HIS UNWORTHY MATE

~JADE~

I awoke to a hammering headache and shots of pain spreading all over my body when I tried to move. I was confused as to why I was in so much pain because I didn't do anything strenuous last night, and Hunter was probably asleep when I came back from the party.

Wait, Hunter?

Alarms went off in my head as my brain registered the unfamiliar scent that wasn't Hunter's. My eyes snapped open to an unfamiliar chest, and a heavy hand wrapped around my waist. Warning bells rang blaring in my head as I jolted up in panic.

"What the fuck!" I cursed angrily as I recognised the face of the man who was in bed with me.

"Why the fuck are you in my bed Darren, what the hell is wrong with you," I yelled in his face while trying to get off the bed, only for my legs to get tangled in the sheets.

"Good Morning," Darren responded mindlessly with a smug grin.

I turned to him with fumes shooting off my head. "Good Morning? Are you shitting me? What the hell is good about this morning, get the hell out of my bed."

The smile on his face stretched wider, and I had to hold back the urge to move closer to smack that smug grin off his face. "Look around sweetheart, you are the one in my bed. Did you already forget last night?"

"Don't you dare sweetheart me?" I snapped at him, as I looked around the room, and my gut twisted at the unfamiliar bedroom.

The feeling of his finger caressing my waist had me turning my attention back to him with a growl. "Get your filthy hands off me, you fucking creep."

I scrambled to detangle the sheets from my leg, and only then did I realise I was naked. I was stark naked in bed with my sister's boyfriend, if anyone had come into this room by mistake.

No. No. I need to get out of here.

I reached down frantically, shoving desperately to get the bedsheet off my leg so I could get out before Hunter came looking for me. I was supposed to leave the party early. Hunter had told me not to sleep over, how the hell did I end up in bed with this bastard?

My mind screamed at me, as I finally got my legs free of the sheet, and I turned ready to scramble off the bed, only to find out I was backed against the wall.

"Why are you acting like you didn't enjoy last night?" Darren taunted and I ignored his words, turning back to glance around the room for signs of my clothes.

Once I caught sight of my clothes, I shot off my side of the bed, I didn't bloody care if I had to crawl over him to get out, all I know is I needed to get out of the bed.

"Come on now, why are you running away so soon." Darren grabbed my wrist before I could successfully climb off the bed, and he practically pulled my body up against his. "I can still vividly remember how sexy your voice sounded when you moaned and the pretty face you made when I made you climax. So what's chasing you away this fine morning, we could pick off from where we left off."

The anxiety bubbling inside me turned into unbridled anger as my hand moved before I could make sense of the ringing noise in my head and I slapped him hard. "Do you have a death wish?" I screamed at him, unable to contain my resentment as memories of last night came barrelling in.

The last thing I remembered, was seeing his face. I was with Arya, we were talking about her leaving. I ate the smoked meat she prepared, and there was too much pepper. I drank something, perhaps water, and then my memories from there on were blackout. Nothing, nothing else popped up, until his face. I remember opening my eyes briefly to see him peering down at me, and I can still faintly remember hands that peeled off my clothes.

Did I let him touch me?

My mind spiralled with anger, self-hate and anxiety at the possibility of that question.

Darren grinned comically at me. "You don't remember what happened? I brought your drunk ass into this room so you could sleep because Arya begged me to, but you were all over me and wouldn't let me leave. You begged me to touch you." Darren remarked mockingly.

"I..." No, there is no way in hell I would do that. Why would I beg him of all people to touch me? Even if my memory chose to betray me, I refused to believe that I had let that happen, because how the hell will I explain this to my mate if it is true?

What will I tell him? That I was drunk, and Darren took advantage of me? Hunter didn't want me to come to this party but I insisted because it was my sister's party.

'Levana, do you remember what happened last night?' I called for my wolf, hoping she would help jolt my memory because the last thing I remembered did not correlate with anything this bastard had just said.

"Well, your ass was pretty drunk last night, and it sort of made you hotter than you've ever looked." The creep replied, winking at me, and bile rose in my throat as panic set in the pit of my stomach.

I shook my head at the crude suggestions of his words. "I know you're sick and you play all kinds of dirty games. Nothing happened last night, and you're trying to mess with my head. I know that's what you're trying to do, and I won't let you gaslight me into believing something happened between us. Now let me go, shameless twat," I cursed at him, as I tried to pull my hand out of his grip.

"You think this is a joke?" He voiced, smirking while he arched his left brow.

"Fuck you, Darren," I growled out, irritated with him.

"Oh, we did that already, but I don't mind showing you a reminder of what it felt like."

"If you think I am going to let you get away with this nonsense., what the hell?"

I gasped in shock as he grabbed my neck, and in one swift move rolled us over on the bed. I landed on my back with a shrilled cry as his weight pressed down on me

In that moment a loud growl bounced off the walls, sending dreadful shivers down my spine because I knew that voice. Panic and frustration crashed through my nerves as struggled to shove Darren off me and I tried relentlessly to wiggle out from under him.

"Get off..." I barely completed my sentence when I felt Darren's weight being lifted off me, and Hunter tossed him across the room.

Hunter turned to me with fury in his eyes, and I scrambled, aimlessly trying to get off to the bed, to cover my naked body all at once. "Babe, It's not what it looks like. I swear it's not what it looks like."

I rush out in a frantic voice, hoping that would quell the bloodlust in Hunter's eyes. But it doesn't appease him because I watch the shift in his eyes with trepidation as Hunter loses control. His wolf pushed forward, Hunter turned just as Darren managed to drag himself off the floor and Hunter lunged at me with claws and fangs all out to attack.

Arya screamed as Hunter caught Darren by the throat, and I watched with fear coursing through my body as Hunter bashed Darren's head against the wall. He growled words I couldn't make sense of at that moment as he began hitting Darren's face with heavy blows that could do permanent damage to him.

I wasn't sure how to react because fear had me rooted in place. I didn't realize how badly I was shaking until a hand struck my face. "You greedy piece of sh*t, why the hell couldn't you have chosen another man to mess with? Why must it be my boyfriend?" Arya screamed in my face, slapping me, and I moved to grab my cheek.

"What?" I blinked away the tears in my eyes as my brain finally decided to catch up with everything. "I didn't. I would never do that; why would I?"

"You are so fucking selfish Jade, Hunter isn't enough for you, and you went after my boyfriend. Why? What exactly did I do to you to deserve such wickedness?" Arya choked out.

"I didn't. Arya I would never, I swear, believe me." My sentence got cut off as an anguished sound echoed through the room, and I turned in the direction of Hunter and Darren.

"Oh my god," Arya whispered, clapping her hand over her mouth. "He is going to kill him. Do something; your mate is about to kill my boyfriend." She snapped at me, shoving me towards them.

"Get your mate off my boyfriend; he's going to kill him," Arya screams again, and this time, I could make out and understand what she was saying amidst all the recurring noise in my head.

Hunter is an Alpha who has trained almost all his life. I know his strengths and how he is in combat. Darren was no match for him, and we all know that.

"Hunter, please stop. You'll kill him. Please stop; this is just a misunderstanding; nothing happened. I swear--" Hunter denied me the liberty of completing my sentence as he turned to me and struck me across the face.

The force of his slap knocked me backwards, an anguished groan slipping past my lips as I fell sideways, and the foot of the bed frame connected with my left side. Impacting my ribs with a force that cuts all the air out of my lungs momentarily, a silent gasp of pain escapes my airways.

"Stand up." Hunter yet, and I staggered to my feet, biting back a groan as the pain travelled down my chest.

My body trembled as I tried to compute words in my head. "Hunter, I swear I didn't; nothing happened between us. I swear, please believe." I couldn't get the rest of my words out because he grabbed my neck, pulling my body against his.

I clamp my lips together as the hatred in his eyes burns through my skin. "Nothing happened? You are fucking naked; I found you naked in bed with him, and you're telling me nothing happened." Hunter bellowed; his voice bounced off the walls of the room, and it took everything in me not to fall flat on my ass out of fear.

"I swear I... Nothing..." I tried to speak, but my words came choked and barely above a whisper.

"Then explain to me why you're naked. Explain to me why my mate is fucking naked in bed with a fucking Delta, your sister's boyfriend." He grabbed my shoulder, and his claws broke through my skin as he shook me vehemently with every word he said.

~JADE~

"Bloody hell, man, you're hurting her." Darren's voice filtered through the ringing noise in my head, and the sound of Hunter yelling words at me.

"How about you take that anger out on me, man to man? Uhh, what a coward you are, hitting your mate." Darren yelled at Hunter, despite his face already bloodied and beaten badly.

Hunter shoved me aside, as he turned to Darren and punched him, and the chaos ensued again.

"What now? You're standing up for her? Do you want to prove to her that you're a competent man? You fucked her once, and you're ready to fight for her." Hunter sneered as he threw punch after punch at Darren, who tried his best to defend himself but ended up failing.

He was never a match for Hunter. No one in this pack is a match for Hunter except for his father. Arya slapped my shoulder again, and despite being badly shaken my legs moved before my brain could register anything she said.

"Hunter... Hunter, baby, please let him go. You... you'll kill him, please."

"Yes, I intend to kill him, and his blood will be on your hands because it's your bloody fault." He snapped at me with blazing red eyes.

"How dare you beg me to let him go? So, you're also ready to fight for him, uhh?"

Shaking my head, I took fearful steps back as Hunter turned to face me, and I immediately noticed the heightened anger in his eyes.

"You want to take his place; how brave of you to fight for your new darling. Did you enjoy it?" He grabbed my wrist, dragging me closer as I tried putting more distance between us.

"I asked you a question: did you bloody enjoy it?" he growled, tugging on my arm and my body slammed into his chest.

"You can't speak?" He grabbed my jaw, gripping it with a force that had tears clouding my eyes. "Have you gone mute and can't talk back anymore? Answer my fucking questions." He yelled and the damn broke inside me as tears rushed down my face.

"Did he fuck you that well? Is he a better fuck than I am? Is that why you're begging me not to kill him? How good was it, uhh? Did your filthy pussy suck him in good? Answer me." he snarled in my face, and I shook my head frantically, unable to keep my tears locked in.

"No... I don't.... I don't remember." I broke down in tears, shaking my head as he didn't stop shouting. Hunter's depraved laughter echoes in the room at my response.

"You don't remember?" he asked, laughing with a look of disgust spreading across his face. "You want him to fuck you again; is that why you say you can't remember? Did he fuck you into oblivion?" I shook my head. No, that wasn't what I meant. I don't remember anything that happened between us. I don't even know if anything happened.

How can I answer his questions when I don't know what happened and don't feel like something has happened?

"No, no... That's not..." "How about I help you? Let me help you remember; then maybe you can finally have the answers to my questions."

"What? Hunter, what are you?" The rest of my sentence got cut off as he shoved me back with so much force, and I stumbled, falling onto the bed.

"I'll help you... Let me remind you what it's like to have your mate fucked. You spend one night with another man and suddenly lose your memory. Don't worry, I'll help."

I don't know if it is my shock that glues me in place. My body trembles with dread as Hunter unbuttons his pants and draws out his cock.

"Hunter. This is... Do you seriously think this is right?" I all but yell as he steps forward, and I scramble to get out of bed.

"The fuck you're running for." He snarled, his hands gripping my ankle, and he yanked me back.

My head slammed into the edge of the bed frame, and a cloud of darkness blurs my vision for a minute as Hunter drags me, turning me onto my stomach, and positions himself behind me.

"Since you've conveniently lost your memory and can't remember what happened last night, let me remind you what it's like to be fucked by an Alpha. When I am done with you, you'll tell me who fucks you better. Me or that filthy Delta?"

Hunter whispered in a sinister voice that had my entire body trembling.

"Hunter..." I hear Arya and Darren call him.

"Come on, man, don't do..."

"GET OUT!." Hunter snarled, commanding them in his Alpha voice, and I heard them whimper and they rushed out of the room.

My body shook with fear, tears flowed down my cheeks, my throat clogged, and breathing became difficult as the stench of his pheromones permeated through the room.

"Hunter, please you... Arkk." Everything I was about to say was trapped between my airways as my mate rams into me with such force that it rocks me forward.

"SHUT THE HELL UP." He growls as his hands come forward to grip my throat in a chokehold.

Even if I wanted to speak, there was no way I could make a sound or do anything against the Alpha command in his voice. Everything else after that happened in a blur.

It all felt like a nightmare, and I wished someone would wake me up so badly. Hunter had dragged me out of Arya's place naked, and I had no will to protest against his iron grip.

He believed I had lost all sense of decency, and I was so ashamed that I was unable to even ask for something to cover my nakedness as he threw me out of bed after he pulled his dick out of me.

Humiliated and degraded me beyond words, dragged me through the street naked, and left me on the front porch of my parent's house with a warning that I would never return to our home.

I had crawled inside my parents' house, shaking and crying.

Despite how many times they asked what happened, my mouth wouldn't budge; all I could do was weep as I sank further into the shame enveloping me.

"Is this true, Jade?" Even now, as I sit here in the presence of my parents and in-laws, I still wish this was nothing but a nightmare.

"Jade!" I heard my father snap, and I dragged my eyes away from my lap.

"Is everything your mate just said true? Did you cheat on him with your sister's boyfriend?" Dad asked, and I shook my head.

"I didn't; I didn't do it," I replied as fresh tears streamed down my face.

"Now she's calling me a liar. Your sister and I saw you in bed with him. You were both naked." Hunter growled from where he was seated across the room, and I flinched.

"Jade." My mom's soft voice filtered through.

"Tell me the truth, please." Mom asked in a shaky voice.

"I... don't... I don't remember," I stuttered.

"I didn't drink any alcohol; I was sober. All I took was water, and I don't know what happened; I woke up and..."

"So, you're saying you cheated because you wanted to? You didn't even need alcohol to whore yourself to your sister's boyfriend."

"Keep quiet." Alpha Orion, my father-in-law and Alpha Head of the Pack growled at Hunter, his voice cutting through all the other voices in the living room.

"You will not call your mate such degrading names while I am seated." Hunter's father muttered, glaring hard at his son.

"She is not my mate, not after she..."

"Do you want to be thrown out of here? keep quiet." Alpha Orion snaps at Hunter once more.

He lets out a series of muffled words before falling silent, listening to his father.

"I do not care what state you found her in or how angry you were. You should've reined in your anger and had the issue dealt with by the elder's council. Do you know how demeaning it is to be told that my son, the next Alpha of this pack, was seen dragging his naked mate back to her parent's house?" Alpha Orion bellowed at Hunter, who lowered his head.

"I taught you better than that, did I not?" He snarls at Hunter, who nods.

"What you do to your mate behind closed doors is no business of mine; what you do to her publicly concerns me if it shames my name and that of this family. Never in generations has such shame been brought on our family. The pack's future Luna was publicly humiliated by her Alpha." Shaking his head with a sigh, he points to me, then to Hunter.

"You are both a disgrace." He declares with resentment heavy in his voice, and I cast my head down as shame washes over me.

I know how much respect and love Hunter's parents have accorded me ever since I returned to the pack.

Pack members called me their perfect Luna; I was my parents' golden child, beloved by every member of the pack, and in just one day, all that was replaced with reproach and disappointment.

"This is something that we could've swept under the rug." The current Luna, Hunter's mother, said this, and she sighed heavily.

"Your Alpha ceremony is in two months; the preparations are all set in place. All notable Alphas from far and beyond have been invited; you shouldn't have escalated this situation. Now with the stunt you pulled this morning, there's no way we can keep whatever happened in that room a secret because Pack members have already started talking."

"Mother, I don't understand what you're saying. She cheated, she betrayed my trust and her sister's trust, and you're saying it could've been swept under the rug?" Hunter asks, the tone of his voice rising above the normal octave, and his mother nods.

"Yes, not every union can be perfect; what is important is upholding the standards and name of this family and this pack. There is a reason why we are the most respected among all packs. If you hadn't pulled the stunt, you pulled this morning, your father and I would've solved this without having to involve the elder's council."

"My mate cheated on me, and defiled our mate bond, and you expect me to keep it a secret?" Hunter half-yells at his mother, which earns him a warning growl from his father.

"Yes, that is what you should've done if you had paid any attention to all the teachings of your father. There is nothing new under the sun, and no union is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes; let's say she made a drunken mistake. Punish her however you want behind closed doors. Do whatever you wish to her to show your anger, as long as your action is not displayed for the world to see. As long as your actions don't hinder your Alpha ceremony, as long as it doesn't tarnish the name of this pack and this family, now we have no choice but to bring this before the council."

"Which is the right thing to do!" Hunter exclaims, throwing his hands in the air out of frustration.

"AND THAT IS GOING TO COST US A LOT. YOUR ALPHA ASCENDING CEREMONY WILL BE CANCELED, AND EVERY NEIGHBOURING PACK WILL KNOW ABOUT THIS. WE WILL HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO SAVE FACE AND SHARE IN THIS DISGRACE. ARE YOU A STRANGER TO WHAT HAPPENS TO ANY MATE FOUND GUILTY OF INFIDELITY BEFORE THE COUNCIL? THIS DOES NOT LOOK GOOD ON US; OUR IMAGE WILL BE TARNISHED FOREVER."

His mother yells at him; the veins in her neck and forehead popping with every word she says and it finally dawns on me.

They weren't defending me or trying to appease their son for my sake. It was all about them, the intervention they talked about when they first got here; it wasn't about proving my innocence; it was about their family, the pack, and their image.

And here, I thought they might have believed me when I said I didn't cheat on their son. No one is ready to believe me; no one wants to give in to the thought that I might be telling the truth.

Or even try to investigate the situation. Why aren't they asking Arya any questions? It was her party; she gave me the water I drank before I blacked out.

"Arya, where is your boyfriend? Why isn't he here?" Alpha Orion asked my sister, who has been crying buckets ever since this sham of a meeting started.

"I don't know... I haven't seen him since the incident this morning." She replies in between her sobs and hiccups.

"Jade, can you prove your innocence? If you can, this can still be resolved." My mom asked, and I stared at her blankly, wondering how I could do that when I don't even remember shit.

Perhaps they can get Darren and make him tell the truth, but what if he is telling the truth? What if I cheated on my mate?

"That is no longer necessary. She has to go before the council; it's the words of her mate and her sister against her. There is nothing she can do to salvage the damage already done. Even if we try, the pack members are already talking; we can only make sure to save the pack's name henceforth."

"So, you're implying we make my daughter a scapegoat even if she might be innocent?" Mom grumbled as she glared at Alpha Orion.

"She became a scapegoat the moment she woke up in bed with a man who wasn't her mate." Hunter's mother replied, rolling her eyes at my mom.

"The council.... What... What will happen to me if they find me guilty?" I asked, amidst their banter.

I left the pack at a very young age, and most of the pack's customs weren't taught to me when I grew up with my aunt in the Philippines.

Ever since it became clear that I'd become Luna someday, I've been learning about pack customs, rites, and laws, but I had no reason to look up infidelity or anything about the council of elders.

"If found guilty, you will be stripped of your rights as a pack member, a severance will take place, Hunter will reject you, and your mate bond will be nullified. After which you'll be branded as unworthy; you'll be paraded around the pack naked as you dance the dance of shame, and you'll be banished from the pack afterwards." Hunter's mom explained, and my eyes grew bigger with each word. Rejected? I'll be made to dance naked around the pack, branded as unworthy, and I am not even given the chance to prove my innocence.

Does it even matter if I am innocent? They'll make me the scapegoat if it saves them face. "You can't do that. You can't reject me."

"Why do you still believe that you've done nothing wrong?" Hunter hissed at me.

"Because I am pregnant with your child, you'll kill your child if you reject me, and you know that."

This was my last resort. I know how much his parents have been looking forward to having a grandchild, an heir, because, for some reason, they only ever have one child in their bloodline.

Hunter is the only child, and he can only give his parents one grandchild. I don't know why that is, but it is the first thing I was told after we became mates and why it was important for me to take care of myself and be healthy enough to carry the future Alpha.

~JADE~

"What are you doing standing there like a fucking statue?" Hunter barks, snapping me out of my stream of self-pity.

"Hunter, I..."

"Save it, Jade; I need you to pack your shit and get it out of the bedroom." He snapped, his eyes shooting daggers at me.

"You want me to pack my things and remove them from our bedroom?" I was dumbfounded, to say the least.

Won't he at least give me the benefit of the doubt? At least try to ask me what happened now that we are both back home.

I understand he was angry with what he walked into this morning, and any other person would have got the wrong idea.

I understand that he lost control and acted irrationally due to his anger, but it's been hours. No matter how angry he was this morning, shouldn't he at least have the tiniest bit of trust and ask me questions?

"Our bedroom?" he mused, snorting as he shook his head.

"There's no such thing as 'our'; the only reason you're still under my roof is because my parents won't have it any other way, at least until the trial with the council, and I will not share the same room or bed with a cheating whore." He snarled the last words of his sentence with a venom that had my skin crawling with disgust.

"How are you so quick to throw me away, Hunter? I thought you loved me. How are you so unfazed and ready to throw out two years of commitment and love? You aren't giving me the benefit of the doubt; you won't ask me what happened. I am your Mate, Hunter; shouldn't that mean something to you?" I tried to fight back my tears. I tried to rein in my voice and keep myself from yelling because I knew screaming wouldn't solve this situation.

"It meant something enough for me to spend two years with you; it meant something enough that I chose to make you my Luna, but that meaning fell off the cliff the minute you chose to spread your legs for another." Hunter bellowed in my face, gritting his teeth, and it stung my heart to watch him painfully fight back tears.

"I didn't do it, Hunter; I swear I didn't open my legs for him. Do you not even trust me at all?" I moved to grab his hand, but he yanked it out of my reach, hurrying to put some distance between us.

"I trusted you, Jade; if I didn't trust you, I wouldn't have given us a chance. I would've rejected you two years ago if I didn't trust you, especially knowing you are her sister. Despite the promise I made to myself not to love again, I broke that promise because of you. I chose to give love a chance. After all, I trusted you because I thought you were my person for life, only for my trust to be broken like this again. You know how that saying-once bitten twice shy-I should've taken it for what it is, yet here I am getting my heart ripped out for the second time again by someone I love."

He quickly turned his back to me to prevent me from seeing the tears sliding down his cheek, but I saw before he could completely look away, and the pain in his eyes ripped through my gut.

I once promised him that I would never be the reason for his pain, and I never want to be.

"Hunter, please; I would never intentionally hurt you like this. I didn't have sex with Darren, and I would never betray your trust like that. All I did was sleep in the same bed as him; I don't even remember falling asleep with him in the room. I just... Hunter, please, you have to believe me. I will never betray your love like that; you're everything to me."

He turned, brows knitted, cold eyes scanning me. "Are you trying to tell me Darren raped you? Is that what happened?" The question caught me off guard, and I blinked, my heart pounding in my chest as I pondered his question and contemplated whether I should say yes.

If I say yes, then that would mean that I am admitting that something happened between us, which would mean that I remembered what happened and will technically make me a liar since I already told Hunter and my parents that I don't remember a thing.

"Jade." Hunter snapped impatiently, "Did Darren rape you? Is that what happened?"

"I..." I swallowed a huge lump down my throat. "I don't know; I don't think so; I don't remember what happened." I was a stuttering mess because whatever I saw would be interpreted whichever way Hunter chose to interpret it.

"You claim and swear that you didn't have sex with him, yet you also say you don't remember what happened in the same breath. Do you take me for a fool?" Hunter growled, closing the distance between us, and I shook my head rapidly.

"No, no Hunter, I swear the last thing I remember was drinking water."

Hunter scoffed, cutting me off. "You must think I'm crazy; this isn't my first time dealing with a cheating whore who will say anything to save her ass. I should've known from your history with men in the Philippines. Once a whore, always a whore. And here I thought you deserved to be loved." He spat with so much distaste in his voice.

My leg trembled, and I staggered a few feet backwards as his words punched right through my heart.

"Hunter..." I mumbled weakly in astonishment as tears trickled down my cheeks, and I clutched the blouse mom had given me close to my heart.

How could he use my pain against me? He was the only one I ever told about the horrible things I went through in Manila-the trauma, the scars, the pain-which I was never comfortable sharing with anyone else until I met him. Because I didn't want to open myself up to anyone like that, I didn't want anyone to see that dark past, and I trusted him.

I shared my pain with him because who else would love me unconditionally if not my mate? And he turned around to use it against me.

"I should've rejected you the moment I found you naked with another man." He growled, spitting in my face.

"You can't do that, not until trial, and I'm pregnant with your heir." My lips quivered while I whispered, and I shook my head, pleading with my eyes for him not to do this. The council will prove that I didn't cheat; they should.

"Who knows how many men you've been fucking behind my back? You expect me to accept the child of a whore, huh?"

"I am not a..." The remainder of the sentences became stuck in my throat because, in retrospect, can I truly claim not to be a whore?

It was what I was known for in the dark streets of the nightclubs; I was known as a filthy whore who accepted every hand and every dick for money.

Maybe Hunter is right after all.

How can I even claim Darren didn't have sex with me when I have no recollection of what happened?

Breaking eye contact with Hunter, I cast my head down in shame, because if I'm being honest with myself, nothing I say will change his mind. He once told me that the one thing he'll never forgive is cheating, and if he already made up his mind that I cheated on him, begging him is pointless.

"I, Hunter Hendrix, son of Orion Hendrix, reject you, Jade Althea Dimaano, daughter of Juan Dimaano, as my mate and future Luna, based on infidelity. May the energy of the moon uphold this rejection and Mother Goddess ease my pain through this betrayal." He snarled the last words, shoving me out of the way as he stomped out of our home, and I crumbled to the floor as a crippling pain shot through my spine, rushing straight for my heart.

~~~~~~~

There was nothing I could say to change his mind, not even the fact that I was pregnant with his child.

I had tried to make him go to the pack clinic with me, or even call the pack doctor over to confirm that I wasn't lying, but he didn't even care.

He doesn't think it's his child because he believes I had to have slept with other men aside from Darren that he didn't know about, and he is convinced that if I am truly pregnant, then the child belongs to one of them.

But the child is his, even though he doesn't believe me. I know I should've told him before this happened, but I wasn't sure that I was pregnant because getting pregnant as a beta was almost impossible. Unlike omegas, a beta wolf like myself isn't always lucky to be blessed with a child. I'm not sure what the goddess has against us, but a beta's chance of reproducing was almost next to none. That and all the weird pills my aunt had me swallowing back in Manila.

I never once pictured myself pregnant or thought I'd end up being a mother. Sure, I loved the idea, but I knew the chances of me ever getting pregnant were thin.

I also didn't think I was worthy of being loved by any man until Hunter came along, and over the past two years with him, I've always prayed and hoped the goddess would bless me with a child, knowing I only had one shot because of his bloodline. And I knew giving him an heir would make him love me more and his parents more accepting of me.

Despite how hard I've tried to remember what happened after drinking that water, my memory keeps going blank. Nothing made sense because I knew I hadn't tasted any alcohol, so what the hell happened to me, and how did I black out? It made no sense that I blacked out from drinking water-water that my sister offered to me. Could it be that she...

No!

I shook my head at the thought-the possibility that Arya had something to do with what happened. It makes no sense; why would she drug me? What does she stand to gain? I know my sister and I have had our differences ever since I came back to the pack, and that made sense to me because we spent twelve years of our lives apart.

I can't fault her for thinking of me as a stranger who's here to take her place in our parents' hearts, or whatever it was she said two years ago. Still, I made an effort to get along with her, even on days when she was being unnecessarily hostile. I may never understand why, but would she go to such extreme lengths as to drug me?

I can count on one finger how many times Hunter has been home for the past five days. He has been avoiding me like a plague, and when he doesn't, his words cut deeper than a knife. It's not only him; the entire pack seems to be avoiding me like I am a disease. I made the mistake of stepping out two days ago because I wanted to talk to my parents, and I couldn't shake off the disdain I got from everyone I met on the way to my parent's house.

Even my parents used the excuse of having somewhere to be to get me out of their house. I was left standing outside on the porch as the feeling of loss and being unwanted washed over me. Just like it did every time my aunt would put me out of the hostel because I didn't bring in enough tips for the night.

I had thought coming back here was the fresh start that I needed, and for two years I had a home, a pack that I thought loved me, and a man I could call mine, only for all that to change overnight, and now my life is no more than a nightmare.

My heart ached at the thought of everything, and I wrapped my hands around my lower half as bile rose in the pit of my stomach. Another wave of nausea hit me, and I closed my eyes to push down the urge, knowing I had nothing else in me but stomach acid to throw up.

'You need to eat, at least for the baby.'

I almost jumped out of my skin at the unexpected sound of my wolf's voice.

'What do you care, Lev? Didn't you also abandon me?'

I bit back harshly, unable to hold back the bitterness in my voice, wincing as another bolt of pain jabbed at my heart.

'I would never abandon you, Jade. You know that.'

Levana's voice was small, almost as weak as mine. It confused me because I hadn't heard from her for the past five days, ever since the horrible morning that changed everything in my life. She had been silent, almost like she wasn't even a part of me, and it had just made everything worse because I couldn't shake the thought that even my wolf had abandoned me, like everyone else.

'I'm not sure if I know anything anymore. I needed you, and you weren't there. I needed you, Lev, and you just... Just like everyone else,'

I choked up, my eyes stung with unshed tears as I manoeuvred out of the bed in the guest room and made my way down the hallway leading to the kitchen.

'I would never do that to you; I would never abandon you. I don't know what happened; we were at the party, and everything went blank. I was thrust into darkness, and I couldn't feel you. I kept trying to reach behind our mental walls, but you weren't there. And then Hunter, rejecting us, struck so hard that I couldn't even push against the mental barriers to reach you until today. You know I'll never leave you to suffer alone.'

Levana explained, choking up as she spoke, and I sighed. I know she wouldn't just leave me on my own, yet it was hard to fight the thought that maybe she had also gotten tired of me and my problems. I would be fed up too if I were her and stuck with this useless excuse of a human who has done nothing but brought us both so much pain.

'Do you remember what happened?'

I asked with high hopes, even though I somehow knew what her answer would be.

'The only thing I remember is Arya rushing to bring you water when you choked.'

'Hunter caught me in bed with Darren. He thinks I cheated on him. He wouldn't listen to me, and he rejected us.'

My voice thinned out with every word I said as I tried to fill her in.

'I know. You're not doing so well with putting a mental barrier around your thoughts. I can hear everything; I know what happened. I'm sorry.'

'None of this is your fault; there's no one to blame but myself. If I had been extra careful, maybe if I hadn't gone to the party and just stayed home like the perfect mate I was supposed to be, then none of this would've happened. I wouldn't have ended up sleeping with Darren and causing our mate to reject us.'

'You didn't have sex with Darren, and there's no fault in going to your sister's party when she invited you.'

Levana bites out in a low growl.

'You don't know that. I thought nothing happened, but now I'm not so sure. Maybe I don't remember because of whatever made me black out. It's not like I haven't been in this position before; back in the clubhouse, most of the pills made me black out. I'd wake up in bed with four men-five-and have no recollection of what happened. Maybe it happened with Darren, and I just don't remember. And Hunter was right-once a whore, always a whore.'

'You are not a whore.'

Levana growled so loudly that it tumbled through my head, and I stopped short in the middle of the kitchen at the intensity of the anger behind her growl.

'You are not a whore, Jade. You were a victim, and right now you're a victim once again. Just because you don't remember what happened doesn't make you guilty of infidelity.'

She gritted out in a tight voice, and I shook my head, blinking the tears away as I walked over to the fridge to grab a bottle of water and a glass cup from the cup cabinet.

'How can you be so sure?'

I asked, despite my resolve.

'You are a mated wolf; I am a mated wolf; if you had sex with Darren, Hunter should've felt it.'

Levana tries to explain,

'What if he couldn't feel it because we blacked out? Maybe.'

'No!' She gave me zero chance to complete my sentence. 'Stop trying to find reasons to make yourself guilty when you aren't.'

I prepared to answer her when a cold shudder rushed up my body and my spine stiffened.

"What is... Dear Moon?" I let out a half-choked cry as a sharp pain pierced through my heart. The glass cup I was holding slipped out of my grip as my hand trembled, and I doubled over on my knee with a loud cry in agony as another wave of pain shot up my spine.

"Oh, goddess. Dear goddess... Arghhhh." I let out an ear-shattering cry. My knee gave out, my heart slammed so hard against my ribcage that it felt like it was trying to escape out of my body. My lungs tightened in pain as breathing suddenly became impossible.

"What the fuck is going on?" I howled as a sudden heat wave barreled down my spine and through my entire body. I let out another shrill cry as an unexplainable pain knotted in my stomach.

'Hunter!'

Levana growled in a pain-stricken voice. I crumbled against the wet kitchen floor. Pain shot up in my arm as the broken glass cut through my palm.

"Oh goddess, I can't... I can't... Why?"

I had no idea what I was asking, but I couldn't form coherent words anymore. Not with the sudden flame of pain burning through my entire body. Nor could I keep back the tears that flowed freely down my cheeks. My other hand wrapped instinctively against my stomach while I writhed against the kitchen counter in agony.

'You didn't accept his rejection. Hunter's having sex with someone else.'

Levana whispered so lowly that I could barely hear her.

Another bolt of pain and a searing heat flashed through my body. My stomach felt like a hundred and fifty pins were stabbing through it all at once, and I coiled into myself.

"My baby," I whispered weakly, hot tears rushing down my cheeks as the pain shot through my head and darkness consumed me.