Rhaella's POV

My heart dropped straight into my stomach. That had better not be true. Even if Jason hated me enough to do this, how could he hate his own children?

But what does it matter now? I was already on the edge of losing the babies.

Just before I passed out, I heard footsteps pounding up the stairs. The door burst open.

"Ella!" Michael, Jason's cousin yelled urgently. His face went pale when he saw the blood pooling beneath me. He rushed over and knelt beside me.

"What happened, Ella? Where's Jason?"

I gripped his wrist with what little strength I had left.

"Please... just... save my baby."

       – – – – – – – – – – – – –

The next thing I woke up to was the steady beep of machines around me. I slowly forced my lashes apart, blinking against the sharp white light. My arm felt heavy. I lifted it, and I saw the cannula taped to the back of my hand, a thin tube feeding a clear bag of liquid into my veins. The Hospital.

"Ella? Are you okay?"

Sylvia's voice jerked me toward her. She adjusted on her chair, and I could see panic bright in her eyes. Her black curls were tied in a messy knot, and she was on her white karate gi. She must have run here straight from class. She was the only one who never cared that I was an Omega despite her being a Beta. She was one of the few honest friends I had. The others only tried to get close after learning our pack's Alpha, Jason, was my fated mate. But Sylvia... She was there long before that.

She wrapped both hands around mine like she was afraid I'd vanish if she let go. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying.

"My babies...?" My voice cracked. "How are my babies?"

From the corner, a shadow shifted. Michael was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, looking like he'd been there for hours.

"The doctor will be here soon," he said, keeping his voice low, like it was an effort to keep me calm.

The door opened and Doctor Martins walked in, in his creased white coat. He held my chart tightly in his hands.

"Ms. Rhaella..." His voice carried a heavy weight and I could sense they were about to break something inside me. "I'm so sorry. You had a miscarriage."

Please, tell me I didn't just hear that.

"Mis... Miscarriage?" I asked in a choked whisper, tears threatening to spill from my eyes. "No, Dr. Martins... please there must be something we can do to save them. Please... I can't... I can't just let them go." I said, trying to get off the bed, hardly able to control emotions.

Sylvia's grip tightened around me trying to hold me together. But I was broken already. Tears slid down my cheeks uncontrollably.

My little miracles were gone.

Michael's jaw flexed, but he said nothing and just looked to the ground.

"Ella..." Dr. Martins sighed. "I'm so sorry, but there's nothing we can do to bring them back." He hesitated, adjusting his glasses before continuing. "What matters now is you... you're safe. If Alpha Michael hadn't gotten you here when he did, it could've been worse. Your vitals are stable and there's no lasting damage, and you're recovering well. You should be discharged by evening." His face wore a painful expression. "I'm so sorry, Ella." Then he bowed his head and quietly stepped out.

Recovery? Hell! It meant nothing when the only thing worth recovering from was gone. And my wolf? She was shattered inside me.

The twins were not just babies. They were proof... a miracle in the face of every diagnosis and every unanswered prayer since I was 18. Proof that I wasn't empty and that I could be a mother too.

But now they are gone. Because of Jason.

Sylvia let go of my arms and shot up from her chair so fast that it screeched against the tile. She paced around the room like a caged wolf. "Why is Jason not here, Ella?" she demanded. "Don't tell me he's behind this?"

Sylvia had always been able to read me too well. I had told her every time Jason acted up, so I knew it wouldn't take her long to connect the dots.

But, imagine her shock when she learns that the bitch he had been cheating with was Dahlia.

"Alpha or not," she growled, "I swear to the Goddess, I'll tear that bastard to shreds."

"Sylvia!" Michael's voice came quiet but sharp with warning.

She stopped and spun facing him, flaring her nostrils. "What?! You want to defend him? Tell me you don't know he's got something to do with this!" She yelled, widening her eyes like she was going to snap his neck too if he wasn't careful. 

"Can you just fucking calm down!" Michael yelled in frustration. "I know exactly what Jason is. But running your mouth like this won't solve anything, if anything, it'll only get you killed. He's still the Alpha of this pack."

She scoffed, with a hiss escaping her lips. "Fuck you both!" she spat, storming back to me. "Alpha my foot!"

I couldn't speak. I just cried and cried until my eyes burned.

The door opened again, and my mother rushed in. She was in her navy-blue uniform, with the Crestwood Villa insignia stitched over the breast pocket, her hair pulled into the same tight bun she wore to scrub marble floors for people like Jason.

I had begged her to quit, to let me take care of her, but she'd always refused. Work was her pride. To her, no degree meant no other options... despite the fact that her daughter was Luna-to-be. She happily continued the job... hard as it was. 

Her hands smelled faintly of lemon polish and soap. "Ella," she breathed, crossing the room in hurried steps. "I'm so sorry, baby. Dr. Martins called to tell me what happened."

"Mom..." My voice cracked. "Jason... killed my babies. What am I going to do?"

She wrapped me up, holding me like she could stitch my broken pieces back together with her arms.

I tried to hug her back, but all I could do was cry. I was now a girl who'd lost everything worth holding.

From the hall, voices drifted in. Whispers, but loud enough for us to hear. 

"Isn't that Alpha Jason's Luna?"

"What happened to her?"

"And why's Alpha Michael with her instead of her mate?"

Sylvia's head snapped up. And before I could blink or react, she was already at the door, swinging it open so hard that I flinched.

"You've got something to say?" She asked as she rested an arm on the doorpost and placed the other on her hip. Her eyes swept over the nurses lingering too close. "You think gossip's part of your job description, right?"

One nurse rolled her eyes and walked away. Another muttered about reporting her. Sylvia arched a brow, curling her lips. "Go ahead, sweetheart. The HR's going to love hearing how much time you spend whispering instead of working."

Then, her eyes landed on a patient in a wheelchair who was blatantly staring. "And you," she said tilting her head toward him, flickering her manicured fingers, "if you put half this energy into your own life, maybe you'd be walking past me like the others, instead of rotting in that chair. Now go, before you sprain something else." 

She hissed and stormed back inside, shaking her head. "Idiots."

"I think you should leave," I whispered to Michael, drying my eyes with the back of my hand.

His brow furrowed. "Why?"

"I don't want you dragged into gossip because of me."

He opened his mouth to protest, but my mother cut in gently, "Alpha, she's right. We're deeply grateful for all you've done, but please understand that it won't help anyone if you get caught up in this. You know how fast rumors spread in this pack."

He exhaled, then gave a small nod. "Alright. Please, call me if you need anything." 

Just as he turned for the door, his phone buzzed. He checked it and faced me in horror. His face instantly went pale.

"What is it?" 

Sylvia rushed to him, and leaned closer to peek at his screen. "Fuck!" She gasped as her hands flew to her mouth.

"Ella, there's a headline about you. It's... it's on the wolf news community," she stammered. 

My mother stood. "What's there?"

She read aloud, voice shaking:

"Scandal Rocks Alpha's House: Luna-to-Be Rhaella Hammond Exposed in Shocking Affair and Abortion Attempt."

"What?!" my mother yelled in disbelief.

"Me?! Wait, what? An Affair?!" I gasped. "That's a lie! I'd never do that!"

"True or not, Ella..." Sylvia's eyes flicked with worry. "You're in big trouble."

Rhaella's POV 

I can't believe my ears. Is Jason trying to pin his affair on me?... on me! Like I'm the one who cheated? He wants me to look like the whore while he's the saint? Goddess... this feels like a bad dream. 

I stared into space, not knowing what to say next. Sylvia was right... this is beyond just a scandal. Even my mom isn't safe from the fallout. At worst, the Pack Senate could sentence me to death for disgracing the pack's name.

"Wait... Ella." Mom's voice cut in. Her eyes wide, and desperately searching my face for answers . "Tell me the truth. Did you... did you really have an affair?"

The question knocked the breath out of me. My knees trembled. "Mom!" My voice broke. "If someone came to you and said I did that... would you believe it?"

Her hands flew up. "No, no, baby... no! That's not what I mean. I just... this came out of nowhere. I don't understand, I'm... I'm lost."

I wrapped my hands around my body trying to cool my burning chest. My head was spinning now, and I bit down on my lip until I tasted blood. 

How am I going to get out of this?

Michael uncrossed his arms and stepped closer to me. "Ella," His voice was steady but sharp. "Before I found you in Jason's room... who was there with you? What happened?"

I took a deep breath, then forced myself to tell them everything, right up to Jason's silence as he walked past me and the horrible things Dahlia said to me. By the time I finished talking, Sylvia's jaw had dropped. My mom was even more shocked.

"Wait." Sylvia's voice snapped. "You're telling me the bitch Jason's been screwing is your half-sister?! The nerve of that asshole!" She laughed, sharp and humorless. "Goddess, I'll fucking twist that bitch's neck till she begs for death!"

Michael turned gently toward her, giving her a quiet look. But Sylvia spun on him. "What? You're gonna tell me to calm down again? Can't you see what your precious cousin is playing at?!"

"Please!" My voice cracked as I staggered back, clutching the hospital sheet like it could hold me together. "I can't handle you two fighting right now." I turned to my mother, desperate. "Mom... what am I going to do?" My throat burned. "I'm messed up."

My mom straightened suddenly, wiping her own tears. "We can't sit here, waiting for them to come bury you. We need to leave now before the press gets here."

My stomach twisted. "Leave?"

"Yes." Her tone was firm. "It doesn't matter what your side of the story is, Ella, no one is going to believe you over Jason. They already know where you are. And Jason will want to turn this hospital into the stage for his little story. We can't let them have cameras all over your face. We have to move. Fast."

Sylvia and my mom were packing my bag when the door slammed open and three Gammas stormed in.

"By order of Alpha Jason..." Gamma Bane began. Jason's personal bimbo. He didn't even bother with respect anymore. The other two yanked me by my arms.

"Don't you dare touch her!" my mother cried, throwing herself in front of me. One of them shoved her back and she fell hard to the ground on her buttocks.

"Mom!" I screamed in rage, hitting the guard hard across his face. My wolf clawed at my chest, whimpering but too weak to rise. 

"Bane! Since when did we start handling Lunas like criminals!" Michael yelled, stepping in but Bane walked up to him, whispering something in his ear. Whatever Bane said turned Michael's face pale. He shot me a look full of panic and rage, then shoved the guards aside and ran out. I knew something was terribly wrong, but no one else knew what it was.

"Take her," Bane ordered flatly.

Sylvia lunged, but Bane caught her wrist. "This is none of your concern," he snapped. "You'll only make it worse for her." 

She jerked free, eyes blazing. "Worse? You're dragging her out like a criminal in front of her mother. And you want me to sit still?" She kept thrashing and cursing but Bane pushed her aside with brutal force that, she hit the wall with a cry, sliding to the floor.

That was my breaking point. I wanted to spit in his face, scream, claw at him until he bled. But my eyes darted to my mother, trembling on the ground, and Sylvia who was clutching her ribs and glaring at the men with all the defiance she had left. I couldn't risk them being hurt more because of me. 

"Wait outside." I ordered gently as tears welled up in my eyes. But they hesitated. "We were ordered..."

"Oh! You want to stand here and watch me change clothes?" I snapped. "Or would you rather drag me half-naked through the halls in a hospital gown?"

Their eyes flickered with unease. And one by one, they obeyed, filing out, including Bane, though he lingered a bit giving me a look I couldn't read before shutting the door.

The room fell silent. Only my mother, Sylvia, and I remained. "Ella, please, don't do this," Sylvia begged. "You know what Jason's capable of. Don't walk into his hands."

I shook my head. "If I run, I'd be putting you both in danger. And I can't let that happen." My throat burned, "I'll be fine."

My mother's lips trembled, but she nodded slowly forcing herself to let me go.

I grabbed the bag she'd brought, and shakily pulled out and change into the jeans and black hoodie she had carried all the way from home.

When I opened the door, the Gammas were waiting. And the moment I stepped out, their hands moved to grab my arms. "Don't touch me!" I growled, my voice echoing through the corridor. "This is an investigation, not an arrest. Remember your place!"

Whispers rose from the onlookers gathering around. Nurses and patients. Even doctors.

"They say she had an affair."

"How shameless."

Each word tore me into a million pieces, but I kept my fists clenched and my head high. I would not give them the satisfaction of seeing me break. Especially for something I didn't do.

Behind me, Sylvia waa scolding and cursing the blabbermouths. But I didn't turn back. I just walked, every step I took heavier than the last, straight into whatever storm Jason had waiting for me.

This ends tonight.

Rhaella's POV 

As I stepped inside the hall, I pulled down my hood. I wasn't expecting to see every member of the Senate board. 

Jason sat at the head of the round table, draped in an aura that screamed, 'he was the Alpha.' His burgundy shirt caught my eye. The same one I bought him for his last birthday. My chest tightened. How can he be so insensitive? He wore it deliberately, like a reminder, as if to taunt me with what we once shared.

In the middle of the room was a lone chair. Not at the table nor among the Senate Alphas. Just there like a prisoner's seat.

My stomach burned, and I sighed heavily before forcing myself to move toward it. I had barely sat when sharp footsteps echoed behind me, forcing me to turn.

It was that bitch, Dahlia.

She walked in with her head high, her every step dripping with arrogance, her lips curved in a smirk as though she owned the hall. Behind her, reporters swarmed in like bees flashing their cameras violently and shoving microphones forward. One of the microphones nearly hit my chin as they stormed past me, all rushing toward Jason.

"Alpha, what do you have to say about the headline?" one of them asked. 

Jason leaned forward, wearing a mask of grief so polished that it almost fooled me. Almost. His voice trembled just enough to sound perfectly rehearsed.

"I'm... I'm so sorry the whole pack had to find out this way," he said, lowering his gaze pretending to be ashamed. "This terrible thing with the Luna-to-be..."

His throat caught with fake emotion dripping from every word he spoke. "I've tried for years to love her. Even though I knew she slept with several men. She was my fated mate, so I couldn't leave just like that. I stood by her hoping she'd change. But now?" He pressed his hand to his chest, sighing dramatically as he lowered his voice. "Now I'm disgraced before the whole pack. I tried my best... but I guess one can't teach a street dog the act of virtue."

HELL! Me?! A street dog? Did this bastard just call me that?

My breath grew heavy as tears burned at the corners of my eyes. And the worst part? They were all believing him.

"You liar!" I growled, unable to sit and continue listening to his filth. "How dare you, Jason?! You sit there spinning lies upon lies, twisting my pain into your theater! Is this a joke to you?!"

I spun immediately to the crowd, my voice cracking. "And you all... you stand there lapping up his lies like it's holy water? Just because he's the Alpha?! Have you lost your goddamn minds?!"

My blood was boiling. And my wolf? She was clawing in my head, begging to be let loose. I was about to leap across the table, to claw that smug performance right off his face when two guards appeared in front of me using their iron grip to force me down, pinning my shoulders to the chair.

Gasps rippled across the hall.

"JEEZ! she nearly attacked him!" A man in the back whispered too loud.

"She's so savage... so heartless!"

"She's more of a rogue than a Luna material..." another echoed.

Jason seized the moment, and stood to his feet with wounded eyes. He raised a trembling hand, soaking in the pity of the crowd, then jabbed his finger at me.

"Do you see?" he thundered, his voice booming through the microphones. "Do you all see what I have endured behind closed doors? This is what I have suffered! This temper! This violence!"

The crowd erupted into murmurs again, some already whispering prayers for their Alpha, and the others glancing uneasily at me.

Jason raised his hands, silencing the crowd. "Effective immediately, she is stripped of her title. The role of Luna will be given to someone worthy of the name."

He turned to me, and I realized every ounce of affection I once thought he had in his eyes for me had vanished. "Now... I, Jason Blackwood, Alpha of the Stormwolf Pack... reject you, Rhaella Hammond, as my mate."

A sharp ache ripped through my chest the moment Jason's rejection settled. And my knees hit the cold floor with a loud thud. My wolf was hurting terribly. The mate bond was a sacred thread and severing it always came with tremendous pain for both parties.

Jason felt it too. I saw the flicker of pain cross his face but he swallowed it, straightened his shoulders, and masked it with the practiced coldness of an Alpha who wanted the world to believe he was untouchable.

A soft, mocking chuckle floated from the corner. I turned slowly, still in pain, to see Dahlia standing there with her arms folded, and her lips twisted into a triumphant smile.

I didn't think I had the strength to move but I couldn't stand the sight of her feeling like she won. And before I could process anything, I was on my feet. My palm cracked hard across her face.

"You bitch!" My voice shook with fury. "You deserve to rot in hell! You manipulated my mate, you poisoned him against me, you killed my babies," My throat broke. "...and now you want to steal my name?!"

Her head snapped to the side, a trickle of blood staining her lip. Then, with deliberate slowness, Dahlia turned back and didn't hesitate to slap me back, harder, snapping my head to the side.

The sting burned across my cheek, and for a second the whole hall went silent. The reporters swarmed closer to us, shoving microphones at my face like weapons.

Dahlia didn't even flinch. She leaned in close, her pathetic voice dropping into a venomous whisper only I could hear. 

"Little sister," she breathed. "Jason isn't some helpless baby I need to manipulate. Let's just say he finally realized that the Luna's crown was never yours to wear... it's far too heavy for a dirty omega like you. So just drop it and stop being greedy, I'll be sure to carry that burden for you."

When she pulled back, her lips curled into that same smile, like the crown already belonged to her.

I turned to Jason, desperate for something... anything.... but he just sat back in his chair, tapping his fingers lazily against the table like he was bored. My fists trembled. 

What had I ever done to the Moon Goddess to deserve this mockery? 

One of the Senate Alphas rose, smoothing down his tailored suit, "Rhaella Hammond," he began, his tone dripping with disdain. "The Alpha has shown you mercy in stripping you only of your title. But if you persist in this disgraceful display, that mercy will vanish. And we will demand you be killed! Why continue this charade of victimhood when it is clear, you are the villain here?"

Goddess, I wanted to smash that smug old man in the gut. But one wrong move here, and I'd never leave this room alive.

So I turned back to Dahlia. Tears finally spilled. I had fought not to break in front of them, but the pain was too much.

"This is far from over," I hissed. My voice cracked, but anger laced in every word.

And then I ran out. Outside, my link buzzed. "Babe? Are you okay?" Sylvia's voice rushed through. "We're at your place. Your mom and I... we're waiting."

I shoved my shaky hands into my hoodie pocket and hailed a cab.

By the time I reached our small apartment, I heard my mother's sobs in the kitchen. Sylvia knelt beside her, pale and shaken.

"Mom?" My heart pounded. "What's wrong? Is it about me? I'm fine..."

She lifted her face. Her eyes were red.

"Ella... they fired me. All of them. The Villas. The motel. Even the schools. They said they can't be associated with us anymore."

The words ripped through me. "What? They can't... just do that!" My voice broke. 

Before I could even breathe, Sylvia's voice cut in, reluctantly but urgent.

"That's not all, Ella. The hospital called. Seems the board stripped you of every benefit you should enjoy as a Luna... and now they're billing you for every care they gave you after you lost the babies. The meds. The transfusion. Observation. All of it."

My chest seized.

"They said if the scandal had broken earlier, they wouldn't have treated you. But since it came after, the HR ruled that your care isn't covered anymore."

My throat burned. "So... how much?"

Sylvia looked at me, then looked away like the number itself might destroy me. Finally, she whispered: "21,500 dollars. And they want it in 3 days."

The number hit me so hard that my legs buckled. I gripped the counter, just to stay standing.

"That's... impossible." The words barely left me.

"Even if I wasn't fired, my salary wouldn't cover that," my mom whispered, her hands trembling in her lap.

"I can get you about 10,000 dollars from my mom," Sylvia said, pacing. "But it's still not enough."

She suddenly froze mid-step, "Wait, how about your car? You could sell it, get at least a few thousand up front..."

I shook my head. "The car's still in Jason's villa. Do you really think they'll let me walk in and drive it out? Dahlia probably has the keys in her purse already."

"Fuck!" Sylvia hissed, raking her hands through her hair. "Okay, okay... your accounts?"

"I tried." My throat closed as the memory burned fresh. "On the way home, I stopped at an ATM to grab some cash. But my cards are blocked. Jason must've called the bank."

Sylvia's face twisted, "How diligent! That psycho isn't even giving you a breather. He just wants you to choke."

My mom's quiet sobs filled the room, and as much as I wanted to sink into the floor and cry until my body gave out, I knew this wasn't the time. I had to find a way for us to survive.  

But how on earth, am I going to raise 21,500 dollars in 3 days?!