Chapter 38: Betrayed Again
1401 Words
Lucy’s POV
I woke up with a smile on my face.
For once, the morning didn’t feel like hell. There was no pain in my chest, no storm in my mind. Just peace and a taste of victory.
Stretching under the soft blankets, I stared at the ceiling for a moment, letting the silence soak in. Everything was finally falling into place. Ryker was out of my life, the elders respected me, and soon my babies would be born into a new world.
A world I now had control of.
I stood up slowly and padded over to the window. Looking out, I could see the garden. The pack grounds were quiet, and there was no Ryker around to make me feel less of a person.
I walked down the hallway and paused at the top of the grand stairs. From there, I could see the empty hall where it had all happened—where I humiliated the great Alpha Ryker.
My smile grew. I couldn't help but let out a chuckle “hehe"
He thought he could control me. Break me. But I showed him that I was more than a pawn in his little game.
I was the one moving the pieces now.
With a lightness in my step, I made my way down toward the kitchen, already dreaming of breakfast. Maybe something sweet today—strawberries, ohh, pancakes…
But just as I turned the corner, I froze.
Pain stabbed through my lower belly. I gasped and clutched the wall. Another jolt followed. Then… a kick.
No, two kicks.
I doubled over, panic rising. “H-Hello?!” I called out. “Somebody help!”
No answer.
“Ryker?” I yelled, my voice cracking. “Ryker!”
Still nothing. Then I remembered he wasn't here.
It's strange how even in moments like this, I still think of him. I say I don't need him, but then I close my eyes, and all I see is his face.
My knees buckled and I sank to the floor, hands trembling as they wrapped around my belly. My vision blurred. My breathing was growing shallower by the minute.
And then everything went dark.
*********
The noise from the beeping machines brought me back.
I blinked slowly, my head pounding. The ceiling was white now, and the light above was too bright. The scent of antiseptic filled my nose. I was at the hospital.
“Lucy.”
I turned my head to see Kara sitting beside me, eyes full of concern.
“You’re awake. Thank God!”
“What… happened?” My throat was dry, my voice barely above a whisper.
“You passed out,” Kara said gently, brushing hair away from my face. “The babies kicked a little too hard, and your body reacted. But you’re okay now. You need to rest.”
I sighed in relief, placing my hand over my belly. “And the twins?”
“They’re strong,” she reassured. “I’d say you still have close to three weeks before they come, but that kind of movement is normal this late in the pregnancy.”
I smiled weakly. “Good. I was scared for a moment.”
Kara leaned in to check my heartbeat with her stethoscope. Her eyes widened slightly.
“That’s odd”
"Huh? What is?”
"Oh nothing, I'm just checking your heartbeat. It’s stronger than usual,” she murmured.
I nodded. “ Maybe that has something to do with the fact I’ve already been marked.”
Kara froze. “You… what?”
“I’ve been marked,” I said again, calmly.
She pulled the stethoscope out of her ears. “Lucy… I never thought you’d give him a chance. You always said—”
“Him? What are you talking about?"
“I'm talking about your marking with Ryker"
“He wasn’t there,” I said quickly. “I didn’t need him to be. The elders helped me perform the ritual. I accepted it. That’s all that mattered.”
Kara’s face went pale. She stood abruptly. “Wait… what ritual?”
I frowned. “The one with Elder Nyra. The moonlight, the blood, the chant? I followed everything they said.”
Kara stepped back, shaking her head. “No… Lucy, that’s not how markings work. The real marking only happens between two mates. You can’t fake the bond.”
I sat up confused, my heart racing. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying they tricked you, Lucy.” Her voice cracked. “What you did wasn’t a mark. It was something else.”
The walls started closing in on me again.
“No,” I whispered. “They said it would bind us. That it would protect the twins—”
“They lied.”
Fury erupted inside me like wildfire. I threw off the blankets and swung my legs over the bed. My body ached, but rage burning within me gave me strength.
I stormed out of the hospital with Kara calling after me. I didn’t care. I needed answers. And I needed it now.
I reached the elders’ chamber, slammed the doors open, and marched inside.
They were already waiting. Standing in their little circle almost like they knew I’d come.
“Lucy,” Elder Nyra said smoothly. “What brings you here in such a troubled state?”
“You LIED TO ME!” I screamed, my voice echoing through the chamber.
Nyra smiled faintly. “Oh dear… Is that any way to greet your guides?”
“You said the ritual would protect my babies. You said I’d be marked!”
“You poor child,” she said, her tone mocking. “It’s not our fault you don’t understand wolf tradition.”
I lunged at her, claws ready to strike, but a sharp pain shot through my belly.
I gasped and stumbled back.
Nyra stepped forward, calm and composed. “You’re carrying more than just pups now. You carry a covenant.”
I stared at her, cold horror spreading through me. “What… what did you do to me?”
She tilted her head. “See, child, I told you there'd be consequences, didn't I? We sacrificed your children to the Moon.”
My mouth went dry. TF did she mean by that? “No. No, that’s not—”
“Once born,” she continued, “they will belong to the pack. Not to you. Not to Ryker. To us.”
“You’re lying!”
The other elders began to laugh. Their voice is cruel, cold.
“There is no escaping the Moon’s promise, there is no way to break the covenant,” one of them said.
“Your children will be the future,” said another. “But not yours to raise.”
I turned and fled. Tears streamed down my face, mixing with the sweat on my brow.
I returned home and collapsed on the bed. My hands trembled as they held my belly.
I had been used again. Betrayed once more.
And now I was going to lose the only things that mattered. How could I be so naive!
I wept into the sheets, curled up like a wounded animal.
Then I heard it.
A car is pulling up my driveway.
I wiped my face and ran downstairs, heart racing with hope.
“Ryker?” I called.
But it wasn’t him.
Outside, under the pale morning sky, a pack of wolves waited.
They were here for me.
Big wild hounds, foaming at the mouth.
And standing in front of them was one of Ryker’s brothers. I recognized him from before.
“Well, well,” he sneered. “So you’re the little w***e carrying Ryker’s heir.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Get away from me.”
He chuckled. “ Don't worry sweetheart, I’ll make this quick, I promise. Just come quietly.”
“Never!”
“Very well then. Have it your way," he had a devious smile plastered on his face. “Attack!!"
The wolves lunged at me.
At that moment, I knew I was done for; everything I had worked for had finally come to an end. Eli, my babies, my family secrets.
And in all of this, as I saw my own life flash before my eyes, all I could think of was that bastard of a man. Before I knew it, I was screaming his name.
"Ryker!!!"
- Writer
