"Are you still not done with this, Gio?"

I heard my mother-in-law's voice, low and urgent. "This will kill her. You know how weak she’s getting…"

I froze outside the door.

I had planned to surprise Gio tonight. After years of heartbreak, I was finally able to carry a healthy baby to term. I thought he was alone in his study—I never would have dared to intrude otherwise. He had always made it clear this room was off-limits.

But then I heard something I wasn’t meant to hear.

"Do I have a choice?" Gio's voice was cold. "Aia will die if I don’t do this. That monster will take her."

Aia?

I hadn’t heard that name in years. My chest tightened as I clutched my stomach, feeling the life growing inside me.

"You married her just to use her as a sacrifice for your dying fiancée?" his mother hissed. "Those children weren’t just hers, Gio. They were yours too."

I sucked in a sharp breath.

I had lost every pregnancy before this one. We grieved together—at least—I thought we did. I thought it was fate, my body betraying me. But now…

"I never wanted kids with her," Gio spat. "I don’t even love that old woman. I married her because it was my duty—to protect this town from the monster that lurks every damn week!"

I staggered back. My body trembled, my heart shattering into unrecognizable pieces.

Old woman.

I was twice Gio’s age, yes, but he had told me it didn’t matter. He had whispered to me in the dark, kissed my wrinkles, traced the veins in my hands, and told me I was beautiful. He had told me I was the best thing that ever happened to him. He had said… he loved me.

Lies.

"The monster needs an offering. Our child is the best we can give." His voice was emotionless. "It’s the only way to keep Aia alive."

A wave of nausea slammed into me.

Aia was supposed to be dead. He had told me she had succumbed to illness before our wedding. He said he had moved on, that he had learned to love me!

"What if she finds out?" his mother challenged. "Do you really think she’ll stay? This town was hers to begin with. You took her power by marrying her. And yet—"

"Mom, I don’t care!" Gio snapped. "All I care about is Aia."

A sob caught in my throat.

I thought he had ignored me on our wedding night because of grief. I thought he had forgotten our anniversaries because he was busy. I thought, after five years, that he had finally changed, that he had finally accepted me.

But he couldn’t even bear to look at me when we made love. He kept the lights off. He never wanted to see me, touch me, truly be with me.

And now I know why.

"Kath’s pain is what heals Aia. Her agony is Aia’s relief."

I slid down the wall, my entire body shaking.

This wasn’t just about our child.

All the children I had lost—they hadn’t died from complications.

Gio murdered them.

And I had suffered to feed Aia’s life with my pain.

I heard a chuckle.. "You’ll lose her if she finds out. Don’t say I didn’t warn you."

"She can’t find out," Gio said. "Can you keep a secret?"

I pressed a hand over my mouth to silence my sobs.

"What is it this time?" his mother sneered.

"The monster isn’t satisfied with the children anymore. He wants more."

My blood ran cold. My fingers dug into my stomach as if to shield my baby from the words slashing through the air.

More?

"I made a deal with him," Gio continued. "He wants someone intimately close to me. I can’t give him Aia. So I’ll give him Kath instead."

The floor tilted beneath me.

I barely heard the door creak open and shut as he left.

I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t move. Couldn’t think.

I was nothing more than a sacrifice, a vessel to bear his offering to the beast. And once I gave birth, he would give me, too.

I had given him my love, my trust, my body—only for him to take my soul for Aia’s sake? I dragged myself up, my body trembling with their betrayal.

I stumbled deeper into the room.

And there she was.

Aia.

Sleeping peacefully, curled in the bed, untouched by the nightmare I lived in.

Gio’s true love. The woman he had never let go of.

On the wall above her were pictures—Gio and Aia in their youth, arms around each other, smiling, glowing. Their prenuptial photos.

Before he was forced to marry me.

Before he stole my power, my name, my life.

I pressed a hand to my belly, feeling the faint movement of life inside me.

"Baby…" I whispered, my voice breaking. "Your daddy will sacrifice not just you, but me too."

I wasn’t going to let that happen.

I turned and walked out, my mind racing.

If Gio had made a deal with the monster in the woods, then so would I. If he was willing to offer me, then I would offer something greater. I would give the monster this whole damn town.

I would do whatever it took to survive. And when the next full moon rose, I wouldn’t be the sacrifice. To hell with love. I will live. And I will make them all pay.

I remember Aia too well. At eighteen, she mocked me for being untouched at twenty-eight. At thirty-two, I saw her again—as Gio’s fiancée. My parents wanted him to lead the town, but only if he married me.

I fell for him instantly. After years of feeling nothing for men, I finally wanted someone—I wanted him. So when Aia fell ill and was declared dead, I won’t lie—I felt relieved. Nothing stood in my way anymore.

Except for one thing: my age.

He was twenty-five, I was forty—almost twice his age. But he said he’d try, that he’d risk everything for me. And I believed him. For five years, I thought he had learned to love me.

But now... Aia was back. Alive. Her parents called it a miracle. And worse—my husband acted as if he hadn’t known, as if he wasn’t part of this twisted game.

My hands clenched as he returned from the town meeting, his eyes fixed on Aia as if she were all that mattered. He didn’t look for me. Didn’t check on me—despite knowing I was set to give birth tonight.

As the town’s strongest witch, I had used my powers to prolong my pregnancy, ensuring my baby’s survival. But after what I overheard last night—after this—did it even matter?

“Babe, are you feeling okay? Your body’s trembling.”

Whispers sent chills down my spine. Silence filled the room as all eyes turned to me. The town’s most powerful people watched, waiting. They knew I was Gio’s wife—but they also knew Aia was the woman he was meant to marry before her supposed death.

“Missus, are you all right?” my apprentice asked.

I turned away, tears brimming in my eyes, but I couldn’t stop the sob that escaped when I heard what Gio said next—words he didn’t even bother hiding beneath the chatter of the guests.

“I missed you, babe. I’m so happy you’re alive… and back on your feet.”

“Oh, I missed you too,” Aia purred. “I just didn’t know you’d marry someone else.”

I sucked in a sharp breath, stepping back. I wanted to leave, but a voice stopped me.

“Mrs. Sotto, congratulations! You’re finally having a healthy baby!”

I turned to see my father’s old ward, a woman who had always been envious of me. She held the hand of a young child, no older than seven—her son.

“Finally, you’ll have one to catch up with mine,” she sneered.

I tried to walk away, but she grabbed my arm, making my stomach twist in pain.

“Come on,” she whispered, motioning toward the scene behind us. “Look at him. Your husband, holding another woman like she’s a rare jewel. And you? He didn’t even spare you a glance.”

“Let me go,” I muttered, barely able to breathe through the ache in my chest.

“Why?” she taunted, then suddenly shouted, “Gio! Kathleen’s jealous! Don’t do this to her!”

Laughter rippled through the crowd. I felt like I was suffocating.

I looked at Gio, and for the first time, I saw a flicker of guilt in his eyes. He let go of Aia, murmuring something to her. She rolled her eyes but smirked, satisfied.

He sighed as if he were being inconvenienced, then walked toward me, putting on that fake, practiced smile.

“Love…” he called softly.

I swallowed back the pain.

“Don’t worry,” he whispered, his voice low enough for only me to hear. “I’m just happy she’s alive. That’s it. You’re the one I love.”

Liar.

He pulled me away from the crowd and into a quieter space.

“Love, don’t be upset,” he said, wiping my tears away. He looked perfect—his eyes shining, his posture confident. But I knew better. He had only dressed up like this for Aia’s return. As if he hadn’t known all along that she was alive.

“Our baby will be here tonight, right? Healthy and strong. Don’t let your emotions ruin this.”

I bit my lip, shaking my head. I wanted to tell him my plan—to lie and say our baby had died before birth. But I knew better. If he thought the baby was gone, he’d offer me to the monster right away. I needed time. I needed a chance to make my own deal.

“I won’t cry anymore,” I whispered. “But I’m hurting.”

He pulled me into his arms, humming softly.

“Don’t be, love. You’re my wife. You’re the mother of my child. You’re the only beautiful woman I know.”

It burned. Every word was a lie.

“Let’s go inside. You need to rest.”

He led me to our room, but when he left, I followed him. Quiet. Careful.

He entered his secret chamber, the one I was never allowed inside. I held my breath and peered through the gap in the door.

And I saw him kneel before Aia.

He kissed her bare knee, his fingers trailing up her exposed skin. One by one, he unbuttoned his shirt, discarding it like a burden. Like a man about to worship the only woman he truly loved.

“She’s dying tonight, right?” Aia asked, her voice a seductive whisper.

“Mmm… for sure,” Gio murmured. “And the baby too.”

Aia giggled. “Then let’s make our own babies while we wait.”

I couldn’t breathe. I pressed my fingers into my palm, pinching my cheek to keep myself from breaking down.

I had married a traitor. A monster in disguise.

But I wouldn’t let him win.

I wouldn’t die. And neither would my baby.

“All the entities, all the souls I saved and lost, save me and my child from demise," I whispered in desperation.

I brewed a potion to make me stay strong. Five hours had passed, and the childbirth ceremony was about to begin.

As before, I would give birth under the moonlight, where my powers were strongest. But now, I saw the truth—Gio and his mother had deceived me, making me believe my babies were stillborn, only to offer them afterward.

"I'm sorry, Father, Mother," I whispered. "The town you gave your lives to has betrayed me. Now, they'll feel my pain."

I poured the potion onto my necklace and drank the last drops—to keep myself sane. One thing was clear—The monster didn’t devour the dead, meaning my children were alive before Gio sacrificed them.

The clock struck seven. Gio took me.

"Careful, love. We wouldn’t want anything to happen to our baby," he murmured, pressing a kiss to my forehead.

My lips trembled. Oh, how I wanted to smash his face and expose him for the liar he was.

"Lie down, Kathleen," his mother instructed, guiding me to the ceremonial bed.

Clad in a thin white cloth, I lay beneath the open sky, surrounded by water, oil, and blood—traditional wards against evil. Yet, those who harmed me most were the ones I trusted.

A blindfold covered my eyes. My heartbeat thundered in my ears. Chanting filled the air as warm liquid smeared across my swollen belly. Gio’s grip tightened around my wrist.

Then—a sharp prick at my neck. A small sting. A needle, perhaps. Now I understand why childbirth always left me weak and disoriented. Each time, they drugged me into unconsciousness, only for me to wake to the same lie—my baby hadn’t survived.

Not this time.

Minutes passed. The potion took effect. Then, footsteps—distant but approaching. The monster. I had never seen him. Only my father and Gio had. All I knew was that he was massive, ruthless, and powerful.

I slowly opened my eyes.

The crowd was gone. Gio’s mother had disappeared.

Only he and I remained. And my baby.

Pain wracked my body as I brought my child into the world. A sharp cry pierced the air. My vision blurred, but I saw it—something large, something covered in fur... and then it shifted.

Into a man.

The monster... is a man—a lycan?

"What do you offer for the flower you seek?" The monster spoke, his voice deep and commanding.

"My wife," Gio answered without hesitation. "She carries the bloodline of those who destroyed your pack years ago."

What is he talking about?

"The baby is yours, as is the woman. In return, you will give me the flower that will bring my beloved back to life. That was the deal, correct?"

I swallowed the bile rising in my throat as I watched Gio kneel before the monster.

"The whole town knows of this. No one will come for her. She is yours. Nothing will go wrong, as promised."

Wrong. I would return. I would make my own deal.

Darkness clawed at my consciousness. My body swayed, weak from childbirth, but my mind remained sharp. I was lifted onto something soft. I heard my baby crying.

I forced my eyes open.

Slowly, I reached for the small silver dagger tucked against my body.

"S-stop..." I rasped.

The movement around me slowed.

"What the?!" The monster growled.

Suddenly, his massive form shrank, shifting into something smaller—more human. He dropped me, and pain jolted through my body as my weakened bones struggled against the impact.

I cradled my baby, my breath hitching. The monster—now a man—was bleeding. Profusely.

"W-what happened to you?" I asked, unable to suppress my concern.

He was young, strong, and devastatingly handsome—but gravely wounded.

"None of your business. You're mine now. I own you. You will do as I say."

Yet, as he spoke, his body trembled, his strength waning. Then, I caught the scent—wolfsbane and poison.

"You're dying," I murmured.

"Oh yeah? And so are you—"

"Let me offer my life to you." I negotiated. "My baby and I were betrayed by my town. Let me pledge my life and loyalty. Not only will you have me, but you’ll have the town that destroyed your pack. You want revenge? So do I."

He scoffed, stepping closer—barely clothed, barely standing. "And why should I trust you, old woman?"

"Bite me. My blood is laced with power, with honesty, with loyalty. If I betray you, I will die."

His brow furrowed. "And the baby?"

"Not my baby. Just me. Bite me, and you'll see. Your wounds will heal."

I expected hesitation, but in an instant, he was behind me, his claws grazing my skin as his canines sank into my shoulder. He wasn’t feasting on my blood—he was stealing my power.

Darkness swallowed me as I collapsed, drained. Only my baby’s steady breath assured me he was still safe.

A breath ghosted against my ear. "Did you trick me?"

I shook my head weakly.

"Then explain this," he demanded, stepping back.

I forced my eyes open, struggling to see him clearly. But it wasn’t him that caught my attention—it was my own reflection in his piercing blue eyes.

Not old. Not wrinkled. Not broken.

I looked young again. As if the past twenty years had vanished.

I gasped. "I... I became young again!"

His lips curled into a smirk. "Maybe because you're now fated to me, woman."