The rhythmic beep of a machine awakened me. My head throbbed, and I felt disoriented.
“Luna Esme? You’re awake.”
A nurse, face etched with pity and concern, hovered over me. She reached for my wrist, checking my pulse.
“What happened?” I whispered.
She hesitated, her gaze dropping to my abdomen.
“You… you had a severe hemorrhage, Luna. We did everything we could, but… you lost the baby.”
The words struck me like a blow, stealing what little air remained in my lungs. My baby. Cain’s baby.
“No…” I whispered, tears tracing hot paths down my temples.
“I’m so sorry, Luna,” she murmured. “You were… about two months along. But the bleeding... it was too much.”
The exhaustion, the nausea I’d dismissed as mere fatigue – a life had been growing inside me, and now, it was gone, smashed like everything else.
“Did you… did you call Cain?” I choked out, a desperate, foolish hope flickering.
The nurse’s expression hardened, a flash of anger in her eyes.
"We tried, Luna. Multiple times. We were told by Alpha Cain’s personal assistant that you were ‘faking it for attention.’ That you were just ‘overdramatic.’ He said he would ‘come by tomorrow, if he had time’".
Faking it. Overdramatic. His words, raw and contemptuous, sliced through me. He hadn't just neglected me; he had condemned me and our child. The last glimmer of love, hope, and any attachment to him was extinguished.
"Get me the discharge papers," I said, my voice steady despite the tremor in my hands. "Now".
The nurse looked surprised.
"But Luna, you’re not stable yet. You need rest".
"I need to leave," I corrected, pushing myself up despite the protesting agony in my core.
"I’m not staying here another second. Arrange a car. I’m going home".
She nodded slowly, recognizing the unyielding resolve in my eyes, and left the room.
The mansion was alight with laughter and music when the cab pulled up. I walked through the main doors, my dress still stained with blood, every eye turning to me. Whispers started immediately, but I ignored them, my gaze fixed on Cain by the grand fireplace. He was laughing, a hand possessively on Athena’s back, her head thrown back in amusement.
"Luna Esme, you look… unwell," Athena murmured, detaching herself from Cain and gliding towards me. Her eyes, narrowed with a practiced concern, swept over my disheveled appearance. "Heard you had a little… incident. I was worried".
"Unlike some, I don’t stage my misfortunes for attention," I retorted shakily.
Her smile faltered but quickly reformed into a mask of fake sympathy. "Still so pale, Esme? You should really take better care of yourself".
Just then, Cain approached, his eyes cold and devoid of concern. "What are you doing here, Esme? And in that… state?"
"I came home, Cain. Something you seem to have forgotten how to do," I replied.
Athena, ever the instigator, feigned a gasp.
"Oh, dear, did you just hear that, Alpha Cain? Luna Esme sounds quite upset. I do hope she isn’t going to cause a scene".
Cain’s gaze sharpened on me.
"What is she talking about, Esme?"
"Ask your precious Athena," I challenged, gesturing towards her. "She seems to be the expert on stirring up trouble."
Athena’s eyes narrowed, and malice replaced her facade.
"How dare you, Esme! I was simply trying to calm you when you, in a fit of rage, tried to push me into the swimming pool last banquet!"
A collective murmur rippled through the crowd. All eyes were on us, sensing the escalating tension.
"That’s a lie!" I seethed. "I was never around you that night."
Cain’s face darkened.
"Esme, that’s enough! Apologize to Athena. Now!"
My jaw tightened at his order. Apologize? To her? After everything?
"I will not," I stated firmly. "I have nothing to apologize for".
A dangerous glint appeared in Cain’s eyes. He took a step closer, towering over me.
"Since you insist on making a spectacle, perhaps you need to cool down."
The next second, I was airborne. A hard shove sent me stumbling backward, off the polished marble, past the gasping guests, and into the frigid depths of the swimming pool. The shock of the cold water stole my breath, and the impact sent a fresh wave of agony through my still-recovering body. I surfaced, gasping, the pool lights illuminating my humiliation. Laughter, hushed at first, then erupted. Athena’s delighted cackle rose above the rest.
Cain stood at the pool's edge, looking down at me with cold satisfaction.
"Perhaps that will teach you some manners, Luna Esme".
I pulled myself out, dripping onto the pristine pool deck, ignoring the stares and whispers. My wolf inside me howled in rage, a primal scream I was gasping to control. I rushed towards the room before I lost myself and let my wolf control me.
