ASTRID'S POV
I woke up with a soft yawn, blinking my eyes open. For a moment, I stayed still, letting the calmness of my room sink in. The smell of antiseptic wasn’t there, and everything seemed normal. It was quiet. Peaceful.
I ran my fingers through my hair, sitting up slowly. I was back home, tucked safely in bed, but the memories hit me hard. It all came rushing back—my uncle, Camilla, and the knife. I almost died.
But Dane saved me.
Camilla had tried to kill me, but Dane stopped her. He apologized, kissed me, but I was too tired to care at that moment. I had spent the whole day running and crying. Exhausted from the fear and pain, I must have fallen asleep on the ride back.
Looking out the window, I frowned. Something felt off. It was getting dark outside, and I had no idea how long I’d been asleep. Where was Dane?
I stretched and got out of bed, glancing around. The room felt empty. Dane should’ve been here by now. I waited, pacing back and forth, but the door stayed closed. No sign of him. My stomach twisted with unease.
Could I trust him? He had apologized, sure. But there were things I couldn’t forget. His words still echoed in my mind. When Ivar asked him what he would do, Dane didn’t hesitate. He said he would do it. How could I have misheard that?
No, I couldn’t stay with him. My child was in danger, and I wasn’t going to be fooled again. I had been stupid enough before, always ending up the weak one. Always the one who suffered while Camilla kept escaping without punishment.
My anger flared. I was tired of being played with, tired of falling into her traps. Enough was enough. I needed to be smart this time, not reckless.
Staying here wasn’t an option. But leaving wasn’t safe either. Leaving meant I could end up in one of Camilla’s schemes again, and staying would just make me a target for Dane to "make up" for his mistakes.
No, I had to disappear. I had to leave without a trace, far away where no one could find me. But I couldn’t do it alone. I needed help.
I grabbed my phone, hands trembling, and dialed my mom’s number. She was the only one I could trust.
She would understand. But as I called again and again, there was no answer. My heart sank with every ring that went unanswered. Something was wrong.
I rushed downstairs, careful to avoid the maids. The guards didn’t notice me either—they were too relaxed. After all, who would dare attack the Alpha’s mansion?
Once I made it outside, I hailed a cab and told the driver to take me to the Bluestone Pack. My nerves were a mess the whole way.
Something wasn’t right. I could feel it deep in my gut. A sharp pain hit my chest, and a cold chill ran down my spine.
As we pulled up to the pack mansion, I saw Alpha Dane’s car parked outside. My stomach twisted even more. Why was his car here? Was this why I couldn’t reach my mom?
I pushed open the door, racing inside. My breath caught in my throat as I saw my mother—she was slumped on the floor, surrounded by blood. And there, standing over her body, was Alpha Dane and Beta Ivar.
“ Astrid,” Alpha Dane's voice was low, but I barely heard him. My mind was spinning, my heart breaking as I looked between him and my mother.
“What... what happened? Who did this? Why... why did you kill her?” My voice trembled, barely holding back my tears.
“Kill her? You think I did this? You need to leave, Astrid,” he said firmly, but his words didn’t make sense to me. None of this did.
Dane stepped forward, his voice harsh. “You need to go, Astrid.”
“No!” I screamed, running to him, tears streaming down my face. “How could you? You killed my mother!” The pain in my chest was unbearable, and I let all my emotions spill out.
Dane’s eyes flashed with anger. “You really think I did this? I came here to talk to her! Your father, Astrid... your father killed mine. Did you know that?”
I froze, my mind struggling to process what he just said. My father... killed his? How?
****Eight Months After****
The first thing I felt when I opened my eyes was a deep, heavy loneliness. Every morning, I woke up feeling this same sadness, and today was no different.
It had been eight months since I left the Redmoon pack, broken, eight months of hiding from Alpha Dane, eight long months since I left the pack.
That day, burned into my memory, I had found my mother’s body lifeless, her blood pooling beneath my feet. I still heard his words in my head; Alpha Dane’s words; and I knew I could never trust him again.
Leaving had been hard. Planning it alone made it even worse. I needed my mother then, but she was gone. And I was so confused. Why had Dane been there right when she died? I didn’t want to believe he had anything to do with it.
But the way he had looked at me, cold and angry, when he told me my father was the reason his father was dead—that’s when everything changed.
I couldn’t face him after that. His words were like a knife, and I couldn’t bring myself to confront him, not after what he said. So, I left. Maybe he assumed I was being emotional, but I didn’t care.
I drove away as fast as I could, away from the Blue Stone Pack, away from the Red Moon Pack. I didn’t stop to think, didn’t stop to rest. The only thought in my mind was that I had to leave.
I knew Alpha Dane would search for me, but even he wouldn’t be foolish enough to come after me in the Fierce Claw Pack.
Our packs had been enemies for as long as I could remember. They hated each other, and even though there was a truce now, the hate never disappeared. Dane couldn’t just waltz in here and ask to search for me.
That’s why I chose this place. The Fierce Claw Pack was dangerous, but it was the safest place for me to hide. Dane couldn’t reach me here, and no one knew who I really was. No one knew that the Luna of the Red Moon Pack was hiding among them.
It wasn’t like I had spent much time with Dane anyway. We had fallen in love, but everything went downhill fast after that—kidnappings, betrayals—it all tore us apart. Not many people even knew me. Here, I rarely stepped outside, keeping to myself and staying under the radar.
I had a routine. I sold what little jewelry I had to rent a tiny apartment. I was managing on my own, barely, but I was surviving. Most days, I went to the market early in the morning or late at night, trying to avoid people. Even after all these months, I still felt that creeping fear every time I left my apartment.
Today, that fear was even stronger.
I dragged my feet across the room, trying to get ready to go to the market, but I felt more tired than usual. My belly was huge now, the baby growing heavier every day. I knew I was due any moment, and that’s why I needed one last trip before things got too crazy.
“Alright, I can do this,” I whispered to myself.
I left the apartment, caught a cab, and headed to the marketplace. I had done this plenty of times before, but something felt different today.
“Those blue ones, please,” I asked the woman at the stall, pointing at the fabric I wanted. She handed it to me, and as I took it, my heart skipped a beat. I froze when I saw him.
Ethan. Dane’s brother.
Why was he here?
I tried to move quickly, hoping he wouldn’t notice me. But it was too late. His eyes locked on mine, and I knew I was in trouble.
I couldn’t stick around. I grabbed my things and rushed toward the street to hail a cab, but then I stopped, a sharp pain stabbing through my belly. A wave of fear washed over me as sweat dripped down my forehead.
The baby was coming.