Chapter 2

BRIELLE

The sharp scent of medicine drifted into my nose. Stinging and harsh, the odor made me shake my head to clear it.

The movement forced my eyes to snap open immediately.

I found myself staring up at an unfamiliar ceiling.

"Where am I?" I whispered, my gaze darting around the room.

A steady beeping sound drew my attention. Turning my head, I realized I was hooked up to an IV, a clear oxygen mask strapped over my face.

I forced myself to sit up, realizing I was in the hospital.

Just then, the door opened, and a doctor walked in.

"Oh, Luna, you're awake. How are you feeling?" she asked, stepping closer to the bed.

"Nicole," I breathed, recognizing her face.

She was the physician for the packhouse. She was also the one who had informed me of my pregnancy via message.

She pressed a cool hand to my forehead and gently urged me to lie back down and rest.

"You took a bad fall and lost a lot of blood. But you'll be fine. Just rest," she murmured, easing me against the pillows.

At the mention of blood, panic spiked in my chest. My thoughts flew straight to the baby in my womb.

Anxiously, I asked, "And my baby? Is the baby okay?"

Nicole stared at me in heavy silence. The pity in her expression started to scare me as she let out a heavy sigh and said, "I'm sorry, Luna, but we couldn't save your baby."

"What?" My eyes went wide at her words.

She gently explained that the fall had triggered a miscarriage, and the baby had died instantly.

"I know this is devastating for you, Luna. Even Alpha was shaken when he heard the news. He had to leave. I'm so sorry," she apologized, giving my shoulder a comforting pat.

When she mentioned Argon's name, my mind violently yanked me back to the moment before I passed out, remembering the look on his face as I lay bleeding at the bottom of the stairs.

That cold look... that twisted smile...

I gripped the edge of the bed, letting my hand slide slowly down to my stomach, pressing over the exact spot where I had always felt that tiny, reassuring weight.

That was my baby.

But now it was no longer there.

It was gone.

My lips began to tremble, hot tears streaming down my cheeks. I couldn't hold it in anymore and broke down crying.

The doctor tried to soothe me, pulling me into a gentle embrace.

Eventually, I managed to calm down enough to listen to the doctor, who advised me to rest for the next two hours before being discharged.

According to her, Argon didn't want me staying at the clinic for long. He wanted me back home to recover.

"You need each other's love to get through this difficult time. Please rest."

Soon after, she slipped out of the room, leaving me alone to drown in my pain.

I thought of Argon and his father, the late Alpha.

Despite me being a wolfless orphan, the old man had taken me in and made me his son's Luna.

On his deathbed, he had made me promise that I would never leave his son, that I would always strive to make him happy.

Now, sitting in the ruins of my life, I bitterly regretted ever agreeing to that promise.

I regretted it with every fiber of my being.

***

After resting at the hospital, I was driven back to the packhouse by one of Argon's guards in one of his cars.

Weak and hollowed out, I made my way inside, only to find Argon and Estelle waiting for me in the foyer.

They stood together near the entrance, their voices dripping with mockery as they asked about the baby and what the doctor had said.

When I kept my mouth shut and tried to ignore them, Estelle stepped into my path. A cruel laugh bubbled from her lips as she brought up my dead child.

"That bastard got exactly what it deserved," she laughed, clapping her hands in twisted delight.

A sharp pang of agony shot through my chest at the insult to my dead child. I wanted to retort, but I couldn't find the strength.

I was simply too weak, and deep down, too terrified of the man standing by her side.

"Take this," Argon barked, throwing a stack of papers right at my face. "These are the divorce papers."

A violent shiver ran down my spine at the sheer coldness in his tone. I slowly raised my eyes, meeting his icy glare as he ordered me to sign them within twenty-four hours.

"My lawyer will retrieve them the second your time is up. Don't be late," he warned. Then, pulling Estelle flush against his side, he led her up the stairs, the two of them cuddling as if I didn't even exist.

I stood frozen, clutching the scattered papers in my hands, staring down at them in absolute shock.

Flipping through the pages, I saw that Argon had already signed. All that was missing was my signature to finalize the divorce.

Completely brokenhearted, I ran to my room and locked the door behind me. I collapsed onto the floor and wept bitterly.

"After everything... Goddess, is this my reward?" I sobbed, letting the bitter tears flow freely.

After the sheer cruelty I had suffered at Argon's hands, I decided to just give him what he wanted and disappear from his life forever.

I dragged myself up, grabbed a pen, and was about to sign the pages when something stopped me.

"Don't sign those papers, Brielle." A strong, commanding female voice echoed through the room, planting a spike of fear in my heart.

I shot to my feet immediately, my eyes darting around as I searched for the person who had spoken.

"Who's there?" I demanded, my voice trembling as I spun around.

The moment my gaze swept past the full-length mirror, I froze. A pair of glowing green eyes was staring right back at me.

I screamed in fear and stumbled backward, only to feel an intense, violent rumbling erupt deep within my body.

I crashed to my knees, clutching my stomach as blinding pain tore through me. It felt as if my insides were going to explode.

At that moment, a brilliant, wavy green light poured out of my chest, swirling and taking shape right before my eyes.

I could only stare, paralyzed by absolute shock.

What materialized in front of me left me utterly stunned.

A massive, powerful black wolf with those same piercing green eyes was looking right at me.

Her muzzle curled into a smirk, and she spoke in that same feminine tone. "Don't sign it, Brielle. That is not the way of Ivys."

Her emerald eyes glowed brighter as she smiled at me.

The sheer presence of this magnificent wolf standing in my bedroom shook me to my core.

The aura radiating off her was suffocatingly powerful—almost terrifying.

Just meeting her gaze was enough to instill a primal sense of fear.

But a wolf... with green eyes?