FATED QUEEN: MARKED BY DESIRE

Chapter 4 – Running Away

Andrea



Warm liquid ran down my legs, and I froze, my chest tightening as fear and panic gripped me. “No… no, this can’t be happening,” I whispered shakily, my voice trembling as I stumbled toward the stage.

“Andrea!” my mom cried, rushing to me with wide eyes, her hands shaking as she tried to hold me steady.

My dad’s voice was sharp as he grabbed my shoulders to keep me from falling. “Hold on, Andrea! We’ll get you to the car right now!”

I clutched at their arms. “Please… not the pack hospital. I can’t go there. I don’t know if Dr. Grace Bolton can be trusted… she might have given Dwayne those pills.” My voice cracked, my tears falling freely.

My mom’s face hardened as she exchanged a glance with my dad. “She’s right, we can’t take any chances. We’ll go to our clinic instead.”

They carefully lifted me into the car, my head spinning from the pain in my stomach. Every bump in the road made me flinch. “Please… just make sure the baby is okay,” I whispered, my voice small and desperate.

At the clinic, my mom gently examined me while my dad hovered close, his hands clenched. “Andrea, I need you to be honest with me. Are you feeling any other symptoms?”

I shook my head, my heart pounding, my tears soaking my cheeks. “No… but it hurts so much. Please… tell me my baby is still alive.”

My mom finally looked at me, her expression softening. “The baby is still alive, Andrea.”

Relief and fear collided inside me, and I buried my face in her shoulder. “Thank mom… thank you.”

My dad’s voice was low and fierce. “That man… Dwayne, he nearly killed his own child. I can’t believe it.”

I shook my head, clutching both their hands. “Please… you have to tell everyone the baby is gone. If they think it’s gone, then I can… I can finally leave him. I want a divorce. I can’t let him hurt me or the baby again.”

My mom’s hand stroked my hair gently. “Are you sure about keeping the baby, Andrea? Your bond with him… it won’t fully disappear.”

I looked up at them, tears streaking my face. “I don’t care about him anymore. The baby did nothing wrong. I won’t let them hurt it. I have to protect my child, even if it means leaving everything behind.”

My dad and mom exchanged a serious look and then nodded. “Then we leave this pack. We will protect you, Andrea. You decide when and where we go.”

That night, I signed the divorce papers with shaking hands. The next day, the lawyer called. “Dwayne has signed. The papers are ready to be processed.”

I let the tears fall, my heart still aching, but I felt a hard edge settle inside me. “Tomorrow,” I whispered, “we leave for good.

*****

This is the best decision you make. Lexy’s voice whispered sharply in my mind.

I nodded, my hand tightening on the railing as we walked toward the airplane, my parents beside me, steady and silent. I felt a small flicker of hope—I was finally leaving all this behind.

But then my phone buzzed. I frowned at the unknown number, hesitating. Should I answer it or not? It could one of my friends. My thumb hovered over the screen, but curiosity won. I pressed answer.

“Mira?” I asked, my voice cautious, almost trembling.

A laugh echoed through the speaker. It wasn’t Mira’s. Not even close. My stomach dropped. “Sasha?” I whispered.

She laughed again, a dark, greedy sound, nothing like the shy, modest girl I had known. “Oh, Andrea… so nice to know you’re finally pursuing a divorce,” she said, her tone cruel and teasing. “Did you really think your little drama would ruin me or Dwayne? That we care about you? You really are funny.”

I felt my chest tighten. “How dare you?”

Sasha purred, “We’re back together. You see, Andrea, I’m the one who really holds his heart, his real mate, not you. And soon… in just two weeks, Dwayne and I will take our rightful place as King and Queen of the Moon Crest Pack. You? You will never step foot here again. Don’t play the victim—you were the first to steal him, even if he never loved you. But now… it’s over.”

My fingers shook as I tried to speak, but no words came.

She laughed again, darker this time, and then the call ended. My phone buzzed again. A new message. I opened it, my eyes widening in horror. It was a picture. Dwayne. Naked. Sasha. Naked. Together.

I staggered back, my stomach twisting in pain. Lexy hissed sharply in my mind. I gripped my phone so tight, my nails digging into my palms, as fury and fear coiled inside me.

This wasn’t over. Not yet.

I sat in the airplane, staring out the window at the clouds, trying my best not to cry. My chest felt tight, but when Dad and Mom each took a hand in theirs, the tears finally fell.

“I never knew… loving someone could hurt this much,” I whispered, my voice breaking.

Mom pulled me into a hug, her warmth surrounding me. “Don’t worry, Andrea. We’re leaving now. No one can hurt you again.”

Dad squeezed my other hand. “Yes. You can start over… with your child. A new life, a safe life.”

I nodded, my tears still falling. “This… this is the last time I will cry for him. He will never know… never feel my heart again. But I pray… I pray to the Moon Goddess that Dwayne and Sasha will feel the worst karma of their lives.”

Mom held my face gently. “The Moon Goddess never sleeps, Andrea. They will get what’s coming to them, for sure.”

Dad nodded firmly. “Yes. And you? You have your life ahead. Your child. Nothing can take that from you.”

I closed my eyes, letting the sobs shake through me, but deep inside, a cold fire of determination started to burn. They think they’ve won… but they don’t know me yet.

Lexy’s voice whispered sharply in my mind, Good… now, Andrea, we begin our fight.

I clenched my fists, staring out at the endless sky, and silently promised myself—I will survive this, and one day, they will pay.