“I am very sorry, but you had a miscarriage. The triplets didn't make it.”

The healer's words left me speechless, while my mate, Alpha Nicholas King, immediately ran to my side and wrapped his arms around me.

I've heard those words from the same healer four times now, yet the pain was still as intense as the first time. I should've been used to it by now, but the pain of a Luna losing her pups was more than unbearable. It was tormenting, killing me from within.

“It's alright, Olivia,” Nicholas said, caressing my hair and kissing it in an attempt to comfort me. “Your reproductive health isn't in the best shape, but it's not your fault. Nothing is your fault, my love.”

I knew he was heartbroken, probably dying inside as well. He had always been like that—always telling me that it was fine and we could try again. He even hired a couple of top-tier nutritionists to take precautions with my diet and wouldn't allow me to consult other healers because the one in this hospital was the best in the field across the whole country.

But all of what I thought was care and love turned out to be lies the moment he left the room and his childhood best friend, Charlotte, called.

I trusted the Alpha with my life, and I've known Charlotte for six years, ever since she was introduced to me when Nicholas and I got married in my small village, where I was born and raised. So, without any doubt, I answered the call, only to have my world come crashing down.

“How was the abortion?” she asked.

I was instantly taken aback. W-What abortion?

“Make sure that the fetuses are intact, babe. The last specimen you sent lost an arm, and you know I need perfect. So I just didn’t use it and discarded it.”

Silence fell as Charlotte waited for my response, assuming I was the Alpha. Eventually, she sighed heavily and resumed speaking.

“You must be with her right now, comforting her—that's why you can't talk. But remember, I only allowed you to be with her because I'm studying abroad, and I was considerate enough to know that you have sexual needs. But aside from that, I need her ability to conceive so I can use specimens for my research.”

My hands trembled, almost loosening their grip on the phone. Before I knew it, silent tears began streaming down my face.

“Olivia has already conceived seven pups, but all of them are illegitimate because your marriage to her is fake, Nicholas. They weren't even conceived out of love.” Charlotte paused for a moment to laugh, her tone utterly mocking. “You didn't marry her in that disgusting village in the countryside to avoid controversies about you, the Alpha and sole heir to the biggest company in the country, marrying a hybrid peasant. You did it because it was fake, and you wanted her to believe that you truly loved her.”

She laughed again, while I silently cried, my heart tearing apart.

How could they do this to me? If I hadn’t picked up the call, I would have still been unaware of all the lies they fed me. I wouldn’t have known I had been deceived.

“And most notably, you feel no remorse when Olivia suffers a miscarriage—if that's even the right term—because you've been secretly lacing her food with herbs to terminate her pregnancies and disguise it as a natural loss. Those healers and nutritionists? They weren't there to safeguard her pregnancies; they were there to make sure the fetuses were in perfect condition for my research.”

Everything she said was unbearable, each word shattering the hopes and dreams I had been holding onto… the dream of a perfect family.

I had always longed to create a safe and loving home for my future pups, but the cruel truth was that they were never meant to live in this world—they were only meant to be used in a laboratory.

Charlotte sighed again. “Take care of Olivia and ensure she remains capable of conceiving because, despite having triplets, the specimens are still insufficient. Make her feel loved—at least until I no longer need her. Then, once she's out of the way, we'll finally be free to marry each other. I love you, Nicholas. Always remember that–”

I immediately ended the call as the door swung open, revealing my husband—if I was even still allowed to call him that, knowing our marriage had been nothing but a lie all along.

Yet, I continued to cry, my sobs growing louder as he pulled me into a hug. He believed my pain was solely from the loss of our pups, but little did he know, my tears were for something far worse—I had just uncovered his lies.

He pressed a kiss to my head, and I had to summon every ounce of restraint not to shove him away or slap him across the face. But my body felt weak, and my shattered heart only made it harder to move.

So, for almost the entire day, I remained in the arms of the Alpha who had taken our pup's lives—and was now slowly destroying me too, his Luna.

I lost count of how many times I said yes to Nicholas, always giving him what he wanted. In our six years together, saying no to him felt like a sin. Yet, even when I refused, he remained gentle—never forceful, never angry. But the guilt-tripping? That was something else entirely, an unbearable weight that always led me to surrender in the end.

We had only known each other for three months when he asked me to marry him, and like the fool I was, I didn't hesitate to say yes. We wed in a small village in the countryside, with only him, the Lunar Priest, and Charlotte as the sole witness. My parents, who were humble farmers, weren't even invited.

Looking back, I realized how stupid I was to believe that an Alpha like him could truly love a hybrid like me. Beside him, I felt like nothing more than dust clinging to the surface of a diamond.

Maybe that was why he never wanted to introduce me to his pack—why he kept me hidden away in this empty house in the middle of nowhere. And on the rare occasions he did take me out in public, he never called me his Luna or wife. I was always just his secretary. So, without a doubt, the same thing would happen today as we made our way to his sister’s wedding.

The venue was a city away from our home, giving me the perfect chance to go through his phone when he fell asleep. I knew that whatever I found would break me all over again, but it didn't matter anymore because I was already shattered beyond repair.

I went straight to his messages, scrolling through his chat history with Charlotte. The first thing I stumbled upon made my hands tremble uncontrollably—photos of my stillborn pups, suspended in a glass capsule, floating in some unknown substance.

Nicholas King: They look nice, babe.

Charlotte Bennette: They are beautiful. My professor is happy with the progress of my study, but I need more specimens for accuracy. I need a fetus three months from now, Nicholas.

Nicholas King: I will give it to you, babe. Don't worry. I will make sure that you'll pass your research.

My breath hitched as I read through their conversation, each message cutting deeper than the last. But when I checked the date the photos were sent, my vision blurred with tears—it was exactly three months ago, the same time I had discovered I was pregnant with triplets.

A few hours after that exchange, Nicholas messaged her again.

Nicholas King: Good news, Charlotte! Olivia is pregnant with triplets! You can use them to ensure the accuracy of your study. I’ll make sure the fetuses are healthy, then have her terminate the pregnancy exactly three months from now. I will have them delivered to your laboratory.

I couldn't hold it in anymore, allowing the tears to finally spill. I turned off the phone and carefully put it back into Nicholas' suit pocket, but my loud sobs accidentally woke him up.

“Are you crying?” he asked.

“N-No.” I immediately shook my head and wiped off my tears. “My contact lenses are just irritating my eyes. Don't worry about it.”

Sighing, Nicholas pulled me closer, wrapping me in his arms. “Stop crying, please. I don't want to see tears in your eyes. It hurts me too.”

If I hadn't discovered his betrayal, I might have believed his words. But now that I knew the truth, all I felt was disgust and anger.

"I can't breathe, Nicholas. I need some air," I excused, desperate to put distance between us because his touch against my skin felt like acid.

Thankfully, he let go and kept his distance for the rest of the ride. When we finally arrived at his sister's wedding venue, it was just as luxurious as I had expected—because if it wasn't, their family would surely be ridiculed.

The party was already in full swing when we entered, with guests elegantly laughing at something the host had said. At the front of the room, Nicholas' sister and her husband stood beaming with happiness.

I followed the Alpha closely, like a loyal shadow, until we bumped into someone I never expected to see here.

“Olivia!” Charlotte exclaimed excitedly, rushing toward me and wrapping me in a tight embrace.

Meanwhile, I stood frozen, completely glued to my spot.

“How are you? It feels like forever since I last saw you!”

A bright smile flashed across her face, as if she were nothing but friendly—as if she weren't the monster I knew she was. She had killed my pups without remorse, treated them as nothing more than test subjects. And now, she had the audacity to smile, to laugh, to mock me.

Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to smile. “I-I didn't know that you're back in the country.”

“Oh, not for too long.” She shrugged. “I will just retrieve some…” Pausing, her gaze went down on my stomach. “Some specimens. I can't wait to have my hands on them!”

My hands fisted into a ball as rage coursed through my veins, but when I opened my mouth to say something, the wedding host spoke.

“All of the single ladies, please proceed in front. The bride will toss the bouquet!” she exclaimed, earning excited shrieks from the guests.

I ignored her, but Charlotte grabbed my arm and pulled me forward. Before I could react, the bride turned around, and the bouquet soared into the air.

Time seemed to slow as it descended, each petal caught in a weightless drift—until, in a sudden jolt, everything snapped back to normal when Charlotte pushed me.

The force sent me stumbling, and my eyes went wide in terror as I crashed into the three-foot-tall wedding cake.

I collapsed onto the floor along with the giant cake, while Charlotte caught the bouquet and cheered. She shouted in victory, beaming with joy, but all eyes were on me.

The guests began murmuring among themselves, casting disgusted glances in my direction. I could hear their whispers, their insults—questioning who I was and how I dared to cause a scene at such a luxurious wedding.

Tears stung my eyes as shame washed over me, but I forced myself to stand. I kept my head bowed the entire time, struggling to hold back my tears as I wiped the smeared icing from my skin.

“You destroyed my cake!” Nicholas' sister shrieked, lifting the hem of her elegant wedding dress as she stormed toward me. “You made a mess! Do you even know how much this cake cost?!”

Tears streamed down my face as her fury crashed over me, my sobs mixing with the murmurs of the crowd. “I-I'm sorry…” I choked out.

“Your sorry means nothing! This cake cost more than your entire year's salary!” she snapped before turning to Nicholas in outrage. “Nicholas, why did you even bring your secretary here?!”

Nicholas came rushing over, grimacing as he took in the mess I had made—unaware that it wasn't my fault.

I opened my mouth to speak, to tell them that Charlotte had pushed me, but only broken sobs escaped. And even if I did speak up, would it even matter? They wouldn't believe me. To them, Charlotte was flawless, and I was just a foolish secretary from the countryside. Besides, I was a hybrid, surrounded by pure-blooded, high-ranked werewolves. I meant nothing to them.

“I am very sorry, Steph,” Nicholas apologized to his sister, gripping my arm tightly as he pulled me away from the mess.

I winced at the pressure—his grip was so tight it felt like my bones were being crushed. This was the first time he had ever handled me this roughly, and it only made my tears fall harder.

“We're going to leave now. I apologize again—”

Nicholas was abruptly cut off when the giant double doors of the venue suddenly burst open, revealing my parents. They entered with bright smiles—until their eyes landed on me. Their joy faded instantly as they took in my disheveled appearance, their expressions shifting from excitement to shock and concern.

They carried bags of crops from the village, their clothes humble compared to the extravagant attire of the wedding guests. In their eyes, my parents were probably wearing rags.

My heart raced, and my body went cold as they ran toward me, immediately wiping the icing from my skin, which only made me cry harder. I suddenly felt fragile, the urge to collapse into their arms overwhelming.

“Who are these people?!” Nicholas' mother snarled, her voice dripping with disdain. “Who invited these mongrels to my daughter's ceremony?!”

“We received a letter stating that today was my daughter Olivia's formal presentation as the mate of Alpha Nicholas King,” my father said, his confusion clear in his voice.

Murmurs rippled through the crowd, but my wince drowned them out when Nicholas tightened his grip on my arm, his anger palpable.

“Did you invite them here?” he whispered, his voice low, breath warm against my ear.

“N-No,” I stammered, shaking my head. My gaze then landed on Charlotte, whose smirk grew wider, silently confirming who had orchestrated this. It was her. She was the one who had invited my parents to this event, to humiliate me, as though my family was something to be ashamed of.

“That wretched girl ruined everything!” Stephanie howled, her tears blending with her fury. “She will never be introduced as my brother's mate—never! Nicholas would never bind himself to a peasant!”

“But he already claimed our daughter—”

“Guards! Remove these peasants from my sight!” Nicholas' mother commanded, her voice laced with venom, cutting off my father's words.

“Oh, wait, Auntie,” Charlotte interrupted smoothly, stepping forward, her eyes gleaming with mischief. “Do you really think simply escorting them out after ruining the ceremony is enough?”

Then, in one swift motion, she grabbed a glass of wine from a passing waiter and handed it to the bride's mother—who, without hesitation, splashed the drink onto our faces.

I gasped as the wine drenched me and my parents, staining our clothes. But before I could react further, the guards seized our arms and forcefully escorted us out of the venue.

I looked over my shoulder, desperate to seek Nicholas’s help.

For a brief moment, I saw him hesitate, as if he wanted to run after us—but then Charlotte took his hand. His attention shifted to her instantly, and just like that, we were thrown out without another thought.

The doors slammed shut in front of us, leaving us standing outside as passersby cast looks of confusion and disdain our way.

“What happened there before we showed up?” my mother asked, her voice filled with utter concern. “Olivia, are they hurting you?”

“No,” I replied instantly—a sharp contrast to what I truly wanted to say.

But if I told them the truth, what could they do? I didn't want to underestimate my parents, but I knew we were powerless in this situation. It was better if they didn’t know.

“It's nothing. Both of you must go back to the village now. I'll take you to the port.”

I didn't wait for them to respond; I immediately spun around and hailed a taxi. When we arrived at the port, I purchased two tickets back to the village and handed them enough money for their journey.

I remained silent the entire time, afraid that if I spoke, I would break down and reveal everything Nicholas and Charlotte had done to me. So instead, I simply waved and forced a smile as I watched their boat sail away.

Then, as they vanished from my sight, I turned to leave—but my eyes caught the booth where I had bought their tickets. A voice whispered inside my head, urging me forward, and before I knew it, I was already standing in front of the booth, purchasing a one-way ticket to another country.