Chapter 6.

STACY.

Beep, beep, beep….

I wake up to the sterile scent of antiseptic and the hum of machines echoing in my ears. My body feels heavy, and my head is foggy as I try to make sense of where I am.

I look around the cold, white walls and the sharp, clinical smell make it clear—I'm in a hospital.

But why?

I struggle to remember how I got here, as my memories are a blur…

What happened to me?

I remember feeling unwell for days, my body growing weaker with each passing hour, but I can’t recall how I found myself here.

Panic starts to creep in, but before I can fully process it, a nurse walks in, her eyes widening in surprise when she sees me awake. Without a word, she rushes back out, leaving me alone with my jumbled thoughts.

Great, now who tells me what's going on? I sit up.

Moments later, the door opens again, and this time it’s Dr Hannah, one of my true remaining friends walks in with her signature all black outfit with a backpack on her back.

Relief floods through me at her sight , but it’s quickly replaced by confusion and fear. “Hannah, what happened? How did I get here?”

Hannah’s face is a mix of concern and sorrow as she approaches my bedside. “Stacy, you were found unconscious in your home. Beta Alex brought you here a few hours ago.”

“Alex?” I murmur with furrowed eyebrows, trying to make sense of it all. “But… why? What’s wrong with me?”

Hannah hesitates, her eyes searching mine before she finally speaks. “Stacy, they found high levels of wolfsbane in your system. Did you take it yourself or do you know who could have poisoned you?”

Her words hit me like a sledgehammer. Wolfsbane. The very mention of it sends a chill down my spine. “Wolfsbane? Me, take it myself so that what?” I whisper, my voice trembling. “Hannah you know me... I can never try to harm myself to leave my son suffering in this world alone…”

Hannah nods solemnly. “I know you can't do that to yourself Stacy. But do you have any ideas on who could have poisoned you because you were very close to dying. It’s a miracle you’re still here.”

The room spins around me as I try to process what she’s saying. Someone tried to kill me. But who? Why? The past six months have been a living hell, ever since Jason divorced me to marry his childhood sweetheart Nicole.

The whispers and blatant disrespect from the pack members who once bowed in my presence clearly showed that I was nobody important. I was no longer their Luna… I was just the ex-wife staying because the Alpha ordered me to.

And it hurts. Every single day I woke up still in this pack was a reminder that I was useless... Even the omegas who once served me with respect now barely acknowledge my existence. I’ve been reduced to nothing, forced to live in the guest house like an unwanted guest in the life I helped build.

And now this. Someone wants me dead.

My thoughts immediately shift to my son, the only light in this endless darkness. “Hannah, what time is it?”

She glances at her watch. “It’s close to 8 PM. Why do you ask?”

Panic grips me, and I throw off the covers, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. “I need to go home. I haven’t seen my son all day.” I recalled.

“Stacy, you can’t—” Hannah starts, but I cut her off, desperation clawing at me.

“Please, Hannah,” I beg, my voice cracking. “I need to see him. He’s all I have left.”

Hannah’s expression softens, and she sighs, knowing better than to argue with me when I’m like this. “Alright, but I’m driving you home since my shift is over. You’re still weak, Stacy. I don’t want to risk anything.”

I nod, grateful for her understanding and kind gesture of driving me, but my body is still shaking as I stand. My legs feel like they might give out at any moment, but I force myself to stay upright. I have to be strong. For my son. I get up straight with Hannah's help.

“Wait, before we leave, could I borrow some sunglasses and a scarf? I don’t want to give the gossip mill any more fuel than it already has,” I ask, as I didn't want to attract more unwanted attention to me.

Hannah nods without hesitation, swinging her backpack around and rummaging through it. After a moment, she pulls out a pair of dark sunglasses and a black scarf. Grateful, I quickly put on the glasses and draped the scarf over my head, hoping it’s enough to keep prying eyes at bay.

Six months of being the pack's gossip headlines was getting annoying to ignore. The best I have to do is keep out of the public eye as much as possible.

We head out of the room together, but as soon as we step into the hallway, I freeze. Two familiar voices reach my ears, sending a chill down my spine.

My heart drops as I turn toward the source of the sound and spot Jason and Nicole further down the corridor, deep in conversation with a doctor.

The doctor is speaking to Nicole, his tone gentle but firm. “You need to take care of yourself, Miss Nicole. The early stages of pregnancy are crucial.”

“Oh doctor, please address me as Luna Nicole. Alpha Jason and I will definitely fast forward our wedding now that we have such great news… Right baby,” Nicole lovingly looks at Jason.

The words hit me like a punch to the gut. Pregnant. Nicole is pregnant and now they will fast forward to their wedding day?

My heart thuds painfully.

"Anything to make you happy," Jason’s face is unreadable, but he places a protective hand on Nicole’s back as the doctor nods.

Nicole looks down at her stomach with a small, contented smile. The sight of them together, so happy, so in love, is like a knife twisting in my heart.

I can barely breathe as I stand there, watching the life I once had slip further away. The man who was once my fated mate, the man who promised me forever, is starting a new family with someone else. And I’m nothing but a distant memory he was eager to close as soon as our son was old enough not to need me anymore.

Hannah sees the look on my face and gently tugs at my arm. “Stacy… we should go before anyone notices you.”

But I can’t move. My eyes are glued to them, to the way Jason’s hand rests on Nicole’s back—so tender, so loving. The way he used to touch me.

My chest tightens, and I swallow hard, fighting the urge to cry. “I can't do this anymore… I need to leave this pack,” I mutter, my voice barely audible.

Hannah squeezes my arm, urging me to turn away. “Oh Stacy, come on, let’s get you home to your son.”

As we head toward the exit, the tears spill over, sliding down my cheeks. The life I once had is gone, shattered into pieces, and the man I thought I’d spend forever with is starting a new family right in front of my eyes.

All I have left is my son, and now, the terrifying realization that someone out there wants me dead.

The weight of it all presses down on me as we walk out of the hospital.