The Alpha’s Secret Child

(Elara's Point of View) They say freedom has a taste. Mine tasted like blood and ashes. “Finally,” was all I kept repeating to myself as the iron doors of the werewolf prison creaked open. I staggered out in my rags, hugging my little puppy and saying, “You're the only thing that matters to me in this cruel world.” The cold hit me like claws scratching my back, right above the half-healed whip marks. My wolf whimpered deep inside me, weak and battered. She used to be my strength. Now she was as broken as I was. I pressed Emma against my chest, protecting her from the wind that howled like a pack in mourning. She was the only warmth left in my world. When the wind finally died down, I pulled back a corner of the worn blanket. My heart softened instantly. “Emma,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “My sweet little puppy.” She chirped softly, pursing her little lips as she looked at me with her big amber eyes, so innocent and pure. “Your cheeks are so soft and pink, you're like a fragile flower in a world that has turned gray,” I said lovingly. Her little mouth opened, letting out a soft babble that melted my chest like sunlight through frost. "You were born behind silver bars, in a cell that smelled of death. Your father put me there without knowing you existed, but not anymore, my baby. We will be free. A city bus screeched to a halt in front of us, its brakes whistling. I cradled her carefully in my arms, wincing as the fabric rubbed against the raw marks on my shoulder. “We're just reminding you of your place,” the guards told me. One of them had pushed me into the silver cage and kicked me when I tried to protect my swollen belly. Sometimes, when the night grew too quiet, I could still hear the echo of his laughter. I got on the bus, fumbling for coins to pay for the ticket. My fingers were cracked and trembling. The driver looked at me for a second but quickly looked away. “They don't even recognize me anymore,” I said to myself. “I've become a shadow of my former self, unrecognizable.” Spending long, torturous months in prison leaves you like that. Every bone in my body ached; each step was like walking on broken glass. “We'll sit in the back and go unnoticed,” was all I could promise my little girl. My reflection in the window startled me. My eyes were sunken, my lip was split, and a scar ran across my jaw. “Eighteen months ago, your mother was Luna Elara Vance, wife of Cole Vance, Alpha of the BlackFang pack,” I told my little girl. “But your father was a man who couldn't even look at me without feeling disgust. So, we'll be happy together, just the two of us.” I closed my eyes and the memories came uninvited. Memories of the day it all happened. I was in bed, crying silently into my pillow, wondering what I had done to deserve the life I had. I had been married to my husband for five years, a marriage devoid of warmth, love, and intimacy. But the night before, Cole had come home late, reeking of whiskey and despair. “Let me help you, let me take off your shoes and wash your face,” I had said when he arrived. I gave him water to drink and helped him into bed. But as he slid under the sheets, his hand grabbed my wrist, rough and cold. “You always wanted to trap me, didn't you?” he growled, his hot breath against my skin. “Getting my grandmother to pressure me into having children, that was your plan all along.” I shook my head, tears blurring my vision. “Cole, please, I...” “Congratulations,” he snapped, pulling me closer to him. “You'll finally get what you've always wanted.” “No, please, not like this.” But he didn't wait for my consent. He pounced on me and took me, snatching my dignity away in a vile manner. This wasn't how I had imagined giving up my virginity, although to be fair, I never gave it up. It was taken from me. My wolf screamed inside me, pounding against the cage of my ribs, while Cole made me his, holding my hands above my head. After the act, I lay there, crying silently between the sheets until the next morning. Then there was a loud bang on the door and the agents burst into the room. I jumped. They pulled me out of bed, half-naked and confused. They didn't even give me time to breathe. “Let me get my jacket,” I cried desperately before they dragged me out of the house, the same house I had made my home with my own hands. “Come on, walk,” they yelled at me as their shouts mingled with the beating of my heart. My wolf howled inside me, confused and terrified, begging me to transform and run, but the silver handcuffs tightening around my wrists silenced him. “You are accused of being a spy and conspiring with the Croft family to sell the Vance Group files.” They repeated this to me, but it was all lies... The rain fell in cold showers, soaking my clothes as they pushed me into the courtyard. I stumbled and fell to my knees, the gravel digging into my skin. My hair stuck to my face as I looked at him: Cole Vance. My husband and Alpha. “Cole,” I managed to say, my voice breaking between a plea and a sob. “Please believe me. I didn't do it...” My tears mixed with the rain, washing the bruises from my face. For a moment, I thought I saw hesitation in his eyes, but no. His expression hardened and his lips curled in disgust. “If your words could prove your innocence, Elara,” he said coldly, "why would we need the guards and the Council? He stood under the eaves, his hands tucked into his coat pockets, protected from the rain, as if my suffering were a spectacle for him. My wolf whimpered, pressing against my heart, desperate to reach him through the bond, but he had already closed himself off. “There will be no reconciliation,” he continued, his tone final and ruthless. “There will be no deal. No matter how much you beg or offer. You will pay dearly for this betrayal.” Then he turned his back on me. Just like that. “Now walk or we'll drag you,” they said as they pulled me away. My vision blurred, but I couldn't stop looking at him until the heavy car doors slammed shut. The marks from the night before still burned on my neck, where he had berated me, accused me, and then punished me like a criminal in our bed. I can still feel the sting of his claws when I close my eyes. Eighteen months have passed since then, and even the seasons have changed. “Now... now I am free.” I looked at the small bundle in my arms. My daughter, my miracle. “You are so innocent and perfect, my life, that I promise to keep you away from the cruelty that brought you into this world. I smiled weakly and kissed her forehead. ”You are the only good thing that came out of that nightmare, my daughter," I whispered. My wolf stirred gently inside me. “I swear on my life that I will never forgive you, Cole. You will never know about our little girl. You lost that right when you threw me away like trash.” I swore to myself. I'm done with you. I'm done with the pain. I'm done being the weak Moon begging for mercy.