Chapter 2

Beatrice 

My body burned with an excruciating pain after waking up from my slumber. I staggered back to my feet and shook my head with a sigh after hearing them moan inside the bedroom without caring about my presence. 

My heart clenched in pain when I realized what was happening. I wasn't dreaming. I wasn't asleep. Everything that I saw happened was real. None of them were fake or illusions. 

What was fake was my so-called friend who backstabbed me and snatched my mate away from me? 

Not only did she make me lose him but she also made my child without a father because he no longer wanted us. 

He rejected the pregnancy even though it was his offspring that was inside me. He refused to listen to me and chose my friend over me despite the years we've been together. 

“I'm strong. I'll get through this,” I muttered to myself and forced back the tears that threatened to pour from my eyes when I realized that I was lying to myself. 

How could I be strong? How would I be able to get through what I'm facing? What if he tells everyone that he was not the father of my unborn child and I got pregnant out of wedlock? Everyone would believe him. He was the Alpha anyways. His pack members had to believe whatever he said. 

“But why do I have to suffer in the end when I finally got what he has always wanted?”

I had to endure a lot of insults from my parents and elders and even pack members because I was unable to conceive. They were all expecting an heir but I couldn't give it to them. 

I prayed to the moon goddess, asking for her mercy. Now, I finally got pregnant but he pushed me away claiming that I got pregnant out of wedlock. He claims it wasn't his own child. How? 

I clenched to the hem of my gown and cleaned the tears that rolled down from my eyes. 

“Hope you're fine, my lady,” one of the guards at the doorstep asked as I walked out of his chamber. 

I nodded my head gently and walked away without sparing a glance at him. 

I decided to go to my parent's house since he wasn't ready to see me. Even though I knew how strict and disciplined my parents were, I went there. 

I wouldn't kill myself because he rejected the pregnancy, right? He could still accept me, couldn't he? 

I couldn't help but wonder why I kept lying to myself. Maybe because it was the only way I could get better or I could ease the heartache I was experiencing.

Getting to my father's house, I took a deep breath and leaned closer to the door. I stayed before the door for a while contemplating whether to open the door or not. 

I held the knob of the door with my hands trembling in fear. I pushed the knob of the door and walked into the house after mustering courage. 

They all stopped what they were doing and turned to me with an awkward look on their face. It was as though they were waiting for my arrival. 

“And that's the return of the prodigal daughter.”

“Do you know the weak vessel? I mean wolf.”

“Look how tattered and unkempt she looks. The Alpha's wife indeed.”

“I'm ashamed she's my sister.”

My heart clutched in pain for a while as the comment of my siblings kept ringing inside of my head. I stared at them for a while without saying anything. 

I had nothing to say. I didn't know what I could say. I could only watch them. Who am I to complain? I was the weakest and most unfortunate among them. 

I wouldn't dare to raise my hand on any of them even my younger siblings because my parents were going to punish me. 

I was used to their insults anyway so I was unfazed. 

“Where is that bastard girl? Is she back?” My heart skipped in fear as I heard the cold and fierce tone of my father's voice. 

He rushed down from the stairs with an angry look on his face and my siblings who had been making noise kept quiet immediately upon sensing his presence. 

I bit on my lower lips and clenched to the hem of my clothes tightly with my heart racing rapidly. 

“Dad,” I called and he walked toward me coldly without saying anything. 

Before I could spell Jack, he slapped me across the right cheeks and I found myself crashing against the table before me.  

Blood spurted out of my lips and I turned to him with a bruised face. I rubbed my hand on my cheeks that were burning with excruciating pain. 

“What have I done? Why did you slap me?” I asked in a weak tone and he grunted. 

“How dare you address me as your father after you chose to embarrass me?”

“I don't know what you're talking about…” I stammered in fear even though I had an idea of what he was talking about. 

“Shouldn't you start explaining who is the father of that fetus inside of you?” He asked and I swallowed the lump in my throat. 

“Ethan is the father of the child. What did he tell you?” I asked in a low tone. 

“How dare you lie to my face!” He yelled and I scampered away in fear. My hands shook vigorously, same with the rest of my body. 

I was extremely scared and terrified, not aware of what my father was going to do. 

“I'm not lying. He's the father of the child…” he slapped me again and more blood gushed out of my mouth. 

“You! You're not nothing but a shame to me and the whole household,” he said and pointed his finger at me while trembling in anger. 

“I wonder how the other elders would look or address me in the pack. The family would be the talk of the town because of you, you bitch,” he said and kicked me. 

I only laid on the floor almost lifeless without doing anything. 

“We don't need you in this family anymore so you should leave. You should know that I've disowned you too,” he said and my eyes widened in shock. 

“What!” I crawled toward him and started to beg so he wouldn't kick me out of the family. I stared at my other sibling, who glared at me. 

None of them dared to interfere but I bet they were in support of my father's decision. They never liked or considered me as a member of the family. They all despised me. Some of my sisters were jealous of me being mated to the Alpha despite being the weakest among them. 

He took a deep breath and turned to me with a cold look as though he wanted to reconsider his decision. 

“I'll only accept you back into this family if you get rid of that chick inside of you and apologize to him that you aren't pregnant,” he said and I shook my head negatively. 

How could he say such a thing? I knew his consideration would cost something but I never expected him to go extreme. He was among those people who cursed and abused me because I couldn't give birth to the heir that yet he wanted me to abort the unborn child inside of me just because of his reputation. 

“I can't do that,” I said and staggered back to my feet with an angry look on my face. 

“You should get out then since you chose to disgrace our family. You're no longer a member of the Blake family once you step out of this house,” he said and I shook my head with a sigh. 

I rubbed my hand on my stomach protectively and staggered toward the door with my legs aching badly. “Goodbye to you all,” I said and left without sparing a glance at them. 

I would rather leave the family than to abort my child that I have been praying all night for. 

It was heartbroken and disheartening that the relationship I had with my family had to end in such a way but I was left with no choice. I couldn't afford aborting the wonderful and innocent soul inside of me because of his so-called reputation. 

I had nowhere to go so I decided to return to Ethan whether he would consider the bond between us and accept me back. 

**

Getting to his pack, I kept getting different dirty glares from the pack members and some people kept gossiping while staring at me. 

I had a feeling that they were talking about me. But why? My heart skipped in fear as I heard some of their conversations. 

“Look at her!”

“She's so shameless. She couldn't get pregnant for the Alpha yet she got pregnant for another person.””

“She opened her legs for someone else. She's an ungrateful bitch!”

“She's a whore.”

I wanted to yell to their faces that everything was false but who was going to believe me anyways? 

Why?

That two-faced bitch who claimed to be my friend, Eleanor, had spread the rumor about me getting pregnant out of wedlock. But why? 

I know she was doing everything that she could do to secure Ethan as her man but I didn't expect her to go to such an extent.

I was also surprised when my father scolded me for getting pregnant out of wedlock even though it was false. She had fed him with lies. 

I trusted the wrong person. Perhaps I shouldn't have trusted anyone. No one deserves our trust. 

“Get out of my way,” I pushed the guards, who tried to stop me from entering Ethan's chamber. He must have warned them not to let me in because they normally stay out of the way whenever I arrive.  

“What do you need?” Ethan asked in a cold tone and I looked up breathing heavily. 

He sat cross-legged on a couch with the two-faced bitch beside him. Eleanor looked up and smiled at me cunningly. 

“I have nowhere to go,” I muttered and sat down on one of the couches without sparing a glance at any of them. 

“It seems your father has sent you out like he said he would,” Eleanor said and chuckled darkly. 

Ethan stood up from the cough he was sitting on and turned to me with a fiery look on his face. “I would only accept you back only on one term and that is if you'll become a slave,” he said in a tone that brook no argument and my body shivered. 

I felt a cold chill run down my spine. 

“A slave?” I shuddered and he scoffed.

“So what? Shouldn't you be grateful?” Eleanor asked and rolled her eyes at me. 

“It's fine if you don't want to accept the offer. But you should know that once you reject the offer, I won't hesitate to banish you from the pack,” he said and I choked into nothing. 

Banished? But I've done nothing wrong. What have I done to deserve all this? 

“Fine, I accept,” I muttered and lowered my head in shame. I couldn't afford to stare at any of them in the eyes. 

I didn't want to but I knew if I rejected it, I would be banished and thrown out of the pack. And leaving the pack without a note from the Alpha will make me a rogue. And rogues are regarded as outcasts. I would be hunted by other packs that I cross paths with in the future. 

I don't want such a fate considering the fact I was also pregnant. What a sad fate! 

“Now that you're a personal maid, you should go and prepare dinner for me and my baby, Eleanor,” he said and rubbed his hand on her stomach. 

“So what are you still waiting for?” She asked. 

“I can't do it,” I muttered and placed my hand under my chin. 

“What did you just say?” Eleanor asked with an angry look on her face. 

“I'm sure you're not deaf. I said I can't prepare dinner for both of you,” I said coldly and she got infuriated. I was also frustrated by their demands. I was losing it at that moment. 

“Who do you think you're to defy the order of the Alpha?” She asked with an angry look. She pointed her finger at me while trembling in anger. 

I hissed and responded. “He's an Alpha to you but he's my mate,” I said in a cold tone. 

“That's something you can never become, his mate,” I said, emphasizing on the last part of the statement. 

“You!” She groaned and dashed at me. 

I held her arms midway before she could slap me. She whined in pain as I twisted her arm backward. 

“How dare you!” He yelled and pushed me away before catching her in his arms. She hugged him and began to cry.

I knew it was fake. 

“Guards,” he called and three guards rushed in immediately. 

“Take her to the dungeon and whip her till she bleeds or passes out,” he ordered authoritatively.