'Didn't you see that I was speaking to the Alpha Prince?' Amelia asked Alexa, angrily. 'Were you trying to seduce him like you seduced the stranger last night?'

So that's why she wanted to see me? Camellia has already told her? Couldn't she have kept it a secret till I summoned enough courage to tell her myself? she thought frantically. 'I'm sorry, mother', she started, looking down in shame. 'First, I didn't know you were speaking to such an important person. I was so anxious not to keep you waiting that I really didn't see any other person but you!'

'Then you must have been blind!' Amelia snapped.

'Possibly', she agreed meekly, wondering why the prince looked familiar. It was almost as though she has known him for a long time. Don't be silly, she told herself. He looks familiar because he is a familiar figure and you do not pay attention to faces, and that's why you can't remember where you have met him, she thought dismissively but the thought persisted.

'Secondly, I did not set out to spend the night with a stranger, in all my twenty two years, I have not given you cause to doubt me. Someone drugged me and I did not know what happened but when I woke this morning, I was naked, and in bed with a strange man!'

'Really! Amelia shouted. 'You expect me to believe that? Have you been meeting with this stranger in secret?' she asked and then recalled what she said about waking to see a strange man in bed with her and looked at her wondering if she knew who she had spent the night with. 'Who was he?' she asked, wanting to assure herself that she didn't recognize her lover. 'You claim not to have been meeting him in secret but you must have got a good look at him. Who is he?'

'Mother, I am ashamed to say that I cannot say who he is', Alexa replied face down. 'When I woke and say him lying beside me, and looked under the covers to find myself naked, I panicked and ran off without really looking at him'.

Amelia sighed in relief. 'You are such a disgrace! You don't have your wolf yet at twenty two and we are still trying to manage that situation but you had to go and aggravate your situation by this shameful act of yours!' she said storming off to tell Andrew , her husband.

Beta Andrew was still by the Alpha' side badeing the guest goodbye but as soon as he got home, Amelia greeted him with the news.

'Welcome home, Andrew darling', she said, bubbling with restlessness.

'What is it, my dear?' he asked seeing how restless she was.

'Your daughter has done it again!' she exclaimed

'So now it's my daughter and not yours?' he asked, not liking the tone of her voice. 'What did Alexa do this time?'

Ignoring the exasperation in his voice, Amelia continued, 'You left early this morning so you missed out on the most juicy news, thank goodness our son's are away on training!'

'What is it?' he asked. It was obvious he was tired and hungry but Amelia was not done yet. 'What juicy news are you talking about?'

'Alexa was caught this morning, coming out of the hotel room of some random stranger's, she said, her hands on her tiny waist. 'It was obvious she had spent the night there!'

'That's impossible!' he said. 'That's unlike Alexa'. If Amelia had said it was Camellia, he would have easily believed it but Alexa? There must be an explanation for it.

'You trust her so much that you'd doubt my words?' Amelia asked. 'She is my daughter too, why would I want to accuse her falsely? Oh, I get it. It is because I am her step mother that you have never really trusted me around her, right?'

'Stop it, Amelia!' he snapped. 'You know it isn't like that, but Amelia is so reserved and have never given us cause to doubt her, why would she suddenly act impulsively like that?'

'If you doubt me, maybe you should ask her yourself!' she said, folding her arms round her chest. 'Who knows if she was on heat and could not control herself!' she murmured loud enough for Andrew to hear.

'Alexa! Alexa!' he called, hoping this was some form of sick joke.

Alexa rushed in to answer the call from her father and the thunderous look he gave her told her that he knew everything. Before he could say anything, she confessed. 'Father, you have obviously heard of my disgraceful behaviour last night. I don't know how it happened but I was having fun like the other youths and had a few drinks. Nothing intoxicating but I do not know how I happen to wake in a strange room with a man in the same bed'.

'Who was there with you when you were drinking? Couldn't you have stayed close to your sister?' he asked deep in thought.

This was not how Amelia wanted Andrew to handle the situation.

'You have brought shame to this household. If news of this should get out, our reputation will be ruined', she ranted. 'I still have another daughter and I'll not allow you ruin her chances at getting a respectable match!'

'But mum, is that not for the Moon Goddess to decide?' Alexa asked innocently. 'The Goddess decides who is mated to who!'

'Shut up, Alexa!' Beta Andrew shouted, giving her a resounding slap. 'What your mother said is the truth. You acted irresponsibly and instead of being sorry, you are questioning her?'

'I'm sorry Mum, sorry Dad', she said, her palm on her stinging cheek. 'I'll go away, if that will make you happy. I do not want to bring shame to this family and neither do I want my sister or any one else for that matter to suffer for my mistake!'

'That is a great idea, I think!' Camellia said, coming into the room.

'Wait, Camellia', Alexa said as she suddenly remembered something. 'you were there, so you must have known if my drink was spiked or not!'

'What do you mean?' Camellia asked. 'If you didn't know, how could I have known?'

'Good question!' her mother said.

'Well because I recall you leading me to a bed and asking me to relax and be myself and that I was going to be alright! You said something about an allergy'.

'Are you blaming me now for your misadventure?' Camellia asked, all wild eyed innocence.

'Camellia, is what your sister saying true?' their father asked.

Camellia was going to deny it but the look on her father's face stopped her.

'Okay, okay!' she admitted. 'I saw the way she was acting all weird and I led her to a couch, asking her to relax and that she was soon going to be okay. I thought it was because she was having too much fun, she is not really used to it or maybe she was allergic to something in what she had eaten or drunk', she said stealing a look at her mother who nodded approvingly at her. 'I left her in a place I could keep my eye on her but just a second that I turned my back to speak to someone, and she was gone. I felt she could not handle it anymore and had gone home!'

'And when you got home, why did you not search for her?' Andrew asked.

'Oh, goodness, what's the need for these questions?' her mother intervened. 'As soon as I heard Camellia come home, I asked her to come sleep with me in my room. You didn't come home until early this morning and I needed company because I had a nightmare before she came home', she said, rubbing her eyes wearily. 'She must have forgotten to check on her sister due to her concern for me!'

'Alexa, how could you do this?' Andrew shouted, really furious. 'A little party and you lost yourself in it so much so that you misbehaved? Who knows how many he - wolves you mated with last night while you were inebriated?'

'Dad, I swear my the Moon Goddess, I did not drink much! I...'

Slap! Slap! sounded on both cheek and she was shocked into silence. She covered her cheek with her hands, tears stinging her eyes as she looked at her father who never raised his hands to any of them but disciplined them in other ways. 'You have disappointed me. Do you know the man who slept with you?' he asked really angry. Camellia and her mother exchanged gloating looks.

'No, I don't!' Alexa whispered, sure that her answer was going to bring her father's hands on her cheek once more.

'I give you two months to find the man or I shall disown you. You are a great disappointment!' he spat as he stormed off.

Where will I start looking for the man, Alexa thought wildly. It would have been easier if I had really looked at him, then I'd at least have a mental picture of what he looked like. How do you find someone whose face you cannot even recall? she wailed in her mind.

'Alexa, it will be exactly two months since that dreadful night', Camellia said. 'Have you found out anything?'

'I have not found out anything. I do not know where to look because I don't even know what he looks like!' she replied.

'What are you going to do, now?' Camellia asked. But before she could reply, Alexa ran to the bathroom.

What the hell was that? Is Alexa...? Camellia thought wildly. This was one of the things she had hoped for when she was plotting about that failed night. Though it had not been a total failure, since the Prince had kept his word and brought them so much money in compensation for the 'damage' he might have caused to Camellia and Amelia had hoarded it, keeping it away even from her husband.

But right now, this situation with Alexa was not a welcome one at all. But why jump to conclusions, it might not be what I'm thinking it is.

She walked to the bathroom where Alexa has just finished being sick, and was washing her face, rinsing out her mouth in the sick, then proceeded to flush. Camellia's heart denying the evidence of her own eyes.

'Are you pregnant, Alexa?' she asked.

'Pregnant? Alexa asked shocked. 'It can't be. I'm just having the flu. Dad has never been mad at me for so long and you have witnessed how mum have been treating me these past two months. It is getting to me. You are the only one who has remained by my side, understanding and supporting me. All this have brought the flu on', she concluded, resting her head on the pillow, face up.

'How long have you been throwing up?' Camellia asked. 'I mean for how long have you had this ..er.. flu?'

'About two weeks now', she replied but I can't tell Dad or Mum, they might think I was just pretending to be sick so I can escape my punishment!' she said sadly.

'That's okay', Camellia said. 'You did the right thing by not telling them. I shall get you some drugs to calm it'.

Alexa left and ran straight to her mother's room.

'Mum, there's a sad development and we have to act fast!' she said panting and agitated.

'Calm down, what is it?' Amelia asked.

'Alexa is pregnant and you know what that means if is becomes known!' she whispered.

'What?' her mother shouted and Camellia had to clasp a hand over her mouth.

'You always said, the walls have ears and here you are s reaming at the top of your lungs. Do you want us to be found out?' she asked. 'You should think fast about what we should do about it!'

'When did you find out?' Amelia asked.

'I just left her room. I told her it was nothing but the flu and that I'd get her drugs to calm it!'

'You did great! I have a friend who specializes in herbs. Her herbs are always very effective', Amelia said, thoughtfully. 'I'd ask her to prepare me some herbs to terminate a fresh pregnancy. I shall pretend I'm the one pregnant but do not want to keep it as I am too old for that'.

'Great!'

'When I get it, make sure she drinks it and she'll definitely miscarry the baby.

******

Two Days Later...

'How are you feeling now?' Camellia asked, as she sat with Alexa in her room. She had been asking this same question since she made Alexa take the herbal potion purportedly for her flu.

'I'm feeling better now', Alexa said smiling.

'Have you seen your period lately?' she asked.

'No!' Alexa said.

Camellia was disappointed. It seemed that the drug did not do the work it was supposed to perform. The woman had assured her mother that it would take effect after an hour but Camellia had stayed with Alexa for six hours straight afterwards, and nothing happened. The next day was the same story. And today, there was still no sign that Alexa was going to lose the baby.

'You look bothered', Alexa said, touching Camellia on the shoulder and calling her back to the present. 'Is it because of my menses? You do not still think I might be pregnant do you?'

'It is possible. It is two months since that night.

Alexa thought and with a pang realised it was indeed possible. 'Oh, my God! she exclaimed. 'What do we do? I haven't been regular, so I didn't give it any thought but it is highly possible. But we have to be sure. What if it is just late in coming?'

'I know just the thing. A pregnancy test?' Camellia said smiling.

She bought the pack from the pharmacy and helped Alexa with it and after a short wait, the double red lines confirmed her suspicions.'Gid damn!' she thought. What to do? Then puff! An idea occured to her.

'You are pregnant, Alexa', she said. 'and I do not want to imagine what this will do to Dad especially, or what he will do to you if he finds out, especially since you have not found the strange man yet!'

Alexa slumped on her bed in despair. Was it not enough that she had slept with a strange man whose face she could not recall even if he walked pass her, she had to get pregnant into the bargain! What will I do now? she thought in frustration and desperation.

'Oh, Moon Goddess, help me in some way. I do not know what to do or what I have done to bring this disaster on myself and my family.

Then she recalled that it was exactly two months today, since that fateful night.

'Do you want to abort it?' Camellia asked hopefully. 'I know of a doctor who will be discreet about it all'.

Alexa looked at Camellia in horror. 'You sincerely want me to take a life, kill my own baby?' she asked.

'It doesn't even have a father. You will be doing it a lot of good if you aborted it', Camellia said. 'You don't honestly think that Dad and Mum will accept the baby, will you? Even if they wanted to forgive you for that night, this pregnancy will definitely enrage them further and make them unforgiving!'

Alexa thought about it and realised that what Camellia said was the truth. She reached a hasty decisions. There was no time to waste.

'In that case, I'll leave like I know Dad will want me to anyway', she said. 'He was going to disown me. Let me spare him the pain by leaving myself!'

'You will not go alone. I shall go with you', Camellia offered.

'Oh, no, Camellia, you can't!' Alexa said horrified. 'You cannot ruin your reputation because of me!'

'Don't try to stop me, Alexa', she said. 'We're sisters, it's the least I can do. I will just stay with you till you give birth since you are so determined to keep it! I don't want you going through it all alone!'

Alexa was so touched, she hugged Camellia. There had been times when she had doubted Camellia's love for her but this offer was truly evidence of her sister's selfless love for her. What more could one ask of a sister? she thought, tears welling up in her eyes. Why had she ever doubted Camellia's love for her?