บทพิสูจน์รักฉบับท่านประธาน

LUCIAN.

"I'm pregnant." A familiar female voice said, taking the seat across from me without asking for permission.

I blinked, the coffee I was sipping warmed my hands. Outside the café window, the sun had dipped low, showing it was about to be evening.

"Uh... congratulations?" I replied cautiously, staring at the stranger. Even though her voice didn't seem strange at all. "But... should you be telling me?"

She scoffed. “Are you pretending to be stupid, or are you really that dense?”

My stomach tightened. “Excuse me?”

She leaned forward, lips curling into a cruel smile. “It’s Alpha Andrew's pup. Unfortunately, my doctor mentioned our pup is unhealthy and might not survive.”

I froze, my world titling as I stared at the woman before me. Hoping this was some sick joke or a prank show Andrew was partaking in. But why the hell would she say such statement? Why is she telling me about the child's state?

Setting down my coffee, I entwined my hands and faced her. I really was not in the mood for this. "Look, I think you have the wrong person. And you can't just show up and—"

"Alice." She interrupted. "My name is Alice. Does that name mean anything to you?"

Everything I took for breakfast threatened to come back up. Because I knew that name. Andrew, being the alpha of the Crescent Moon pack, knew that the elders would never let a man be Luna and her name rang bells.

She is the one I often hear about being mentioned by the elders as the most suitable candidate for Luna.

Her name, Alice. And then it suddenly made sense why her voice was familiar. I'd heard that voice often. When Andrew received calls, she spoke up first. He had said it was his cousin from another pack checking up on him.

“You’re lying,” my voice trembled, and her lips quirked up.

She rubbed her belly like it was some trophy. “Am I?”

“Andrew is my boyfriend. We’ve been together for three years. He wouldn’t do this.”

Her laugh was sharp, slicing through me. “You really believe you were ever more than a rebound?”

I opened my mouth, but no words came.

“He was broken after we had our first fight one night,” she went on. “You were convenient. And you're a man. You'd never be accepted to lead the pack as its Luna. Don't tell me you were actually expecting a real bond?”

I flinched, my nails digging deeper into my palms, forming half crescent moons. "I will only believe it when he tells it to me."

“He hasn’t marked you, has he?” Her eyes raked over me. My lips pulled into a straight line, and she got her answer even without me responding. “If you were truly mates, you'd have felt me the moment we were together in the bedroom . But you didn’t. Because you're not bonded. He hasn’t even claimed you publicly.”

“He was going to,” I whispered. “We were planning to announce it soon…”

She laughed louder. “You really do think he'd be able to convince an entire pack, and even a homophobic Lycan King, that you are his Luna? You're so pathetic that I could laugh.”

Ice blocks formed in my brain, causing an ache I couldn't stop. My breaths strained.

Andrew had always said the pack would come around. He said all I had to do was love him secretly and make sure that love never died. He would find a way for us.

Looking back now, it all made sense, the reason the voice sounded familiar, it was because of the late night calls he made and received, where I heard that exact voice and he told me it was his cousin.

The distance, the missing of our dates, he had even missed our important anniversary just yesterday.

Harry, my best and only friend in the pack, had called me then, warned me Andrew was back with his ex and had planned to make her Luna.

I didn’t believe him because I was stupid.

I loved Andrew enough to leave my own pack behind.

I loved him enough to believe we could both make the elders change their minds.

“Stop,” I said, barely above a whisper. “You’re lying.”

“You already know I’m not.” She stood, snarling. “If you have any dignity left, you’ll leave quietly. I’m the future Luna now.”

It suddenly felt like I couldn't breathe, like the walls of the cafe were closing in on me. My hands trembled as I gathered my things and hurried out.

Once I stepped outside, I gasped in air like it might wash the pain out of me.

But it didn’t.

I'd run away from my family when I was younger and basically still a minor, with Andrew. I abandoned everything without turning back because of our love. Everything I did, I did for him, for us.

Yesterday was our third anniversary. I’d cooked, cleaned, and waited. He never showed.

He didn't even call me to explain that he would be late.

He came home this morning with a smile, one that looking back now, he probably found out she was pregnant for him. Because I hadn't seen him smile like that at me. Only when he was on the phone with said cousin.

I thought he was going to apologize for missing our anniversary, I thought maybe he had a surprise planned. Instead, he brushed past me and shut himself in the guest room.

When he came back out, and I tried to confront him, his phone rang, and the same voice spoke up again.

That voice… it was hers. How long has he been lying to me for?

Everything hurt. My chest. My pride. My faith.

I called Harry.

“You were right,” I said.

“Lucian?” His voice was tense. “Where are you? Are you okay?”

“I met her. She’s pregnant. His child.”

“Lucian, leave. Now. Cut him off.”

“No,” I whispered. “I just… I need time. I need to breathe.”

A groan came from his end, and even though I knew he had been angry because he warned me about this, I didn't expect he'd turn off the call on me.

Must be that Harry was finally tired of me.

I fought the tears burning my eyes, I couldn't cut Andrew off. He was my everything. I would go to him and talk it out. Andrew would explain and maybe apologize, and we would start all over again.

"Why are you still here? Aren't you supposed to be fleeing by now?" Alice's venomous voice came from behind me.

I forced my tears back in as I turned to face her.

“Why? Are you scared I’ll take him back?” My hands folded into fists. “Until he tells me to leave, I’m staying. Just in case he needs someone real to cry to when you show him who you really ar—" Her hand came up, landing on my cheek in a hard slap before I could finish.

My jaw exploded, the metallic taste of blood filled my senses.

She raised her hand again, but this time, I caught it mid-air and shoved her back.

She screamed, pushing herself back with more force than I used. My eyes widened as I reached for her, but she slapped my hand away.

Falling to the ground in a controlled but harsh manner.

A ringing blasted in my ears as blood pooled from between her legs, my eyes widened in shock, my pulse quickening.

I dropped to my knees. “Alice? Alice! Are you okay? The baby—”

She shoved me away with surprising strength. Her face twisted, but it wasn't pain, she was smiling.

“Help!!” she screamed. “Someone help! He's hurting me! Help my pup!”

Before I could understand what was going on, a hand pushed me away by my shoulder, turning me to meet the man I had been in love with for three years, and next, his first landed on my face in a hard punch.

I fell to the ground, and my blood splashed from everywhere.