Lorelei POV

Callista soon lost consciousness in Jaxen’s arms, and while Jaxen looked like he wanted to tear me apart right then and there, his number one priority at the moment was getting her to the pack hospital.

I anxiously watched them leave.

Servants scattered. Guards followed. The corridor emptied until it was just me and the echo of their retreating footsteps.

As much as I was upset with Callista, as much as I hated her for what she had done, I knew how this would end if something bad happened to her.

If she lost the baby.

If she died.

My parents would blame me.

The pack would blame me.

And I would be punished for a crime I didn’t commit.

For the first time in my life, I actually found myself praying to the Moon Goddess.

Please. Please don’t let her die. Please don’t let the baby die. Please...

Not for Callista’s sake.

For mine.

"You have finally done it."

My mother’s voice rang through the air as the guards dragged me outside, the cold night air hitting my skin like a slap. My bare feet scraped against the frozen ground as they forced me onto my knees.

I had been beaten so badly my face was swollen, and blood soaked through my clothes.

My mother and father stood above me, their faces twisted with rage and disgust.

Then—

Slap!

My mother’s hand connected with my cheek before I could even blink, causing me to stumble sideways.

"After everything we have done for you," Elara spat, her voice shaking with fury as tears filled her eyes. "I pleaded on my knees to your father not to kill you while I still bled from birthing you. And this is how you repay my kindness?"

Tears filled my own eyes, and I shook my head repeatedly. "I didn’t do it. Please believe me, Mama. I swear—"

"Don’t call me that."

She spat the words like poison before breaking down further into my father’s arms.

She sobbed against his chest, her shoulders shaking, while he just stared at me as if he were deciding whether to strike me or kill me outright.

"I carried you for nine months," Elara continued, her voice muffled against Harlan’s shirt. "I held you in my arms. I loved you. And you still turned out to be a monster. A curse. Just like the prophecy said."

My entire body trembled as I kept pleading desperately, more tears streaming down my cheeks, but it all fell on deaf ears.

Just as my father was about to speak, his phone suddenly buzzed.

His expression turned grim as he quickly answered it.

I couldn’t hear the voices on the other end, but from the way his face darkened even more, I knew it had to be serious.

"Yes, they share the same blood type. Okay. We’ll be right there."

With that, he hung up and coldly ordered, "Take her."

And just like that, I was transported to the pack hospital like some cheap racehorse being led to slaughter.

*****

I was led into a small examination room and forced onto a bed.

Lying there and staring at the ceiling, it didn’t take long for me to realize why I was here.

From what I had gathered, Callista had lost a lot of blood, and I was the only suitable match.

Multiple needles were inserted into different parts of my body. The doctor, a middle-aged man with tired eyes and steady hands, worked quickly without looking me in the face.

My vision slowly became blurry as I felt more and more of my blood leaving my body.

How much more do they need? I thought weakly as a nurse inserted another needle into my left arm.

"Doctor, her pressure is dropping too fast," the nurse whispered nervously. "Should we slow it down?"

But the doctor simply shook his head.

"We don’t have time to slow down. Lady Callista’s internal bleeding hasn’t stopped, and Alpha Jaxen’s wolf is crashing the hospital’s mind-link demanding updates. If the Luna or the pup dies, he’ll flatten this entire wing. Keep drawing."

A bitter, humorless laugh wanted to rise in my throat, but I couldn’t even find the strength for it.

Were they really going to drain me completely?

Shouldn’t hospitals have some kind of policy against this?

My fingers twitched weakly against the bed.

Everything felt cold.

God, I felt so cold.

"That will do," the doctor finally said as the last bag filled up, and I found myself sighing weakly in relief.

I watched through blurry vision as they packed away the bags of my blood and rushed out of the room to deliver them to my precious sister.

The door slammed shut behind them, and silence was all that was left.

For the first time since arriving, I could finally breathe without someone sticking another needle into me.

Or at least I thought I could.

The examination room door suddenly pushed open again, and my wolf stirred instantly, recognizing its mate before I even lifted my head.

Jaxen’s steps were slow as he approached, stopping directly in front of me.

Even though my vision wasn’t clear, I could still make out how disoriented he looked.

His hair was a mess.

His clothes were stained with my sister’s blood. She had really lost a lot of blood.

"Jaxen," I muttered weakly, my voice barely audible as my heart clenched painfully at the sight of him.

This was my chance.

My chance to finally explain everything. To tell him Callista had known about us and that she had manipulated him and had already forced herself on him while he was drunk.

He was the victim too.

If I could just make him listen, he would understand. He would see the truth, and maybe... maybe we could go back to how things were before everything fell apart.

Slowly, I lifted my trembling hand toward him.

But the moment my fingers brushed his wrist, he grabbed my arm harshly, tightening his grip hard enough to make me wince.

"I always thought you were misunderstood," he muttered coldly, and my heart clenched once more.

"I thought the curse was bullshit. Every time you were bullied, I cursed myself for not becoming Alpha sooner so I could protect you." His jaw tightened. "But I guess I was wrong."

"No..." I forced out desperately, shaking my head frantically despite the dizziness swallowing me whole. "J-Jaxen, believe me... please believe me. I didn’t push her."

"So you’re saying she pushed herself?" he snarled, and I nodded weakly, but that only made him scoff loudly.

"When are you going to stop playing the victim, huh?" he snapped. "You already said before that she should get rid of it. That alone proves how cruel you are."

My breath hitched.

"I didn’t mean—"

"I was so blinded by the mate bond that I didn’t see what Callista saw in you all along." His voice turned colder with every word. "You’re nothing but a jealous, bitter woman who can’t stand seeing anyone else happy."

"Jaxen..." I whispered brokenly, refusing to believe this was how he truly saw me, but he stepped back like even hearing my voice irritated him.

"Do you know what the doctors told me?" he asked darkly. "They said Callista almost died protecting our child."

My chest tightened so painfully I thought my heart might actually stop.

The mate bond inside me twisted violently in agony.

And somehow that hurt more than the needles.

More than the blood loss.

"If anything happens to either of them," he continued, his eyes locking onto mine with terrifying coldness, "I swear to the Moon Goddess I’ll—"