SAMANTHA'S POV
I could feel the fury burning in my chest, my wolf snarling inside me, pacing and howling to tear through the walls of this suffocating room. Every breath I took was like inhaling fire. My heart felt like it was being ripped out of my chest as I stood there, looking at my mate and Bianca, my vision clouded with anger. My body trembled, but I forced myself to stay composed, though every part of me screamed for release.
Under the mocking and sympathetic gazes of the pack members, I stepped forward. My voice, thick with venom, barely escaped my clenched teeth. “What do you mean by this?”
Brian’s eyes barely met mine, his gaze cold and hard. “It’s exactly what you see, Samantha. You haven’t been able to get pregnant, and the status of our pack is in jeopardy. I need a breeder to bear an heir. I’m sorry, but I have no other choice.”
His words were like a slap to my face, but the rage that roared within me drowned the hurt. No. I wouldn’t let him see how deeply his betrayal cut. I could feel my teeth grinding, the anger welling up inside me so violently I thought my bones might shatter.
“So, that’s it? You’ve been playing me all this time? You and her—” I gestured toward Bianca, who was standing there with that smug look on her face. “Behind my back? For how long? How many times did you have to try before she finally conceived? And I—I, like a fool, have been kept in the dark. While I... I was trying to hard, you’ve been screwing her in secret!"
Brian’s lips curled into a sneer. “You’re overreacting, Sam. You know how important this is. Our pack’s future depends on this heir.”
I barely heard him over the pounding in my ears, the roaring of my wolf. This was it. This was the moment I had been dreading for so long. The betrayal was so deep, I couldn’t breathe. My wolf scratched at the surface of my mind, desperate to claw its way out, to destroy everything in its path.
"I am pregnant—" Just as I was about to speak, to tell him about my own pregnancy—our baby—a voice interrupted. It was Bianca, her voice dripping with feigned sympathy, her hands clasped dramatically over her mouth.
“Oh my God, Luna,” she gasped, her eyes wide as if she was truly concerned. “You aren’t going to say that you’re pregnant too, are you? I understand it’s hard to accept, hearing about me carrying the Alpha’s child, but come on, you can’t lie to everyone! Everyone knows you haven’t been able to conceive in years. What a coincidence that now, just as I’m pregnant, you suddenly claim to be too? Lying is really not good, you know.”
My fists clenched at my sides, and the air felt thick and suffocating. The heat rising inside me was no longer just rage; it was pure, unfiltered fury.
“You—” I couldn’t take it anymore. With one swift movement, I stepped forward, and my hand collided with her cheek, the force of the slap sending her stumbling back.
The sound of skin against skin echoed in the room, and for a moment, I felt an ounce of satisfaction. But Bianca wasn’t done. She fell to the floor, clutching her stomach with a dramatic gasp. “Oh no! My belly—my baby! Please, someone help me!” She wailed, her voice pitched high in a show of exaggerated distress.
Brian was instantly by her side, his expression shifting from anger to worry. “Bianca!” He shouted, his hands shaking as he helped her up. His gaze darted to one of the pack healers, ordering him to take her to the hospital immediately.
I stood there, motionless, my breath coming in sharp gasps. I couldn’t process what had just happened. I had slapped her. I had actually slapped her.
But before I could even gather my thoughts, Brian turned on me, his eyes blazing with fury. The anger in his face was unmistakable. “If anything happens to Bianca or the baby, you’ll pay for it!” he spat, his words venomous and cold.
And then, before I could say a word, before I could even defend myself, he kicked me hard in the stomach. The pain shot through me like a jagged knife, and I gasped in agony, my hands instinctively pressing against my abdomen.
I could feel the world tilt beneath me, my knees buckling as I collapsed to the ground. My vision blurred, and for a moment, I thought I might pass out.
“Alpha!” I managed to choke out, my voice barely a whisper.
He didn’t look back. He didn’t even care. He stormed off, leaving me crumpled on the floor, helpless and broken.
My hands shook as I reached for my stomach, but when my fingers brushed over my skin, I felt something warm and sticky. Blood.
“No...” I whispered, my voice trembling as the realization hit me like a freight train. No. Not now. Not when I finally had hope. Not when I was carrying our child, the baby I had longed for.
The blood continued to flow, and I could feel the life draining out of me. My vision began to darken at the edges, and the sounds of the pack hall faded away, replaced by the ringing in my ears. I couldn’t focus. I couldn’t think. All I could do was clutch at my belly, desperate to hold on, to keep the baby safe.
