#Chapter 4 Something Taken, Something Gained

Miranda's POV

“This is none of your business!” I shriek and yank the test out of Lily’s hand. Protectiveness courses through my veins, which Lily notices. She backs away, hands in the air as if she’s innocent.

“If you say so, Miranda…” Her words are coated with mischievousness and deception. My stomach twists, nausea worsening, as I watch Lily slowly exit my home.

Once the door is closed, I let out a quiet weep. I hold onto my belly, feeling a need to protect them from the dangers that lie within Lily, Harper, and my Alpha father. Their motives stem from malice, from hatred, from a need to control me.

I will not let them control my child.

The months pass, and my belly has gotten bigger and bigger and bigger. As time ticked by, the threat of Lily never left me, but I decided to shake it away, not wanting to let it control my life.

Months after living in hiding, I felt a sharp pain in my stomach and knew it was time to bring my future into the world.

After long and painful hours, my child is born, his cries filling the small, run-down hospital room. My breathing is deep and ragged. I reach out for the baby, only for him to be snatched away before he can even reach my hands.

A weep leaves my body when I notice Lily holding the baby. She looks down at him, ill intention written all over her face. She glances in my direction, smirking.

“You really know how to hide things, don’t you, Miranda?” Lily asks in a condescending tone. I shake my head, weak hands extended out for my son.

“Lily…Lily, please!” I cry. My body falls out of the hospital bed, my side slamming against the ground. Lily laughs through the sounds of loud beeping from hospital equipment. I look up at her, tears running down my face.

Lily cackles, head thrown back. She steps away from me, taunting me with my newborn baby, before swinging her leg in my direction. Her foot connects with my stomach, and I scream out.

Pain shoots through my body. It feels like someone is digging a blade into my skin, torturing me as a punishment. Lily holds my baby out, tilting her head to the side, not paying attention to my cries for help.

“I’ll get rid of this disgraceful child. You’ll meet him again…in hell.” Her words take the air out of my lungs. A doctor enters the room, barely looking in my direction, as Lily hands him a thick, white envelope. “You know what to do.”

The doctor nods and pulls a needle out of his pocket. He looks at me, and Lily waves, exiting the room. I shake my head, my vision blurry from my tears, and I scramble backward. He kneels in front of me, jabbing the needle toward my body.

I look to my side and grab a nearby metal tray. I swing it in his direction, hitting the needle out of his hand. He tries a few more times only to be met with the metal tray. The tray falls to the ground with a clatter and all I have left to defend myself with are my fists.

I swing at the doctor, my fingernails connecting with the side of his face. I drag them into his skin and draw blood. He yells in pain, lunging backward. He grasps his cheek and scrambles out of the hospital room.

I exhale, cramps overtaking my stomach, violently spreading throughout the rest of my body. I cry out for help, but no one comes.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆

     

Five Years Later…

“Mommy? Are we going to your old home?” A young girl, Ella, asks. Her tone is filled with pure curiosity.

“Shh! Mommy’s working!” Noah, my son, responds, leaning over my lap to look at Ella. He tries his best to be mature instead of acting like a kid.

A smile spreads across my face. I lean back in the airplane seat and look between my two children, sitting in the middle seat between them. I wrap my arms around their tiny bodies, bringing them in close. They giggle and attach themselves to my side.

Five years ago, I was blessed with two more children. I carried triplets instead of the single son that Lily stole from me. My two children are the best things that have ever happened to me.

After their labored birth, I decided that I needed to change my life so they would not know the same desperation and pain I felt after my mother passed. I inherited my mother’s work on curing wolf-related illnesses. My work skyrocketed my popularity, making me a rising star despite my mysterious persona.

My laptop dings and my attention is drawn to the screen. I click the notification, and an email fills my screen.

The person is polite and writes very flattering things about my work. They’re asking for my help to come and resolve a crisis within a pack. The amount of money they offer catches my eye, but my expression turns sour when I see Lily’s name attached at the bottom.

My father’s formula failed months back, losing all the effectiveness it once had. His business began to fail, and I watched it fall from a distance. Guess this was his attempt to save himself, using Lily as his pawn to gain back success.

I delete the email, refusing to give it any more time than they deserve.

The airplane lands after I delete the email. I help my children with their bags, guiding them through the busy airport. Once the building opens up to the public, Ella and Noah point at a woman who stands nearby.

“You two are so cute!” She exclaims, smiling down at my two kids. Ella breaks out of my grasp and latches onto her, receiving kisses from the woman. She turns to Noah and says, “Come on, buddy, don’t leave me hanging!”

Noah maintains his cool expression and hugs her. She hugs him back, and quickly plants kisses all over his face, earning giggles from Noah. She pulls away and makes eye contact with me.

“Hi, Anna,” I smile at her. She smiles back, and we share a brief hug.

“Hi, Miranda, long time since you’ve seen the pack!” She exclaims, taking Ella’s hand in hers. We make our way towards the exit, my kids not paying attention to us. “Maybe this time, the Moon Goddess will finally gift you your fated mate.”

“No wolf would ever accept me as a mate, especially because I have kids with someone else,” I laugh at the idea. Anna looks down at the kids, who pay attention to each other instead of the adults.

“Do you regret having them?” Anna asks in a low tone.

“I will never regret having Noah and Ella…they’re the best decision I’ve ever made.” I sharply respond. Anna nods and helps move Ella and Noah out of the way of nearby people. “I’m here to take back the pharmaceutical company. The one they took from me.”

By gaining control of the company, something my mother left to me after she passed, I will finally be able to fulfill my mission of revenge. I want my father, Harper, and Lily to pay for all of the pain they inflicted on me. I want them to feel the sting of hardship and suffer as I once did.

“That’s going to be a tough battle, Miranda. Are you sure you want to go through it?” Anna asks. I glance at her, my eyebrow perked up from curiosity. “I heard Lily is engaged to the Alpha King.”

I stop walking. The three take a few steps ahead of me before they stop. They stare at me, beckoning me to follow.

Sebastian is the Alpha King. He’s the same man who didn’t show up to the social gathering years ago, the same night I was blessed with my beautiful children. I stare at Anna and smirk.

“Even the Alpha King can not stop me,” I respond with conviction.

He will not come in the way of me and my future.