*LAYLA'S POINT OF VIEW

"That thing in your stomach isn't for me. You got pregnant for yourself. Get that into your little skull." Alpha Karl's deep and harsh voice echoed in the room as I approached to place a cup filled with juice on the table.

"What! ... what's happening, Karl, what did I do wrong?" I stammered in front of him.

I was surprisingly hit in the heart when I heard such words coming from his mouth while he was on the phone with someone else.

Then he swiftly covered the phone half way with his left hand and fixed his angry gaze on me.

"Hey! Could you leave me alone to enjoy 30 minutes of beautiful conversation on the phone? I am talking to a real person, not a dirt like yourself." He shouted at me surprisingly.

My heart melted to see a person who promised me heaven and earth displaying such a bad character towards me.

"Did I offend you in anyway?" I asked with my calm voice, but he turned deaf ears to me, and he continued with his conversations on the phone.

I walked up to sit beside him on the big soft chair, but he turned away from the spot I sat. 

"Oh, don't mind that spoilt princess; she's just trying to be nice to me, but I know she's not." He said to the receiving end with a smile.

Then I summoned my inner courage and strength to know what's really happening to my mate; this shouldn't be happening, at least not today when we are getting married the next day.

"Karl, even though I don't know what I did to offend you this evening, I plead with you to let us reconcile whatever is going on between us, because I'm beginning to suspect something fishy about your newly introduced attitude, and I don't want to..." He caught me off guard quickly before I could finish my sentence.

"You suspect what? Say it out loud, let the king and queen hear you, and inform the whole people of Craftanwood that you suspect your mate to be a cheater. If you say I am cheating, then yes, I am. I have another person I'm dating aside from you fat pig with portrude belly, so what the hell will you do about it? Tell me." He sounded so mean and serious.

I was so speechless that my mouth went dry of words to utter to him. I stood there looking at him, enjoying his conversation just like a fool.

Meanwhile, he ended the call with the person with different romantical words and left me alone in the sitting room to feel the pain.

I reminisced on when we were once like that. It's such a loss.

On a beautiful morning, my eyelids gradually open as the melodious songs from the birds whisper through the air to my ears. I had just started sleeping after I spent 3 hours thinking about what Karl said to me.

But it's too early to confront a new morning with such thoughts, so I let bygone be bygone.

"I pray to you, Moon goddess, please wave all the obstacles from me and my family; make today a better day." I knelt down and prayed beside my bed with my pregnant belly.

A day we've been planning for 3 moons is finally here in front of me, but Alpha Karl seemed not to come home last night after the whole argument.

"What am I going to tell my parents, especially my father, who had been in support of my love for himsince I told him I was pregnant with his child?? I said to my open mind.

However, I forgone whatever occurred last night. So I reached for my phone on the bed and dialed his number. I waited patiently for him to receive the call as the line continued to cut from the other end whenever it rang.

*LINE BUSY* displayed on my phone screen.

Meanwhile, I didn't give up, so I continued sending the call for almost 20 minutes, and then he finally picked up the call.

"Layla, why are you calling my phone this early? I need my time if you don't need yours." He said it with his deep, sleepy voice.

"I noticed you didn't come home last night because I left the door open for you to come in. Karl, today is our wedding day, and you are nowhere to be be found.

"Where are you now?" I said while I tried to keep my voice and anger cool.

"Oh great! So today is your wedding day; don't bother yourself; you will definitely see me there as soon as possible." He hung up the phone without dating anything else to me.

"This isn't the same man I knew years back in this kingdom of Craftanwood. No, this can't be him." I said to myself while I fixed my gaze at the cloudy sky. 

At some points I wish the rain had fallen and stopped the ceremony from holding; unfortunately, it didn't stop the Royal Mansion from being crowded with a lot of visitors.

King George Adolphus, My father got all the Alphas of Craftanwood present at the two occasions; there is the Moon Goddess festival that is very popular and important to everyone in Craftanwood, and on the same day he was also handling his daughter's hand in marriage to the Alpha of Wolfen pack, 'Alpha Karl'.

Different ladies were singing and dancing in front of the tree of life with their mates, but mine is far from here. My childhood friend 'Lucian and her mate are present to see me marked by my own mate.

I sat down with my big belly, with the child inside me rumbling from side to side, but I wasn't distracted from everyone making their different wishes to the moon goddess.

After a few seconds in my thoughts, Lucian secretly approached me with two letters in her hand.

"Layla, my dear, congratulations on your day; please, it's very important you go through these letters where there is silence," she quietly whispered to my ears. 

"Thank you, my friend. I'm so glad you are here now like you've promised, but please, where did you get these letters and what's inside the letter Lucian?" I quicklyasked her in a low tone.

"It's a wedding gift from someone that loves you; this letter could change your life for the betterment of everyone; just follow my warning and read it where none will see you." Lucian reminded me again.

Meanwhile, I prepared myself for the holy matrimony even though I haven't seen Alpha Karl, and the mysterious letter still hung in my hand. 

After a few minutes of preparation, the Moon Goddess festival kick started, and in a few minutes from now they will call us for our holy matrimony. My mind was so restless. 

Then I stood up and walked slowly towards the tall and big tree of life. There is a myth that if a wish is granted, a leaf will fall from the tree on the person in acceptance of the wishes by the moon goddess.

"Moon goddess, I know you are the greatest mother of all of us. I channeled my wish to my NINA today. I know she's still unborn, but I still wish her to be the greatest gift to me and my family. I wish that my child would become the most powerful Luna and not a wolfless like me. Please, mother, grant my wishes, and I'll be forever grateful."

So I still fixed my gentle gaze at the top of the tree, but what met my head and body was just the fresh air and breeze blowing my beautiful white wedding dress.

I had lost hope of the myth when, unexpectedly, a white, long leaf flew with the wind all the way from the top and attached itself to my forehead. I was so calm and relaxed.

"Moon goddess, thank you so much for accepting my wishes. I must share this great news with my mate as soon as possible; maybe this will lighten up the bad mood." I said to myself as I quickly raced inside to find Alpha Karl.

My heart was filled with excitement as I approached the dimly lit room in front of me. I never bother knocking, and quickly I opened the door widely, but he wasn't inside our chamber, so I decided to check on my stepsister Camara, who is also yet to grace the occasion with her presence.

Camara is my bridesmaid, but I haven't seen her shadow since the first program kicked off, so I decided to check on her too.

However, as I was walking through the hall, I remembered the letter Lucian had given me, so I opened one of the encrypted letters, and it's read:

"Run for your dear life, Princess." 

But I ignored the content of the letter or who had sent it to warn me of something; I was so focused on sharing the news with Camara.

My heart raced as I burst into the grand chamber. But my excitement was instantly replaced with shock and horror. Alpha Karl, my mate, lay entwined with my stepsister, Camara. 

The scene before me was like a dagger to my heart. I fell to the ground on my ass with my left hand on my pregnancy, and I wiped my face again to be sure I'm not daydreaming.

"Layla, what the hell are you doing here?" Alpha Karl said angrily, scrambling to cover himself.

The tears I've been trying so hard to hold rolled down to my cheek as I set my two eyes on their naked bodies on the giant bed. 

Camara's eyes flashed with guilt but she showed no remorse.

"I expected you to wait for me outside to join you, but hell no, you just have to see what you want your sneaky eyes to see. Anyway, there is no point in hiding it anymore. I've been dating your sister even before we dated. All these marriages of a thing are just an act to accomplish our goals. I never loved you for once." Alpha Karl said Frankly and laughed out so loud.

I felt a sudden rage of anger inside me as I imagined picking up the bottle of wine on the table and breaking it on his head as he uttered the bad words out of his disgusting mouth.

My whole world crumbled; this is a bad omen for my life, my trust, and my family—all shattered.

"How could you?" I whispered, and my voice trembled.

"How could he do what, sister? Sleep with his beloved mate? You are a funny princess." Camara said and smiled as she caught me short.

"His beloved?" I repeated, and my anger rose. 

"With my own sister?" It's so disgusting to see them together.

Camara slid off the bed, her gaze locked on mine. 

"You've always thought you were better than me, Layla. But now we're equal." Camara felt no remorse for what had just happened. 

"You'll never be my equal." My eyes blazed.

I could see Alpha Karl with his mobile phone flat on his chubby cheek as he quickly dialed a number. I could hear him speak but not the response from the other side.

"Hello alpha Malakai, now is the right time; it's now or never; let's the attack begin." Alpha Karl said before my uncle gave him a new command.

Then my mind quickly went back to the encrypted letter and what it meant by 'Run for your life, Princess', but it was too late.

"Alpha Karl, make sure nobody lives there alive; it's a new command from above; where is Layla? Alpha Malakai's voice came through the speaker of the phone.

"She's here, my king." Alpha Karl assured him of my presence. 

He dropped the phone and reached for his trousers, but I ignored him and faced Camara.

The tension was palpable. My pain and rage threatened to consume her in front of me; unfortunately, I gave my imagination the freedom to pick up the bottle on the wooden table and smash it on her head. 

Blood escaped from her head and covered all her face as she screamed loudly in the room.

It felt good until suddenly my eyes widened in agony as Alpha Karl's blade sliced through my abdomen, the pain intensifying as I felt our unborn child's life slipping away.

"You've killed our child," I whispered, my voice trembling with anguish.

Alpha Karl's face contorted in a mix of shock and horror. "No, Layla, you caused this to yourself.

Camara's eyes gleamed with malice as she bleeds through the head. "You'll never have anything again, Layla."

My vision blurred as I crumpled to the floor with the second encrypted letter on me, my hand instinctively protecting my wounded abdomen, then everything went hollow.