Chapter 6

In the minute it took me to process what my eyes were seeing, Irene screamed and pushed Jackson’s Beta away. In the blink of an eye, she was smoothing down her skirt and Todd, the Beta, was buttoning his jeans. He was Jackson’s best friend and yet -

“What are you doing here?” Irene growled, glaring at me.

“The baby –“ I looked at her stomach and burst into laughter.

“You crazy bitch!” Her eyes whipped to Todd who was red in the face. “Why are you –“ I clutched my stomach and doubled over, wheezing as tears rolled down my cheeks. I laughed until my chest hurt and breathing became too difficult.

My mate threw me out for this woman. The same woman getting slutted out by his best friend.

“Todd, do something!” She exclaimed and the Beta started towards me with eyes filled with anxiety.

“Is it even his?” I asked, my voice hoarse.

“Of course, it’s his!” Irene screeched. “Todd – You fool, we have to get rid of her!” She yelled at the beta.

I choked as he grabbed my neck. Then we heard the unmistakable sound of the door opening. Todd’s grip on my neck loosened and I froze upon hearing my stepmother’s voice.

“Who is there!?” She shouted but before any of us could answer, Irene screamed as she launched herself into a wall so hard she bounced back and collapsed to the ground.

“My baby!” My stepmother shrieked, bounding up the stairs. “Oh goddess, what have you done!?” Eyes filled with hatred met mine as she crouched beside her daughter. “Call the Alpha! Quick, call the Alpha!” She screamed at Todd as she gathered Irene into her arms.

“What happened?” My father asked as he got to the scene.

“Mum, d- dad –“ Irene touched her belly as she groaned. “My baby – she tried to hurt my baby.”

My body pressed itself into a wall as Thelma, my stepmother, turned to me. There were few people in the world that scared me and this woman scared me the most of them all. She was a beta but she was as imposing and domineering as an Alpha in that moment.

“Is this true?” My father turned to me. Gazing at him, it was hard to decide whether he wanted to hear my side of the story or if he was asking just for formalities. However, before I could speak, Todd interjected.

“Yes. I saw it!” My father’s brows raised and Todd continued. “I was passing when I heard Irene’s screams so I came to check and saw Lu – Chantelle attacking her.”

“You ungrateful bitch!” Thelma growled, rising.

“Take your daughter to the hospital before she bleeds everywhere,” my father cut her off.

“Y – Yes.” She nodded, beckoning on Todd.

The Beta gathered Irene into his arms and just like that, the stench of blood spread. Thelma followed behind them, wailing and cursing my name.

I had to applaud Irene. She was a genius at making me into a villain without a second’s notice.

Alone with my father, my mind made up a hundred different scenarios. I thought of Jackson and shuddered, my hands quivering as I tried to wipe my sweat.

“I didn’t push her,” I muttered. “I swear – I didn’t – I didn’t push her.” I looked up to catch my father’s gaze.

“She is pregnant with the Alpha’s child and you are not the Luna anymore,” he said in a monotone. It was his way of telling me it was my word against Irene’s and my word held no water.

“You – Do you believe me? I – didn’t –  Do you believe me?” My legs locked, my heart raced and my chest tightened.

I needed someone to believe me. I did nothing. If only – If only someone believed me then maybe the future playing out in my head would be different. I needed a witness. Words choked me and spewed from my lips. My eyes raised to meet my father’s but his expression remained flat.

“What does it matter if I do?” He asked and I screamed. I screamed so hard that I choked but he barely flinched as he walked away, leaving me with a small pool of Irene’s blood and a headache.

My back against a wall, I slid down to the floor and grabbed my head in my hands.

My word against Irene’s.

Who would believe me?

Nobody. Nobody would believe I did not try to hurt my mate’s pregnant mistress.

Ice flooded my veins as our front door flew open. Back straightening, I stood as Jackson approached with fire blazing in his eyes.

“Jack –“ He didn’t let me complete my statement.

My head whipped to the side as he hit me and I saw stars. My ears rang and I tasted blood as my teeth cut into my tongue. I stumbled but a strong arm grabbed me before I hit the ground and another slap deafened my ears.

“Jackson – Please –“ I pleaded as he landed another slap that threatened to split my eardrums but a loud growl rumbled up his chest.

“My name – Who gave you the right –“ He heaved. “My mother was right about you.” His eyes darkened. “You are nothing but ill luck – a witch! That’s why you can’t have a child of your own. You’re evil!”

“May I ask what’s going on?” My father’s voice never sounded better than it did then.

“This witch you call a daughter tried to kill my child!” Jack growled, throttling me. “Is this how you raised her –“ He turned his anger and hatred on my father.

“Jack –“ I grabbed the hand throttling me.

“Careful,” my father murmured. “Do not forget who I am.”

As if remembering my father’s status as the biggest benefactor of the pack, Jack let me go, throwing me against a wall and dusting his hands. “You better hope nothing happens to my pup,” he spat, turning on his heels and exiting the house with a loud slam of the front door.

“What do I do? What do I do?” I sobbed into my palms, my chest constricted and my head banging.

It was truly over.

As my father said, it was my word against Irene’s and by the next morning, the news of how I attacked Irene out of jealousy had spread. It was no surprise that my mate –ex-mate– called me out before the entire pack to banish me.

“You are lucky she’s fine,” he hissed. “I would have killed you with my bare hands if anything happened to Irene and my pup.”

I looked up at Jackson and saw nothing of the man I fell in love with. It was as if an entirely different person was glaring down at me. There was no love, no fondness, not even familiarity in his harsh gaze, only anger and contempt.

I wanted him to know the woman he chose over me had been spread out by his Beta the previous day but I held my tongue. He would not believe me. No one would.

“I knew it! I knew you were nothing but bad luck!” Jackson’s mother came running at me, grabbing me by my hair and pulling until I saw stars. “Evil woman! Did my son make you barren? Why did you choose to make his life difficult?” She yelled at the top of her lungs, shoving me to the ground and pressing me down with her foot.

“Did he take away your womb?” She ground her foot into my belly. “Is it his fault you’re empty? How dare you attack our next Alpha! What did Blood Moon ever do to you?” She screamed and screamed, her shoes ripping my shirt and bruising my skin.

I stayed still as she stepped on me, kicked me and spat on me. I stayed still as she rained insults on me. I stayed still until she got tired and the pack warriors dragged me to my feet. Through it all, I stayed silent.

I was about to be kicked out of my pack, my home.

“From today henceforth, Chantelle Park –“ Jackson’s voice boomed in the hall but then he went white in the face.

I felt it. We all felt it; the shift in power as a predator higher than our Alpha entered our territory.

“Trouble,” a teenage boy came rushing in, panting for breath. “There’s trouble!” He shrieked.

“What’s happening?” Someone in the crowd asked.

“They say –“ the boy trailed off to catch his breath, “the cursed alpha,” he whispered and we all knew what that meant.