After My Alpha Killed Our Baby, I Took My Crown Back

The sound of Oliver's SUV fading into the distance sent ice through my veins. I scrambled to my feet, my hand still protectively cradling my stomach.

"He can't use that invitation," I whispered, panic clawing up my throat. "The bio-scan will trigger an alert. They'll arrest him—or worse, they'll trace it back to me."

I had to stop him. Not just for him, but for our pup. For the secret I'd kept for so long.

The reinforced door wouldn't budge. Oliver had locked me in—trapped me like an animal. My fingers trembled as I searched for my phone, remembering too late that he'd taken it.

"There has to be another way," I muttered, spinning around our cabin.

My eyes landed on the heavy glass of the back window. It was reinforced, like everything else in our home—designed to keep threats out. Now it was keeping me in.

I grabbed a kitchen towel and wrapped it around my arm. The glass would cut me, but I couldn't shift to heal—not yet. My wolf was still dormant, suppressed too long.

"I'm sorry, baby," I whispered to my unborn pup. "Mommy has to do this."

With a deep breath, I slammed my wrapped arm against the glass. The impact sent shockwaves through me, but the window held.

"Again," I gritted my teeth.

The second strike cracked the glass. The third shattered it completely.

Blood soaked through the towel as I cleared the remaining shards. Pain lanced up my arm, but I couldn't stop. I squeezed through the narrow opening, glass biting into my skin.

Freedom tasted like copper and desperation.

I ran toward the nearest payphone, my arm leaving a trail of blood droplets behind me. The old-fashioned phone booth smelled of rust and stale air.

With shaking fingers, I dialed Talia's number—one of the few I knew by heart.

"Hello?" Her voice was groggy with sleep.

"Talia," I choked out, tears finally breaking free. "It's Lyla. I need help."

Instant alertness sharpened her tone. "What's wrong? Where are you?"

"Oliver took the invitation," I gasped, watching my blood drip onto the metal floor. "He's taking Kori to the Gala. I need to stop him before he scans it."

Silence stretched between us. Then: "Stay where you are. Don't move."

"I can't—"

"Five minutes, Lyla. Just stay there."

The line went dead.

Three minutes later, a sleek black SUV screeched to a halt beside the phone booth. The windows were tinted, the tires bulletproof. It looked nothing like Talia's usual modest sedan.

Talia leapt out, her eyes widening at the sight of my bloodied arm. "Moon Goddess, what happened?"

I collapsed into her arms. "He locked me in. I had to break out."

"Come on," she said, helping me into the backseat. "We need to clean that up."

Inside, the SUV was more fortress than vehicle—leather seats, advanced console, and a small first aid kit that Talia immediately opened.

"What's going on?" I asked as she gently unwrapped the towel from my arm.

"This," she said, motioning to the vehicle, "is my real life. I'm not just a pack member, Lyla. I'm Talia Blackwood, daughter of the Alpha of Diamond Lake Pack."

My jaw dropped. "You're an Alpha's daughter?"

She nodded grimly, pressing antiseptic to my cuts. "I wanted real friends. People who liked me for me, not my status."

"But why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I didn't want to be that person." Her eyes met mine. "Just like you didn't want to be 'that person.'"

I stared at her, pieces clicking into place. "You knew. About me."

"Not everything," she admitted. "But I suspected you were hiding something big."

The SUV lurched forward, accelerating far beyond legal limits. I gripped the door handle as we tore through the streets.

"We're going to be late," I said, checking my watch.

"We?" Talia raised an eyebrow. "No, Lyla. You're not going anywhere near that border."

"I have to! Oliver will use the invitation—"

"And get himself arrested," she finished. "Let him."

I shook my head frantically. "You don't understand. The bio-scan will trigger an alert. They'll know someone stole it. They'll trace it back to me."

"Let them," Talia said, her voice hardening.

"No!" I grabbed her arm. "There's more. I—" The words caught in my throat.

Talia waited, her eyes patient but demanding.

"I'm pregnant," I whispered.

Her expression softened instantly. "Oh, Lyla." She pulled me into a gentle hug. "How far along?"

"About eight weeks," I admitted. "I was going to tell him today."

Talia's face darkened with fury. "That bastard. He has no idea what he's done."

"He can't know," I pleaded. "Not yet. Not like this."

Talia nodded slowly, her eyes calculating. "Then we'll stop him before he scans that invitation."

She reached under her seat and pulled out a small case. When she flipped it open, I gasped—inside lay two silver handguns and several clips of ammunition.

"Talia," I breathed. "What are you doing with those?"

Her smile was grim. "Like I said, I'm not just a pack member." She checked one of the guns with practiced ease. "And neither are you."