-Prologue-

<<November 13th, 2014>>

"What did I do to deserve this betrayal? After everything I did for you, I stayed by your side when you had no one, and this is how you thank me—by killing me? How callous must you be to murder someone who simply wanted the best for you?"

Unamused, she cocked her brow and tilted her head to the side. "You wanted what was best for me?" Her throaty chuckle overshadowed her contemptuous comments. "It's funny you mentioned that." She stalked closer to me and kneeled at my level, waving the bloodied blade in my face.

I winced from the pain in my side, edging away from her and more towards the bed. Pain coursed throughout my body. 

"Were you there for me when my mother burnt me with a cigarette bud? Maybe when she flogged me for refusing to sleep with one of her men. What about the time she abandoned me in the middle of the night, starving? Were you there for me, then?"

Tears stung my eyes, and my lips trembled. The stored tears continued to flow and the sobs wracked my body, robbing it of the ability to speak—barely allowing a breath to be drawn. Still, nothing could deter my urge to survive this horrid ordeal. 

I sobbed, my emotions from her betrayal breaking free, reminding me of the stab wound she inflicted at my side. "Why are you doing this? Something tells me this has nothing to do with your mother abandoning and abusing you." 

She tilted her head to the right, and the dim moonlight highlighted her entire face: her full lips, wide and firm; the high arch of her eyebrows above them; and the crystal-clear glint in her beautiful hazel eyes.

"I suppose hiding it is no longer necessary, is it? After all, you will die." She grinned brightly and got to her feet. "I won't beat around the bush. Nor would I sugar coat what brought us to this predicament."

I closed my eyes, trying again to reach my mate or anyone who could save me. Yet, it was almost as though nothing worked. Sebastian should feel my distress, right? He would save me. Wouldn't he?

"You took him from me; the only man I ever loved!" Her plump, dark-red lips pursed into a frown. "Sebastian was supposed to be my mate, not yours. You stole him and tricked him into loving you."

"No!" I shook my head. I was weak. The wound at my side refused to stop bleeding, and by this time, it had soaked through the fabric of my thin white nightgown. 

Cough, cough, cough.

"Yes, you did!" 

"I never stole him from you. He is my mate, gifted to me by the Moon Goddess." An image of Sebastian's handsome face flashed through my mind like a cracked mirror. Pain clutched my heart as a memory of my mate flashed before my eyes. Would he know how hard I fought to stay alive for him and our pup? Would he know I loved him to the end?

"Please, I beg you, do not do this. I'm with child," I pleaded, putting a protective hold over my stomach. Was he or she even still alive in there? "Let me live, and I will leave. You can have Sebastian."

Tiny black specks blurred my vision as they danced in front of my red, swollen eyes. The agony became unbearable. I didn't know how much longer delaying the inevitable would save my life.

"So, what if you're pregnant? I am more than capable of giving him a pup. He needs a strong heir to take over as Alpha. You can't give him that, but I can and I will."

"How will you explain this?" I could feel the life draining from my body, but perhaps if I kept her talking, someone would find me. I only needed to hold on for a while longer. For Sebastian. For our pup. Also, for the pack.

"Explain what?" she asked.

"My death. Obviously, Sebastian and the rest of the pack would want to know how I died."

Her face stretched into her signature broad smile as she whispered, "If I were you, I wouldn't concern myself with such minuscule matters."

Whatever hope fluttered in my chest a few seconds ago of someone saving me disappeared with those few words. No one was coming to save me. Neither was I making it out of this alive. 

Recognition dawned on me. "Was this your plan all along; to befriend me, and when I let my guard down, kill me? Only for a man who will never love you.”

I coughed again. Blood spewed from my lips and tears trickled down my face. I had run out of time. Pain coursed throughout my body as the realization that this was the end finally sank in. My body felt like blocks of cement, refusing to move. Everything felt numb. Maybe I should take a nap. That should be great. 

"He will never love you. Even if you sleep with him, my mate will never love you." She didn't respond.

My heart ached even more. "I am sorry, little one." I placed a protective arm over my womb. "We'll watch over Daddy from above, okay? We will keep him safe."

My eyelids fluttered to a close as time passed. There was no pain, discomfort, or anything else. It was... pleasant. It seemed as if my body was asleep, but I was not. More tears defiled my cheeks, my eyes vacant, and my lips... that would never know the taste of him... the man I loved.

"I am sorry, Sebastian. I tried to hold on for as long as I could."