Becoming Lucien's Bride

Jane~ Pain tore through my abdomen, stealing the breath from my lungs. A strangled gasp escaped my lips as my knees buckled. I fell from the bed, crashing to the floor with a sickening thud. No. It was happening again. Alpha Grey. He was with another woman again. I didn’t need to see it to know. The pain in my chest, the ache in my soul, and the tearing agony in my belly told me everything. My arms instinctively wrapped around my abdomen, as if I could shield the tiny life growing inside me from the cruel blow of betrayal. A scream broke free from my lips. I held on tighter, but it was useless. The damage was done. It wasn’t the first time. Or the second. Or even the third. Every time he gave himself to someone else, he shredded the bond between us, ripping it apart, thread by thread. And each time, I felt it. My body felt it. Our child felt it. Warmth pooled beneath me. I looked down. Blood. It slipped between my legs, as tears streamed silently down my cheeks. I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t speak. Couldn’t even scream anymore. I just cried, numb and broken, as the red stain spread beneath me. Time passed in a blur before the pain dulled enough for me to move. I pushed myself upright on shaky legs, every limb trembling. I cleaned the floor in silence. Then I stepped into the shower, letting cold water pour over me. When I emerged, I sat back on the bed, clutching the blood-soaked dress to my chest. My arms wrapped around it like I once did my belly. My baby was gone. And this was all I had left of her. Minutes later, I stepped outside, feet dragging. I didn’t want to be seen. I couldn’t be seen. “I’m sorry, Raya,” I whispered, brushing my fingers over the fabric one last time before kneeling in the sand. The name caught in my throat. Raya. That was what I had planned to name her. My daughter. This dress, stained with her blood, was the closest thing I had to her body. So I buried it. It was the only funeral I could give. Or more like, the only funeral I could afford. On my way back to my room, I bumped into him—Alpha Grey. The man I loved. The mate the Moon Goddess cursed me with. His shirt was wrinkled, his belt half-fastened. There were scratches down his chest and lipstick smeared across his throat. Her scent clung to him like a second skin, sweet and not mine. He didn’t even stop. Didn’t look at me. Didn’t ask where I’d been. Or why I looked like that. He just kept walking, like I was nothing but a shadow crossing his path. My body still ached. Grief clawed up my throat. But his silence cut deeper than any pain I’d already endured. “Grey.” My voice cracked. He said nothing. Just brushed past me. I turned, my fists clenched at my sides, voice trembling with disbelief, “Grey!” He stopped. Slowly, he turned to face me. Those eyes that were cold, gray, emotionless swept over me. My disheveled hair. The bruises on my arms. The haunted look on my face. He saw all these yet he said nothing. “You don’t get to ignore me,” I said, barely holding myself together. “Not after what you did. Not after what I lost.” He blinked once, slow and indifferent. “What are you talking about now?” “Our child,” I said hoarsely. “She’s gone. Again. While you were out screwing another w***e again.” Something flickered in his eyes. Not guilt. Not pain. It was irritation and impatience, “Don’t start,” he muttered. “Start?” My laugh was hollow, broken. “I buried my dress soaked with her blood in the sand just a few minutes ago!” Still, he stood there, unmoved. “You’re my mate,” I whispered. “I’m your Luna. Why do you keep doing this to me? Why do you keep cheating when you know what it does to me?” A slow, bitter smile curved his lips, “I don’t owe you anything, Jane.” My breath caught. “You are a lowly omega, Jane. The Moon Goddess made a mistake when she tied you to me. You are nothing—no rank, no pride, no strength. You think the title of Luna means anything when it sits on someone so beneath me?” I stared at him, every word punching the breath out of my lungs. “If you hadn’t opened that big mouth four years ago and cried to my father and the council. If you hadn’t exposed the bond. I would’ve never been forced to marry you. You think I wanted this? You think I wanted you?” I stared at him, stunned and silent. He stepped closer, voice low and venomous, “And about the baby, that’s on you. Maybe if you weren’t so fragile, so damn weak—” The slap echoed before I even realized I’d raised my hand. My palm stung, but he barely blinked. “I lost her,” I whispered. “Our child. And you don’t even care.” His jaw tightened, but it wasn’t regret that hardened his face, it was fury. “Don’t blame me for your pathetic body’s failures,” he snapped. And then he shoved me. I hit the floor hard, hands scraping against stone, knees buckling. I curled into myself, gasping and shaking. He looked down at me like I was dirt. “Next time you lay your hand on me or speak to me like that,” he said coldly, “I won’t be so gentle.” Then he turned and walked away, the sound of his boots echoing against the cold corridor walls. And I stayed there, broken.