Rhaella's POV
Today was supposed to be the happiest day of my life. Just Jason and me, wrapped up in each other's arms like always. But now, I'm lying on the cold tiles, bleeding, while he grabs another woman's waist and fucks her like she belongs to him.
How did the man who promised never to hurt me become this monster right before my eyes?
Earlier this morning, everything was different. I was filled with so much joy that it made me believe nothing bad could ever happen to me. I was so convinced that the Moon Goddess had already blessed my day. I can still hear Doctor Martins' voice echoing in my mind:
"Ms. Rhaella, this is truly a miracle," he said with a gentle smile, adjusting his glasses as he slid the sonogram across the desk. "With your condition, it's rare for a woman to conceive at all, let alone carry twins. Even after all my years in this field, this still surprises me. Congratulations again, Ms. Ella. I'm sure the Alpha will be overjoyed when he hears this."
A warm, fatherly light softened his features as he spoke. And instinctively, I rubbed my stomach, smiling as a tear slid down my cheek.
I'd always wanted to be a mother. I was 18 when I was diagnosed with anovulation... a condition that meant my body might never give me a child. From that day, I cried and prayed harder than ever, begging the Moon Goddess to bless my womb, even if it was with just one child. And now... she's answered my prayers, not with one, but with two. My wolf was practically purring in my mind.
I left the clinic full of joy and slipped into the midnight-blue Range Rover Jason had gifted me last month. The leather still carried a faint scent of sandalwood from his cologne from all those evenings he spent teaching me how to drive. I pressed the accelerator and sped toward his villa, smiling so much that my cheeks burned.
I almost ran a red light on the highway, but I didn't care. All I could think about was sharing the good news with my mate, Jason. I desperately wanted to see the look on his face when he realized we were expecting twins.
Maybe, just maybe, it would make him end things with whoever he was cheating on me with.
Yeah... I knew.
I knew Jason was cheating. But I thought it was just a momentary temptation. All men do that, right? I chose to stay. To fight for our love and protect our mate bond.
By the time I pulled into his villa's gates, my heart was thudding loudly that I thought it might burst. I grabbed my yellow Chanel handbag from the passenger's seat and got out.
"Hi, Ms. Ella," Betty, one of Jason's maids greeted me as she appeared from the front porch with a polite smile.
"Hi, Betty. Where's the Alpha?"
"He asked that you wait for him in the living room. He'll join you shortly."
I nodded and stepped in, gently placing my bag on the sofa. My smile wouldn't leave my face.
Betty returned shortly, carrying a glass mug filled with steaming coffee. The rich, roasted aroma hit me before she even handed it over. Lavazza has always been my favorite. And Jason had always had it stocked in his kitchen because of me.
"Thank you, Betty."
Her eyes darted away from mine a little too quickly. But I didn't think much of it. I took a slow sip and hummed softly, letting the smooth bitterness melt across my tongue. I was actually very thirsty so I gulped it down my throat faster than I intended.
But something felt off. My stomach tightened, not painfully, but just enough to make me uncomfortable. Restless, I decided to go upstairs to wait in his room. Maybe lie down for a short while.
As I got halfway up the stairs, I froze. I heard moans and skin slapping against each other. My blood ran cold. I pushed the door open and my whole world shattered.
"Jason!" My voice cracked, ripped straight from my chest. A sharp pain tore through my abdomen, and I dropped to my knees.
That was when the real shock hit me. The person Jason had been cheating with all along was Dahlia. My half-sister.
How could Jason do this to me? Is this how little I mean to him? With Dahlia?
The same girl who always eyed everything I had and rolled her eyes when Jason held me in public?
Goddess, I've been so stupid. I should've known she'd find a way to ruin me for good. My wolf clawed at me from the inside, heartbroken that our mate could do this to us. He didn't even give me a chance to tell him about our babies.
Blood started oozing from my vagina, soaking my dress and the floor beneath me. My stomach clenched harder, the pain was too sharp to be just grief. My mind spun back to the coffee. The way Betty seemed awkward.
Oh, No! Could it have been poisoned?
Did Jason team up with Dahlia to do this? Did he use Betty to poison me?
They saw me. I know they did. Still, they didn't stop.
"Fuck me harder, Jason!" Dahlia moaned shamelessly, and Jason obeyed without hesitation.
I kept pulling at the bedsheets, desperate, begging for someone... anyone, to help me. I screamed for the maids, but no one came.
Jason's final thrust echoed with a loud groan. Then he showered her with kisses, and they laughed together.
He threw his shirt over his shoulder and lit a cigar like it was just another Friday night. Dahlia hummed a careless tune as she slipped into the bathroom.
"I'll be waiting in the car, Dee," he called out, walking past me as if I were invisible.
I pressed my hands harder against my belly as the cramps twisted into something savage. I wanted to call my mom, but my phone was in my bag... back in the living room. And as an omega, I couldn't mind-link anyone.
Dahlia came out, drying her hair with a towel. Her eyes sparkled with smug satisfaction.
She was dressed in one of the outfits Jason had bought for me, the one I was supposed to change into whenever I stayed over at his place.
"Dahlia..." I choked through tears. "You shouldn't do this. We... We're family."
She laughed mockingly. "Family?" She repeated, squatting down and forcing my chin up to meet her cold gaze.
"Don't be delusional, Ella. I never accepted you as my sister, and I never will. Your mom ruined my parents' marriage. And you want me to treat you like family? You're really sick in the head!"
She stood up and headed for the door, then paused as if she'd forgotten something.
"Oh, and make sure to give my kisses to your unborn brats... you'll all be meeting the Moon Goddess sooner than you think."
Wait... Dahlia knew I was pregnant? How?
Does that mean Jason knows too? Did he know... and still go ahead with poisoning me?
Rhaella's POV
My heart dropped straight into my stomach. That had better not be true. Even if Jason hated me enough to do this, how could he hate his own children?
But what does it matter now? I was already on the edge of losing the babies.
Just before I passed out, I heard footsteps pounding up the stairs. The door burst open.
"Ella!" Michael, Jason's cousin yelled urgently. His face went pale when he saw the blood pooling beneath me. He rushed over and knelt beside me.
"What happened, Ella? Where's Jason?"
I gripped his wrist with what little strength I had left.
"Please... just... save my baby."
– – – – – – – – – – – – –
The next thing I woke up to was the steady beep of machines around me. I slowly forced my lashes apart, blinking against the sharp white light. My arm felt heavy. I lifted it, and I saw the cannula taped to the back of my hand, a thin tube feeding a clear bag of liquid into my veins. The Hospital.
"Ella? Are you okay?"
Sylvia's voice jerked me toward her. She adjusted on her chair, and I could see panic bright in her eyes. Her black curls were tied in a messy knot, and she was on her white karate gi. She must have run here straight from class. She was the only one who never cared that I was an Omega despite her being a Beta. She was one of the few honest friends I had. The others only tried to get close after learning our pack's Alpha, Jason, was my fated mate. But Sylvia... She was there long before that.
She wrapped both hands around mine like she was afraid I'd vanish if she let go. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying.
"My babies...?" My voice cracked. "How are my babies?"
From the corner, a shadow shifted. Michael was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, looking like he'd been there for hours.
"The doctor will be here soon," he said, keeping his voice low, like it was an effort to keep me calm.
The door opened and Doctor Martins walked in, in his creased white coat. He held my chart tightly in his hands.
"Ms. Rhaella..." His voice carried a heavy weight and I could sense they were about to break something inside me. "I'm so sorry. You had a miscarriage."
Please, tell me I didn't just hear that.
"Mis... Miscarriage?" I asked in a choked whisper, tears threatening to spill from my eyes. "No, Dr. Martins... please there must be something we can do to save them. Please... I can't... I can't just let them go." I said, trying to get off the bed, hardly able to control emotions.
Sylvia's grip tightened around me trying to hold me together. But I was broken already. Tears slid down my cheeks uncontrollably.
My little miracles were gone.
Michael's jaw flexed, but he said nothing and just looked to the ground.
"Ella..." Dr. Martins sighed. "I'm so sorry, but there's nothing we can do to bring them back." He hesitated, adjusting his glasses before continuing. "What matters now is you... you're safe. If Alpha Michael hadn't gotten you here when he did, it could've been worse. Your vitals are stable and there's no lasting damage, and you're recovering well. You should be discharged by evening." His face wore a painful expression. "I'm so sorry, Ella." Then he bowed his head and quietly stepped out.
Recovery? Hell! It meant nothing when the only thing worth recovering from was gone. And my wolf? She was shattered inside me.
The twins were not just babies. They were proof... a miracle in the face of every diagnosis and every unanswered prayer since I was 18. Proof that I wasn't empty and that I could be a mother too.
But now they are gone. Because of Jason.
Sylvia let go of my arms and shot up from her chair so fast that it screeched against the tile. She paced around the room like a caged wolf. "Why is Jason not here, Ella?" she demanded. "Don't tell me he's behind this?"
Sylvia had always been able to read me too well. I had told her every time Jason acted up, so I knew it wouldn't take her long to connect the dots.
But, imagine her shock when she learns that the bitch he had been cheating with was Dahlia.
"Alpha or not," she growled, "I swear to the Goddess, I'll tear that bastard to shreds."
"Sylvia!" Michael's voice came quiet but sharp with warning.
She stopped and spun facing him, flaring her nostrils. "What?! You want to defend him? Tell me you don't know he's got something to do with this!" She yelled, widening her eyes like she was going to snap his neck too if he wasn't careful.
"Can you just fucking calm down!" Michael yelled in frustration. "I know exactly what Jason is. But running your mouth like this won't solve anything, if anything, it'll only get you killed. He's still the Alpha of this pack."
She scoffed, with a hiss escaping her lips. "Fuck you both!" she spat, storming back to me. "Alpha my foot!"
I couldn't speak. I just cried and cried until my eyes burned.
The door opened again, and my mother rushed in. She was in her navy-blue uniform, with the Crestwood Villa insignia stitched over the breast pocket, her hair pulled into the same tight bun she wore to scrub marble floors for people like Jason.
I had begged her to quit, to let me take care of her, but she'd always refused. Work was her pride. To her, no degree meant no other options... despite the fact that her daughter was Luna-to-be. She happily continued the job... hard as it was.
Her hands smelled faintly of lemon polish and soap. "Ella," she breathed, crossing the room in hurried steps. "I'm so sorry, baby. Dr. Martins called to tell me what happened."
"Mom..." My voice cracked. "Jason... killed my babies. What am I going to do?"
She wrapped me up, holding me like she could stitch my broken pieces back together with her arms.
I tried to hug her back, but all I could do was cry. I was now a girl who'd lost everything worth holding.
From the hall, voices drifted in. Whispers, but loud enough for us to hear.
"Isn't that Alpha Jason's Luna?"
"What happened to her?"
"And why's Alpha Michael with her instead of her mate?"
Sylvia's head snapped up. And before I could blink or react, she was already at the door, swinging it open so hard that I flinched.
"You've got something to say?" She asked as she rested an arm on the doorpost and placed the other on her hip. Her eyes swept over the nurses lingering too close. "You think gossip's part of your job description, right?"
One nurse rolled her eyes and walked away. Another muttered about reporting her. Sylvia arched a brow, curling her lips. "Go ahead, sweetheart. The HR's going to love hearing how much time you spend whispering instead of working."
Then, her eyes landed on a patient in a wheelchair who was blatantly staring. "And you," she said tilting her head toward him, flickering her manicured fingers, "if you put half this energy into your own life, maybe you'd be walking past me like the others, instead of rotting in that chair. Now go, before you sprain something else."
She hissed and stormed back inside, shaking her head. "Idiots."
"I think you should leave," I whispered to Michael, drying my eyes with the back of my hand.
His brow furrowed. "Why?"
"I don't want you dragged into gossip because of me."
He opened his mouth to protest, but my mother cut in gently, "Alpha, she's right. We're deeply grateful for all you've done, but please understand that it won't help anyone if you get caught up in this. You know how fast rumors spread in this pack."
He exhaled, then gave a small nod. "Alright. Please, call me if you need anything."
Just as he turned for the door, his phone buzzed. He checked it and faced me in horror. His face instantly went pale.
"What is it?"
Sylvia rushed to him, and leaned closer to peek at his screen. "Fuck!" She gasped as her hands flew to her mouth.
"Ella, there's a headline about you. It's... it's on the wolf news community," she stammered.
My mother stood. "What's there?"
She read aloud, voice shaking:
"Scandal Rocks Alpha's House: Luna-to-Be Rhaella Hammond Exposed in Shocking Affair and Abortion Attempt."
"What?!" my mother yelled in disbelief.
"Me?! Wait, what? An Affair?!" I gasped. "That's a lie! I'd never do that!"
"True or not, Ella..." Sylvia's eyes flicked with worry. "You're in big trouble."
Rhaella's POV
I can't believe my ears. Is Jason trying to pin his affair on me?... on me! Like I'm the one who cheated? He wants me to look like the whore while he's the saint? Goddess... this feels like a bad dream.
I stared into space, not knowing what to say next. Sylvia was right... this is beyond just a scandal. Even my mom isn't safe from the fallout. At worst, the Pack Senate could sentence me to death for disgracing the pack's name.
"Wait... Ella." Mom's voice cut in. Her eyes wide, and desperately searching my face for answers . "Tell me the truth. Did you... did you really have an affair?"
The question knocked the breath out of me. My knees trembled. "Mom!" My voice broke. "If someone came to you and said I did that... would you believe it?"
Her hands flew up. "No, no, baby... no! That's not what I mean. I just... this came out of nowhere. I don't understand, I'm... I'm lost."
I wrapped my hands around my body trying to cool my burning chest. My head was spinning now, and I bit down on my lip until I tasted blood.
How am I going to get out of this?
Michael uncrossed his arms and stepped closer to me. "Ella," His voice was steady but sharp. "Before I found you in Jason's room... who was there with you? What happened?"
I took a deep breath, then forced myself to tell them everything, right up to Jason's silence as he walked past me and the horrible things Dahlia said to me. By the time I finished talking, Sylvia's jaw had dropped. My mom was even more shocked.
"Wait." Sylvia's voice snapped. "You're telling me the bitch Jason's been screwing is your half-sister?! The nerve of that asshole!" She laughed, sharp and humorless. "Goddess, I'll fucking twist that bitch's neck till she begs for death!"
Michael turned gently toward her, giving her a quiet look. But Sylvia spun on him. "What? You're gonna tell me to calm down again? Can't you see what your precious cousin is playing at?!"
"Please!" My voice cracked as I staggered back, clutching the hospital sheet like it could hold me together. "I can't handle you two fighting right now." I turned to my mother, desperate. "Mom... what am I going to do?" My throat burned. "I'm messed up."
My mom straightened suddenly, wiping her own tears. "We can't sit here, waiting for them to come bury you. We need to leave now before the press gets here."
My stomach twisted. "Leave?"
"Yes." Her tone was firm. "It doesn't matter what your side of the story is, Ella, no one is going to believe you over Jason. They already know where you are. And Jason will want to turn this hospital into the stage for his little story. We can't let them have cameras all over your face. We have to move. Fast."
Sylvia and my mom were packing my bag when the door slammed open and three Gammas stormed in.
"By order of Alpha Jason..." Gamma Bane began. Jason's personal bimbo. He didn't even bother with respect anymore. The other two yanked me by my arms.
"Don't you dare touch her!" my mother cried, throwing herself in front of me. One of them shoved her back and she fell hard to the ground on her buttocks.
"Mom!" I screamed in rage, hitting the guard hard across his face. My wolf clawed at my chest, whimpering but too weak to rise.
"Bane! Since when did we start handling Lunas like criminals!" Michael yelled, stepping in but Bane walked up to him, whispering something in his ear. Whatever Bane said turned Michael's face pale. He shot me a look full of panic and rage, then shoved the guards aside and ran out. I knew something was terribly wrong, but no one else knew what it was.
"Take her," Bane ordered flatly.
Sylvia lunged, but Bane caught her wrist. "This is none of your concern," he snapped. "You'll only make it worse for her."
She jerked free, eyes blazing. "Worse? You're dragging her out like a criminal in front of her mother. And you want me to sit still?" She kept thrashing and cursing but Bane pushed her aside with brutal force that, she hit the wall with a cry, sliding to the floor.
That was my breaking point. I wanted to spit in his face, scream, claw at him until he bled. But my eyes darted to my mother, trembling on the ground, and Sylvia who was clutching her ribs and glaring at the men with all the defiance she had left. I couldn't risk them being hurt more because of me.
"Wait outside." I ordered gently as tears welled up in my eyes. But they hesitated. "We were ordered..."
"Oh! You want to stand here and watch me change clothes?" I snapped. "Or would you rather drag me half-naked through the halls in a hospital gown?"
Their eyes flickered with unease. And one by one, they obeyed, filing out, including Bane, though he lingered a bit giving me a look I couldn't read before shutting the door.
The room fell silent. Only my mother, Sylvia, and I remained. "Ella, please, don't do this," Sylvia begged. "You know what Jason's capable of. Don't walk into his hands."
I shook my head. "If I run, I'd be putting you both in danger. And I can't let that happen." My throat burned, "I'll be fine."
My mother's lips trembled, but she nodded slowly forcing herself to let me go.
I grabbed the bag she'd brought, and shakily pulled out and change into the jeans and black hoodie she had carried all the way from home.
When I opened the door, the Gammas were waiting. And the moment I stepped out, their hands moved to grab my arms. "Don't touch me!" I growled, my voice echoing through the corridor. "This is an investigation, not an arrest. Remember your place!"
Whispers rose from the onlookers gathering around. Nurses and patients. Even doctors.
"They say she had an affair."
"How shameless."
Each word tore me into a million pieces, but I kept my fists clenched and my head high. I would not give them the satisfaction of seeing me break. Especially for something I didn't do.
Behind me, Sylvia waa scolding and cursing the blabbermouths. But I didn't turn back. I just walked, every step I took heavier than the last, straight into whatever storm Jason had waiting for me.
This ends tonight.