Charlotte POV:
I woke up to the smell of bleach and rubbing alcohol.
I was in a VIP room at the Pack Hospital. Kayla, my best friend and one of the few Betas who didn't treat me like garbage, sat in the chair.
"You're awake," she said softly. "Found you on the floor, Lottie. Fever of 104. Aiden... wasn't there."
"Business," I rasped.
"Business?" Kayla scoffed. "If by business you mean sitting in the pediatric ward with Haven, then sure."
I sat up, ripping the IV tape. "Take me there."
"Lottie, no..."
"Now, Kayla."
I walked down the hallway, clutching the IV pole. Even with dull senses, I smelled it. Cedar and rain.
I stopped outside a room. Blinds partially drawn.
Haven sat on the bed, sobbing beautifully. Aiden paced, flooding the hallway with calming pheromones he never wasted on me.
"They called him a bastard, Aiden!" Haven cried. "The other pups... said he has no father."
Aiden stopped. He wrapped his arms around her. "He is not a bastard. He is my son. The future Alpha."
"But Charlotte..."
"Charlotte is a placeholder!" Aiden roared, punching the wall. Plaster crumbled.
I flinched. Usually, he'd turn that rage on me. But here, he took a deep breath. He controlled the madness for her.
"She gave me her kidney years ago," Aiden said, voice lower. "I owe her life. That is the only reason she is still Luna. But once Leo shifts... once the Council sees his power... I will annul the marriage."
"I'm pregnant again, Aiden," Haven whispered.
Silence. Then, Aiden fell to his knees, pressing his face against her stomach. Reverent.
"I will protect you," he vowed. "I will protect our pack."
Our pack.
I wasn't part of the "our." I was the obstacle.
I didn't scream. A cold calm settled over me. The death of hope.
I turned and walked back to my room, ripping the IV out of my arm. Blood trickled down, but I didn't feel it.
"Lottie?" Kayla ran after me.
"Take me back to the Manor," I said. "I have something to do."
Back at the estate, the house was quiet. I walked into the living room.
Crash.
Leo stood by the fireplace. At his feet lay the shattered remains of a porcelain doll. An antique, imbued with a protection spell from my grandmother. The totem of my maternal line.
Leo smirked, eyes gleaming with malice.
"Oops. It was ugly anyway. Mommy says all your things are ugly."
Something inside me snapped.
