Ceres's POV

After leaving the bathroom, I returned to the room where Jasmine and her friends were. The laughter I had left behind had turned into drunken chatter.

Jasmine glanced up at me and smiled. “There you are, babe.” I returned her smile and sat beside her.

After about an hour had passed, Jasmine decided the night had run its course and declared the gathering over. As the group dispersed, I stepped outside to wait for Jasmine and the designated driver.

I was standing at the intersection, surrounded by dim streetlights. I put my hand on my lower abdomen and smiled.

Glancing down at it, I said, my voice carried by the cool night breeze, “Mummy will always protect you, my little one. It’s me and you against the world.” I heaved a sigh of satisfaction.

All of a sudden, I sensed a rapid approach to my right. I looked up just in time to be blinded by the glare of headlights.

“Move, Ceres!” Elsa screamed in warning in my head, but my body froze and my mind went blank.

As the car collided with me, I saw clearly the person behind the wheel.

It was Anita!

The impact came hard and fast, a deafening crash tearing through the still night. I felt my body hurl through the air before crumpling against the cold pavement. Agony exploded through me, sharp and unrelenting. My lower abdomen burned with searing pain, and warm blood began to pool around me.

I gasped, Elsa howling in anguish as the life I carried flickered weakly within me.

Tears mingled with the metallic taste of blood on my lips.

Not my pup…please, not my pup…

My heart constricted with immense pain. Harsh, ominous light filled my surroundings. The smell of blood filled my nostrils, and my vision grew increasingly blurred.

My three years of sacrifice in marriage had left me with nothing. I had made up my mind to raise my pup alone, but right now, I was on the verge of losing it. My heart felt like it was being crushed in someone’s hands as pain spread through every nerve in my body.

I could hear Jasmine’s scream pierce through the air as she rushed toward me.

“Ceres! Ceres!” she screamed, her voice filled with panic. She carried my head in her trembling arms and cried, “Babe, please stay with me!”

“Someone call an ambulance!” she yelled in fright as more people began to file out from the club.

A few minutes later, the sound of sirens filled the air.

I felt my strength gradually leaving me, making it more difficult to stay awake.

Elsa stirred weakly within me.

A few seconds later, I was being wheeled into an ambulance.

Gradually, the ringing in my ears faded away, and I slipped into unconsciousness.

********

Richard's POV

I heard the commotion going on outside the club and stepped out to see what it was all about. People were rushing to the scene; it was complete chaos. I saw a body being wheeled away into an ambulance that had just arrived.

Upon getting closer, I noticed a car at the center of the scene.

It was Anita's car!

I rushed to the scene and upon seeing me, Anita rushed into my arms, “Richard, thank Goddess you are here!”she cried, her body trembling.

I glanced down at her, she was as pale as the moon. Wanting to understand what was going on, I asked, “What happened, Anita?”

She sobbed, her words tumbling out in broken cries as she glanced up at me. “I knocked down a lady… It was an accident! I swear, Christian, I didn’t see her in the darkness!” she explained bitterly.

I furrowed my brows, surveying the scene keenly. My nostrils flared as I caught the scent of blood in the air, my wolf slightly agitated by the metallic smell. I followed the scent and saw a pool of blood on the floor a few feet from where we stood.

My eyes darted towards the ambulance which was now leaving. I felt very uneasy as I watched it speed off into the darkness.

“Help me, Richard, I didn't really mean to knock her down. You have to believe me!” Anita cried beside me.

“I… I just returned from overseas and haven't really adapted to the driving rules here,” she stammered.

“It was so dark, and I didn't see anyone standing there. Please, Richard, I didn’t mean it! I know this is an offense punishable by the law”, she shook her head frantically, “I can't go to prison Richard, Lucky can’t be without a mother,” she sobbed, clutching onto my shirt.

My heart warmed up a bit as soon as she mentioned Lucky, and I tried to get back my composure.

I was silent for a few seconds as I thought of what my next course of action would be. Patting Anita gently on the shoulder, I comforted her, “I understand. I will have my lawyer help you; everything will be alright.”

She immediately looked up at me with puffy eyes, spent from crying. “You will?”

I nodded my head in response.

She wrapped her arms around me, embracing me tightly as she cried, “Thank you, Richard! I knew you would not abandon Lucky and me.”

As my eyes wandered to the bloodstained ground, my jaw tightened, and my unease deepened.

I released myself gently from Anita's grip and reached for my phone to call Martins.

A few minutes later, the police arrived, and Martins and my lawyer arrived soon after.

After gathering some evidence and inspecting the scene, the police approached us and asked Anita, “Do you know the person who was hit?”

She leaned against my chest and shook her head in shock. Her voice trembled as she said, “I don’t know who it was, I couldn’t see anything. It was too dark.”

When they were done questioning Anita, they turned to me.

“Alpha Richard, I’m afraid we would have to take her into custody for further investigation,” one of the policemen said.

I felt Anita stiffen as she clutched onto me tightly in fright. “Richard, please do not let them take me, please! Remember Lucky! He needs his mother. I can’t go to jail for this. It was only an accident!”

Richard's POV

Anita's eyes were filled with fear. Thoughts of Lucky slightly ached my heart.

“Give us a moment, please,” I said to the policemen.

They nodded and moved to the side.

I held Anita by the arms. “Listen to me, you have to go with them, but you will not be there for long.”

Her eyes filled with shock as a snarl ripped out of her. “Richard! You want me to go with them? But you promised to take care of everything. You are an Alpha! They will do as you instruct!” she cried.

“Listen to me, Anita! I might be an alpha, but I am also a law-abiding citizen!” I snapped angrily at her.

Seeing how scared she was, I sighed and added softly, “I will take care of everything. You just need to spend the night there. By morning, everything will be sorted out, okay?”

She searched my eyes for a few seconds and nodded in response, “Thank you, Richard.”

After she had left with the policemen, I turned to Martins, who was now standing by my side, and instructed, “Negotiate with them for any amount of compensation. Minimize the impact of this incident.”

Martins nodded in response and left with my lawyer to the police station.

**********

A few hours ago, this morning, Martins and my lawyer were able to successfully secure Anita's release from the police station. They brought her to the suite in my hotel where I had lodged her and Lucky.

I was relieved to see the mother and son duo finally reunite.

Last night, after Anita was taken away by the police, I went to the hotel to stay with Lucky. It was one hell of a night, as I barely had any sleep due to his constant cries, calling for his mother.

Upon her return, Anita was very down and cried intermittently. Due to this, I stayed with them until dawn the next day before I left.

I checked my cellphone when I got home and realized that I had missed several calls from Martins. I had put my cellphone on silent mode since yesterday, not wanting to be disturbed.

I called him back to know why he had called.

As soon as the call connected, Martins’ voice rang out, “Alpha, we have a problem.”

I furrowed my brows. “What problem is that?”

He hesitated for a moment before he replied, “The victim has refused to negotiate any compensation from us.”

“Do they want money? You can give them more, do everything you can to prevent them from pressing charges,” I ordered coldly.

I could hear Martins take a deep breath, pausing momentarily before he said in a low tone, “Alpha... the victim is Luna Ceres, your wife... and...”

There was absolute silence. I was still trying to process his words when he added, “She was carrying your pup. One month along. The pup died due to the accident.”

His words hung in the air like a death knell.

“What did you say? How can it be her?” I asked in utter confusion.

“It is indeed her, Alpha. I confirmed it from her girlfriend who has been by her side since the incident.”

My wolf roared in my head. I clenched my fist, my claws piercing my palm as realization crashed over me.

I finally understood why I felt a bit restless last night. It was because something bad happened to my mate!

She was one month pregnant? And now it was gone?

A piercing sensation slashed through my heart like a sharp blade, leaving me in excruciating pain.

“Go to the hospital at once. I will meet you there,” I ordered and ended the call.

When I arrived at the hospital half an hour later, I saw Martins sitting in the lobby with my lawyer and two other people: a man and a woman.

She must be Ceres's friend, the one Martins spoke about.

Approaching them, I asked, my voice trembling with fury, “Where is she?”

Martins hesitated briefly, his gaze flickering towards the calm lady who sat beside the man. Unlike him, she looked unfazed by my presence.

She then turned her cold gaze at me, her sharp blue eyes brimming with defiance as she said in an icy tone, “She just had surgery and doesn't want to see you.”

She rose to her feet and advanced toward me.

“Alpha Richard, it is such a pity your pup is gone,” she taunted.

I narrowed my eyes at her. A mix of rage, guilt, and grief coursed through my entire body as a low growl ripped out of my throat at her.

But she wasn't finished. Her voice, dripping with venom, snarled. Each word was a dagger aimed at my heart. “Why would you even care? Your illegitimate child is alive and well, isn't he? That's all that matters to you! Congratulations, Richard, you are free from this marriage now, just the way you wanted!”

I staggered a bit, her words striking me harder than a physical blow. My voice, when it finally came, was hoarse and fractured. “Where is Ceres?” I growled.

For some reason, in the midst of the panic, I felt a strong sense of powerlessness. I didn't have high expectations for the pup with Ceres, but upon hearing she had lost it, I couldn't help but feel a pang of pain in my heart.

My pup was gone! The ache in my heart deepened as I realized the cruel irony. While Ceres had bled and suffered last night, I had been comforting the woman responsible.

I clenched my fist, my heart crushing under the weight of excruciating pain.

The lady in front of me grabbed a document from the man still seated and hurled it at me.

"This," she said, her voice as sharp as a blade, "is the divorce agreement. Sign it. If you don’t, we’ll press charges against Anita for intentional murder and make her rot in a cell for the rest of her miserable life.”