Chapter 352: The life I wanted.
Patricia.
Life had become a living hell ever since Darren brought me back to the Frost Moon Pack.
Every single day felt like a punishment and every morning I woke up wondering what fresh torment awaited me.
To everyone else, I was the Luna of the pack, the respected wife of the Alpha and the future mother of the Alpha heir.
People bowed when they saw me—servants lowered their heads in respect, pack members addressed me with honor.
But behind closed doors, none of that mattered.
To Darren, I was nothing more than a punching bag. A constant reminder of everything he believed I had taken from him.
A target for his anger.
A target for his hatred.
The only reason he exercised any restraint at all was because of the baby growing inside me.
Even in his rage, he was careful—careful not to strike my stomach and careful not to do anything that might endanger the child.
Because he feared losing his precious heir.
The child he valued far more than the woman carrying it.
My knees ached against the cold floor as I knelt before him exactly as he had instructed.
My body felt weak, heavy and exhausted, yet I didn’t dare move.
Darren sat comfortably before me, looking down at me as though I were beneath him and as though I were nothing.
Slowly, he reached forward, his fingers gripping my chin. He forced my face upward until I was staring directly at him.
"You deserve all this, Patricia." He said, his voice cold and cruel, as every word carried deliberate malice. "If you hadn’t separated me from my mate, all this wouldn’t have happened."
And then he laughed.
The sound sent chills down my spine, as it wasn’t normal laughter, it was harsh and unstable, almost manic as though he genuinely enjoyed watching me suffer.
I closed my eyes briefly, not because his words hurt anymore but because I was tired.
This wasn’t the first time I had heard it.
Darren repeated those accusations constantly—every day and at every chance he got.
It was as though saying it enough times would somehow change reality. As though tormenting me would bring his mate back.
My fingers unconsciously moved toward my stomach, as a familiar fear settled in my chest.
He had threatened me before—threatened to kill me once the baby was born.
The memory made my blood run cold.
According to him, once the heir arrived, I would no longer be necessary and then he would be free to marry Maria.
Free to follow tradition.
After all, an Alpha heir had to be raised by a woman from birth.
At least, that was the justification he used.
"Open your eyes, Patricia!" Darren’s furious voice shattered my thoughts.
I flinched immediately.
"I am still talking to you." He added.
Slowly, I opened my eyes and the first thing I saw was his gaze—those amber eyes which were once warm and kind but now they held nothing but hatred.
I swallowed painfully, and my throat felt dry, as every part of me felt drained.
"I need water, Darren." I said, as my voice came out weak, barely above a whisper.
The exhaustion weighing on my body was becoming unbearable.
For a moment, Darren simply stared at me and then he chuckled.
The sound was mocking and cruel.
"Do you think you deserve one?" He asked, as his lips curled into a sneer.
The amusement in his expression made my stomach twist.
"You separated me from my love." His voice rose with every word. "My mate!"
The final words echoed through the room, filled with all the resentment and obsession he carried within him.
And honestly, I had had enough of this—enough of the blame and enough of the accusations and enough of being treated like I had single-handedly ruined Darren’s life.
Every time he looked at me, it was as though I was the villain in his story.
As though I had forced him into every decision he made but that wasn’t true.
My trembling hands clenched into fists at my sides as frustration swelled inside me.
He was the one who chose me.
Not the other way around.
Before he had ever found his mate, before Maria had entered the picture, Darren had pursued me relentlessly.
I remembered it all vividly—the stolen glances, the sweet words and the promises.
That was exactly what gave me the right to exercise dominance over him, when other girls talked about loving him.
Most of all, I remembered the day he had looked me in the eyes and sworn that he would make me his chosen mate.
At the time, those words had meant everything to me.
I had been overjoyed and ecstatic that I had spent countless nights imagining our future together.
Dreaming of becoming his Luna.
Dreaming of building a family with him.
I thought I had finally found happiness.
Then everything changed, when my excitement had led me somewhere I never should have gone.
To the forbidden sorcerer.
I had wanted reassurance, as I wanted confirmation that my dreams would come true.
Instead, the woman shattered them.
The moment she revealed that Darren’s true mate was Maria, it felt as though my entire world had collapsed.
I remembered the crushing pain, the panic and the desperation.
Tell me, how could I sit still after hearing something like that?
How could I simply accept losing the man I loved?
I had begged, pleaded and cried and eventually, the sorcerer had agreed to help me.
She handed me a small sachet, a simple-looking thing yet it held the power to change everything.
With it, I carried Maria’s mate-bond scent.
And Darren...Darren had never noticed.
Because even before any of it happened, he had already been in love with me, blindly and completely in love.
That love had clouded his judgment. It had made him ignore the truth that was right in front of him.
"I did not separate you both, Darren." My voice trembled, but I forced the words out. "You chose me when you clearly knew the truth!"
The room fell silent.
For a moment, Darren didn’t respond, his amber eyes remained fixed on me and then suddenly, he lunged forward.
His hand shot out and grabbed my chin roughly.
Pain exploded through my jaw.
"You bitch!"
The hatred in his voice made me flinch.
"You tricked me!"
Before I could react, his hand struck my face.
The impact snapped my head to the side, and a sharp sting spread through my cheek instantly.
My eyes watered, not just from the pain but from the heartbreak. The tears gathered quickly, threatening to spill over.
Darren released me and began pacing furiously toward the door and every step radiated anger, every movement screamed frustration.
And then he stopped, without looking back, he barked an order.
"Starve her throughout today." He said, his voice cold and merciless. "And the water..." A cruel pause followed. "Don’t give her even a single drop."
My breath caught in my throat.
Then he stormed out.
" Darren!" I called out, as the word escaped my lips weakly and desperately as I struggled to my feet. "Don’t do this." My voice cracked and I placed a trembling hand over my stomach. "My baby..."
The plea barely rose above a whisper.
But Darren never stopped, and he never even acknowledged my words.
The door closed behind him.
And just like that, he was gone.
The tears I had been fighting finally escaped. One after another, they rolled freely down my cheeks.
I lowered my head as silent sobs shook my body.
This wasn’t the life I had imagined.
This wasn’t the future I had dreamed of.
This wasn’t the life I wanted.
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