Losing my hearing to a raging fever when I was just a child, I thought my life would be filled with silence and struggle. But my pack was kind, and my step-sister, Vivian, always stayed by my side. With their support, I grew up happy, hopeful, and determined to make the best of my life.
That hope only grew when I met Cassian Storm, the future Alpha of the Silverclaw Pack. He vowed to cherish me, to protect me, and to build a future together.
For five long years, I suffered through the agony of over ten miscarriages, four of them stillborn. Each loss shattered me, but I refused to give up. I endured endless treatments, desperate to give Cassian the heir he wanted, to fulfill my duty as his Luna.
And then, a miracle happened.
I recovered my hearing.
Overwhelmed with joy, I rushed to tell Cassian, eager to share not just the news of my restored hearing. I wanted to see happiness in his eyes, to hear his voice respond to mine for the first time.
As I neared where Cassian was, I heard voices inside the room.
"Yes, she's pregnant again," Cassian's voice, so calm, so indifferent. "That's why I'm giving her another dose of the herb. She won't carry this one either."
A second voice answered, one that made my blood run cold. It's my father. "Good. Vivian is finally past her first trimester. She'll need more nourishment now."
"I understand," Cassian replied, his tone unwavering, as if he weren't speaking about the life growing inside me.
My father let out a cold chuckle. "We only need one heir, Cassian. And it won't be from that useless girl."
My breath caught in my throat. And my own father, the man who had raised me with kindness, had been pretending all along.
The door suddenly creaked open. Cassian stood there, his golden wolf eyes widening as he saw me frozen in the doorway. His face twisted with guilt, shock, and then something unreadable flashed across his expression.
But in a heartbeat, he masked it, stepping forward with a forced smile.
"Anna," he signed, his voice steady. "Is something wrong?"
I blinked up at him as I gave him a small, clueless smile. I tilted my head slightly, signing to him that I am fine. My father, a subordinate Alpha of our Silverclaw Pack, stepped past Cassian, his smile warm, but his eyes sharp and calculating.
"Ah, my dear, you look pale. You should rest." He said.
My father never learned to do sign language and I thought that it may be because it is difficult for him to do so. But seeing it now...
His tone was laced with fake concern, his true nature hidden behind that practiced kindness.
"Come, Cassian. We wouldn't want to waste any more time on this one. Bring it sooner tonight." He left without looking back, his scent fading into the distance.
Cassian placed a hand on my shoulder, his grip firm but not unkind.
"Come home with me," he gestured with his hand, his wolf close beneath the surface, a silent warning I pretended not to notice.
Back at our packhouse, Cassian moved through the kitchen, his movements smooth and practiced. He poured a drink into a cup, the scent laced with subtle herbs, turning back to me with an unreadable expression.
"Here, drink this," he said, offering it to me.
I stared at the cup, my stomach twisting. I knew what was inside. It has a familiar scent, something I thought was like a medicine or tonic to make me healthy. It seems that I am wrong. My fingers hovered over the rim before I hesitated, then shook my head lightly with an apologetic smile. I gestured that it smelled bad, and I felt nauseous about it.
"Anna," Cassian's voice softened as he signed, his eyes searching mine. "Drink it."
I gave a small smile but still refusing. I twisted my body, knocking the cup from his grip. It clattered to the floor, the dark liquid spilling across the wooden boards.
A tense silence followed, thick and suffocating.
Cassian's golden eyes darkened, his entire frame tense with barely restrained anger. Though he said nothing, the weight of his fury pressed down on me, suffocating. My wolf whimpered inside me, sensing danger, and I instinctively shrank back, my breath shallow.
I took a step back, feigning confusion, apologetic. His anger is palpable that I could sense it without using words. However, my foot met empty air.
The ground beneath me shifted, and before I could react, I tumbled backward. My body slammed onto the lower ground, my breath stolen from my lungs. Pain exploded through my stomach.
A sharp, searing agony ripped through me, and I gasped, my fingers trembling as they reached down. Wet warmth spread beneath my hands, soaking through the fabric of my dress. The scent of blood, my blood, filled the air.
A cold, sickening realization settled in my chest.
No. No, no, no.
The weight of everything crashed over me, the overwhelming stress, the betrayal, the knowledge of what Cassian had done. The world tilted, and darkness clawed at the edges of my vision.
And then, everything went black.
When I awoke, the first thing I noticed was the absence of pain. The second was numbness, a hollow void where life had once been. My fingers twitched, moving on their own, trailing down to my abdomen. My palm rested there, hesitant, as if silently asking the question my lips refused to form.
Cassian, seated beside me, saw the movement. His golden eyes flickered, and for a brief second, something unreadable crossed his face. Then, as if on cue, he gestured with his hands and signed as he spoke.
"Anna… it didn't make it."
His voice was soft, almost tender, as if he truly cared. But I knew better.
I said nothing. I only stared, my expression blank.
"It's okay. You need to rest. I'll take you back to the family pack tomorrow. A change of scenery will do you good," Cassian gestured as he exhaled, his lips curving into a smile, forced, practiced.
I forced a small smile in return, my lips trembling slightly.
But deep inside, I knew.
I wasn't safe here.
And tomorrow, I will have to act more convincingly than ever before.
