Chapter 1

I collapsed onto the floor, my water mixing with blood as it soaked through the hem of my dress.

A damp chill pooled beneath me. Weakly, I lifted a trembling hand and called out to the nearby maid in a raspy, strained voice.

“Take me to the hospital... quickly…”

The maid looked back at me, her face twisted in a conflicted grimace.

“Luna, the Alpha gave specific orders that we must wait for his return. I don’t dare to disobey…”

“You don’t dare?” I clutched my abdomen, my voice shaking violently from the sheer agony.

“If anything happens to me or the pup, Kaelen will never forgive you. Take me right now!”

Terrified, the maid finally scrambled toward the exit in a panic.

But just as she reached the door, Matt, the Beta, blocked her path.

“Beta, the Luna is going into labor. She needs to get to the hospital immediately,” the maid stammered out meekly.

Matt glanced down at the amniotic fluid staining the floor, then shifted his calm, unbothered gaze to my face, which was contorted in excruciating pain.

“Natalie said she’s just staging a premature delivery. Going into labor right at this moment is likely just another trick to escape the pack. Help her back to her room to rest.”

“If we delay any longer, the pup won’t survive. Please, I beg you, show some mercy.”

I propped my upper body up with the last of my strength, my eyes bloodshot as I implored him.

Matt offered a slight, rigid bow, his eyes completely devoid of warmth.

“Luna, the Alpha is at the hospital accompanying Miss Natalie through her delivery. He gave explicit orders for you to wait until he comes back.

“You know the Alpha’s temper. No one dares to go against his word.”

“I am giving birth right now, I really can’t wait!”

Another violent wave of uterine contractions struck, feeling as though a massive hand had gripped my internal organs and was ruthlessly crushing them with raw force.

I curled into a tight ball from the agony, cold sweat instantly drenching my clothes.

“What are you standing around for? Help the Luna onto the bed,” Matt barked.

Two maids rushed forward immediately. Completely ignoring the sharp pain in my abdomen, they forcefully grabbed my arms and dragged me toward the bedroom.

Suddenly, I felt a warm rush of fluid escaping me. Looking down, I saw it was blood.

“Blood! I’m bleeding!” I gasped, grabbing a maid’s hand.

“Take me to the hospital! If it’s any later, the pup will be in grave danger!”

“Luna, I don’t dare make that decision on my own. I’ll call the pack healer over first.”

The maid forcefully pried my fingers away, her expression clouded with guilt.

“I don’t want the healer! I need to go to the hospital!”

“Luna, please don’t worry. I will go ask the Beta for permission right now.”

With that, the maid turned and fled the room frantically.

The pain in my stomach cut deep into my bones like a knife. Cold sweat, blood, and amniotic fluid continued to seep into the carpet.

Minutes ticked away, yet there was still no sign of anyone returning.

Dragging my bleeding body, I forced myself to crawl to the edge of the bed. I grabbed the hem of the head housekeeper Martha’s skirt just as she walked in, crying out in desperation.

“Martha, please go check on them... I can’t hold on much longer…”

Martha nodded, her face softening with deep pity.

“Hang in there, Luna. I’ll go talk to them right now.”

But the moment she turned around, Matt blocked her path once more.

He walked slowly toward me. When his eyes swept across the blood-soaked carpet, a flicker of hesitation crossed his face, only to be instantly masked by cold indifference.

“Let the pack healer examine her first.”

The healer, Ronald, rushed into the room carrying a medical kit, and several maids immediately stepped forward, pinning down my thrashing limbs.

“Let go of me! I need to go to the hospital! The pup can’t wait!”

Ronald examined me with a completely blank expression, then pulled out a few pills and instructed Martha to force them down my throat.