Why Me?

"Please, no, don’t kill me. Chizzy, please…don’t kill me," I muttered in my sleep, my body drenched in cold sweat.

Morning sunlight crept through the cracked window of the abandoned servant’s quarters where I had slept. I shivered as the warmth touched my skin, waking me from a nightmare that clung like fog to my mind. A sharp pain twisted in my stomach, and I sat up quickly, clutching my belly.

My hands flew protectively to my abdomen. The baby. The memory struck like lightning. I was pregnant.

Tears blurred my vision. Yesterday felt like a dream. The rejection. The humiliation. The video. Mason’s cold, brutal words: “You’re nothing but a rogue.”

And yet, in my confusion and grief, I found myself stumbling from the servant quarters back toward the main house. the house that was no longer mine. Maybe I just wanted answers. Maybe I wanted to believe it had all been a terrible mistake.

But as I approached the back of the estate, muffled sounds stopped me. Groans. Moans. Familiar voices.

No. No, please no…

I edged closer, heart pounding, until I reached the glass-walled room Mason used as a private retreat. I saw everything.

Chizzy. Straddling him.

His hands gripping her waist. Her laugh echoing like nails on my skin.

My body froze. A scream clawed at my throat but wouldn’t come out.

My husband. My best friend. My knees buckled under me as I stared at the scene that shattered whatever fragile hope I had left. The pain in my stomach doubled.

Still, I forced the door open. I needed something. Closure, maybe.

“What the f**k is going on?” I managed, voice hoarse and trembling.

Mason looked up. No shame. No shock. Just disdain.

“Ah, the ex-Luna shows herself,” he said, pulling a robe over his hips like I was nothing more than a nuisance.

I stood frozen, swallowing my pain. “Mason… I….I came to talk to you. I didn’t know..”

“Didn’t know?” he cut in with a laugh. “You weren’t invited here, Maggie. I rejected you. You don’t belong in this house anymore.”

I flinched. But then Chizzy got up, throwing a silk robe over her shoulders, and smirked.

“What? Thought he’d cry over you?” she said, curling into Mason’s side. “You got what you deserved.”

“And what is that, exactly?” I snapped, anger finally slicing through the sorrow. “A knife in the back? From my sister and my mate?”

“Ex-mate, and also a betrayal" Mason corrected coldly.

"Betrayed you? What are you even talking about?" I shouted, with pain cracking through every syllable. Then, before another word could leave my mouth, Mason’s body jolted. He clutched his chest and collapsed right there on the floor.

I froze. "Mason?!" I dropped to my knees. "Mason! Someone help!"

Chizzy screamed and rushed to him. And then, just like a switch flipping, her panic turned to rage.

"You...you poisoned him! You came in here and did something to him, didn't you?!"

"What?! No! I didn’t even touch him!"

"Oh my goddess! Guards! GUARDS!!” Chizzy screamed, running to the door like she’d just watched a murder.

“No! I didn’t do anything!” I cried, trying to shake Mason awake. “Mason, please, don’t leave me!”

The guards burst in, responding to Chizzy’s cries.

"Take her! Arrest her before she runs!"

"I loved him! I would never hurt him!" I sobbed as they dragged me away.

But no one listened. No one questioned how I could’ve possibly poisoned someone I hadn't even touched. The lie spread like wildfire. The rejected Luna had tried to kill the future alpha. The narrative was perfect for them.

Days turned into weeks. Lucky for me, my baby was fine, or so I hoped.

Hunger gnawed at me, but worse was the fear for the tiny life inside me. I clutched my stomach every night, praying that whatever trauma I was living didn’t touch my baby.

The alpha still hadn’t woken. And every day that passed, the whispers grew louder.

“She tried to kill him.”

“She wanted him dead.”

“She’s always been unstable.”

The guards hurled their insults with glee.

“Murderer.”

“Jealous whore.”

“Luna reject.”

I’d stopped reacting. My voice was hoarse from pleading. And yet, when the door finally creaked open and Mason’s beta stepped inside,

“You’re a monster, Maggie,” he hissed. “He trusted you.”

“I didn’t do it,” I rasped. “Please, you have to believe me.”

He scoffed. “The Alpha’s awake.”

My heart stuttered. “What—what did he say?”

"You’ll find out soon enough."They unchained me. My legs trembled with each step. The guards didn’t loosen their grip not even for a moment. I was marched through the center of the pack, their eyes full of hate. I didn’t recognize them anymore. This wasn’t my home.

Then I saw him, Mason. He was Lying on a bed, barely alive. His skin pale, his body still weak. But his eyes were open. Watching me.

"Maggie," his voice was hoarse but stern. "You've been accused of attempting to murder me. How do you plead?"

"I didn’t do it. I swear on my baby’s life! I would never hurt you or this pack!" I dropped to my knees.

Mason’s gaze hardened. "You were the only one who knew about the tea I drank. The guards found traces of wolfsbane. You had a motive, Maggie. You had an opportunity."

"I was never even supposed to be in the house! You rejected me, remember?! I hadn’t touched you. I didn’t bring you anything. Someone’s framing me! Please, think!"

His jaw clenched, but he said nothing.

"I’m afraid it’s too late for excuses. You’ll be banished from the pack. That’s the only mercy I can offer."

"Mason, please! This pack where would I even go?"

"You should’ve thought of that before trying to kill me. Guards, take her away."

I was pulled back, trembling and broken. In the crowd, Chizzy stood with a smug smile. And then I knew—it was her.

She wanted it all.

As I stumbled toward the exit, my vision blurred. I would’ve fallen if not for a strong hand catching me.

"Are you okay?" I looked up, startled.

Two familiar eyes met mine. Maverick.

"Gamma Maverick, you're here just in time. You always protected her," a pack elder said. "Will you now denounce your bond as her protector?"

I looked at Maverick, prepared for him to walk away like everyone else.

Instead, he stepped forward and lifted his chin.