ELLA.

He must be insane.

That was the only thought running through my mind as Leonard’s words echoed over and over again.

You are not keeping that child.

My child.

My pup.

There was no way, absolutely no way, I was going to let anyone, not even them, do anything to my baby.

"You heard him clearly, Theresa."

Lurgard’s voice cut through my thoughts as he stepped forward, his presence suddenly overwhelming. His chest rose and fell heavily, like he was holding back something intense beneath the surface.

"Anything that has to do with Alex needs to be gotten rid of," he added, his tone firm, leaving no room for compromise.

My heart clenched painfully at his words.

Gotten rid of?

Were they even listening to themselves?

"Trust us on this, Theresa. It’s for your own good," Lawrence followed, his voice softer, almost like he was trying to sound reasonable.

But it didn’t reach me.

"It’s bad luck," he added.

That was it.

Something inside me snapped.

"You all are fucking crazy!" I yelled, my voice breaking despite the force behind it.

Tears burned at the corners of my eyes, threatening to spill, but I fought them back stubbornly.

"My child is not bad luck!" I added, my voice trembling now, but no less firm.

I couldn’t believe this.

This was who they truly were?

After everything, the way they acted, the way they looked at me, I had almost thought...

No.

I shut that thought down immediately.

Worst of all...The Moon Goddess had bound me to them.

To these Lunatics.

Lurgard scoffed, the sound sharp and dismissive, cutting through the air without hesitation. "We aren’t asking you, Theresa," he said bluntly, his tone leaving no room for negotiation. "We’re just letting you know."

A chill ran down my spine, slow and unsettling. That was who Lurgard was, never asking but stating and somehow, his words didn’t sit right.

Because what the hell does he mean by letting me know?

"What do you mean?" I asked, my voice dropping slightly, quieter now, as caution crept in and wrapped around every word.

Something wasn’t right, not just in their word, I could feel it because something felt terribly off.

Wrong in a way I couldn’t fully explain, and before I could stop myself...

My hand moved.

I reached for the needle attached to my hand, my fingers wrapping around it without hesitation.

Without wasting a second, I pulled it out.

A sharp sting shot through me instantly, the pain sudden and biting, but I ignored it completely. My breathing turned uneven, my chest rising and falling too quickly as panic began to settle deeper inside me.

Who knows?

They were powerful and influential.

What if they had already spoken to the doctors?

The nurses?

What if everything here was already under their control?

"What the hell are you doing?" Lawrence barked immediately, his voice filled with shock as he stepped forward.

"Do you want to get yourself killed?" Lurgard added, closing the distance between us in seconds, his presence suddenly too close, too overwhelming.

His hand grabbed mine before I could pull away, his grip firm as he examined the spot where the needle had been.

His touch was careful... but urgent.

And yet, it didn’t calm me, not even a bit.

"I said to get rid of the baby, not yourself!"

Leonard’s voice came out like a crack of thunder, sharp and filled with authority as he stepped forward, following closely behind Lurgard. Without hesitation, he grabbed my hand, his fingers turning it slightly as he inspected where the needle had been pulled out.

His touch was firm, controlled, but there was an urgency beneath it.

"I will go get the doctor," he added, already straightening up, his decision made as he turned to leave.

"Don’t you dare!" My voice tore through the room before he could take another step.

All three of them froze.

"If you call in the doctor to kill my child," I continued, my chest rising and falling rapidly as panic and anger tangled within me, "I will kill myself before it happens."

The words hung heavily in the air, deadly and final.

"What?" Leonard stiffened, his body going rigid as he slowly turned back to face me, disbelief flashing across his face.

"You heard me right," I said, my voice trembling now despite my efforts to keep it steady.

The tears I had been holding back finally spilled, sliding freely down my cheeks as everything I had bottled up broke loose.

"No one is permitted to hurt my child," I added, clutching at the sheets beneath me as if grounding myself in that single truth.

For a moment....No one spoke.

Then Leonard moved again, stepping back toward me, his gaze dark and intense as it locked onto mine.

"Tell me, Theresa," he demanded, his voice low but laced with something dangerous, "are you still in love with Alex?"

I blinked, and then, I rolled my eyes.

Was he serious right now?

Was that really what he thought this was about?

My child might be Alex’s, yes... but that didn’t make my baby—him.

It didn’t erase everything I had gone through to carry this life inside me.

The pain.

The humiliation.

The desperation.

Who knew if I would ever get another chance?

"If staying under your roof would threaten my child’s safety," I began, my voice steadying as something stronger rose within me, "then I’m no longer staying."

I paused briefly, gathering every ounce of courage I had left.

"Thank you for saving me once," I added, my gaze moving from one face to the other, "but now... none of you are going to stop me today."

My hands instinctively moved to my stomach again, protective, unwavering.

I looked at each of them carefully—every single one.

"My pup and I are leaving... Alphas of Ironclad Pack," I declared firmly.

There was no hesitation left in me, no doubt because one thing was certain...no one...absolutely no one...was going to hurt my pup.