1: Fleeing Mental Abuse

“LILITH!”

I was startled when Jeremy came galloping towards us. Jeremy pushed me and took Eunice into his arms. Jeremy looked at me with hatred. I struggled to hold back my tears when a sharp branch hit my ankle.

“How dare you hurt Eunice! She’s carrying my child! How dare you push her until she gets hurt! You have bad intentions towards her!” Jeremy snapped at me.

“I didn’t push her on purpose. I didn’t mean to hurt her,” I retorted.

Jeremy approached me in anger. He slapped me hard. I gasped after Jeremy slapped me. I winced. I couldn’t understand why he’d slap me for Eunice. My lip wounded and started bleeding, but Jeremy didn’t care about that. My ankle got a deep cut too.

“You’re a werewolf with no feelings. You don’t deserve to be a Luna!” Jeremy shouted.

“I didn’t push Eunice on purpose. I just couldn’t control my fluctuating emotions and I-”

“Enough Lilith! I’ve had enough of your explanations. You’ve gone too far! You just endangered the future heir to the Shadowed Moon Pack!”

It surprised once again me when Jeremy told me the wrong truth. I didn’t push Eunice on purpose at all. Eunice was just having regular contractions because of our fight a moment ago. It was a natural thing.

Jeremy thought I was trying to harm them.

Jeremy grabbed my jaw. “Do you know how precious the baby Eunice is carrying is? Do you know how important that baby will be? Lilith, you’re acting stupid. You don’t deserve the title of a Luna if you act like this jerk. You deserve to be a rogue!”

“I swear it was just a natural contraction. She only tapped the tree. I pushed her slowly because--”

“Shut your mouth! I don’t want to listen to your ridiculous explanation! You’re just accusing Eunice when you’re the one who did something bad to her!”

“I did nothing bad to her, Jeremy. I swear,” I pleaded.

Jeremy was about to slap me, but he stopped when Eunice came and pulled Jeremy’s arm while begging him not to hurt me. He rejected Eunice’s explanation that he had not suffered from anything fatal. He kept accusing me and swearing at me.

I tried to pretend to be deaf, but Jeremy’s swearing tore at my trust.

Jeremy was so cruel to me. Bet so gentle to Eunice. It fed me up with this mating story that had no beauty.

I hated everything.

I hated my life. I hated my messed-up psychology!

I grinned contemptuously at them.

“I didn’t expect you to slap me for a Beta who did nothing for you, Jeremy. I truly regret accepting you as a mate. I really don’t understand what kind of plan the Moon Goddess had in mind when she set me up with--“

“You’re not the main victim in this case, Lilith. Don’t act like you’re the one who suffered the most here. Everyone knows that I never loved a dumb wolf like you!” Jeremy snapped.

Eunice murmured, “I’m sorry, Lilith... this is all my fault... I shouldn’t have accepted—”

“What the hell are you saying, Eunice? You don’t need to apologise to a rogue wolf like her. She deserves punishment for not being able to give me a child!” Jeremy cut off Eunice’s words.

I laughed ruefully.

“I’m defending my rights, Jeremy. Am I that means to be called an arsehole? You’re the one who should think that infidelity can’t solve problems in the household,” I growled.

“Watch your mouth, Lilith, I’ll rip your mouth out if you--”

Jeremy was going to threaten me, and I chuckled. Jeremy really fed me up with his destructive behaviour towards me all these years.

I accepted all his rude behaviour all these years because I loved Jeremy sincerely. Unfortunately, Jeremy never accepted me as his rightful Luna. Jeremy betrayed me.

“It seems the Moon Goddess was joking when she wrote my destiny to be your mate.” After saying that, I tried to stand up to escape.

I ran away from them. Even though I injured my leg, I ran as far as I could. I endured the pain. I held back tears along the way while cursing the bad luck that always came to my way. I ran to Kiara Logan’s room. The loyal servant who’d worked here since I became Luna.

“What happened, Lilith?” Kiara Logan asked me.

“I thought you’d heard from some betas who work here, Kia.”

Kiara looked surprised and covered her mouth. “The news is true?”

I nodded, then covered my face. I was bursting into tears right now, but I couldn’t look weak in front of them. They would be happy about it.

I’ll get even worse insults if I cry now. They will happily mock me, put me down and then accuse me of acting to be a main victim of this bad luck.

But in fact, I can’t bear this pain myself. The betrayal Jeremy had committed had hurt my wolf.

“I know you’re not barren, Lilith. You’re a healthy Beta, you might even have cute kids-”

“I can’t have children, Kia. Until now I’m not pregnant, I’m tired of repeatedly going to the doctor and I don’t get any results. I can’t even get Jeremy’s love.”

“I understand, Lilith. It isn't easy to get pregnant. There are many factors that make it difficult for someone to get pregnant. Maybe you’re not pregnant because you’re so busy working that you’re stressed. Stress causes--”

I played with my fingertips. Stifling the burning pain in my chest. “No, I don’t. I’m just not pregnant. They all say that. I’m not the Luna they expected.”

Kiara Logan hugged me directly. She stroked my shoulders with gentle movements. The only person who understood my feelings was Kiara. She understood how I struggled to convince Jeremy that my idea was beneficial. She's the one who knew how Jeremy treated me like a slave in his daily life, not the Luna I was supposed to be.

Now everyone in the Shadowed Moon Pack hates me. I don’t understand what will happen tomorrow, but I know tomorrow is hell for me because of Eunice. I’m sure during her pregnancy Jeremy will hate me so much and continue to shun me.

And I will become like a meaningless wolf in front of them. Even the people in the Shadowed Moon Pack are disrespecting me. Jeremy and Eunice were going to have a child.

Not mine and Jeremy’s.

“Lilith, what will you do next? Are you going to break the mate bond with Alpha Jeremy?” Kiara asked me.

She pushed aside a few strands of my reddish hair behind my earlobe. “A couple's bond should be for life. You cannot break it in a brief time when you get emotional. You can never guess what the Moon Goddess has planned.”

I whispered, “But I don’t know what to do, Kia. Jeremy chose Eunice over me, who had fought harder.”

“It’s better if you calm yourself, Lilith. You need to be positive right now. You’re not barren. One day, you’ll have a cute baby.”

“If I’m no longer your mistress, will you be faithful to Eunice, Kia?”

Kiara’s face turned gloomy.

“I’ll quit working from this place and follow you.”

“But why stop working from here? You get money and a decent place to live,” I muttered.

Kiara lowered her head. “I got all those opportunities because of you, Lilith. Alpha Jeremy won’t let me have that chance unless you stand up for me.”

“Jeremy will kick me out soon enough. Eunice will take my place as Luna. I don’t know how Shadowed Moon Pack will fare in the next few years because Eunice isn’t good at managing the city... I don't know what to do.”

Kiara approached me. She pulled out a handkerchief and a bowl of herbal water. “I will treat your wound. You should rest after I’m done.”

“I don’t know. First, I’m going to see my brother. I’ll calm myself down for some time,” I said.

“That’s better. You should calm yourself down first and you can ask him for advice,” Kiara replied.

“I’ll leave tonight.”

“You can’t leave tonight. You’re hurt pretty badly,” Kiara argued.

“This is not a wound that makes me weak, Kia. It’s my inner wounds that make things worse around me,” I said.

“Lilith... You deserve to be a Luna. You deserve a prince who treats you like a queen, not Alpha Jeremy,” Kiara mumbled.

I forced a smile, then I shrugged my shoulders. “Please bandage my wound and help me put together the clothes I’ll bring to the Moonlight Sonata,” I whispered.

“You’re going to stay there?” Kiara asked.

“It is the best way to move forward. I’ll stay one night.”

“I’ll make some snacks for you, Lilith. You haven’t eaten lunch yet, right?”

“Thank you very much. I’ll miss you, Kia.”

“Is it possible that if you run away from here later, you’ll take me with you, Lilith?” Kiara whispered.

She hugged me.

“I don’t know. I’m sure we can get out of this hellhole.”