Ella's POV.

“Jason!”

My voice cracked, ripping straight from my chest. For a moment, everything felt unreal, like my mind was refusing to accept what my eyes were seeing.

Jason froze mid-thrust. For a split second, something between guilt and irritation flickered across his face, but it vanished as quickly as it came. He didn't scramble for a sheet or stammer an excuse. He just sighed, like I had walked in on him doing something as mundane as reading a newspaper.

Finally, he pulled away, and that was when the real shock hit me. The person Jason had been cheating with all along was… Dahlia, my half-sister. The same girl who always eyed everything I had and rolled her eyes when Jason held me in public.

Goddess! 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 have done this to us. He didn’t even give me a chance to tell him about our babies.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Dahlia drawled, rolling her eyes. “You're such a fun-killer, Ella.”

She didn't even bother to look embarrassed. She tilted her head lazily against the pillow, a slow, mocking smile spreading across her lips.

I couldn't believe my eyes.

“You… You've been f*king my sister?!”

“Half-sister, Ella. Let's not pretend like we were ever close.”

My hands trembled at my sides. The sonogram was still clutched in my fingers, and I could feel the paper crumpling beneath my grip.

“Dahlia…” My voice came out strangled, barely a whisper. “Get out.”

She laughed, then she stretched lazily, making no move to cover herself. “Jason, darling, would you like to tell her, or should I?”

Jason slowly reached for his shirt and pulled it over his head, completely ignoring me. He lit a cigar and took a slow puff. Only then did he look at me. When he finally spoke, his voice was sickeningly calm.

“You should've knocked, Rhaella.”

Those words hit me like a physical blow. I stumbled back half a step, letting out a disbelieving scoff. “Knocked? Jason… are you insane? This is our bedroom!”

Dahlia snorted from the bed. She propped herself up on her elbows, her hair spilling over her shoulders. “Actually, sweetheart…” she gestured around the room. “...this is his bedroom. You just sleep here.”

I ignored her and kept my eyes locked on Jason. “How long?” My voice cracked. “How long has this been going on?”

“Why does it matter?” He paused, his eyes cold. “But if you must know, just long enough for me to know what I want... and what I don't.”

Dahlia climbed off the bed and deliberately let the sheet fall away as she walked toward me. She stopped just inches away from me, a smug smile tugging at her lips.

“C'mon little sis, did you really think Stormwolf would accept a barren Omega as its Luna forever? Every Alpha deserves an heir. Which is something you can never give him.”

My eyes burned with tears as Dahlia's voice dropped to a whisper.

“Stop acting like you didn't see this coming. You're not even Luna material. You're just a filthy wombless Omega.”

That undid whatever patience remained inside me. I tossed everything in my hands to the floor, and my wolf lunged forward in my mind, clawing for control. I heard a growl tear from my throat, and before I could stop myself, I was already moving.

“You scheming bitch!” I screamed, lunging at her across the bed, going straight for her smug face.

Dahlia gasped and for half a second, she actually flinched. Her mask of arrogance cracked, and I saw fear in her eyes.

But before I could touch her, Jason leaped over the bed, stepping between us.

“Don't you dare, Ella!”

He grabbed both of my shoulders and shoved me backward.

My heel caught on the edge of the rug, and I hit the floor with a loud THUD! My head slammed against the marble floor, and air rushed out of my lungs. But the pain in my head was nothing compared to what tore through my abdomen.

A sharp cramp twisted through me, so sudden that I screamed. I clutched my stomach, gasping, my body curling instinctively around the pain.

I looked down and saw crimson liquid spreading across my gown. It pooled beneath me, soaking the white marble tiles. My hands trembled as I touched the wet stain, and when I lifted my fingers, they were covered in fresh blood.

My eyes widened in horror.

“No…” The word came out like a sob. “No, no, no…”

Jason stepped closer, with Dahlia standing right behind him. I saw his eyes drop to the floor, and then to the sonogram lying in the pool of blood. His face had drained of color, and for the first time since I arrived, he looked genuinely shocked.

He slowly picked it up, his fingers brushing against the edge of the bloodstained sonogram. As he stared at the image, his mouth fell slightly open.

“Ella…” he breathed. “Wait... are you...?”

Ella’s POV.

“Jason…” I choked out through tears, my voice breaking. “The pups… please… I can't…”

“You're… pregnant?”

Dahlia snatched the paper from his hand before I could answer. She stared at it, and for a moment, something flickered across her face… before it suddenly hardened. She let out a short laugh.

“Seriously…?”

She turned to face Jason. “You can't possibly believe this,” she said sharply. “You know she's been infertile for years. And now she suddenly turns up pregnant?” Her laugh rang through the room. “She probably slept with someone else. Maybe even fabricated this just to trap you.”

She threw the paper back onto the bloodstained floor and immediately grabbed Jason's arm.

“Don't fall for this. I know her. She's pretending.”

I stared at her in disbelief.

“That's a lie!” I screamed, my voice trembling with pain and rage. “The pups… they’re yours, Jason!”

I looked at him, desperately searching his face for any sign that he still cared.

“How… how can you just stand there and let her say all this about me…?”

He said nothing. He just looked at Dahlia, then back at me. His gaze flickered with doubt and hesitation… but it didn't last. He straightened, his face now holding nothing but a cold stare.

“Dee is right. There’s no proof that they’re mine,” he said flatly.

Those words shattered me more than the fall ever could. I stared up at him, my vision blurring with tears I couldn't hold back anymore.

Was this really the man I had fallen in love with? How could he watch me, his fated mate, bleed out right in front of him and still choose her?

Another wave of pain tore through me as the cramps twisted into something more savage. I screamed, clutching my stomach as more blood spread beneath me. Dahlia stepped back, wrinkling her nose.

“Well, you brought this on yourself,” she said coldly. “You attacked me first. Jason was only trying to protect me.”

Through the haze of pain, I clenched my teeth. I knew I needed to save my babies, but I wasn't going to beg them. I wouldn’t give either of them the satisfaction of watching me crawl for mercy.

Using the edge of the bed, I forced myself onto my knees, then slowly to my feet. Fire shot through my abdomen with every movement, but I didn't stop. I picked up the bloodstained sonogram from the floor, pressing it tightly against my chest. Cold sweats trickled down my face as I stood there, trying not to fall.

Jason reached for me, and just for one brief second, I thought he was going to help me. Then he glanced at Dahlia, who was watching him with narrowed eyes, and just like that, his hand slowly fell back to his side.

A weak, bitter laugh slipped out of me.

“You…” I swallowed against the pain. “You don't deserve to be a father.”

I tightened my grip around the sonogram.

“And I swear by the Moon Goddess, if anything happens to my babies… because of what you did…” My voice shook, but I forced myself to look straight at him. “I’ll spend whatever life I have left making both of your lives miserable!”

My gaze shifted to Dahlia.

“You wanted my life so badly? Fine. Just pray nothing happens to my pups.”

Neither of them said a word. I turned away from them and staggered toward the door. Every step sent a wave of pain through my body. Blood dripped from the hem of my gown, leaving small red stains across the polished tiles behind me.

I stumbled down the stairs, one hand pressed against my stomach, the other clutching the sonogram like it was the only thing holding me together. The front doors swung open just as the workers started filing in through the gates. They were carrying the bags and packages from their errands and chatting amongst themselves.

The moment they all saw me, the chatter died instantly. Everyone froze with widened eyes.

One of the maids dropped the basket in her hands and rushed toward me.

“Luna!”

Jason's chauffeur hurried over as well.

“What happened to you?” he asked, reaching for my arm.

I pressed my car key into his palm. “Please…” My voice shook. “Help me. I need to get to the hospital.”

His fingers closed around the key. But before he could move, every servant in the villa suddenly went still. Their eyes glazed over, and a second later, Jason's voice echoed through the mind of everyone in the compound, including mine.

“Everyone, stand down!”

My heart sank.

“Let her leave on her own.”

The chauffeur’s hand slowly dropped. The maids exchanged helpless glances. They stared at me with frightened eyes. But nobody moved. Of course, they couldn't dare disobey the Alpha, not even for me.

And in that moment, I knew no one was coming to save me. I closed my eyes for a few seconds and forced myself to breathe. When I opened them again, I reached for the key in the chauffeur's trembling hand and took it back. Immediately, I unlocked my car, climbed in while struggling against the pain, and then slammed the door shut.

The engine roared to life, and I drove through the gates without looking back.

– – – –

The streets rushed past me in a blur. My vision kept swimming in and out of focus, and the pain in my stomach was getting worse. I slammed my palm against the steering wheel, screaming through my tears.

“Please…” My voice broke. “Please… my babies… just hold on a little longer…”

I pressed a trembling hand against my stomach. “Mommy's taking you to the hospital. Just hold on, okay? Please…”

I didn't care that I was crying like a child. I didn't care that blood was soaking into the driver's seat or dripping onto the floor. All I could think about were my babies. I had prayed for them for years, and I couldn't afford to lose them now.

My head dropped forward, but I jerked it back up.

“No. Stay awake, Ella.”

I blinked furiously, trying to clear my vision, but the road kept shifting in front of me.

Out of nowhere… a deafening horn blasted through my ears. I looked up and saw headlights. A car was speeding toward me from the opposite lane. My heart jumped, and I immediately yanked the steering wheel to the side. The tires screamed against the road, and the car swerved violently.

My vision went dark again, and I felt my body slump forward. My forehead slammed into the steering wheel, and my car horn blared continuously.

Through my fading vision, I saw a tall figure running toward my car. The sound of his hurried footsteps reached me a second before my door was ripped open.

“Easy… I've got you.”

His deep voice cut through the ringing in my ears, and his strong hands slipped around me, one behind my back and the other beneath my knees. He lifted me out of the driver's seat like I weighed nothing.

“Stay with me!”

I tried. I really tried to, but my eyes were already closing. I forced them open one last time and caught a blurry glimpse of his face… dark hair, a sharp jaw and eyes I couldn't quite make out.

As he adjusted me in his arms, the collar of his shirt pulled open, and something caught my eye.

There was a mark on his left chest. A crescent-shaped moon. I knew that symbol. I'd seen it before, years ago, in old books and stories everyone said were nothing more than legends. The mark of a Lycan. But that was impossible. Lycans didn't exist in packs like Stormwolf. At least, that's what I'd always been told.

My mind was spinning, but the pain crashed over me again, and my eyelids grew heavy. The last thing I felt was his cool hand brushing against my forehead as he laid me in the back seat of the waiting SUV.

I gripped his wrist with what little strength I had left.

“Please… just… save my pups.”

Ella's POV.

The next thing I woke up to was the steady beep of machines around me, a rhythm that reminded me that I was still alive. I slowly forced my lashes apart, blinking against the harsh white light. My arm felt heavy. I lifted it weakly and saw the cannula taped to the back of my hand, a thin tube feeding a clear bag of liquid into my veins.

The hospital.

“Thank Goddess!” Sylvie's voice jerked me toward her. “You're finally awake!”

She shifted on her chair, and I could see the panic in her eyes. They were red and swollen, with dark circles carved beneath them like she hadn't slept properly in days. Her black curls were tied in a messy knot.

Sylvie was one of the few honest friends I had. The only one who never cared that I was an Omega, despite her being a Beta. Others only tried to get close after learning our pack's Alpha, Jason, was my fated mate. But Sylvie… She was there long before that.

“Do you know how scared I've been?” Her voice cracked. “I’ve been sitting here for four days, watching you sleep… talking to myself like some crazy person…”

“Four days?” My throat was dry, so my voice was barely a whisper. “How... how did I get here? Who brought me in?”

Sylvie grabbed a cup of water from the dispenser and held it to my lips. I drank slowly, letting the cool liquid soothe my throat.

“Some guy found you,” she said, setting the cup down. “You'd crashed your car. And thank Goddess he rushed you to the hospital just in time. The doctors said if he'd been even a few minutes later…” She shook her head, not finishing the sentence. “But nobody knows who he is. He just dropped you off and vanished. Didn't leave a name, nothing.”

I blinked, trying to remember. The memories came back in several pieces, and then... I remembered the mark I had seen on his chest. But that couldn't be right. I was probably hallucinating from the blood loss.

“Syl…” My hand flew to my stomach. “My babies... Please… tell me they're okay.”

From the corner, a shadow shifted. Michael, Jason's cousin, 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.

I turned to him, confused. “Michael? How… did you know I was here?”

He pushed himself off the wall and stepped closer, shoving his hands into his pockets. “I went by Jason's villa this morning. One of the staff told me you were in the hospital.” His jaw tightened. “I've been searching every room in this hospital since then. But I found Dr. Chloe, and she directed me here.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but the door swung open and Dr. Chloe walked in. Her white coat was creased, and my chart was clutched tightly in her hands. She didn't meet my eyes at first, and that made my stomach tighten.

“Luna,” she began, her voice professional but gentle. “You're stable now, and your vitals are good. But I won't lie to you… the bleeding was severe.”

Sylvie wrapped both hands around mine, squeezing like she was afraid I'd vanish if she let go.

“Dr. Chloe,” I cut in, my voice trembling. “Please. Just... just tell me about my pups. They're okay, right?”

She hesitated a bit. Her eyes flickered to the chart, then back to me. “Rhaella... I'm so sorry. We did everything we could, but…”

“But what…?!” I snapped, panic bleeding into my voice. Sylvie squeezed my hand, but I barely felt it. I was already falling apart.

Dr. Chloe took a breath. “You had a miscarriage, Rhaella. We couldn't save them. I'm so sorry.”

Please, tell me I didn't just hear that.

“Mis… miscarriage?” I asked in a choked whisper, tears threatening to spill from my eyes.

“Ella…” Sylvie started.

I yanked my hand from hers, pushing myself up despite the sharp pain that tore through my abdomen. I could barely contain my emotions.

“No… no…” I shook my head repeatedly, refusing to be comforted. “No, Dr. Chloe, please... there must be something we can do. Please, I can't... I can't just let them go…”

I tried to get off the bed, but Sylvie's grip tightened around me, holding me in place. I was already broken, and tears slid down my cheeks uncontrollably.

“I’m so sorry, Ella.” Dr. Chloe's voice was gentle, but firm. “There's nothing we can do to bring them back. What matters now is you… you're safe. You're recovering well, and you should be discharged soon.”

Recovery? Hell!! That word meant nothing when the only thing worth recovering from was gone. My wolf was completely 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 eighteen. Proof that I wasn’t empty and that I could be a mother too.

But now they are gone. Because of Jason.

Hot tears streamed down my face as I clutched my stomach, desperate to feel something… anything… but there was only emptiness.

Sylvie finally let go of my arms, briefly pacing around the room like a caged wolf. “Why is Jason not here, Ella?” she demanded. “These are his pups too! Don’t tell me he’s behind this!”

She 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.”

“Sylvie!” Michael’s voice came quiet but sharp with warning.

She stopped and spun to face him, flaring her nostrils. “What?! You want to defend him? Tell me you don't know your precious cousin has 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 freaking 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. “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.

Michael uncrossed his arms and stepped closer to me. “Ella,” he said, his voice steady but sharp. “What exactly happened between you and Jason? How did you end up like this?”

I took a deep breath, then forced myself to tell them everything, the horrible things Dahlia had said to me, and right up to Jason's order for everyone to let me leave on my own. By the time I finished talking, Sylvie’s jaw had dropped.

“Wait…” Sylvie’s voice snapped. “You’re telling me the bitch Jason’s been screwing is your half-sister?! The nerve of that asshole!” She laughed humorlessly. “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 Sylvie spun on him. “What? You're gonna tell me to calm down again? Can't you see what Jason is playing at?!”

“Actually,” Dr. Chloe said softly, “there's something else I’m yet to tell you…”