**POV: Cassandra**"Mate..." said Sebastian Stones, my husband and Alpha of the Crescent Moon pack, his eyes gleaming with desire.Unfortunately, he wasn’t referring to me, but to the woman sitting next to me at the dinner table, my younger sister, Emily. An anguished silence filled the room as Emily lifted her face and rose toward my husband, murmuring the same word."Mate..." she whispered, almost breathless upon seeing him for the first time after years away. Sebastian immediately let go of my hand, as if all our memories and moments together had been erased.Instinctively, I followed my husband's gaze, which was fixed on Emily. She had just turned eighteen, and her wolf, Ayla, had recently awakened. Her beauty was stunning, with bright green eyes and blonde hair cascading in curls down to her waist. She had undoubtedly inherited our mother Johanna's beauty, who was sitting beside us at the table, as shocked as the rest of the guests, all waiting for my reaction."Sebastian and I h
**POV: Cassandra**I woke up the next day with unbearable pain, as if an invisible force were crushing my abdomen. The room was dark and silent except for the muffled sound of my own labored breathing. I tried to get up, but the pain paralyzed me, and I realized I was lying in a cold, damp pool. My blurry vision fixed on the red stains around me."No... no... no," I whispered, trying to understand what was happening. It felt like my body was being battered, with multiple spasms making me cry out in pain. I took a deep breath, hoping the pain would pass, but it only intensified, causing me to writhe on the bed.Then I heard hurried footsteps and distant voices. The bedroom door burst open, and a group of doctors entered, their faces serious and concerned."Cassandra, what happened?" asked one of the doctors who had been monitoring my pregnancy since I discovered it."I... I feel a lot of pain," I managed to say, but my voice came out weak. "I think... something is wrong."The doctors m
**POV: Cassandra**Sebastian left, leaving me alone. The pain radiated throughout my body. When the door opened again, a faint smile appeared on my lips when I saw who it was.“Mom…” I whispered, breathless, my lips trembling and pale.“Dear… I’m sorry…” She lowered her head, pulling me into a hug. I couldn’t help it; tears ran down my face. I tried to get up to hug her, but my body groaned in pain. I was still bleeding and hadn’t fully recovered.“Mom… please, talk to Emily… she can’t do this to me,” I pleaded, desperate. My mother was the only person who could protect me and make her change her mind.My mother smiled weakly, holding my face firmly. “Dear… this place was never yours. Emily is the destined mate. If you hadn’t coveted what was hers, your children would still be alive… accept your fate!” she said coldly.“Mom…” I murmured, shocked, almost falling to the ground. “Why are you supporting this betrayal?”“Cassandra, I raised you as my daughter, but the truth is that you are
**POV: Cassandra**Sebastian rushed to us, his eyes widening at the sight of Emily covered in blood and the knife in my hands. He pushed me away from her, his gaze filled with anger. She had orchestrated everything perfectly: the white dress, the knife, the blood. I knew she wouldn’t be stupid enough to seriously harm herself, but the tight white dress made it look like she was losing liters of blood.“Cassandra, what have you done?” he shouted, holding Emily in his arms. She seemed to be weakening, unable to stand.“No, Sebastian, it’s not what it looks like! She… she did this to herself! She wanted to frame me!” I tried to explain, but my voice was trembling and the words came out confused. At that moment, Emily opened her eyes one last time, as if bidding farewell, and whispered:“Alpha… I swear I tried to make amends with her, for our family, but she had a fit of jealousy when she saw me in a wedding dress. She ruined my dress and even tried to kill me.” Emily whispered with a fal
**POV: Cassandra**“Quickly, can’t you see she’s in pain?” the doctor said, noticing my pale face and clenched jaw from the pain.The nurse immediately injected my arm with the needle, and after a long time, the morphine began to take effect, but the relief was temporary and insufficient. Days passed quickly, and I had been trapped in that dungeon for more than seven days. The remnants of the placenta still hadn’t been expelled completely, and I could die from an infection at any moment. The pack’s doctor wanted to perform an emergency intervention, but Emily, as usual, sabotaged every plan to make me suffer. She made a point of having sex every night with Sebastian in our room, preventing any attempts at nighttime surgery and intensifying my pain to the point where I could only survive on strong painkillers like morphine. As if being beaten every time she slept with him wasn’t enough, she also made a point of taunting me daily.“I’m sorry, Luna, but I can only give you another inject
**Cassandra's POV**"Bind her and tie her to the horse!" he ordered through clenched teeth, his eyes locked on me, full of hatred.A large brown wolf, marked by a scar crossing his left eye, threw the shackles to the ground. Other men hurried to put them on my wrists. The moment my hands touched the cold metal, I felt a searing pain, as if my skin were burning. I took a deep breath, biting my lower lip to stifle a scream. The shackles were polished silver, and I knew the walk to the pack would be long and excruciating. Under the scorching sun, the silver would burn my skin until it was raw."Take the prisoner and deliver the contract directly to Alpha Sebastian!" the man in polished armor ordered firmly. I looked back as I was pulled away, feeling a tear silently roll down my face."This is the contract I enforce with all the packs under my domain. Clause 14 stipulates that if the contract is violated, I can take whatever I want and eliminate whomever I desire!" he declared with a cru
**Cassandra's POV**"Hurry! Bring the basin with medicated water!" A shrill and hostile voice echoed through the room, forcing me to open my eyes.When I tried to move, I suddenly realized he was right in front of me. His polished armor gleamed under the dim light, and a black mask covered his face, hiding his expressions but not the aura of power that emanated from him."Let me do it!" he responded brusquely, snatching the cloth from the trembling maid's hands. With a swift motion, he stretched the cloth towards me, apparently to place it on my feverish forehead. When his hands rose to touch my skin, I instinctively recoiled, my body shrinking in fear. I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for more pain."Stupid girl, I'm trying to bring down your fever!" he growled impatiently, huffing in frustration before throwing the wet cloth on me carelessly.I swallowed hard, feeling the lump in my throat. He began pacing back and forth in the room, his boots echoing heavily on the floor. There wer
**Xavier's POV**She could barely move, her body trembling more intensely as I pressed her arm against mine. I could feel her weakness, but also the intensity of fear and hatred emanating from her."So, you know who I am," she whispered, her voice trembling, as a solitary tear slid down her pain-marked face."How could I forget you?" I murmured, my lips dangerously close to hers. Inside me, my wolf growled, eager to claim her, but I forced myself to stay in control, not giving in to the temptation to act impulsively."So, you came after me... to collect my father's debt," she said, her voice weak and downcast. The despair was evident in her eyes, but it was soon replaced by intense anger. "How can you be so cruel?" she screamed, pushing me with all the strength she could muster. I stepped back, feeling the impact of the disdain in her gaze. "My father needed that medicine for my mother. She was sick, and my sister was very young at the time. Everything he did was to save her, but you.
**POV Alpha Xavier** --- Dr. Afonso left my office so abruptly that, for a moment, I was paralyzed. When I came to my senses, I realized I was alone with Cassandra. The silence in the room was so heavy it seemed to press down on every corner. Outside, my staff kept their distance, likely too afraid to cross my path in this state. She approached me slowly, her steps measured, her face still pale, but a faint smile graced her lips. Her eyes were gentle, though tired. When she raised her hands to caress my face, the touch was so light and delicate that I almost couldn’t hold myself together. A moment later, she rested her head against my chest, pulling me into a tight embrace. For an instant, it felt like the weight of the world had been lifted. “I love you, you know?” Her voice was a soft whisper, but it carried immense meaning. She seemed so fragile, so small in my arms. “I’m sorry... I’m sorry I couldn’t keep my promise.” Her words cut deep, striking a part of me I didn’t re
**Alpha Xavier's POV** "You bastard! Incompetent!" My voice thundered down the hallway. "I’m going to kill you!"My hands were firmly wrapped around Dr. Afonsos’s neck as he stared at me with wide eyes full of sheer terror. My wolf roared within me, thirsty for blood, demanding vengeance as the only possible justice for the death of my child."I trusted you..." My voice came out low and dark before rising again like a roar. "You told me the herb was harmless! That it wouldn’t harm the baby! And look what happened!"I pressed his back hard against the wall, tightening my grip on his neck. He struggled to breathe, his face turning a deeper shade of red as his eyes pleaded for mercy—mercy I had no intention of granting."Alpha... please..." he managed to croak, his voice hoarse and faint. "I... I don’t know what happened. The herb... it’s never had abortive effects before... I swear, this has never happened!"His desperate, hesitant tone only fueled my rage further. His excuse was a da
**Cassandra’s POV****Five Days Later**"Yes, perfect. Deliver everything to Dr. Afonsos. He won’t suspect a thing." My voice sounded firmer than I actually felt as I carefully placed the collection containers in Maria’s hands. She looked at me with wide eyes, hesitating to take them."Luna, what we’re doing is very dangerous," Maria murmured, her voice filled with concern. "Without Dr. Afonsos, you won’t have any monitoring during your pregnancy—no exams, no prenatal care. This could harm the baby."She paused for a moment, taking a deep breath, as if trying to gather the courage to say what was on her mind."Besides," she continued, her voice breaking, "I think the Alpha has suffered enough. He comes to visit you every day, Luna, and at night the staff hears him crying softly in his office, asking the Moon Goddess why it had to be this way. I’ve never seen a man like him so broken."Tears streamed down Maria’s face. She believed what we were doing was wrong, yet she kept helping me.
**POV Cassandra**I was lying in bed, still pretending the extreme exhaustion that the "miscarriage" should have caused, but my mind was alert. Every sound in the hallway, every distant whisper made me anxious. Suddenly, I heard the soft creak of the bedroom door opening.I opened my eyes slowly, feigning surprise, and saw Maria entering hurriedly. Her expression was filled with nervousness, her trembling hands holding a tray of medical instruments."Maria?" I murmured, my voice deliberately hoarse and weak.She closed the door behind her and looked at me with a mix of fear and concern."Cassandra, we can’t keep this charade going much longer," she said in almost a whisper. "You went overboard with the amount of blood. Dr. Afonsos thinks you’re on the verge of severe anemia or worse. He’s already arranging blood bags to give you a transfusion!"I couldn’t help but laugh, a short and raspy sound that made Maria frown indignantly."I figured that might happen," I said, adjusting my pill
**POV Alpha Xavier** As I entered the room, my heart nearly stopped. Cassandra lay unconscious on the bed, her skin pale as snow, and the sheets were stained with ominous red blotches that screamed danger. "Cassandra!" My roar echoed through the room, but she didn’t move. Dr. Afonsos and the nurses surrounded her, rushing back and forth, trying to stabilize her. My chest burned, and Ragnar, my wolf, growled furiously within me. "Afonsos, do something!" I shouted, moving closer to the bed. "Alpha, with all due respect, we need space. I’ll call for additional doctors to assist, but it’s crucial that you leave now so we can work!" Afonsos replied, attempting to stay calm. "I’m not leaving this room while she’s like this!" My voice was low but laced with menace. He hesitated for a moment before signaling to the nurses. "Escort the Alpha outside, and make sure he stays out of the room." Two guards appeared, hesitant, and ushered me away. I roared in protest, but as much a
**POV Cassandra**As soon as Xavier left the room with that smile on his face, a smile that filled me with guilt, I ran to the bathroom. Despair grew in my chest like an uncontrollable blaze. Without thinking twice, I put my fingers down my throat, forcing myself to vomit. Within seconds, I expelled the moss-green liquid I had ingested, its smell so strong and foul that it made my stomach churn again. I could barely breathe, holding onto the bathroom sink to avoid collapsing. At that moment, I heard the sound of the door opening and Maria entering the room, carrying a basin of water. "Are you all right, Cassandra?" The worry was etched on her face as she noticed my pale complexion and the dark circles under my eyes that betrayed my sleepless night. I forced a weak smile, trying to mask my distress. "I'm fine. Just a little unwell." She didn’t seem convinced, but she didn’t press further. Silently, she helped me back to the bed. I sat down, propping a pillow behind me to adju
Alpha Xavier’s POVMy hands trembled as I held the small vial of powder. Even after discussing all the details with Dr. Afonso, a suffocating weight pressed on my chest. Every fiber of my being screamed against what I was about to do, but Alpha Damom had left me no choice. I stared at the powder again and took a deep breath, forcing my mind to calm.“This is to protect them,” I told myself repeatedly, like a prayer.I added a small dose of the powder into the hot tea on the tray, watching it mix slowly until it disappeared completely. I picked up the tray and walked toward Cassandra’s room, each step echoing in the empty hallway. The wooden floors creaked under my weight, and my wolf, Ragnar, restless in my mind, growled in frustration. He knew something was wrong, but I blocked our connection, unwilling to hear his condemnation.When I reached the door, I inhaled deeply, trying to steady myself. I pushed the door open slowly and stepped inside.Cassandra was sitting on the bed, with
POV Cassandra"THINK, CASSANDRA, THINK! HE WOULDN'T DO THIS TO US!" My wolf, Roxy, growled in my mind, indignant that I was doubting our mate."This is ridiculous. You saw it, we saw it," I retorted angrily. "He promised Alpha Damom he would do it. Wondering if he’ll keep his promise to us or to him won’t get us anywhere. We need to think of a way to protect ourselves and our pup!" My inner voice was almost a scream, and Roxy fell silent, resentful, for a few moments.The pain was suffocating, something I had never felt before. My heart was broken, yet there was a small glimmer of hope that Xavier wouldn’t go through with it. However, all the evidence coldly pointed to the death of my baby. I could barely breathe between the tears and the weight of uncertainty."Damn it!" I screamed, throwing one of my personal belongings against the wall, feeling the shattering of porcelain echo my own rage and despair.For a moment, I bitterly regretted venturing into the forest that night to find t
POV ALPHA DAMOMDamom had barely left through the pack’s gates, and an uncontrollable wave of fury hit me like a storm. My hands were shaking, my wolf roaring, hungry for revenge, wanting to explode out of me. In an instant, I found myself breaking everything around me—chairs, tables, bottles. The room quickly turned into a field of wreckage, shards of glass and broken furniture scattered everywhere. The sound of things shattering was a relief to the crushing weight of anger in my chest, but it wasn’t enough. Nothing seemed to be.Josh appeared at the doorway, watching the scene in silence. Some guards looked at him, unsure whether to intervene, but he just shook his head slowly, signaling them to let me vent my anger. When I finally stopped, panting with my chest on fire, I walked toward the office and slammed the door so hard I heard the echo reverberate through the hallways.I opened a bottle of whiskey on my desk and drank straight from it, feeling the liquid burn my throat, as if