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CASSANDRA's POV.

The moment I started running, I knew there was no turning back. My lungs burned, my feet pounded against the forest floor, and my swollen belly weighed me down with every step. The child inside me was my only hope, my only reason to keep going. My breath came in shallow gasps as I stumbled through the trees, my heartbeat deafening in my ears. I was running for my life—and for my baby’s.

I didn’t know how it had come to this. Just weeks ago, Ethan had held me close, whispered promises of forever, and sworn to protect me. Now, I was running from the man I once called my lover, running from a man I loved so much that I had chosen him over my true mate.

The betrayal didn’t come all at once. It crept in slowly, started as whispers in the night, suspicious glances, and moments that didn’t add up. Ethan had grown distant, his warm touch replaced with coldness. I told myself it was stress, that the pressures of leading the pack were weighing on him. I wanted to believe that he still loved me, that the man I had fallen for was still there. But the truth was far different than I could have imagined.

It started with Pearl. She had always been there, lingering in the shadows like a viper waiting to strike. Everyone knew she was breathtakingly beautiful, her charm swept men off their feets, but there was a glint in her eyes that made me edgy. I didn't want to come off as insecure. I’d caught her watching me more than once, her lips curling into a sly smile whenever Ethan’s back was turned. I wanted to confront her, to demand answers, but I hesitated. Maybe I was overthinking it. Maybe my insecurities were playing tricks on me.

I should have trusted my instincts.

The night it all fell apart began like any other. Ethan had been gone most of the day, dealing with pack business. When he returned, his expression was unreadable, his mood tense. He barely looked at me as he sat by the fire, his mind seemingly elsewhere.

“Ethan,” I said softly, placing a hand on his arm. “Is everything all right?”

He flinched at my touch, pulling away as if my presence irritated him. My heart sank, but I tried to stay calm. “You’ve been distant lately. Talk to me. What’s going on?”

His jaw tightened, his gaze fixed on the flickering flames. “It’s nothing. You wouldn’t understand.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat, determined to push through the wall he had built between us. “Ethan, I’m your wife. Whatever it is, we can face it together.”

He finally turned to me, and for a brief moment, I thought I saw guilt in his eyes. But it was gone just as quickly, replaced by something cold and unrecognizable. “Not everything is about you, Cassandra. Stop prying where you don’t belong.”

The harshness of his words cut deeper than I cared to admit. I recoiled, my hands trembling as I stood. “I’m not prying. I just… I just want to help.”

He didn’t respond. He didn’t even look at me. The silence between us was louder than any argument we could have had. I left the room, my chest tight with unshed tears. 

Later that night, I woke to find him gone. Panic gripped me as I searched the house, calling his name. When I stepped outside, the cool night air blew past my skin, I heard voices in the distance. My instincts told me to turn back, but I couldn’t ignore the unease twisting in my gut. I followed the sound, keeping to the shadows, until I reached the edge of the clearing.

What I saw froze me in place.

Ethan stood with Pearl, their bodies close, their voices low. I strained to hear, my heart hammering as their words reached me.

“You’re sure she won’t survive?” Pearl asked, her tone casual, as if they were discussing the weather.

Ethan’s expression was hard, his jaw clenched. “She’s too weak. The child will take what little strength she has left. The poison should begin its work any moment from now.”

My knees buckled, and I pressed a hand against the tree to steady myself. No. This couldn’t be real. He couldn’t be talking about me.

Pearl smirked, her fingers trailing up his arm. “Good. Once she’s gone, you’ll finally be free. We can rule together, Ethan. The pack needs a strong alpha, not someone weighed down by a useless mate.”

My vision blurred with tears as the pieces fell into place. The distance, the coldness, the lies—it had all been leading to this. They wanted me gone. They wanted my child gone. 

Ethan’s shoulders stiffened, but he didn’t pull away from her touch. “It’s better this way,” he muttered, his voice lacking any warmth. “She’ll only hold us back.”

My stomach churned as bitterness rose in my throat. How could he? How could the man who once promised to love and protect me speak about my death so easily? My trembling hands clutched my belly, a sudden attempt to shield the life growing inside me. I wanted to scream, to confront them, but fear held me in place.

Pearl leaned closer, her lips brushing against his ear. “You’ve made the right choice, my love.”

Ethan’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t respond. Instead, he turned away, his gaze scanning the forest. My heart stopped as his eyes landed in my direction. For a moment, I thought he saw me, that he would finally realize the weight of his betrayal. But he looked past me, his focus elsewhere.

“You should go,” he said to Pearl. “The others can’t see us together. Not yet.”

Pearl smiled, pressing a kiss to his cheek before disappearing into the shadows. Ethan lingered for a moment, his expression unreadable, before following her. I stayed hidden until the sound of their footsteps faded, my body trembling as the full weight of their betrayal crushed me.

I ran. I didn’t know where I was going or how far I could make it in my condition, but I had to get away. The forest blurred around me as tears streamed down my face. Each step sent sharp pain shooting through my abdomen, but I pushed forward, my hands cradling my belly. My child’s faint movements spurred me on, a reminder that I wasn’t just fighting for myself.

The pain grew unbearable, my legs buckling beneath me as I fell to the ground. Blood pooled beneath me, warm and sticky, and I knew I was running out of time. My strength was gone.

A rustle in the bushes sent a jolt of fear through me. I turned my head, hoping against hope that someone had come to save me. But the figure that emerged wasn’t a savior. It was Ethan.

He didn’t rush to my side. He didn’t offer comfort or reassurance. He simply stood there, his expression cold and distant.

“You shouldn’t have run, but it makes no difference now does it, you made a mistake choosing me over your mate, and foolishly handed everything over to me” he said, his voice holding no emotion.

Tears streamed down my face as I looked up at him, my body trembling. “Why?” I choked out. “Why are you doing this?”

He didn’t answer. He simply turned and walked away, leaving me to die alone.

My body grew cold, my vision fading as darkness closed in. My child’s movements stilled, and a scream tore from my throat, pained and broken

In my final moments, a single thought burned in my mind. If there is a next life, I will make them pay.