Kane

As soon as she finished, my arms automatically moved forward, and I hugged her, pressing her to my desperate chest. My heart felt so empty without her, without her tenderness, without her scent, without her existence.

She jerked in my arms, pounding her fists against my back. "No! No!"

But I knew she was in pain, so I simply held her.

Her tense body soon relaxed and merged with mine. Her screams turned to sobs as she burst into tears in my arms, and I simply hugged her tightly. "Just calm down, please..."

I felt each tear out a piece of my heart. Her heartbreaking moans made me bleed. How will I survive this pain? How will I live without her?

"I’m with you," I whispered, making sure she was safe in my arms.

Her body relaxed, and her crying stopped; she went limp in my arms. If I hadn’t held her so tightly, she would have fallen.

"Zara!" Her name escaped my lips as I pulled her away, holding my Luna tightly in my arms. Her eyes closed, her head tilted to the side. She had lost consciousness.

Worried, I picked her up and carried her to the bed, laying her down but still holding her. It seemed the intense emotions she’d experienced had broken her.

I slowly shook her. "Luna! Please open your eyes," I called desperately, and her eyes slowly opened, filled with tears and pain. Relief washed over me as I held her, unwilling to let go.

She looked at me silently, but I knew a million thoughts were racing through her head at that moment.

This moment. We simply froze in that agonizing, blissful moment, a moment when she didn’t push me away, and I didn’t let go.

"Do you hate me that much?" she asked slowly, as if losing a battle. Her gaze slid over my face.

"I could never hate you, Luna. You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met. Inside and out."

She merely snorted in response and turned her head away, breaking the connection that had formed between our gazes.

"But that wasn’t enough for you, even my love wasn’t enough. You are a cruel man, Alpha." With these words, she turned away from me, pulled the blanket over her head, and hid.

***

Zara

Alpha tried to talk to me again, but my wolf was too grief-stricken to listen. Hidden under the blanket, I refused to turn my head in his direction or continue talking. But I could hear him pacing around the room and knew he hadn’t left.

How could I even tell him? I wasn’t sure myself and knew I needed to see a doctor first to confirm. I waited for him to leave the room. As soon as I heard the door click shut, I reached for my phone.

Overwhelmed with nervousness and anxiety, I searched online to see if it was possible to get pregnant even after taking the pill.

The results shocked me. Taking the pill within 12 hours of unprotected sex reduced the chance of pregnancy by 97%; there was still a 3% chance of getting pregnant.

And if you take the pill after 12 hours, the chance of not getting pregnant drops to 89%. That was a whole 11% gap, and I was right in it.

’What’s the point of these pills if they don’t work?’ Nova was worried, too.

’I so wanted to hope that, like those stupid pills, the test kits were also faulty, but deep down, I knew I was pregnant. The main question was, how to talk to Alpha about this?’ I said to Nova.

’He’d probably deny the baby was his, knowing I’d slept with someone else.’ Nova suggested.

’This was far worse than you could have imagined.’ I disliked my wolf opinion.

’Maybe I needed to leave here and return to dad house. I couldn’t bear this mental anguish any longer, and with a baby on the way, I couldn’t afford any risks.’ I said to her.

Maybe I’d search his room and closet one last time, looking for any clues. Gathering my strength, I finally got out of bed and dragged myself to the closet. Locked inside, I took out a strip of paper wrapped in tissue paper and put it in my bag.

Zipping the bag, I hid it in the closet and turned to face him.

Something, anything, that could guide me. A document or a clue that would let me know he was somehow connected to the present disasters in my life. I checked his clothes, his pants and coat pockets, his drawers, but nothing.

Desperation had me on the verge of a breakdown again when I noticed something stuck under his shirt and between two shelves.

As if someone had hastily tried to hide something. Upon reaching there, I pulled out what looked like soft, black fabric hidden under his clothes.

My ragged breathing was interrupted by painful attacks, and my eyes nearly bulged from their sockets with horror and shock. How could he?

No, no, it can’t be.

Trembling with disappointment, anger, and self-blame, I let the sickening realization crash over me and settle in my stomach. Shadows will take our heir when he is born. How did Alpha know this?

The truth tangled itself inside me like a death knot. There was no doubt left in my heart. The truth was there, right there.

What was this obsession with me? What had happened to me. Have I ever done anything bad?

I felt like throwing up. With each passing minute, I became more and more resigned to my fate. My wolf and faithful companion would never forgive me if I disgraced us like this, but anxiety twisted my stomach until only nausea remained. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

This was our moment, a test that would prove our mettle. We’d fought outcasts, demons, and a couple of hot-tempered alphas, but never this. This was completely new, in both the best and worst ways. Give me something to fight against, and I’d win or lose with pride, but I wasn’t sure I could handle this.