SAVANNAH
He bit my thigh with brutal ferocity and dragged me beneath him, asserting his dominance mercilessly.
I struggled to resist, my hands pressing against my stomach in a desperate attempt to shield my pup. But his claws, like lethal blades, sliced through my skin, tearing at my fragile, defenseless body.
Instinctively, I raised my arms as his sharp claws targeted my face. A scream erupted from me as a deep gash stretched across my cheek from forehead to jaw.
As I exposed my belly, he struck at our child.
"NOOO, not the pup, please, Ragnar, NOT MY CHILD…!!!"
Tears streamed endlessly down my face as I pleaded with him. His canines sunk into my flesh, and his claws dug mercilessly into my insides, coldly searching for the life growing within me.
I lost track of time in this excruciating torment, sobbing and begging for as long as my voice held out.
The pain coursing through my body was unbearable, but the agony of my shattered soul was even worse.
I was thrown on the ground like garbage, on the edge of the cliff, my consciousness nearly slipping away from the pain, but then I saw him shift back into his human form.
"You thought you could trap me forever, you fool!" he roared, his voice brimming with rage.
His eyes were cold and repulsed, an expression I had never seen before.
"Did you really believe I loved you? That I was desperate to have a child with you? What a waste!" He kicked me with unbridled fury, but I no longer had the strength even to groan.
"THREE DAMN YEARS SEPARATED FROM MY MATE BECAUSE OF YOU!" he bellowed, unleashing the full force of his hatred.
"Why…?" I barely managed to whisper, my face swollen, my tongue heavy, a deep wound in my throat spilling blood.
"Because you showed up at the pack, a pathetic orphan, and that stupid old witch said you would bear powerful Alphas that would enhance my bloodline."
"All lies from that crazy old woman, but my mother had believed her and forced me to leave my woman for you because you were infatuated with me! She had given me three years to get you pregnant; that had been our deal. If you failed, I'd be free!"
"So, I came today, ready to rid myself of an obstacle like you, and you told me you were carrying a bastard in your belly," he laughed maniacally.
"I won't let you ruin my life again, Savannah. This is the end for you!"
He approached me, and I stared into the abyss.
I wanted to say so much…
"I didn't know you loved someone else. I had been just a naive girl in love, but I had never forced you to love me back. How could you deceive me and pretend all this time? Our child… how could you do this?"
Lying there, bloodied and broken, I felt utterly helpless.
I wished I could connect with my wolf, vent, and scream at her for this injustice, but I couldn't. I didn't have an inner wolf, only the ability to shift my body into one and pretend.
Some said it was due to trauma from my parents' violent deaths, where I was the sole survivor.
Others claimed it was a curse, but I knew it wasn't true. I never felt any wolf spirit within me.
"Goodbye, dear wife. You don't seem so special after all," he said with cynical finality, and with a cruel kick, he sent me over the edge of the cliff.
The last thing I knew was the cold emptiness below. I gazed at the dark sky and the shadows of crows circling above, as if heralds of death.
'I'm sorry, baby. I couldn't protect you.'
***
"Why aren't her wounds healing properly?"
"I can't waste the pack's blood on a stranger, especially since Valen rescued her from the rogue forest. She has to heal on her own."
"Honestly, I don't even know how she's still alive. The damage to her body is horrendous, especially to her belly and her… face."
I heard voices nearby, hands examining me, and a pain so intense it felt like death itself. It pulled me in and out of consciousness.
I was uncertain how much time had passed or where I was, but when I opened my eyes, I saw a white ceiling.
I looked around at the small room and realized I was lying on a cot.
"You're awake?" a female voice suddenly said, and I saw an unfamiliar face.
I tried to speak, but my vocal cords seemed unresponsive.
"Don't push yourself. You… I didn't think you could speak right now because of the wound on your neck." She looked at me with a troubled expression.
My foggy mind cleared, and I remembered everything. I reached for my stomach, trying to sit up despite the dizziness and searing pain.
"Don't move. Calm down, please!" She gently pressed me back down, but I needed to know. I needed to know desperately if a miracle had happened.
I looked at her intently, then at my bandaged belly.
"Yes, I understand what you're asking, but… I'm sorry. Your belly was completely destroyed, your womb perforated, and your pup… didn't survive. We couldn't save it. We don't even know how you're still alive."
Tears flowed uncontrollably from my eyes. I closed them in despair, my soul shattered. My lips trembled along with the rest of my body, and rough sobs escaped from my broken throat.
Why did this have to happen to me?
Why does everything around me have to turn into a nightmare?
My baby was innocent. Why did something so terrible have to happen to him?
"Calm down, please. Cruz, I need you now! Bring the sedative! Cruz, it's urgent!!"
"Aaaahahhh! Aaaaahhh!" I heard a hoarse cry, a scream that chilled the blood and broke hearts.
A woman was crying inconsolably, and then I realized: it was me… the miserable woman who had lost everything.
***
A few days had passed, and I now knew a man had rescued me from the forest beneath the cliff.
I was in a small pack, not far from the SilverMoon Pack.
My hands were covered in wounds, and though I wanted to cool my face, I hesitated. I wasn't sure how to even touch my skin anymore.
I lifted my head, and as always, it took all the courage I had to look in the mirror.
The face that had once been beautiful and envied by so many she-wolves now bore a horrendous scar that stretched across my forehead, with another deep gash running down my left cheek.
Ragnar hadn't just taken my child's life and my ability to bear children—he had destroyed my face.
It was supposed to heal, but deep down, I knew it wouldn't. I didn't have the same quick-healing ability as the male wolves.
Yes, I healed, but slowly, and the scars remained.
I left the small room, hearing the hushed voices of the she-wolf who had been caring for me. She was outside, talking with the pack doctor.
They were discussing how I had used up too many resources and that soon they would have to ask me to leave. Packs didn't just accept outsiders, but she argued that I was still in very bad shape.
I was grateful for her care and empathy, but I didn't need them to throw me out. I had already made up my mind—tonight, I would leave on my own.
***
I walked through the dark forest like a lost soul, the bandages on my wounds soaked through, some of them bleeding again.
I didn't care. My legs kept moving in one direction.
Hiding behind a bush, I watched the patrol line. I knew exactly where to slip through unnoticed—I had designed this defense rotation myself for Ragnar.
Like so many things I had done for the pack, all for him.
I slipped through the night, blending into the shadows as quickly as my battered body would let me.
I might not have had the male wolves' abilities, but I could do strange things. For instance, when I didn't want to be detected, not even they could smell or sense me.
The night and darkness were my greatest allies, amplifying those strange traits of mine.
I heard voices and laughter, and saw lights in the distance—coming from the yard behind what used to be my home for three long years.
I moved in slow motion, wearing old slippers and a worn-out dress the she-wolf from the hospital had given me.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I've gathered you here today because I can no longer hide my happiness. I'm finally going to marry my beloved mate, the woman of my life, my sweet Silvina, your next Luna."
It felt like I had fallen into an ice cavern when I saw them—smiling, kissing in front of those who, just yesterday, had called me Luna.
It was my so-called "best friend" Silvina and my treacherous Alpha Ragnar, celebrating their union, while I was meant to rot beneath that cliff, if their plan had succeeded.
Traitors. Hypocrites!
Silvina was even wearing one of my evening dresses, made up with my things, stealing my life without a hint of remorse.
She had deceived me all this time, just as I had been blind to everyone in this pack—and worse, blind to the man who had lain beside me at night, thinking of another woman.
Even the doctor who had told me about my pregnancy was there!
Ragnar must have promised her something to keep quiet.
I clenched my fists until my nails dug into my palms, my teeth chattering with rage. I waited—like the deranged psychopath I had become—watching their entire celebration until the lights went out and they all went home.
***
I climbed the stairs to the second floor, moving down the dimly lit hallway. I could hear them clearly—making love in the master bedroom.
Her moans escaped through the crack of the slightly open door.
In my mind, I pictured myself gently pushing her aside. Moonlight spilled through the large glass window, illuminating her as she rode Ragnar, her back to the entrance.
"Alpha, tell me I'm better than her… Mmmm… come on, Ragnar, tell me I'm better than frigid Savannah…"
"You're the best, baby… don't even compare yourself to that stiff… Ride me in her bed, come on… isn't this what you always wanted? …"
Their filthy words reached my ears, and it was the final trigger. Everything snapped.
In a blind rage, I threw myself onto them.