Bella's POV
Hot tears burned tracks down my cheeks as I stood there, my entire body trembling under their collective gaze.
"Stop being so dramatic," Parker snapped the moment he saw my tears. His tone carried the same dismissive edge that had always made me feel invisible.
"You're eighteen years old, and we're barely older ourselves. Did you honestly think we were ready to play house with a baby?" The confidence in his voice made my stomach turn.
Hugo crossed his arms and nodded in agreement. "He's absolutely right. I know someone who handles these situations discreetly. Nobody has to know anything happened. You can pretend this whole mess never existed."
Derek stepped closer, his earlier rage now replaced with calculated coldness. "Listen carefully, Bella. If you take care of this problem, we can go back to being friends. But you need to understand something first. If my father discovers what happened, he'll destroy all of us."
His eyes narrowed as he continued. "He would never accept an omega like you carrying his grandchild. Think about what's best for everyone involved, especially yourself."
The words hit me like physical blows. I felt sick knowing I had trusted these three with my heart and my body.
My phone buzzed against my palm. The screen lit up with a message from Dr. Paige that made my blood freeze: Your test results have been forwarded to the Alpha. I'm obligated to contact your family immediately. This pack cannot tolerate such reckless behavior from young omegas. You will face appropriate consequences for your actions.
My fingers nearly lost their grip on the phone. I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling the walls closing in around me.
"What's wrong now?" Hugo asked impatiently. "Look, if keeping the baby is what you want, fine. We won't stop you. Hell, we'll even give you money to help out."
He paused, letting his next words sink in. "But don't expect our names anywhere near that birth certificate."
The reality crashed over me like ice water. The money wasn't the issue. The real problem was that the Alpha and the pack council would never allow me to keep this child unless someone with power claimed it. And these three had made their position crystal clear.
"I need to use the restroom," I whispered.
All three frowned at me with obvious confusion.
"Fine. Take her to the guest bathroom," Hugo said dismissively.
I turned away from the backyard and walked back into the house. Their footsteps followed behind me like a death march.
They weren't going to let me leave until I promised to keep their secret buried. Until I swore never to breathe a word about this pregnancy to anyone.
Once inside the guest bathroom, I locked the door and let the tears fall freely. But even through my sobbing, their voices carried through the thin walls.
"I refuse to be tied down by some omega's mistake," Hugo complained bitterly.
"You think I want this either?" Parker shot back. "I've got Alpha daughters practically throwing themselves at me, and now this curse shows up on my doorstep."
Each word felt like a dagger twisting deeper into my chest. I was nothing more than trash to them.
"She planned this whole thing. I'm sure of it," Derek added, his voice dripping with accusation.
"So what happens now? If my mother finds out about this, she'll have her killed," Parker muttered.
He wasn't exaggerating. All three of their families wielded enormous wealth and influence. They would crush me without a second thought.
In that moment, I realized I had only one choice left. I had to lie.
When I emerged from the bathroom, they were waiting like vultures. Before they could tear me apart with more cruel words, I decided to give them what they wanted.
"My period started," I said quietly.
The relief that flooded their faces was immediate and disgusting. Hugo and Parker actually laughed out loud.
"Seriously?" Derek asked, his smile stretching wide across his face. The happier they looked, the more it destroyed me inside.
"Then why the hell did you come here and put us through this nightmare? You should have been certain before making accusations. Missing one period doesn't automatically mean pregnancy, you idiot!" Hugo growled, though his relief was obvious.
"I need to go home now. The bleeding is heavy, and I need supplies," I mumbled.
They exchanged glances and nodded quickly.
"Yeah, get out of here," Derek said with an eye roll.
As I walked past them toward the exit, one final question burned in my throat. I turned back to face them.
"You said if there was no baby, we could be friends again. Did you mean that?"
I wasn't asking because I wanted their friendship. I needed to see exactly what kind of people I had foolishly trusted.
"You actually think after dodging a disaster this massive, we'd want you hanging around?" Derek sneered.
Hugo's smirk was equally vicious. "We have much better things to do than waste time with some desperate omega."
Parker's smile grew even wider. "Are you completely insane? It took us forever to finally get rid of you."
Their words cut through me like razors, but I managed a broken smile.
"I knew it. I just needed to hear you say it."
Without waiting for their reactions, I turned and walked away. I didn't look back as I left the guest room, crossed through the mansion, and stepped out into the night.
But my nightmare was far from over.
The moment I reached home, my stepmother stood waiting by the front door. I already knew the council and the doctor had contacted her. No matter what lies I had told earlier, she would force the truth out of me.
As soon as I stepped inside, she slammed the door behind me with enough force to shake the walls.
"She's back!" she shouted, her voice carrying through the entire house. She was calling for my half-sister and father, who I could hear whispering about me in the kitchen.
The second they heard I had returned, they stormed out with fury blazing in their eyes. My father didn't hesitate. The moment he reached me, his hand cracked across my cheek so hard that stars exploded across my vision.
"What kind of disgusting things have you been doing, Bella? Are you trying to destroy my reputation?" he roared.
He stood there in nothing but an undershirt and pants, gripping his leather belt like a weapon. The way his knuckles whitened around it told me he was ready to use it.
"I warned you about giving her too much freedom. What was the point of letting her attend school anyway?" my half-sister said. She was older than me, but instead of offering guidance or sisterly support, she poisoned my father's mind against me.
"She's becoming exactly like her mother. A worthless whore," my stepmother spat.
I took a shaking breath to steady myself and swallow my tears.
"I just want to go to my room and rest," I said.
The words had barely left my mouth when my father stepped forward to strike me again. But this time, I raised my finger and shouted, "Don't you dare touch me again. Do you understand me?"
Their faces went pale with shock. For the first time in my life, they realized I wasn't the silent punching bag they could abuse whenever they felt like it.
Maybe I still wouldn't have found the courage to defend myself alone, but I had to protect my baby. Their violence could hurt more than just me now.
With that thought burning in my mind, I climbed the stairs to my second-floor room. But the moment I closed my door, I heard my father's heavy footsteps charging after me.
Then my stepmother's whispered words froze my blood.
"Don't do anything yet. Soon all the omegas will leave for the Alpha's birthday celebration. When the omega section of the pack is deserted, we'll push her down the stairs. Nobody will hear her screams, and by the time the council arrives in three days, the problem will be solved. We'll avoid the humiliation."
She thought she was speaking quietly enough that I couldn't hear, but every word reached my ears clearly. My hands went numb, my legs turned to water. There was only one option left for me now. I had to escape this pack.
I waited until I heard my family leave through the front door. They were creating an alibi, making sure neighbors would remember seeing them outside when I supposedly fell down the stairs by myself.
The moment they left, I climbed out my bedroom window.
My former best friends had taught me this technique during their visits, but the memory now felt poisoned. I never imagined they would betray me so completely.
I grabbed a small bag containing what little money I had saved and carefully climbed down the back of the house. Darkness covered my movements, and in the distance I could hear songs praising the Alpha. I pulled my hood over my face and ran toward the woods instead of taking the main road.
There was only one place left for me to go. The human world, where werewolves stripped of their wolves were banished and forgotten.
At the docks, workers were loading cargo ships. Among them stood others like me. Exiled werewolves, abandoned by their families, told that werewolf territory was too sacred for their presence.
I slipped into the boarding line, my whole body shaking. A drunk guard stumbled past without checking anyone. Nobody wanted to journey to the human world. The stories about what happened there were too terrifying.
That's exactly why security was so relaxed. If someone was desperate enough to leave voluntarily, they were considered pathetic and doomed anyway.
But I boarded that ship willingly.
As we pulled away from the shore, I looked back at the only home I had ever known. Tears filled my eyes as the coastline faded into darkness.
"It's okay, little one. It doesn't matter who your father is. From now on, I'll be both mother and father to you," I whispered, placing my hand protectively over my belly.
I promised myself that I would not just survive in the human world, but thrive there. I would prove it could be done.