Protecting the Secret

SIENNA

"Whose bastard is it?"

The roar rattled the glass frames on the wall. Before I could even draw breath to reply, Alpha Lawson’s heavy fist crashed directly into my cheekbone. The force of the blow spun me around, sending me sprawling face-first across the cold, polished floor of his private office. My shoulder collided with the sharp corner of his mahogany desk, and a sickening crack echoed in my ears as my forehead bounced against the hardwood.

I squeezed my eyes shut, tasting instant, warm copper in my mouth. "I—I don't know!" I cried out, my voice cracking under the weight of my terror.

Instinct took over before my brain could process the danger. I immediately curled into a tight, defensive ball, pulling my knees up toward my chest and wrapping both arms securely around my abdomen. I had to shield my stomach. No matter what happened to the rest of my body, I had to protect the tiny, fragile life growing inside me from his heavy leather boots.

"I am asking you for the last time, Sienna!" Lawson barked. His heavy, calculated footsteps vibrated through the floorboards, drawing closer.

"I don't know, Alpha! I swear to you, I don't know!" I sobbed, tucking my chin deeper into my chest, trying to make myself as small as possible.

One single night of rebellion. One night where I foolishly thought I could escape my miserable existence, and fate decided to punish me with a pregnancy. But this pregnancy was different. Normally, a werewolf pregnancy took eight months, but I had felt the physical changes within mere weeks. My scent had shifted, and my appetite had spiked. When I had secretly visited Doctor Clara, the pack physician, she confirmed my worst fears. The child growing inside me was not normal. She told me it was an incredibly powerful breed, growing at a rapid, unnatural rate. According to her, I would be ready to give birth in just six months instead of eight.

A powerful breed. A child that would never survive the cruel hierarchy of this pack.

When I first heard the news, panic had consumed me. My life under Alpha Lawson's rule was already a living hell, and I was in no position to raise a child. I had seriously considered getting rid of it. But the moment I placed my hands over my stomach, I realized I couldn't do it. How was I supposed to destroy a part of myself? This baby was my own flesh and blood, the only innocent thing in my dark world. The thought of killing my child felt like committing suicide.

The baby was mine, and I was going to keep it.

So, I had made a desperate plan. I decided I would run away tonight, escaping into the neutral territories to save my baby and myself. I had quietly packed my meager belongings, ready to slip away under the cover of darkness. But Doctor Clara, the one person I believed would honor her medical oath, betrayed me. She went straight to Alpha Lawson with my secret.

And now, I was trapped in his office, paying the price for my hope.

Lawson's heavy boot slammed directly into my ribs. I gasped, the air leaving my lungs in a sharp, painful wheeze. He kicked my thighs, my lower back, and my shoulders. Each strike sent a blinding wave of agony through my nervous system, but I kept my arms locked like iron bands around my belly.

Today, I did not scream. I bit my tongue so hard that blood filled my mouth, refusing to give him the satisfaction of hearing me beg. I was going to bear whatever pain was necessary. I would take every blow, keep my mouth shut, and wait for my chance. Once I found a way out of here, I would never look back. I would build a life, and I would raise this baby with all the love and care I had never received.

Suddenly, the heavy office door flew open, slamming against the wall with a loud bang.

"Dad!" Cole’s voice cut through the suffocating air.

The relentless kicks finally stopped. I peeked through the small gap between my bruised elbows, my vision blurry with tears. Alpha Lawson stood over me, his chest heaving as he stared at his son. He was flushed, his hands twitching at his sides from the physical exertion of beating me.

I lay on the floor, paralyzed by the fear that my broken bones would give way if I moved even an inch. A quiet sob threatened to escape my throat, but I clamped my teeth down on my bottom lip, holding it back. I had to be strong. For the life growing inside me, I had to find a way to survive this night.

"You were going to kill her," Cole said, stepping further into the room. His tone was almost casual, though his golden eyes scanned my battered form with dark curiosity.

"This bitch won't die that easily," Lawson hissed, spitting on the floor near my head. "She is a curse upon this pack!"

"She might be a curse, but she isn't invincible, Dad," Cole replied, rolling his eyes. He walked over and crouched down beside me. His hand gripped my elbow, and despite my best efforts to remain silent, a sharp whimper escaped my lips. He shook his head, his grip tightening as he hauled me up into a sitting position.

Every single nerve in my body screamed in protest. My head throbbed, my ribs felt cracked, and a dull, terrifying ache pulsed deep in my abdomen. Tears of pure agony spilled over my eyelids as he pulled me to my feet.

"Come on. Get up," Cole muttered, guiding my shaking body toward the exit.

I followed him without a single word of protest, leaning heavily against his side because my legs simply couldn't support my weight.

"Get that damn bastard flushed out of her, Cole," Lawson sneered from behind us. The heavy oak door slammed shut, cutting off his hateful voice.

The words chilled me to the bone. Dread, cold and sharp as ice, flooded my veins. I looked up at Cole, and my heart sank. A wicked, sadistic smirk stretched across his face. He was going to force me to get an abortion. I knew it.

"I—I can't, Cole," I croaked, my voice raw and dry. "I will die. I can't have a procedure in this state. My body is too weak."

Cole stopped in the middle of the dimly lit hallway. He turned to face me, his grip on my arm tightening until my bones popped. "You have to get an abortion, baby," he whispered, his voice dangerously low and husky. "Or I am going to rip this thing out of you myself."

My breath hitched. The sheer cruelty in his golden eyes told me he meant every word. He would happily kill my baby with his bare hands. I wanted to scream at him, to fight back, but I knew anger wouldn't save my child. I had to lie. I had to play the broken, submissive victim to buy us some time.

"Can we please do it tomorrow?" I pleaded, letting a single tear slip down my bruised cheek. "Please."

"No," Cole snapped, shaking his head. "This thing is getting flushed out of you tonight. I'm not waiting."

"Please, Cole!" I begged, my voice trembling with desperate emotion. "I swear to Goddess Selene, I will go to the clinic and get rid of the pregnancy first thing in the morning. I promise. Just... please don't force me to do it tonight. My body is in agonizing pain from your father's beating. I can barely stand. I'm terrified of bleeding out. Please."

Calling my baby a "thing" felt like a physical blow to my chest, but I had to make him believe me. I had to play the part of a terrified girl who had completely given up.

Cole stared at me, his dark eyes searching my face for any sign of deceit. For a long, agonizing moment, the hallway was dead silent. Finally, a cruel chuckle escaped his lips.

He dragged me down the corridor, heading toward the back of the pack house, toward the filthy, cramped store room that I was forced to call my bedroom. It was a windowless, drafty space filled with broken furniture, cleaning supplies, and a single, worn-out mattress resting directly on the concrete floor.

He pushed open the door and threw me inside. I landed harshly on the thin mattress, a low groan escaping my lips as my injured shoulder took the brunt of the fall. I clutched my side, trying to draw breath.

Cole didn't leave. He stood in the doorway, his eyes slowly traveling down my battered body. His gaze was heavy, filled with a sickening mix of lust and malice. I was wearing an old, oversized grey tank top and ripped jeans stained with my own blood, but his eyes stripped me bare anyway.

I knew what he wanted. He was tired of his easy hookups with Jenna, my former best friend. He wanted the sick pleasure of dominating what was left of our shattered mate bond. He wanted to feel the spark, even if it was twisted by hate. He had been trying to force himself on me for days, but my morning sickness had been so severe that he couldn't get close without me vomiting. My pregnancy had been my shield. But now, he saw an opportunity.

"What will I get in return for granting you this favor, Sienna?" he asked, his voice dripping with dark promise.

"I will do anything you want, Cole," I whispered, keeping my gaze locked onto his. I had to keep him placated. I had to survive the night.

Cole crouched down, crawling onto the edge of the mattress. The putrid stench of cheap beer rolled off him, burning my nostrils. I gripped the edges of the dirty fabric beneath me, my tensing muscles bracing as his face came closer.

"Will you let me fuck you against the wall?" he sneered, his fingers tracing a line down my jaw. "Tell me, Siennababy."

"Yes," I lied, my voice shaking as I leaned back, trying to put even an inch of space between us. "Yes, whatever you want."

"Oh, fuck. Look how easy you are now," he chuckled, a dark, victorious sound. He leaned in closer, his hot breath brushing against my neck. "Actually, why wait? I might as well take what's mine right now."

Panic, cold and absolute, seized my chest. The world seemed to tilt. "Cole, wait!" I cried out, pushing against his solid chest with both hands.

"Shut up," he growled, pinning my wrists to the mattress. He leaned over me, his heavy body pressing down on mine, threatening to crush my abdomen. "I want to fuck your mouth first."

He leaned down, trying to force his lips onto mine.

The sheer terror of being raped while pregnant—of having his disgusting hands on me while my baby was fighting to survive inside me—shattered whatever restraint I had left. I couldn't let him touch me. I couldn't let him near my baby.

As his lips pressed against mine, I opened my mouth and clamped my teeth down on his lower lip. I bit down with every ounce of strength I had left, grinding my teeth until I tasted his hot, metallic blood.

"Argh!" Cole screamed, a sound of pure animalistic rage.

He pulled back violently, ripping his lip from my teeth. Blood poured down his chin, staining his shirt. Before I could move, his hand flew out, striking me hard across the face.

The blow was so powerful that my head slammed back against the concrete floor. Stars exploded in my vision, and for a second, everything went black.

"Motherfucking whore!" Cole roared.

He grabbed my jaw, his fingers digging into my bruised skin so tightly I thought my bones would snap. He forced me to look at him, his face contorted in a mask of pure fury.

"I am going to destroy you for this," he hissed, his eyes wild. "I'm going to take your mouth, your pussy, and then I'm going to cum in your ass. You think you can mess with me?"

"No!" I screamed, tears streaming down my face as I thrashed beneath him. "No, Cole! Get off me! I am pregnant! For God's sake, get away from me!"

My scream seemed to register. He froze, his gaze dropping to my stomach, then back to my bleeding face. A look of deep, visceral disgust washed over his features.

"Actually, no," he spat, shoving my head back onto the mattress. He scrambled off me, wiping the blood from his lip with the back of his hand. "The filth inside you is fucking repulsive. I'm not touching you while you're carrying some random bastard's spawn."

I let out a shaky, trembling breath, my heart hammering against my ribs so hard I felt dizzy. I quickly scrambled backward, pressing my back against the cold stone wall, trying to get as far from him as possible.

"You are getting rid of that thing first thing tomorrow morning," Cole sneered, standing up and towering over me. "And don't think this means you get to slack off today. Get your pathetic ass out of this room and set the dining table. We have important guests arriving soon, and everything needs to be perfect."

"Okay," I whispered, nodding weakly. "I'll do it."

He glared at me one last time, his chest still heaving with anger, before turning on his heel and walking out of the store room. His heavy boots echoed down the concrete hallway until the sound finally faded into silence.

The moment he was gone, the fragile wall of strength I had built up crumbled.

I collapsed onto my side, curling back into a fetal position on the dirty mattress. My hands flew to my stomach, pressing gently against the slight swell. The physical pain from the beatings was nothing compared to the agonizing ache in my heart.

"I'm sorry," I sobbed, my voice muffled by the dirty fabric of the mattress. "I'm so sorry, baby. Mama couldn't protect you today. I couldn't protect us."

I placed my hand over my mouth, desperate to quiet my cries so no one else in the pack house would hear me. I couldn't let them see my weakness.

"But I promise you," I whispered fiercely, my tears soaking into my sleeve. "I will do better. I will never let them hurt you again. We are going to get out of this hellhole tomorrow. I don't care what it takes. We will escape, and we will start a new life together. You will be safe, and you will be happy. I swear it to you."

I held my stomach tight, the small, rapid pulse of the life inside me serving as my only comfort in the dark, silent room. Tomorrow, everything would change. Tomorrow, we would run.