Betrayed By An Alpha, Taken By Another

Sweat mattered Lyra’s forehead. Her whole body was on fire as she took shallow breaths. Opening her eyes, she stilled as she looked around her. As her eyes registered the white walls around her, memories of the previous day came back in torrents. “My baby…” Lyra winced and sat up in bed, her face scrunched up. But when she thought about the little being that she birthed the day before, a small smile graced her lips. Lyra heard footsteps. Turning her head with a grimace, she saw the door fly open. Her mate and Alpha, Liam stormed into the room with gritted teeth. Then, her eyes flickered to Liam’s arm. And her smile widened. Liam was holding their bundle of joy. Out of reflex, she stretched out her arm towards Liam. However, Liam threw the child harshly on the floor. She stilled, her breath hitched as her eyes widened. Snapping out of her daze, Lyra jumped from the bed, ignoring the searing pain on her abdomen and head and ran to her baby. “My child!” She screamed, cradling the a baby to her chest. Liam sneered, “I regretted the day I married you!” Lyra knew Liam had lost his love for her about a year ago. But she didn’t expect him to be so cruel as to kill their child. Lyra still loved Liam and hoped their child would draw them closer together. On more than one occasion, through the mate bond, Lyra had felt Liam cheating on her. But she has stayed in the marriage because she didn’t want her baby to have a broken home. As if noticing something was off, Lyra looked down at her silent child. She hasn’t said a word of cries when Liam harshly threw her to the floor. Why wasn’t her baby crying? Lyra searched the baby’s facial features. The baby in her arms was not breathing or moving. Her face was blue. It took some time before Lyra realized she was holding a dead child. All Lyra’s senses stopped. She looked up at Liam. The vein on his forehead was prominent as he barked something at her while pointing at her. But Lyra couldn’t make out a word he was saying. Lyra’s eyes strayed back to the baby in her arms. Her eyes stung as big balls of tears ran down her cheeks. She couldn’t hear what Liam was saying, couldn’t feel the pain in her abdomen or head. The only thing she felt was intense pain from her chest as her lungs constricted, making it harder to breathe. How did this happen? Lyra made sure she attended all the antenatal sessions. And when she came to the hospital the day before, the doctor told her the baby was fine. So what went wrong? Lyra’s trance was broken when Liam snatched the baby from her arms. Feeling the emptiness in her arms, Lyra’s gaze sharpened as she pursed her lips. Standing up with her hands balled at her sides, she reached for the baby. But Liam moved out of the way. “Give me back my baby!” Lyra screamed. She reached for her baby again. But Liam moved out of the way, faster. Lyra’s eyes dimmed as her claws elongated. She widened her stance, snarling at Liam. “Crazy b***h. Doctors!” Liam yelled and two strong doctors walked into the ward. They held Lyra, restricting her movement. But Lyra thrashed against them, trying to break free. But it was to no avail. The doctors were too strong for Lyra. And Lyra was extra weak after having given birth less than nine hours ago. Lyra glared at the man she had come to love. The man whose smile made her day. But looking at him now, all she saw was a cruel monster. “Give me back my baby,” Lyra snarled. “You don’t deserve to touch her after you killed her.” Lyra recoiled, as she stopped thrashing like she had been doused in cold water. “What…? I would never kill my child.” Aliyah, Lyra’s step sister, walked into the ward with a smirk on her face. She walked up to Liam. With a loving look, Liam looked at Aliyah and placed a loving peck on her lips. Lyra’s chest tightened, as her heart skipped beats. She couldn’t breathe properly as pain engulfed her. “How could you do this to me?” Lyra looked at Aliyah, her voice quivering. “You don’t deserve Liam. You never deserved him,” Aliyah sneered. “I saved your life multiple times without asking anything in return. All I ever wanted was for you to be fine.” “I never asked you to give me your healing blood,” Aliyah said with an eye roll, stroking Liam’s arm tenderly. Lyra moved but found out the doctors were still holding on to her arm. “No, you didn’t. But dad forces me every single time! Even when I’m on the verge of dying!” Lyra screamed, all the veins in her head and neck prominent from the force of it. “Enough! I can’t take anymore of your bullshit. I, Liam Moore, reject you, Lyra Stone as my mate and Luna,” Liam announced. Lyra gasped loudly as she looked up at Liam. Tears brimmed her eyes as she pursed her quivering lips. She didn’t expect Liam to reject her so soon after what she just passed through. She needed someone who would be her support. And her mate was the perfect person for that. She opened her mouth but stopped. Her face scrunched up as she took deep fast breaths. Her bones, flesh, skin and blood were on fire. She plummeted down on the floor as a shrill scream tore through her lungs. Sweat dripped from her head, soaking her thin hospital gown. The tears that rimmed her eyes fell fast blurring her vision. The severing of the mate bond brought immense pain. With difficulty, Lyra spoke, “I, Lyra stone accept your rejection.” With her blurred vision, Lyra saw Liam’s head move to notify the doctors. Their grip came on Lyra, dragging her to her feet. A nurse walked into the room with a syringe on a medical tray. No, they don’t want to sedate her, right? Lyra’s eyes widened. She began to thrash frantically against the doctors. “No, no! Liam, don't do this to me! All I ever did was love you. Is this how you repay my kindness?!” She screamed as she thrashed against the doctors with more tears leaking from her eyes. But it was of no use as she felt a needle sting on her neck. The last thing Lyra saw was Liam handing over her dead child to a doctor before he wrapped his arms around Aliyah, kissing her deeply. Lyra’s eyes dimmed as her shoulders slumped. She knew she would never forgive Liam and Aliyah for what they did. With body weakness, Lyra's eyes opened. Her head throbbed badly. Moving her head, she observed she’s in a hospital. That she could tell from the white walls and the antiseptic smell around her. Liam, that bastard, put her in here. Her eyes glazed as she remembered all the times she spent with Liam. How he had promised unending love for her. Lyra stood on shaky legs and limped to the door. Turning the doorknob, the door opened, revealing a dark hallway. Lyra stilled. She heard muffled voices from a room by her right. There was light coming from the room. The only source of light illuminating the hallway. With her hands on the wall guiding her, Lyra limped as fast as she could. She could make out shadows. But that was it. Feeling a door, Lyra opened it, coming out of the hospital. There were people roaming about. Some looked at Lyra with furrowed brows. The air smelt different which meant she was in an unmarked territory. That bastard Liam had taken her to another hospital outside of their pack. Lyras heart pounded while she ran. She knew she needed to escape. If not for her, for her baby. Her baby needed to be laid to rest. Seeing a road, Lyra ran towards it. From her peripheral, she saw an incoming car so close to her thigh. It rammed into Lyra hard, throwing her in the opposite direction. Lyra felt numbness all over her body before intense pain engulfed her. Her head throbbed and she felt wetness and warmth. Lyra tried to shift. But all she felt was hollowness. She could no longer feel her wolf. Though lightheaded, Lyra felt a huge strong hand lifting her head from the ground. “s**t! She’s bleeding,” a man cursed. “They’re after… me. I would do anything you want. Please… save me,” Lyra said to the stranger with difficulty before she lost consciousness.