CHAPTER 50: UNWANTED BABIES

I never expected this. I never thought the one thing Camilla believed would save her place her unborn child would mean nothing to Jeffrey.

Maybe she got too sure of herself. Maybe she thought that once she was pregnant, the Hales would have no choice but to keep her close. But she misread everything.

If she carried real status in our world, maybe things would have gone her way. But she didn’t. She was a Morrigan. And the Morrigan had always tried to climb higher by staying near the Hales.

I had been different. I married Julian because we grew up side by side, always within each other’s reach. Our families were tied long before we were born. Jeffrey watched me since I was small, watched how I carried myself, how I handled people. I was the match everyone expected. Even if the Morrigan didn’t deserve their attachment to the Hale name, no one ever questioned my place.

Since I turned eighteen, both families had quietly shaped me for the role of Mrs. Hale.

And I stepped into that future with open arms. I loved Julian. I believed I had everything my childhood sweetheart, two powerful households behind us, a life already mapped out. I thought it was perfect.

Camilla’s story was nothing like mine. She only stayed with the Hales as the younger sister they took in. And not just any sister my sister. My blood.

If the world ever found out what she and Julian had done, the scandal would shake everything.

Once my mourning period ended, the Hales could choose a new wife for Julian. Someone from the right background. Someone clean. Someone untouched by whispers. That would never be Camilla. Not now, not ever.

And her tricks only worked on people who cared for her.

Jeffrey wasn’t one of them. He never had a bond with her. In his eyes, she was only someone the family sheltered out of duty. As long as she stayed where she belonged, he let her be. But the second she crossed the line... that door closed fast.

Her becoming the next Hale matriarch? Impossible. It was never even a thought.

"An abortion?" Vivian finally spoke up, her voice shaky. "Jeffrey, Camilla has a heart condition. If she goes through surgery "

She had snapped at Camilla earlier, but her mother’s instinct kicked in. She couldn’t bear to watch her daughter be pushed aside like this.

But Jeffrey was done.

"The doctor will decide," he said sharply, cutting her off as if her words meant nothing. Then he turned to the butler. "Gune. Take Ms. Morrigan out. She’s pregnant assign extra staff to watch her."

"Yes, sir."

It sounded like care, but it wasn’t. His tone said everything.

He didn’t want her comforted. He wanted her contained. No scenes. No begging. No more stepping out of line. His choice of words Ms. Morrigan was deliberate, cold. A reminder that she no longer belonged here.

Once I left, the Morrigan name would have no tie to the Hales. No deals. No shared future. Nothing.

This dinner was supposed to be polite. A calm front for the pack, a way to steady things after Julian abandoned the wedding and I "died" so suddenly. But Camilla ruined it. Not only did she fail to pull Julian to her side... she snapped the last fragile thread between our families.

As Gune led her away, she didn’t speak. She only kept her eyes on me. There was something sharp in her stare, like she could see deeper than she should.

Did she know?

Maybe she sensed who I really was.

But I didn’t look away.

I had seen her cruelty before. I didn’t need to threaten her. Just standing here in this skin, holding the title she wanted so badly, was enough. I was the wall she could never break.

Whether I was Riley or Elena didn’t matter.

If you stood in Camilla’s path, she would try to tear you apart.

The Morrigan left the hall quietly, their shoulders low, their pride crushed under the weight of the night.

Jeffrey turned to Julian, fury sharp in his eyes. "Go to the family chapel. Kneel and repent. Elena hasn’t even been gone long, and you dare disgrace her this way?"His voice carried that low edge of command that made the air feel heavy.

Julian didn’t argue. He lowered his head and walked out, shoulders tight, like he could feel the whole pack’s judgment pressing against his back.

I quietly pushed Lewis’s chair down the hall toward our room. He didn’t speak once.

As soon as the door closed behind us, his calm voice broke the silence."Is there something you want to tell me?"

He wasn’t loud. He didn’t even sound upset. But something in the way he said it steady, controlled sent a cold tremor through my spine.

I knelt in front of his chair, trying to look small, harmless. My lips even pushed into a little pout."Honestly... back in the car, I noticed something strange between them. It didn’t feel right. His wife had barely passed, and he was already acting that way? In front of the Morrigan too. I couldn’t pretend I didn’t see it, so... I exposed them."

Lewis’s gaze grew heavier by the second. Deep. Searching. Like he was reading the parts of me I tried to hide.

"You’re using me, Riley."His voice stayed soft, but it hit like a blow.

My heart lurched. I shook my head quickly."No. I just... things have been hard since I came back. If it wasn’t you, it would’ve been someone else. But I chose you because even if you keep your distance you’re not cruel."

Lewis lifted his hand and tilted my chin up with two fingers. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips, almost amused. But his eyes... his eyes stayed sharp.

"And why are you so sure I’m not cruel?" he asked.

"I "The word caught in my throat.

He was right. Riley shouldn’t know that. Riley shouldn’t trust him that much. So why did I feel certain?

Was it because he searched for me after I "died"? Because he left a black rose on my grave like he was mourning more than a packmate?

My thoughts spun too fast. Panic pushed me forward. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my face into his shoulder.

"I don’t know why," I whispered. "But I trust you. Lewis... you won’t hurt me. Right?"

For a moment, he didn’t move. Then just for a flicker something in him trembled. Like I had hit a place he kept locked away.

Then his arms came around me, pulling me closer at the waist.His breath brushed my ear, warm and steady."No," he murmured. "I won’t hurt you."

That was it? Was I safe now? Was he letting it go?

Lewis looked at me for a long moment, then reached up and ruffled my hair gently. The simple touch sent a quick skip through my chest.

"It’s late. Get some rest," he said softly.

It was the first time he’d reached for me like that. My skin reacted before my mind did. I didn’t even know what to say.

Before I could speak, he turned and wheeled himself into the bathroom. The door clicked shut, leaving me with too many questions and no answers.

Why did he let me off so easily?What was he holding back?

I barely slept that night. My mind kept circling between nerves... and a quiet, strange satisfaction. A small win, maybe but still a win.

When I woke the next morning, I felt almost triumphant. Camilla might not have fallen completely, but last night shoved her off balance.

To celebrate, I pulled out a bright red dress the kind that screamed confidence, the kind she would hate.

Back when I lost my child, Camilla walked around the house showing off baby clothes, twisting the knife deeper. Now, it was my turn to return the pain.

While I admired my reflection, Lewis watching silently from the bed asked in a flat tone,"Are you happy?"

I turned with a smile. "Yes. I slept really well."

Strangely, it was true. Around him, I didn’t feel like I had to keep my guard up every second. Somewhere inside, I just knew he wouldn’t hurt me.

He didn’t reply. He only watched me, his stare unreadable but heavy with something protective... something that wrapped around me almost without his awareness.

Downstairs, the air was thick. The Morrigans arrived early, but their faces showed they hadn’t slept at all.

The Hale family doctor had just finished checking on Camilla. He handed the report to Jeffrey.

As soon as Jeffrey read the line "approximately seven weeks pregnant" his expression dropped like a stone.

Seven weeks.Right around the time of my death... maybe even our wedding night.

Jeffrey’s hands trembled as he stood. Then he flung the report across the room. It smacked Julian in the chest just as he stepped in from the chapel.

"You bastard!" Jeffrey roared. "You filthy animal! I should beat you to death!"