Lisa's POV 

I got off the floor and dusted my gown, trudging slowly in the direction of the bar. 

There was no point in me returning to the pack. I had nothing left. No pack, mate, no future. Maybe, the bar wouldn't make me feel lonely.

Eventually, I found myself standing outside a high-end bar called PICK ME UP. 

I stared at the door, feeling a pang of hesitation. I'd never set foot in a place like this before. 

With one last shaky breath, I pushed open the door and stepped inside.

The bar was dimly lit, reeking of alcohol and something else I couldn't quite place. 

A few patrons sat scattered across the room, their faces shadowed. No one paid any attention to me as I walked to the bar, slipping onto a stool. 

The bartender barely glanced my way. "What'll it be?"

"I don't care," I muttered, my voice barely a whisper. "Whatever's strong." 

He shrugged and slid a glass in front of me. 

I took a long swig, wincing as the alcohol burned down my throat. It was awful, but it worked. The numbness I craved began to settle over me, dulling the sharp edges of my thoughts.

"You look like you could use another." 

I turned my head and blinked. A man sat beside me, watching me with a curious expression. His golden eyes gleamed in the low light, and there was something unsettling calm about him. 

His dark hair was long and fell below his shoulder in frizzles. I had never seen a man with hair that long before. There was a tattoo of the moon in a shade of black and red on his exposed left upper arm.

"Does it show that much?" I asked, my voice laced with bitter humor.

"Just a little," he replied, leaning back casually. "Bad night?"

I laughed, but there was no humor in it. "You could say that."

He didn't ask the questions I expected. Instead, he gestured to the bartender. "Another drink for the lady."

"I don't need... " I started to pretest, but he cut me off.

"Trust me. You'll want it." 

I sighed, taking the fresh drink. 

"What's your deal?" I asked, turning to face him. "Why are you being so...nice?" 

He flashed me a grin. "Call it a bad habit. I have a thing for helping people who look like they're drowning." 

I snorted, lifting my glass. "Well, cheers to drowning."

We sat in silence for a moment, the quiet hum of the bar filling this space between us. 

My thoughts drifted to the ceremony, the disappointment on everyone's faces when I wasn't claimed. I could still hear the murmurs, the whispers of pity and disdain. 

The stranger's voice cut through my thoughts. "You want to talk about it?"

"No," I replied quickly, taking another drink. "I just want to forget." 

He nodded, not pushing any further. There was a comfort in his presence, in the fact that he wasn't boring or judging. I could just exist for a while without explaining myself to anyone. The alcohol was starting to buy my senses, and I welcomed the numbness. 

Before I knew it, we were laughing about what, I wasn't even sure. 

The night blurred into a haze of drinks and slurred words, and for a brief moment, I didn't feel like the failure I knew I was. I felt free. 

I turned to him, probably thinking this was the worst decision I had ever made in my life, I cupped his cheeks and smacked my lips against his.

At first he was frozen, taken aback by my brazen action. Just when I was about to pull away, he pulled me closer, returning the kiss. 

His kisses were raw with passion and one other emotion I couldn't give a name. When I moaned into his mouth, he growled in response. It made my senses reel. 

We pulled away briefly to catch our breath, our eyes meeting each other's.

"Let's get out of here, somewhere quieter." I whispered behind his ears. 

The next thing I knew, his hands were wrapped around my waist, steadying me as we stumbled out of the bar.

"Where are we going?" I asked, my words thick with drunkenness.

"Somewhere quieter like you suggested," he replied, his voice low. "Unless you'd rather stay here." 

I didn't protest. It wasn't like I had anywhere else to go. Besides, I wasn't thinking clearly, not with the alcohol clouding my mind and the overwhelming need to forget everything weighing on me.

We ended up in an expensive motel nearby. The details were fuzzy, but I remembered his hands on me, his touch warm and fleeting. 

It was reckless and stupid, and I knew it, but at that moment, I didn't care. I let myself get lost in the haze of it all. 

His kisses trailed gently from my neck to my chest. I felt my skin was on fire from his touch. He teased and punished me with his tongue. I felt all the joys of heavens and hell all at once.

Just when I thought I couldn't take anymore, he towered over me. His golden eyes burned into mine in an intense gaze. 

Suddenly, I felt embarrassed. Here, I was naked before a man I don't know. 

He leaned closer, burying his face in the nook of my neck he had made. "You are simply divine."

My cheeks turned pink and I bit my lower lip. Heat pooled in my stomach and down there too.

As if reading my body, he reached his fingers down to where my panties were. "I want them off."  

And just like that, he climbed over me and we rocked our way to the highest ecstasy anyone would ever experience. Pain riddled my body as he slid up and down but the pleasure numbed it all. The pleasure set me free.

I awoke the next morning with a throbbing headache. My mouth felt like cotton and the lower part of my body ached terribly.

I blinked against the harsh morning light streaming through the window, trying to piece together what had happened when I realised I was alone.

There was no one on the bed with me. The stranger from the bar was gone. No note, no trace. It was like he had never been there. 

I groaned, burying my face in my hands. What have I done?

Lisa's POV 

There was no one on the bed with me. The stranger from the bar was gone. No note, no trace. It was like he had never been there. 

I groaned, burying my face in my hands. What had I done?

I barely had time to dwell on it. Life at the pack didn't stop for my mistakes. The bullying resumed the moment I set foot in the halls. Whispers followed me wherever I went. The other wolves sneered and Brenda looked through me like I didn't exist. I didn't care about their bullying. All I did was bury that night within me, pretending it never happened..

A few weeks later, the sickness started. 

At first, it was just the occasional nausea, the dizziness I blamed on stress and lack of sleep. But it didn't go away. It got worse, day by day. My clothes feel tighter and my body becomes bloated.

Weeks passed before I couldn't ignore it anymore. 

I was cleaning one of the guest rooms when a sharp wave of dizziness hit me. I dropped the broom to the floor and stumbled to the side, grabbing onto the bedpost to steady myself.

"What's wrong with you?" One of the maids, Hope, sneered from the doorway. "Can't you do your job right?" 

"I'm fine," I muttered, though my head was spinning. "I just need a minute."

She rolled her eyes. "You always need a minute. Useless." With that, she turned and marched off, leaving me alone in the room. 

I sank onto the bed, trying to catch my breath. Something wasn't right. I knew it in my gut. 

The pack physician was summoned, and my heart raced as he examined me. His expression was unreadable, but I could feel the tension in the air. Something was wrong. 

He didn't even say a word as he left, but an hour later, a guard appeared at my door, instructing me to see Alpha Roman.

My stomach churned as I made way to his office, dread pooling in the pit of my stomach. I knew whatever was coming couldn't be good, but nothing could've prepared me for what I was about to hear. 

Alpha Roman sat behind his massive desk, his face a mask of disappointment and anger. His piercing blue gaze seemed to see straight through me as he spoke the words that shattered me.

"So you're pregnant."

The room spun, and for a moment I couldn't breathe.

"I... I'm not..." I stammered, but the words couldn't come. Pregnant. How? Without warning, it all came crashing down. The stranger. That night. The drinks. Oh Goddess, what had I done?

"I didn't mean to–" I started, but Alpha Roman cut me off with a growl.

"You've disgraced this pack," he snapped. "Do you have any idea what this means? Do you have any idea what you've done!" 

Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes, but I forced them back. "Please, I didn't know... I didn't mean for this to happen."

The word "pregnant" echoed in my mind, drowning out everything else. 

I stared at Alpha Roman, my mouth dry, my heart pounding so loudly I was sure he could hear it.

"I've already informed your father and your step mother."

No.

My legs wobbled beneath me as a sickening sense of dread settled in my chest. Father and Jeanine wouldn't understand. They had never cared about me, only tolerated me because they were forced to. What would they do when they found out?

"Leave," Alpha Roman commanded, his voice laced with disgust. "Go face the consequences of your actions."

I turned and fled, my heart pounding in my chest. 

The walk back to our house was like a death march. I knew what awaited me and prepared myself.

When I arrived, they were already waiting. The look in Jeanine's eyes was pure fury, while father's face twisted with disgust 

"Is it true?" Jeanine demanded, her voice trembling with rage. "You're pregnant?"

Tears stung my eyes as I nodded. I couldn't even look them in the eye. 

"Who's responsible?" Father's voice was cold, accusatory. 

"I don't know," I whispered, my voice barely audible.

It was the wrong thing to say. 

Jeanine's slap came so fast, I didn't have time to react. 

Pain exploded across my cheek, and before I could recover, they both pounced on me, hitting and kicking, their anger fueled by my shame. 

"Disgusting," she spat as she yanked me up by my hair. "You're nothing but a disgrace."

I collapsed to the floor, beaten, broken, and sobbing. When they were finally down, they stood over me, their faces twisted in anger and disappointment.

"You're no longer our problem," father sneered. "You're on your own now."

With that, they disowned me, leaving me in a heap on the cold floor. I had no one now. Nowhere to turn. 

As the weeks passed, my baby bump began to show, and the whispers and glares from the pack only grew worse. Wherever I went, I could feel their eyes on me, judging, mocking. I was their laughing stock, the failure who couldn't even find a mate but managed to get pregnant.

The humiliation became too much. I couldn't take it anymore. Everyday was a new hell, and very night I cried myself to sleep, wondering how I had let my life spiral out of control. 

And then one night, as I lay in bed, feeling the small flutters of life within me, I made a decision. 

I couldn't stay here. I couldn't raise my child in this pack, surrounded by people who hated and despised me. I had to leave. Run away from the pack and never look back. 

I packed my few belongings, heart racing as I prepared for the unknown.

Lisa's POV 

It had been a week since I started my journey, wandering through forests in search of a pack I could call home. 

The towering trees surrounded me as I quietly munched on a bag of chips, my headphones tucked snugly in my ears. 

Suddenly, a faint rustling caught my attention. My heightened werewolf senses immediately kicked in. 

I stopped, removing my headphones as adrenaline surged through my veins. The instinctual choice between fight or flight overwhelmed me.

I quickly stashed away my food and listened again. Footsteps echoed in the distance, getting closer. 

Emerging from the bushes were three tall, muscular men, their bare chests on full display. 

The man in the middle glared at me, his lips curling into a snarl. 

"What are you doing on pack land, Rogue?" he spat, his voice dripping with disgust.

I glanced down at my appearance. I wore a simple white gown that fell to my knees, paired with white Converse sneakers and a denim jacket. I had even showered earlier that morning at a roadside motel. Confused, I looked between the three men.

"Answer me! What is your business here?" the one on the left barked, his voice filled with irritation at my silence.

"I-I didn't know this was pack land. I was just passing through," I stammered, my tone defensive. The last thing I wanted was trouble.

"Liar," the third man sneered, his eyes narrowing. "No one just passes through the Dark Crescent Pack. Tell me, Rogue, who sent you?"

I could feel my heart race as realization dawned on her. I had unknowingly trespassed into the Dark Crescent pack, the most dangerous Pack in the entire realm. 

My eyes widened, and before I could explain, the man to my right grabbed me, twisting my arms behind my back.

Panic surged through me, and I stomped down hard on his foot.

The wolf growled in pain, but the man in the middle moved to restrain me. He reached for me, but I reacted quickly, kicking him squarely between the legs. His eyes bulged as he crumpled to the ground, clutching his crotch.

Before I could catch my breath, the third wolf seized me, pinning me in a grip I couldn't escape. I am trapped now. The wolf I had kicked glared at me, his face flushed with anger. He raised his hand, intending to slap me, but his companions stopped him as their eyes went distant in a mind link.

"Move, bitch," the injured wolf growled as they began marching me forward, my hands still bound behind my back.

They dragged me out of the forest and toward a looming, dark building that reeked of danger. Even a blind person could tell it was a dungeon.

As we reached the gates, I noticed a man speaking with the guards. His mocha-colored skin gleamed in the faint light, and his muscular frame suited his impressive six-foot height. A thick mop of dark curls crowned his head. Sensing someone watching, he turned around, his dull green eyes meeting mine. They were the color of fading autumn leaves, solemn and unyielding.

"Who's this?" he asked, his deep voice carrying authority.

The three wolves immediately bowed their heads in respect. 

"Gamma," they greeted him, and I realized he was the third-in-command of the pack. A Gamma held considerable power, just below the Beta.

"Sir, we caught her sneaking around the borders," one of my captors explained, venom in his tone. "She claims she was just passing through, but we know better."

I bit back my anger. "With all due respect, your pack members are lying. I had no idea this was your territory. I wasn't sneaking around, and I was about to leave when they attacked me." 

My eyes flared with indignation, glaring at the men who had brought me here. I was innocent of their allegations.

The Gamma studied me quietly, his eyes flicking between my baby bump and my captors, one of whom still limped while another discreetly cupped his groin. For some reason beyond my understanding, he seemed amused. 

"Take her to the Beta. He'll decide what to do with her," the Gamma finally said with a slight smirk. "Though, from what I've seen, she's no threat." He was probably referring to my stomach.

The warriors obeyed, yanking me along once more. 

The journey to the Beta's office was filled with rough shoves and muttered curses. 

As we moved through the pack's territory, I couldn't help but notice the beauty surrounding me. 

Lush green gardens, picturesque shops, and elegant buildings lined the way. It wasn't the dark, grim place I had expected at all.

When we finally arrived at a grand mansion, we passed through massive mahogany doors into a lavish foyer. Crystal chandeliers sparkled above them, and the decor was tasteful and expensive. Despite the splendor, fear began to creep into my heart. My wolf whimpered as she sensed danger ahead.

We were led upstairs and stopped outside a carved wooden door. 

My heart raced, each beat louder than the last. The men beside me seemed to be mind-linking, their eyes glazed over. 

Moments later, the door opened, and I was shoved inside.

My head remained bowed, my waist-length brown hair hiding my face. I felt an overwhelming presence in the room, strong and commanding.

I heard shuffle of feet and the scrape of seats against the floor 

Just as the stranger opened his mouth to speak, a scent hit me like a freight train. Lavender and mint, fresh and intoxicating. I was nearly brought to her knees by the heady scent. 

I snapped my head up, my eyes locking with him.

Time seemed to stop.

His eyes were the same - warm green flecked with gold. His broad shoulders filled out a black dress shirt, the sleeves rolled up to reveal tanned, tattooed forearms. He was breathtakingly beautiful, and I found myself struggling to breathe.

My wolf yipped excitedly. "Mate".

His cold gaze was instantly replaced by a flicker of recognition and he smiled.

"Hello, sweetheart. It's been a while." The father of my child greeted me with a sweet, sickening smile.