Chapter 4

I woke up again in the hospital, the sterile smell of antiseptic burning my nostrils.

Marcelo, my mate and the Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, was sitting next to me, his broad frame slouched in the chair. His dark eyes flickered with something unreadable as he noticed I was awake. Then, that familiar sardonic grin spread across his face, sharp and mocking.

"What? Trying to hurt yourself just to make me feel guilty, Luna?" His voice carried the weight of his alpha tone, a command laced with cruelty. "You're barking up the wrong tree."

The memory of last night’s fleeting tenderness felt like a distant dream. Maybe Marcelo only showed a shred of affection when I couldn’t see it. But it didn’t matter anymore. Not to me.

I pushed myself up, my body aching, ready to leave the hospital. Before I could stand, Marcelo’s phone rang, the sound cutting through the silence like a blade. His expression darkened as he answered, his jaw tightening with every word.

"Did you give Virginia some tainted food yesterday?" His voice was low, dangerous. "The healer says she’s showing signs of a miscarriage!"

Virginia, the Omega he doted on, hadn’t even touched the food I prepared. Marcelo knew that. But guilt didn’t need logic, and he was too consumed by his own panic to think clearly. Without waiting for my response, he grabbed my arm, his grip bruising, and dragged me to the maternity ward.

As we reached the ground floor, Virginia’s cries echoed down the hallway. She threw herself into Marcelo’s arms, her golden hair cascading over his broad shoulders. Her voice was a pitiful whimper, her eyes wide with fear.

"Alpha, what am I going to do? The healer said I ate something bad. I need a blood transfusion to save the pup! The hospital has run out of extra blood bags!"

Marcelo’s gaze snapped to me, cold and calculating. His smirk was cruel, his alpha tone slicing through the air like a command.

"Virginia, don’t worry. We’ve got the Luna here, our personal blood bank."

He yanked me forward, his grip unrelenting, and shoved me toward the healer.

"However much blood Virginia needs, take it from her."

The healer hesitated, glancing between Marcelo and me, but the Alpha’s command was absolute. The cold syringes pierced my skin, vial after vial draining me. My blood flowed steadily toward Virginia, leaving me cold, weak, and silent.

Virginia nestled in Marcelo’s embrace, his large frame engulfing her as he whispered reassurances. She was fighting for her life, while I was teetering on the edge of collapse.

Just as I thought I might be drained dry, the hospital finally received more blood supplies. The healer stepped back, and I stumbled away, my legs trembling beneath me. My face was pale, my body frail, but I walked out step by step, refusing to look back at Marcelo.

For the first time, Marcelo seemed to notice how fragile I truly was. His eyes lingered on me, a flicker of something—regret, perhaps—crossing his face before it was gone, replaced by the cold indifference I had grown used to.

But I didn’t care. Not anymore.