Sofia's point of view.

"How can you be so heartless, Vincenzo? What do you mean you sacrificed all of Sofia's kids in exchange for Viola to stay alive?" George's voice boomed from Vincenzo's study, and my legs stopped abruptly in their tracks.

"You must be out of your mind. Those were your flesh and blood!"

"I have no other option," Vincenzo replied. "Viola's heart keeps failing, and the doctor said only the blood of a fetus can keep her alive."

My heart stopped when I heard Vincenzo, my mate whom I had loved wholeheartedly, utter such words. George's frustrated growl vibrated through the walls; I could hear disbelief and disappointment in his voice.

"But those were your children, one of them could have been your heir. How could you be so cruel to those innocent children? Heck, which doctor in their right senses would demand the blood of a fetus for treatment?"

Vincenzo let out a dry laugh. "I can't watch the love of my life die, George," he said.

"The love of your life... Then why are you still with Sofia? Why not send her away?" George asked, sounding pained.

"I can't send her away because she's my mate, and you already know that only my mate can bear my heir since Viola's womb can't carry children. That's the only reason I'm keeping her around, to give birth to my heir after Viola's recovered and we're happily married."

My whole world shattered at this moment. I couldn't bring myself to believe that my loving mate would say or do something so cruel to me and my unborn babies.

Vincenzo's the alpha of Ironclaw pack; we've been living together for the past five years after discovering we're soulmates. He loved and cared for me greatly; he pampered me and worshiped the ground I walked on—but all that was just pretense.

We've been trying so hard to have a baby these past years, but to no avail. I kept having miscarriages and wouldn't stop blaming myself for having a weak body, unbeknownst to me, he was the cause of all my miscarriages.

"She desperately wants to be a mother, and I'm not going to stop her because the sex is good." He chuckled after saying those words.

"But Vincenzo..."

"Enough!" Vincenzo interrupted George. "I'm your alpha, and you shouldn't address me by my given name. As for Sofia, as long as she continues bearing Viola's life support, she won't suffer!"

I couldn't believe he's referring to our kids as his mistress's life support. Tears flowed down my cheeks as I squeezed the test results in my hand, recalling the doctor's reassuring words earlier. "Congratulations, Luna, after our thorough check-up, I'm pleased to inform you that this pregnancy will develop to maturity."

He can't find out about this pregnancy; I mustn't let him have his way this time. I quickly shoved the squeezed papers into my pocket, wiped my tears, and pushed the doors open, then pretended like I stumbled on the doorstep.

Vincenzo noticed me; he looked shocked at first but quickly regained his composure and rushed forward to help me gain balance with a concerned and worried expression—which I now know is fake.

"Are you alright, my love?" he asked, to which I replied simply with a nod.

"When did you get here? Did you hear me talking to George?" There was a hint of panic in his voice.

"No, I..."

"What happened to your face? Why is it so red?" He paused as he narrowed his eyes, trying to figure something out. "Have you been crying?"

"No," I answered, almost too fast. I took a deep breath and wore a fake smile.

"I was trying to recreate a makeup I saw online, but apparently, I'm not skillful enough." I lied smoothly.

He laughed playfully.

"Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it soon." He reassured me sweetly. Lies—I screamed mentally.

George gave me a pitiful look, but I pretended not to see him. Vincenzo glanced at the wall clock, then faced me with a broad smile.

"It's almost dinner time; let's go make dinner," he said. I nodded simply. He faced George with a stern expression. "Reply to Alpha Micah and tell him to arrange the meeting hall properly!"

My brows furrowed when he emphasized on "the meeting hall," and I couldn't help but wonder what he was planning.

"Let's go, my love," he said, grabbing my hand, and we left.

******

Dinner was ready, and we were at the dining table. None of us spoke a word; silence hovered around for a moment until he broke it.

"My love, I'm going on a business trip in three days," he said. I almost rolled my eyes at his obvious lie. "Alpha Micah is having some issues. He said there have been some rogue sightings at his pack's border lately, and he wants me to come over and see if... "

I tuned out whatever he was saying because I knew he wasn't going on any business trip; he was only going to keep his sick mistress company.

"...not so long. Can you cope without me for three days?" he asked. I didn't listen to everything he said, but I nodded anyway.

Just then, his phone beeped, and a notification popped up. I took a quick glance, only to read a heartbreaking message.

[Baby, when are you coming back to Las Vegas? I've booked a wedding planner already!]

Wedding planner? Was that the business trip Vincenzo was going on? Just then, another message popped up.

[My doctor said I need more fetus's blood. Can you bring more while you're coming?]

My blood ran cold instantly.

Sofia's point of view.

Vincenzo quickly snatched the phone from the table and shoved it into his pants pocket, unaware that I had already seen the incriminating message his mistress sent to him. They're still targeting my unborn child. They've not had enough; they'll never have enough. I bit my tongue as tears threatened to rush down my face, and unfortunately, I was able to hold them back.

"Why aren't you eating, my love?" he asked when he noticed my sullen expression. I looked at his face, wondering why I couldn't figure out his true colors sooner, and I couldn't hold back anymore – I let myself break down, letting my tears flow freely.

Fake concern instantly flushed his face as soon as he saw my tears. He jumped out of his chair and crouched next to me. "Are you alright? Why are you crying?" Worry laced each question. If I hadn't known his intentions towards me, I'd have leaned on his shoulder and let him comfort me. But right now, I couldn't help the irritation brewing inside of me.

"Come on, my love, talk to me. You know, seeing you cry breaks my heart." Not wanting to have his filthy hands on me anymore, I gently withdrew my hands from his and pretended to wipe my tears.

"I'm fine," I inhaled deeply. "It's just... I'm just feeling guilty for having a weak body and not being able to bear you children. I'm so sorry." I apologized, knowing fully well that's not the reason I was crying – I'm only apologizing for being a fool, for being foolishly in love and loyal to him.

He let out a laugh as he reached forward to wipe my tears. "I'm not blaming you, my love," he stood up and hugged me from behind. "We're in this together, we'll keep trying until we get it right." He reassured me sweetly. A wave of irony washed over me, and I chuckled quietly.

"I'll talk to the nutritionist and see how we can improve your diet. Oh, don't forget to meet with Doctor Lena tomorrow for your regular checkup, okay?" I simply nodded and gently pushed him away from me.

"I'm full," I said.

"Are you sure? You barely ate anything." He signaled to my plate, which was still filled with untouched food.

"I don't have a good appetite tonight. I'll just go take a shower and sleep." With that, I stood up and left before he could say anything.

"Alright. I'll just reply to some emails and join you soon," he shouted after me. I scoffed and rolled my eyes at his words – reply to emails or reply to your mistress?

Reaching our room, I quickly texted Lisa, my best friend, to help me book a doctor's appointment. I'll abort this pregnancy before Vincenzo finds out about it – I won't allow their plan to succeed this time.

*****

The next morning came too soon. I wished I'd wake up and realize everything was just a bad dream, which unfortunately wasn't. I looked at the space beside me; Vincenzo was nowhere to be found. A beep from my phone on the bedside table caught my attention, and I quickly reached for it. A text from Lisa popped up – "Doctor Tucker said he's ready to see you tomorrow" – the text read.

I sat up, rested my back against the bed's headboard, and looked down at my belly as I rubbed my hands over it tenderly. "I'm sorry, child, I must do this because your father doesn't want us." I apologized to my unborn child.

Just then, Vincenzo walked in with our cook following behind him. His face lit up when he saw I was awake, and he took quick, long strides towards me.

"Good morning, my love," he greeted me cheerily as he bent down to place a kiss on my forehead. "You were already asleep when I came in last night, did you have a good sleep?" He asked.

Getting irritated by the pretentious smile on his face, I nodded, then he continued. "I have the cook prepare a meal according to our nutritionist." He gestured to the cook to hand him the food, and he made to feed me.

"Here, have a taste and tell me what you think." I took a few bites and gave him a weak smile.

"It's nice." "Good!" He exclaimed, then dumped the food on my lap and signaled me to feed myself. I scoffed mentally as I wondered why I couldn't see these obvious red flags.

"Oh, right, my love, tomorrow is my father's 67th birthday celebration, and we'll attend it together." "As your personal maid, right?" I asked, because I knew that's what he was going to say next.

"Yes," he sighed, pretending to be sad. "You know my father doesn't know you're my mate yet. You know how much he hates the omegas, and he'd be extremely mad if we just dropped the bombshell on him." He explained.

His excuse suddenly sounded so lame that I stopped myself from laughing. I know I'm an omega, but that doesn't make me any less of a werewolf.

Right at that moment, his phone rang, and as usual, it was his mistress calling him. He quickly hid his phone behind him, gave me a small smile as he stood up at once.

"It's a very important business call. I'll be right back." And with that, he exited the room.

I chuckled bitterly; my life was such a joke. I looked down at the bland food before me and couldn't resist the urge to vomit. Putting the food aside, I rushed to the bathroom and started vomiting.

Then I heard Vincenzo's voice behind me: "Are you pregnant again?"

Sofia's point of view.

Wearing a fake sad smile, I shook my head as I turned to face him. "No. I guess my stomach is just having a hard time digesting the new diet," I played it off coolly, silently praying he believes me.

"Oh." He sounded and looked disappointed at my response, but quickly wore a smile as he took my hand and led me back to our bed. "There's been a change of plans, my love. You know, since my dad's the celebrant of tomorrow's occasion, we're expected to be there today. It wouldn't look good if we went there tomorrow, so you're going to pack up a few things, and we'll hit the road."

Obviously, he's just using his father as an excuse. He's definitely going there early because his mistress wants him to be there.

"Come on, pack up. We're leaving in fifteen minutes." He said, planted a kiss on my forehead, and exited the room almost immediately – I saw an irritated look on his face before he left. I should be the one getting irritated – I screamed mentally.

Anyways, I dragged my tired feet towards the closet and began taking out a few clothes. My plan for tomorrow is to leave the celebration midway and go for my scheduled doctor's appointment. So, I packed up everything I needed.

*****

It was a forty-minute drive from our house to my in-laws' – well, soon-to-be ex-in-laws – home. The atmosphere was a bit rowdy, as everyone was busy with one thing or another, and I could already feel a burden on my shoulder because I knew my mother-in-law would start screaming my name to come help out with the chores – after all, she only knows me as her son's personal maid.

"Mom!" Vincenzo's voice boomed excitedly as soon as he set eyes on his mother, who was talking with some women.

"Oh, my baby boy is here," she exclaimed, equally as happy as her son. Vincenzo pulled – maybe I should say dragged – me along, as he rushed to give his mother a hug.

"My baby, I've missed you so much."

"Me too," he replied. They soon pulled away from the hug.

"Come on, Viola is here too." She said, leading us towards a big hall. "You know, Viola's such a good girl. She has been here since yesterday."

"Oh, really?" His mother gave him a playful, scolding look. "Oh, really? As if you don't know she's here." She chuckled.

We only took a few steps away from the entrance when we saw Viola laughing heartily with Vincenzo's father. I took a glance at Vincenzo and saw him smiling so passionately at their direction; it was obvious that he loves and approves of the scene before him.

"Honey, look who's here." His mother called out to his father, who instantly looked towards us.

"Son." He signaled Vincenzo to come over for a hug. "You're early. Is it because Viola's here?" He teased Vincenzo.

"Dad, no!" Vincenzo suddenly became shy – I guess that's the effect Viola has on him.

His mother faced me. "Hey, you. Come with me, I'll take you to the kitchen so you can help out."

"Don't worry, aunt, I'll take her." Viola volunteered.

"Aww, such a sweet girl." Viola smiled shyly and ordered me to follow her. I looked at Vincenzo; he simply nodded in approval. I took a deep breath and followed her without saying a word.

****

"So, you're the other woman?" Viola suddenly asked.

"I'm his mate." I answered.

She scoffed. "You're deceiving yourself," she paused briefly. "You think I'm truly sick and needed your kid's blood to survive?" She let out a mocking laugh. "I'm very much healthy. In fact, way healthier than you, but I hate you, I hate the fact that you're fertile, that your womb is perfectly fine to carry his children, and I can't because my womb is too weak."

Hearing her cruel words, hot tears flowed down my cheeks. I couldn't believe she's legitimately blaming her barrenness on me. I mean, I don't even know she existed until recently, so why would she blame me for not being able to carry a pregnancy?

"I hate your entire existence in his life, and you must pay a price for your selfishness. I'll continue being sick; I'll make sure he kills each and every child you conceive. I'll make sure you don't have any child for him."

Her words were bullets shooting right through my heart. Why is her hatred for me so great? It wasn't my fault that Vincenzo and I are mates – I'm not the moon goddess, for crying out loud.

"And you know what," she paused, scrolled through her phone for a brief moment, and then showed it to me. "We're already making arrangements for our wedding, and it's happening in three days!" She snatched the phone away from my face. "Our wedding is going to make the headlines; everyone's going to be there. Make sure to be our guest, darling."

Not wanting to hear anymore of her taunting words, I gently pushed her aside and was about to leave. But she suddenly grabbed my right hand, slapped herself loudly, and fell down, then burst out crying.

I speechlessly stared at her superior acting skill.

"Viola!" Vincenzo's mother exclaimed, rushing over with Vincenzo hot on her heels. "Vincenzo," Viola cried intensely as he caressed her cheek; genuine worry washed over his face immediately. "It hurts."

Vincenzo quickly snapped his head towards me with an annoyed look on. "Why did you hit her?" he queried me.

"No. I didn't hit..." My words were left unfinished as Vincenzo's mother landed a resounding slap on my face.