Chapter 34 Wrong Choice
“I’m serious, Layla,” I said, my eyes filling with tears. “I don’t know what to do. I don’t even know who my mate is, and I don’t understand why he hasn’t come to look for me.”
Layla shook her head, stepping away from the bed. “No, Diana. You can’t be pregnant.”
I stared at her, shocked by her reaction. I had expected surprise, maybe fear, but not this. “What are you going to do now?” she asked, her face twisting into a deep frown as her eyes fixed on me. “You have to remove it. You can’t have that baby. We don’t have the money for it.”
My chest tightened painfully.
“Layla, I’m confused,” I cried, wiping my tears with my palm. “I feel so low knowing I don’t even know who the father is. I feel like the Moon Goddess is punishing me.”
Layla rolled her eyes, and my heart broke even more.
The Layla I knew would have held me, would have helped me think, would have cried with me. She would have tried to find a solution. But this Layla felt cold, distant, like someone I didn’t recognize.
I didn’t know what to think anymore. I didn’t know what had made her change.
She walked back and sat beside me. “Diana, I know how you’re feeling,” she said quietly, taking my hand. “And it’s not your fault that this is happening. I feel like a bad sister for letting you go to that party that night. Please forgive me.”
“No, don’t say that, Layla,” I told her. “It’s not your fault. It’s just how unlucky I am.” A sob burst out of me. “I finally found my mate, and then this happened.”
“It’s not too late to make this right, Diana,” Layla said, her voice suddenly soft. For a moment, I thought maybe I was the one thinking she had change. “You just have to do what I ask. You know I always want the best for you. But you can’t keel the pups.”
My eyes widened.
Slowly, I pulled my hand away from hers. “Layla… I can’t.”
“You have to, Diana,” she snapped, her voice rising. “I’ll call the nurse so they can remove it. We have to act fast before it keeps growing.”
She gave me a small nod and stood up, heading toward the door.
“Layla,” I said quickly, my voice breaking. “I don’t want to abort my pups.”
She turned sharply. “Are you crazy? How are you going to manage that? You have to work, Diana. The house owner will take our house if you can’t pay the rent, and I won’t be there with you.”
Tears blurred my vision. Her words felt like claws ripping through my chest.
“You have to do it,” she continued. “Your mate might never come back for you.”
“How can you say that?” I cried, looking at her.
She looked away.
“What happened to you, Layla?” I whispered.
She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “Diana, we don’t have time for this. You need to take that thing out.”
“Thing?” I repeated, my voice shaking. “Don’t you care how all this is making me feel? I don’t want to abort my pups. Even if my mate never comes back, I won’t kill my unborn pups. I’ll raise them. We’ll be happy.”
She stared at me angrily. “Fine. If you want to ruin your life, go ahead. All I’m trying to do is help you. I don’t care if you end up sleeping on the streets.”
“Layla,” I cried. “How can you say this to me?”
For a moment, everything felt unreal, like I was trapped inside a bad dream.
I tried to reach for her again. “Layla, please—”
“Enough,” she snapped.
Her eyes dropped to my belly. The look she gave it made me feel small and weak. Then she turned and walked out, slamming the door behind her.
The sound echoed through the room.
I sat there frozen, my hands trembling as I slowly rested them on my stomach. My wolf whimpered inside me, curling into herself as if she felt the pain too.
What made Layla change like this?
Was it really about money… or something else?
Tears slid down my cheeks as my chest ached. I felt alone—more alone than I had ever felt before.
The door creaked open again.
I flinched and looked up.
“Diana?” Cora’s voice filled the room.
She hurried to my side when she saw my face. “What happened? Why are you crying?”
I tried to speak, but my throat felt tight. When the words finally came, everything poured out, the pregnancy, Layla’s anger, her demand.
“She wants me to abort my pups,” I whispered. “She’s acting strange, Cora. She doesn’t feel like my sister anymore.”
Cora froze.
“Wait… pregnant?” she gasped. “Diana, are you pregnant?”
I nodded, fresh tears spilling over.
“Oh, Moon Goddess…” she breathed.
She pulled me into her arms, holding me close. I clung to her like she was the only thing keeping me together. My shoulders shook as silent sobs escaped me.
“It’s going to be alright,” Cora whispered, rubbing my back. “You don’t have to abort your pups if you don’t want to. No one has the right to force you.”
My wolf slowly relaxed, leaning into her comfort, though the ache in my heart remained.
I held onto Cora, but inside, everything felt broken.
As tears fell quietly, my thoughts drifted to the one person who should have been here—the mate who had marked my life with pain instead of comfort.
I hated him.
I hated my mate for leaving me to face this alone.
I hated him for the silence. I hated him for abandoning me, that day. No matter how hard I tried, the ache refused to fade.