“Oh Moon Goddess. Poison?”
“Maybe something meant to make her lose the pups.”
“She hates Morana. Everyone knows that.”
“She’s jealous.”
“She’s sick.”
I stared at Morana, unable to speak, because she looked completely believable.
“That’s not true,” I said quietly. “I didn’t touch her drink…”
Before I could finish, Gavran grabbed my arm and shoved me so hard that I crashed onto the floor. My knees slammed painfully against the marble tiles.
“You think this is funny?” he roared. “If anything happens to her or my pups, I swear your life will pay the price.”
I didn’t even try to stand. I just sat there on the cold floor, feeling the last part of my soul crumble.
The whispers around me were like poison.
“That’s her? She’s disgusting.”
“She wants Morana dead because she cannot have pups anymore.”
“Jealous females are dangerous.”
“She’s evil.”
Corinne clutched the pearls around her neck dramatically.
“Gavran, take Mora to the Healing Hall. Now. We don’t know what that woman might have done.”
Gavran didn’t hesitate.
He lifted Morana into his arms and rushed toward the exit while she whimpered weakly and held onto him as if her life depended on it.
The moment they disappeared, the guests turned toward me like a savage pack.
Someone threw a glass. It shattered beside my leg.
“That’s for hurting your pregnant sister.”
Wine splashed across my face.
“That’s for your jealousy.”
A plate of food struck my shoulder.
“You monster.”
Someone even threw a sandal that hit my face and split the skin.
“You don’t deserve to breathe the same air as her!”
I did nothing or even just scream to defend myself. I simply sat there while they threw things at me, cursed me and spat their hatred.
Because for the first time…I finally accepted the truth.
***
Later that night, the celebration ended. The mansion became dark and quiet. But my ears still rang with every insult, every broken plate, every splash of wine.
I locked myself inside the upstairs bathroom and leaned over the sink. The mirror showed a woman I barely recognized.
My hair was tangled. My cheeks were covered with dried tears.
A thin line of blood ran down from where the sandal struck my forehead. I pressed a towel against it, but the bleeding didn’t stop immediately.
“Happy mating anniversary, Gavran,” I whispered to the broken reflection in the mirror. “You destroyed everything… but somehow you also set me free.”
My crystal communicator vibrated on the counter.
I almost ignored it. But when I saw the name on the screen, my heart stopped.
Rhydan.
I answered with a trembling hand.
“Hello?”
“I will arrive tomorrow night,” his deep voice said calmly. “You’re leaving that mansion. Tell me something. Is the bond severance finished?”
My throat tightened.
I stared at my reflection in the mirror. At the bruises forming across my face and the emptiness inside my eyes.
“Yes,” I whispered. “It’s done.”
“Good. I want our marriage completed the moment I arrive. I don’t wait, Ravika.”
The call ended.
I looked at myself again. At the bruises, the cut on my forehead, and the hollow expression staring back.
***
The next morning.
Heavy footsteps thundered outside my door. Before I could sit up, the door slammed open.
Gavran walked in with two large pack guards beside him. His face looked colder than winter ice.
“Take her,” he ordered.
“Wait… Gavran, what are you doing?” My voice cracked as panic rose inside me.
He didn’t answer. The guards grabbed me instantly and dragged me off the bed.
I screamed and struggled, begging him to stop. But he simply stood there without emotion.
“Stop. Mora’s just pretending,” I cried desperately.
“Shut up,” he said coldly. “You placed my pups in danger. That’s enough.”
In that moment I understood. Morana and her precious twins were supposedly in danger. And I was the villain. I had not touched her. I had not gone near her drink.
But none of that mattered. In Gavran’s eyes, I was the threat.
The guards forced me into the back of a black vehicle. My body slammed against the cold leather seats as rain streaked down the windows.
“Mora is pretending!” I screamed hoarsely. “She’s lying! She’s fine! You’re being cruel!”
Gavran didn’t even look at me. He sat rigidly in the front seat with his hands tight on the steering wheel.
“Be quiet,” he said. “You’re coming with me.”
When we arrived at the Healing Hall, everything was already prepared. Healers stepped back nervously as Gavran shouted across the room.
“Take her blood. Now. Mora’s twins are in danger. She’s the reason.”
“Alpha Stormridge,” one healer said anxiously. “She’s barely stable.”
“I don’t care. Do it.”
“I cannot. If we take too much blood she could collapse.”
“Do it now!” he roared.
My body shook violently as the healers restrained me. Straps tightened around my wrists and arms. I fought desperately, screaming until my throat burned.
“No. Stop. Mora is pretending. She’s lying. She’s perfectly fine.”
But Gavran ignored every word. He stood with his arms crossed, watching me like I meant nothing. His jaw was tight and his eyes were cold.
“Take her blood,” he repeated to the healers. “She’s the reason my pups might be harmed.”
I screamed again, struggling against the restraints.
“Shut up, monster!”
Corinne’s mocking voice came from behind me.
“Look at you. The woman who killed her own pup. Do you think your jealousy will ever end? My Gavran is wise to keep you restrained. You will never touch my grandpup.”
My body froze as the healer pushed the needle into my arm. Cold metal pierced my skin. Pain spread through me as dark red blood slowly filled the clear bag. It felt like pieces of my life were being taken away.
Every breath. Every tremble. Every drop.
Morana and the twins she carried were safe. But only because I was suffering. And Gavran stood beside her, holding her hand and gently stroking her hair while whispering soft words.
Those words once belonged to me.
“I am sorry, Gavran,” Morana cried weakly.
“It’s not your fault,” Gavran replied coldly. “Vika is only being dramatic as usual.”
My body trembled violently. Through tears and pain, I whispered weakly, “Gavran… please… make it stop…”
He didn’t turn around. He didn’t care.
The last thing I saw before darkness swallowed me was Corinne smiling from the corner of the room. She nodded toward Gavran with satisfaction, as if she had planned all of my suffering from the beginning.
And then I let go.
