Chapter Sixteen

EMMA'S POV~

Eight months had passed, and I still found myself struggling to reconnect with Keagan and his family. He often stayed away from home, and I couldn't help but panic, terrified that he might find another woman who was willing to bear his children.

I felt my life unraveling out of my control, and many days, I feared I couldn't hold on any longer. In the months following Jessica's abduction, I had worked diligently to tarnish her reputation. I faked an attack, and Keagan, believing my lies, had taken me to the hospital. I told him that Jessica had found me and beaten me up with the help of some men, and that I had been lucky enough to dial his number before managing to escape.

Since that day, I had watched Keagan call Jessica incessantly, oblivious to the fact that I was the one who had abducted her. I observed her suffering with glee, just as she deserved. After all, I should be the Luna – not her, a lowly omega!

That night, I eavesdropped on Sofia and learned that Keagan had informed her he would be home tonight. I knew this was the perfect opportunity to win him back. I bought the sexiest lingerie I could find and prepared his favorite dishes.

I made sure to buy fancy red candles to set a romantic ambiance.

As soon as the clock struck 7:30 PM, the sound of a car honking outside jolted me from the bed where I had been anxiously waiting. Jumping up, I rushed to the kitchen to retrieve the meal I had microwaved especially for Keagan and set it up for him in the dining hall. I put on the loveliest smile I could muster.

I tensed slightly upon hearing the sound of approaching footsteps just outside the dining hall and hastily moved to greet Keagan.

"Hey," I greeted him with a smile, but his stoic expression made it clear that my welcome was not appreciated. The smile on my lips quickly faded.

He merely glanced at me as he began to unbutton his cuffs before asking, "Where's my mother?"

My jaw clenched at his disregard, but I nonetheless responded. With a forced smile, hoping he would look at me again, I answered, "She's currently asleep, so I decided to make you something delicious. I know you've been stressed out lately. You can rest more after you eat."

Keagan didn't bother to respond; instead, he walked away toward the dining hall, leaving me standing like a fool, staring at his retreating figure. In anger, I dumped his briefcase on the sofa and glared at his back, Unable to take his attitude any longer, I marched after him. He had to listen to me!

Keagan was already seated and serving himself when I forced another smile and insisted on serving him myself. He relented and allowed me to do so.

"So, how was work?" I attempted to initiate a conversation, but Keagan ignored me yet again, purposefully stuffing his mouth with food to avoid speaking to me. I swallowed the rising anger in my throat, slumped in my chair, and stared at him with a heated gaze.

To avoid the awkwardness of being caught staring, I served myself more food and dug in, hoping to alleviate the tense atmosphere between us.

I cleared my throat once more, wishing he would at least talk to me.

The growing silence made me increasingly uncomfortable. Why was he so cold? Did he know something about my involvement in Jessica's kidnapping? Or was he aware that Jessica had been kidnapped?

My stomach dropped at the thought, and I immediately lost my appetite. My grip around the fork in my hand loosoned and I let it clatter back onto the plate. Even with this, Keagan didn’t even spare me a single glance.

I opened my mouth to try again, to break the ice between us, but the jarring vibration against the wood of the dining table made my heart jump. I glanced down at the table and saw my phone’s screen blinking. Fuck, why were these idiots calling me. From the corner of my eyes, I noticed that Keagan had slowed down his eating, and was now looking at me expectantly, his expression slightly irritation.

Seeing that the call was from an unknown number, the typical method the men I had paid to abduct Jessica used, my heart began to race, and my hands turned clammy.

"Can't you pick up your damn call? It's noisy in here, and it's irritating me," Keagan snapped, making me even more uncomfortable.

I slowly nodded and rose from my seat, intending to leave, but Keagan's raised brow sent a suspicious look my way and I gulped. Reluctantly, I sat back down, my hands trembling as I slowly answered the call.

"Hello, Claire? I'm sorry, I can't speak right now. I'm with my fiancé. Can I speak with you later?" I spoke quickly, not wanting the person on the phone to say anything incriminating.

But what he said next made my blood run cold. "Ma'am, We tried all we could but she has escaped, and now we can't find her. I'm afraid she's made it to the road—" I didn't let him finish before I was racing toward the door. That bitch! She would ruin everything I’d so carefully crafted. My feet peeled to a stop when I suddenly remembered that I’d been eating dinner with Keagan. The way I’d bolted would be suspicious even to a five years old.

Turning back around, I forced a sad smile.

"Oh, baby, I'm so sorry, I got to go. My friend got into an accident, and the hospital called for me." I went over to kiss Keagan on his cheek, and nearly fainted with relief when the narrowed look in his eyes replaced with irritation. He grunted, and I wasted no time in sprinting toward the front door of the mansion.

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I raced like a madwoman down the road, honking incessantly at passing cars, wishing my car had wings to fly. Dread made my bones go numb, and my mind was clouded with countless terrifying thoughts. I couldn't bear the fact that Jessica had managed to escape.

Her escape meant my carefully crafted plan was on the verge of complete ruin. How could those men be so stupid as to let a mere pregnant female omega slip past their detection? It had been eight fucking months! Why fucking now?

Gritting my teeth, I slammed my foot down on the gas pedal, and my car accelerated to its maximum speed, weaving through the night traffic.

With my right hand, I kept dialing those useless fools while the other hand gripped the steering wheel, impatiently waiting for that imbecile to answer.

After what seemed like the ninth ring, he finally picked up, and my blood boiled.

"How on earth could you all be so dumb? How could a weak, pregnant woman like her escape a group of trained assassins? How come none of you could track her down? There are seven of you! Are you all just a bunch of idiots?" My vision turned red with rage and I tightened my grip on the steering wheel.

He let out an angry growl over the phone, and I expected him to snap back at me as he usually did, but surprisingly, he didn't. "It's not our fault she escaped. We've been giving her the paralyzing injections like you instructed, and this time, when we left to get lunch, she was gone. Perhaps someone helped her, and we couldn't track or sniff her out." He explained, and I felt my heart lurch in my chest.

Someone helped her? Was it Keagan? I swallowed hard, switching the phone to my other hand. No there was no way he would know the truth and just keep calm like that.

"When I get there, you're going to explain yourself better. For now, get your asses out there and find her! She couldn't have gone that far!" I yelled, despite the dread beginning to shake my body.

He didn't respond but instead hung up abruptly, and I threw my phone into the back seat in anger.

Shit! Shit!!

I pounded on the steering wheel and sped up again. Just as I was about to take the opposite direction that would lead to the abandoned building, I saw something moving in the corner of my eye. Instinctively, my foot slammed down on the breaks and I was almost thrown out of the vehicle from the sharp stop. When my eyes stopped rolling to the back of my skull, I glanced at my side mirror to see what it was.

My breath caught when the headlights of my car illuminated the figure crawling on the ground. It was her! that fucking bitch! Barely able to walk, her hand grasped her stomach as she wobbled along the road.

Dread crept up my spine just by merely watching her crawl away like a snail. What if I hadn't found her? She could have walked back to Keagan with that pregnancy! She would have exposed me! My life would be ruined, as well as my father's pack. I had witnessed Keagan's cruelty before, and I shivered at the thought of being at the end of it. Still, I couldn't take my eyes off her.

It was as though something strange, something dark and sinister overtook me. Before I realized what I was doing, I put the car in reverse and quickly began to move toward Jessica. She had fallen on the road, and it was extremely dark now, save for the faint streetlight illuminating the area.

I didn't hesitate to speed up, nearing her with every cruel intention. Jessica, sensing the looming danger, turned with widened eyes, but it was too late. The car, at full speed, had already hit her. The sound of something hard hitting the ground echoed, followed by a scream and then silence.

I took a couple of deep breaths before hurrying out of the car. A smile ticked up the side of my lips when I found Jessica unconscious, her head dripping with blood. I placed my hand on my chest and exhaled in relief. It was time to take her away.

Bending down to check her breathing and pulse, I discovered that she was still alive but unconscious. I had no idea why she hadn't died despite the pain I had inflicted upon her. She was much stronger than an omega.

This bitch!

Casting furtive glances across the road to see if there were an witness, I found no one and quickly moved the car before dragging the bleeding Jessica into it. Making sure the door was locked, as I didn't trust that she was completely unconscious, I pulled my car away from the scene, heading toward the derelict building.

```

"You got her!" the ringleader exclaimed as my car came to a halt.

I didn't bother to respond, instead throwing him a glare before hurrying to retrieve my phone. my fingers flew over the keyboard and I placed the device as it began to ring.

there was a click and then a voice. “hello this it–”

"Where are you?" I huffed, pacing impatiently.

"I'm on my way, ma'am. I'm close by," the person on the phone said before I hung up.

Turning to the seven large men, I pointed to the car. "I think she's very conscious and must be pretending to be unconscious. However, bring her out. The doctor who's going to take her bastard out of her is on the way. Hurry right now! We need to leave this scene once and for all. This has gone long enough and it would be on our sides if we all acted quickly!" I yelled, feeling a pit forming in my stomach, a sign that something terrible might happen. I wanted to avoid it at all costs.

After what felt like an eternity, the doctor and a nurse finally arrived at the buildingwith a stretcher, exiting a taxi. I paid the driver and led them into the building where Jessica lay on the cold ground.

"She's eight months pregnant, but I want her baby out of her womb. I don't know how you're going to do it, just get the damn baby out," I said, showing them a checkbook. “I would pay you whatever you want. Say the word and I’d write you a check.”

The nurse gave the doctor a reluctant look, but the doctor's eyes were already gleaming. He nodded but added, "This is risky. We should have done this in a hospital. What if the mother dies?"

I glared at him. "Do you think I care about the life of someone bleeding out and lying on dirty, cold tiles? Get this job done and stop asking questions. I need to leave. You are a doctor so why do we need a hospital when you are here.”

He nodded, and both of them began their work. I paced around, feeling my heart pounding with each passing second. I wasn't myself anymore.

I heard Jessica scream, and my eyes widened as I raced toward the scene.

"Please... Please don't hurt me, Emma. I beg of you. Take Keagan, take the Luna title, take everything of mine, but please spare my baby. This is my life. I swear this will remain a secret," Jessica cried, her body shaking with fear.

My fists clenched as I watched her, and somehow seeing her in this state pricked my heart. I glared at her to mask the guilt that was threatening to overwhelm me. "Take the baby out and hurry up, damn it!" I yelled, watching her cry as two men held her down while her stomach was being cut open.

I didn't care about the pain she was experiencing; I just wanted this to be over with.

"Oh my goodness, these are twins!" the nurse exclaimed. My heart skipped a beat, and I took a step forward to take a look.