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A painful revelation

I took a deep breath once again, trying to calm my excitement. But it was impossible, and I burst into soft giggles. My happiness knew no bond, and the radiant smile on my pale face was proof of the good news I had just heard.

I pushed aside the nagging feeling in my stomach, attributing it to my eagerness to share the news.

The memories of the night Jerome ordered his mistresses to cage me with the rogue werewolf and beat me to a stupor came flooding back. Ironically, it happened just yesterday, but the news of my pregnancy filled me with hope that everything would soon be okay.

I stood in front of my master and mate's room, my heart racing with anticipation, but I couldn't enter because my excitement was bubbling up like a champagne bottle about to pop – I was finally entering the room I was molested several times, but for once, I was entering with good news.

As I stood outside Jerome's door, my hand hesitated on the handle. I imagined the look on his face if I told him I was pregnant with the next Alpha or Luna – shock, disbelief, maybe even a glimmer of pride. I wondered how he would feel if I proved him wrong if I showed him that I was more than just a 'useless slave.'

The thought sent a shiver down my spine. I took a deep breath, steeling myself for his reaction. ‘Would he be angry, or would he finally see me as an equal?’ I wondered aloud.

Who knows, he might even decide to dash my parents the huge amount of money they owed, and he may give me my freedom and treat me better.

The thought sent a spark of hope through my chest. Freedom. What would that even feel like? To be able to make my own choices, to live my own life. I imagined walking away from this place, from Jerome's rule, and starting anew. My heart raced at the possibility.

‘And what about my parents? Would they be relieved, or would they still try to control me?’ I pushed the thoughts aside, focusing on the present. One step at a time.

As I gazed at the ultrasound image, my heart swelled with joy. Three tiny beings, each a unique miracle. I felt the moon goddess's presence, her gentle smile upon me. She had finally lifted the curse, the stigma that had haunted me for so long. I thought back to the countless prayers, the tears, and the desperation. And now, this blessing. I felt grateful, humbled, and awestruck.

These babies were unplanned, conceived in a moment of violence and trauma. I still remember the night Jerome tied me to the iron bed, his mistresses watching with cruel smirks as he forcefully took me. The pain, the fear, the helplessness. And now, the knife mark they left on my skin, a constant reminder of what happened that night. But as I looked at the ultrasound image, I knew I had to let go of the past. These babies, innocent and pure, didn't deserve to be tainted by the darkness of their conception.

I took a deep breath, focusing on the present. I would raise them with love, with kindness, and with the strength I never had.

“It will all be over! Jerome will finally love me! He wouldn't deny the babies because I was a pure virgin when my parents sold me!” I assured myself with a one-sided smile, before gently pushing the door open.

The room was dimly lit, the only sound was the soft crackling of the fireplace. Unfortunately, on entering the room, I was greeted with the sound of Jerome's low, husky groans, and a lady's high-pitched gasps.

My heart sank as I stepped further into the room, my eyes adjusting to the dim light. Jerome's groans grew louder, and the woman's gasps became more fervent.

I felt a chill run down my spine as I saw them, wrapped around each other on the couch, lost in their passion. And then, my gaze fell on the woman's face. It was my own face. My twin sister's face. A mirror image of mine, sensual in ecstasy. Her face was a picture of pure pleasure, her eyes were closed in rapture, while her mouth was open in a silent scream of delight

My world crashes down around me. The room spun, a blur of colors and sounds.

How could she do this to me?

I tried to speak, but my voice caught in my throat like a scream. My legs trembled beneath me as if the ground itself was shaking. I felt my eyes well up with tears, but I refused to let them fall, not in front of these two, not now.

My gaze was fixed on the familiar yet betraying face of my beloved twin sister. Her sweet perfume scent was now tainted by betrayal.

It was the feeling of the world crashing down around me. I couldn't believe that my sister would stab me in the back after all I sacrificed for our family.

This wasn't the first time I'd seen Jerome sleeping with other ladies, sometimes he even tied me to a chair and made me watch his adultery. But I couldn't believe that my better half, my twin sister, would join those shameless ladies in mocking me.

Jerome and Anna finally noticed me, their eyes snapping towards me in unison. Anna's face went white as she frantically untangled herself from Jerome, her movements awkward and guilty. The room fell silent, the only sound the soft crackling of the fireplace.

They both looked at me with surprise, and Anna gently touched Jerome, signaling him to talk.

Jerome's grimace deepened, his fists clenching at his sides. “What are you doing here?” he growled, his voice low and menacing. “I told you to help the pack omegas with the cleaning. Why are you back so early?”

I trembled, my heart racing as his words hit my vulnerable side. Nausea washed over me, and the tears I'd been holding back burst forth like a storm. I couldn't bear to look at them, my gaze dropping to the floor as I struggled to contain my sobs.

I couldn't bring myself to reply to the man I'd always tried to please, so I turned to my sister instead.

"How could you, dear sister?” I whispered after a momentary silence, my voice cracking with anguish as tears streamed down my face like a river. The words felt like they were being ripped from my throat, leaving me breathless and trembling. My chest felt like it was being seared by a branding iron, the pain burning deep into my soul.

I expected her to be a bit remorseful and apologize, but Anna's expression turned cold, her eyes flashing with an evil scorn.

“Oh sister Vera, I can sleep with whoever I want, whenever I want as long as the person agrees,” she spat at me, her voice dripping with malice.

Anna's voice was like a knife, slicing through my soul. "You're nothing but a pathetic, ugly little shadow, always lurking in my light. No one loves you, no one wants you. You're a waste of space, a useless little sacrifice to our family's happiness."

I felt like I'd been punched in the gut, my breath knocked out of me as her words sank into my mind.

My chest burned, my heart racing like a wild animal trapped in my ribcage. My eyes stung, tears streaming down my face like acid, burning my skin. I tasted bile, my mouth sour with the bitterness of Anna's words.

Jerome leaned against the couch, his arms crossed, a smug smile spreading across his face like a cancer. His eyes gleamed with pleasure, enjoying the pain he'd caused. He was a master manipulator, a puppeteer pulling the strings of our lives, and he found happiness in my misery.

"Are you jealous?" Anna asked a rhetorical question with her venom-like tongue. "Jealous that Jerome loves me, that I'm the one he wants. You're nothing but a slave, a pathetic little servant to his whims. And I'm the queen, the one he adores." She laughed a cold, mirthless sound that sent shivers down my spine.

I gazed at Anna with a mix of pity and sorrow, wondering if she had any idea that Jerome, her supposed love, had over a dozen mistresses who warmed his bed every night. I felt a pang of sadness for my sister, blinded by her love for a man who didn't deserve her. But my greatest concern was for the innocent lives growing inside me - my unborn babies, who didn't deserve to be caught in my pathetic and sorrowful life, the life of a hated slave.

I couldn't believe that a day meant to be filled with joy and celebration had turned so painful.

I couldn't bear to tell Jerome about the pregnancy, and when the two of them continued to taunt me, I fled the house as fast as I could, ignoring Jerome's calls. In my distress, I didn't even notice when the ultrasound slipped from my trembling hands.

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