Chapter 2

Erica POV

A lump formed in my throat as I stared at Chris, Max, and Ken, waiting, hoping for some explanation, some defense, some shred of regret for betraying me. But all I found in their eyes was anger, not remorse.

Not shame. They didn't even look sorry for cheating on me, getting another woman pregnant. Instead, Chris glared, nostrils flaring, Max's lips curled in disgust. Ken's gaze was ice. My heart twisted painfully. Was I really that worthless to them? Had they even considered how much?

This would destroy me.

"You apologize to her," Chris demanded, his voice cutting through the silence.

I gasped in disbelief, staring at them as if they'd lost their minds.

Did they really expect me to apologize to the woman carrying their child when I had done nothing wrong?

Betrayal burned in my chest as I saw how serious they were, looking down on me, me, as if I were dirt beneath their shoes.

Had they forgotten who I was?

My blood boiled as my eyes landed on Becky. She stood there, smug, hand brushing her stomach as if to remind me what she had that I didn't.

She knew they were my mates, that the Moon Goddess had bound us, yet she still went after them without a shred of guilt.

She stole my husbands, and now I was expected to bow.

If anyone owed an apology, it was them.

"I'm not just a warrior in this pack," I snapped.

My voice shaking with fury.

"I'm your wife, your Luna."

"Luna?" Max scoffed loudly, his expression mocking.

"A Luna."

He let out a bitter laugh.

"Don't fool yourself."

"Erica, you are delusional," Ken added, frustration bleeding into his tone.

"When have we ever called you our Luna?"

The words landed like a punch to the gut.

"If it wasn't for you, you ruined everything."

My blood ran cold.

"Chris—"

"Leave it," Ken said.

"I'm your mate."

"We never wanted you," Max yelled, shattering what was left of my already broken heart.

Tears blurred my vision.

"The Goddess chose us. How can you choose her over me?"

My voice cracked as I begged for something, anything to hold on to.

"We never cared. You're nothing but a pack warrior. If you hadn't manipulated our father into forcing us to mark you, Becky would be our mate and our Luna."

My breath caught.

I stared at them, trembling, their words slicing deeper than any blade.

I had always known they didn't care for me, but hearing it spoken aloud so cruelly was devastating.

"I never asked him to force you into this marriage."

I tried to defend myself, but my voice was thin.

Desperate.

"Really?" Chris barked.

"Then why would he ever bind us to a mere warrior?"

His words left me speechless, hollow.

Max's tone turned venomous.

"Becky has suffered enough because of you."

"Stop punishing her for something that was never her fault."

My whole body froze.

Punishing her?

In their eyes, I wasn't their mate or their Luna.

I was the villain who had ruined their lives.

"Becky, are you okay?"

Ken's voice softened, instantly stripped of all the anger he'd hurled at me.

I watched in silence as all three of them turned their attention to her, fussing over her as though she were made of glass.

Tears pricked at my eyes.

They had never looked at me with that kind of concern, never bent down to check my wounds, never treated me as though I mattered.

That tenderness had only ever been reserved for Becky.

"Okay, but I am scared."

Becky's eyes watered as she looked at Chris and clutched his shirt sleeve.

"I fell pretty hard. What if something happened to the baby? I need to go to the hospital and get checked out. I won't be able to sleep until I know the baby is fine."

Becky mumbled, her bottom lip trembling.

"Don't worry. I'll take you to the hospital," Chris soothed, scooping her up.

Without a second thought, all of them left the room and rushed off to the hospital, leaving me behind like I was invisible.

My lips tightened as I glanced at the calendar.

Today was our anniversary.

No one remembered.

None of them.

My phone suddenly rang, snapping me out of my thoughts.

Seeing the caller ID, my heart pounded with anxiety.

It was the hospital.

"Hello, Luna. Please come to the hospital quickly. Your father—"

I didn't wait for her to finish.

I instantly shifted into my wolf and raced to the hospital.

My father had fallen seriously ill in prison.

I knew he didn't have much time left, but I didn't expect it to happen so soon.

"Erica, you're here. You must hurry. Your father is still alive," a familiar nurse said, recognizing me instantly.

"Erica."

Someone stopped me.

I turned and saw Becky.

"What are you doing here? Are you here to cause more trouble?" she taunted, her eyes blazing with anger.

I didn't expect my husbands to bring Becky to the same hospital where my father was admitted.

I only had a little time left, so I ignored her.

"Hey, I was talking to you. Didn't you hear what I said?"

Becky yelled after me.

I had no time to waste, so I ran for the stairs.

"Erica!"

Becky yelled my name repeatedly as she chased me.

"How dare you? You can't just ignore me like that."

I gasped when Becky suddenly grabbed my arm and spun me around, nearly making me lose my balance.

"Becky, I need to go," I said firmly, looking her straight in the eye.

But she didn't let go.

Instead, she stepped closer, blocking my path to the stairs.

"Your father's dying right now, isn't he?" she asked.

Her voice dropping to a whisper.

"The nurses were talking about it," she continued, examining her nails casually.

"How tragic. Dying alone in a hospital room after seven years of isolation."

"And you won't even get to say goodbye."

"Get out of my way," I growled.

She tilted her head, a small smile playing on her lips.

"You know, I've always wondered if you ever questioned it."

"Your father's arrest."

"I mean, the evidence was just so perfect. His fingerprints on the vault, stolen goods in his quarters, multiple witnesses."

"Almost like someone planned it."

My heart began to pound.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying your father didn't steal anything, Erica."

"Someone made sure everyone thought he did."

"Someone who needed your family destroyed so you'd never be a threat."

The world tilted beneath my feet.

"You?"

"Me."

She confirmed, her smile widening.

"I did what I had to do."

"You were getting too close to them."

"Your father was making you strong, capable, everything a Luna should be."

"The old Alpha was already talking about you as a potential match for his sons."

"I couldn't let that happen."

Tears blurred my vision.

"He spent seven years in prison because of you."

"Seven years of suffering, and it was worth every second."

She cut me off, her eyes gleaming with triumph.

"Because in the end, they still chose me."

"Even after the Moon Goddess declared you their mate, even after their father forced them to mark you."

"They still love me, not you."

She placed her hand on her belly, that smug smile never leaving her face.

"And now I'm carrying their child, the heir you could never give them."

"Face it, Erica, you've already lost."

"You're a monster," I whispered, my voice shaking with rage and grief.

"I'm a winner," she replied calmly.

"And you? You're about to lose everything else too."

I yanked my arm back, and she pulled against me off balance.

Her heel slipped and she fell.

She crumpled at the bottom of the stairs, clutching her stomach.

Her breath ragged.

I froze.

"Becky—"

Then footsteps.

"Becky!"

Chris's voice cracked as he rushed down.

Max and Ken followed, dropping to her side.

"Chris," she gasped, blood staining her dress.

"The baby—"

The air thickened.

Their eyes, already panicked, flicked to me.

Not with questions.

With certainty.

Hatred blazed in their gazes.

"She pushed me," Becky cried.

"She tried to kill me and our child."

"That's a lie!" I shouted, my voice echoing through the sterile hallway.