If you think I’m lying, take me to Alpha Levi and Rowan right now. Let’s ask Rowan if he touched me or not.”

Dad stared at me, his chest rising and falling with every angry breath. He had expected me to be scared. Or cry and beg him for mercy.

“Fine!” Dad finally snapped. He grabbed my upper arm tightly and pulled me toward the door. “We’re going to the pack house right now. And when Rowan Logan denies ever touching you, I will personally throw you to the rogue wolves beyond the border!”

“Grab her other arm, Mom!” Rosaline added eagerly, her eyes shining with excitement. “Let’s go watch her get humiliated in front of everyone!”