Chapter 38 Chapter 38
Sabrina’s POV
Light.
Blinding, stinging light.
I squinted and slowly forced my eyes open. The ceiling. White. Familiar.
I knew this ceiling. I had spent countless nights staring up at it. Sleepless nights. Nights spent waiting for Derek to come home. Nights spent crying.
I was in my old room.
The pale blue wallpaper. The small floral patterns. Derek used to say this color was calming, but it never brought me any peace. The curtains were white lace. I had picked them out myself back when I thought I’d spend my whole life here. The four-poster bed was dark wood with soft sheets. This was probably the same bed where Abigail was conceived.
Everything was exactly the same as it was years ago, except for the door. Now, the place was covered in iron bars. It was a prison. The windows were sealed tight with thick metal slats. Sunlight leaked through, but it was sliced into thin, ugly strips.
And the bedposts. Iron chains were welded to them—thick, heavy chains ending in silver handcuffs. They were locked around my wrists. Both hands were pinned.
The silver burned. Even though I was wolfless, I still had a trace of werewolf blood in me. Silver still worked on me. It wasn't as lethal as it would be for a real wolf, but it was miserable. my skin was red and starting to swell.
I tried to sit up, but my entire body screamed in pain. My muscles felt like they’d been put through a meat grinder. My back, my arms, my legs—everything hurt. The injection site on my neck throbbed. I touched it and felt a small, hard lump.
"Welcome home, my Luna."
Derek’s voice.
I turned my head. He was sitting in a chair in the corner of the room, legs crossed. He held a glass of amber liquid. Whiskey. His favorite. He was watching me like I was some kind of prize, like an exhibit in a museum.
"Sleep well?" He smirked.
I didn't answer. My eyes scanned the room, looking for an exit, a weapon, anything I could use. Then I saw her. In the corner, another person was curled up on the floor. She was also locked in silver chains, bolted to a ring in the wall.
Dr. Nora.
Her face was bruised. Her left eye was swollen shut, and her lip was split. Her clothes were torn, and her hair was a mess. But when she saw I was awake, a flash of worry and... guilt crossed her eyes.
"Nora..." my voice was raspy, like sandpaper.
Derek noticed where I was looking. "Oh, right. Your old friend is here too." He stood up and walked over to Nora. He crouched down, grabbed her chin, and forced her to look up. "She’ll be joining you soon. Right, Doctor?"
Nora didn't say anything. She just stared at the floor.
"Why did you take Nora?" I asked. "She didn't do anything."
Derek let go of Nora and stood up. He walked toward me slowly, every step deliberate, like a hunter closing in on prey. He reached the bed and leaned over me. His breath smelled like alcohol, mint, and his cologne. The scent made me want to gag.
"Because she helped you hide a massive secret," he said. His hand reached out and rested on my stomach. Even through the thin fabric of my clothes, I could feel the heat of his palm. The touch made my blood run cold.
"When you were pregnant," he continued. "She helped you hide it, didn't she?" He looked over at Nora. "She helped you fake the check-up reports. She told me you were infertile. She made me believe the problem was you."
I looked at Nora. She kept her head down, her eyes full of numbness.
Derek’s hand traced a circle on my stomach. "But the truth is, you weren't the one who couldn't have kids." He turned back to me, his blue eyes as cold as ice. "It was Scarlett."
My heart skipped a beat.
Derek let go of me and walked to the window. He stood with his back to me, looking out. The sunlight hit him, casting a long shadow across the floor.
"Do you know how much money I spent on doctors for Scarlett?" he asked. His voice was calm, like he was just talking about the weather. "Millions. The best fertility experts. Johns Hopkins. Mayo Clinic. Cleveland Clinic. The most advanced treatments. IVF. Hormone therapy. We tried everything."
He paused and took a sip of his drink.
"The result was always the same." He turned around and looked at me. "Her womb is defective. She can never get pregnant. Ever."
He walked back and stood by the bed, his gaze freezing. "And you—a wolfless waste—you gave birth to a healthy child. Abigail, right?" He laughed, a cold, dark sound. "That little bastard. She’s my daughter."
My blood turned to ice. My heart stopped. I couldn't even breathe.
"Don't play dumb, Sabrina," Derek said. "You were two months pregnant when you ran away. Do the math. Abigail is over three years old now."
I grit my teeth and stayed silent. He was right. Biologically, Abigail was his daughter. DNA would prove it. But I would die before I ever admitted it. She was mine, and only mine.
"I need an heir," Derek said. "A real heir. One with my blood. Scarlett can’t give me that. So I need you back." His hand went back to my stomach. "You’re going to give me sons. Lots of them."
Suddenly, the door slammed open. Scarlett burst in. Her face was twisted with rage, her eyes were bloodshot, and her hair was a mess. "Derek!" she screamed. "What are you telling her?"
Derek tilted his chin up and looked at her. "The truth."
"The truth?" Scarlett’s voice got higher and higher. "The truth is you still love her! You’re still thinking about her! You said you’d marry me! You said I was yours!"
Derek’s face went cold. He walked over to Scarlett and slapped her across the face. Hard. The sound echoed in the room. Scarlett fell to the floor.
"I don't love her," Derek said, his voice like ice. "I never loved her. I just need her womb." He looked down at Scarlett. "Just like I need you for... other things."
Scarlett covered her face, lying on the floor. Her shoulders shook as she cried. But when she looked up, it wasn't tears in her eyes—it was pure hate. She glared at me like she wanted to kill me.
"It’s all your fault," she hissed. "It’s all you. If you were dead, Derek would have to want me. He’d have to love me."
Derek laughed. The sound was full of mockery. "Scarlett, stop dreaming. Without an heir, what use do I have for you? To be a trophy? I have plenty of pretty women."
Scarlett lost it. She screamed and lunged from the floor, charging at me. Her nails were out like claws. "I’ll kill you! I’m going to kill you!"
Derek blocked her, grabbing her by the arms. Scarlett struggled, kicking and biting like a rabid dog. Derek tackled her, and they fought on the floor. He grabbed her hair, she scratched his face. They rolled around, tearing at each other.
I watched it all, feeling nothing but pity. This was the man who was my husband. This was my sister. These were the two people who tore my life apart. Now they were tearing each other apart.
Derek eventually overpowered her. He was much stronger. He pinned her down and grabbed her by the throat. "Enough!" he roared.
Scarlett’s face started to turn purple. She stopped fighting. Derek let go and stood up. He grabbed her by the hair and dragged her toward the door. Scarlett scrambled on the floor, her nails scratching the wood, leaving marks behind.
Derek threw her out the door.
The room went quiet. Only the sound of my breathing and Nora’s filled the air.
Derek turned back to me and straightened his clothes.
"In three days," he said. "I’m taking you to see Dorian. He’s very interested in Kael’s woman. You’re going to lure that blind fool out."
My heart tightened. Dorian. Kael’s brother. The man who killed their father.
"But before that," Derek continued. His hand returned to my stomach. "You’re going to get pregnant again. Tonight. I’m going to make sure you’re carrying my son. Or maybe more."
I opened my mouth and spat right in his face.
Derek froze for a second. Then, he laughed. He wiped the spit off his face. "I like the fight in you," he said. "It’ll make this more fun. More intense. I’m going to enjoy every second of it."
With that, Derek laughed and stood up. He walked out and locked the door, leaving me and Nora alone in the silence.