Chapter 39 Chapter 39
Sabrina’s POV
Nora shuffled to the edge of the bed. Her silver chains dragged across the floor, making a harsh, grating sound.
"Don't move," she said. "Let me see your injuries."
Her touch was light as she checked my wrists and my neck. Her movements were professional and familiar—just like they used to be back in the pack infirmary.
"Nothing is broken," she noted. "But it’s going to hurt. The bruising will last a week."
She paused when her fingers brushed the needle marks on my neck.
"What did they inject me with?" I asked.
"A sedative," Nora replied. "Mixed with some... hypnotic components. To make you more obedient."
I let out a bitter laugh. "Obedient? Does Derek really think drugs will make me submit?"
Nora didn’t answer. She continued her exam, pressing her fingers against my ribs.
"Does it hurt here?"
"Yes."
"Deep breath."
Nora sat back against the wall. She looked at me, her eyes filled with guilt.
"I’m sorry, Sabrina," she said. "I should have told you the truth a long time ago."
I stared at the ceiling. "What truth?"
Nora took a deep breath.
"Derek knew you were fertile from the very beginning."
I froze, staring at her.
"I’m the one who did the exam," she continued. "The results were perfect. There was nothing wrong with your body. But Derek ordered me to lie to you. He made me tell you that you were barren."
"Why?"
"Because back then, he wasn't ready for a child," Nora said. "He was busy consolidating his power. There was a lot of opposition within the Stillwater pack. The elders questioned his age. They questioned if he was fit to be Alpha."
She paused to wipe her eyes.
"Derek needed time. He needed to weed out his rivals. He had to negotiate and fight with Dorian to build the alliances his ambition required. He needed a Luna as a trophy, but he didn’t need an heir. So, he made you believe you were infertile. He wanted you to feel broken. He wanted you to depend on him... to be easier to control."
I thought back to all those nights I spent crying in bed, thinking I was "broken." I had lived in constant fear that Derek would abandon me because I couldn’t give him a child.
I closed my eyes. I thought I would cry when I finally heard the truth, but after being betrayed twice, there was only silence.
"And then what?" I finally asked.
"It’s just like Derek said before. Scarlett is the one who can’t have children. He spent millions on the best doctors, tests, and treatments. But nothing worked. Scarlett has a congenital defect. She can never get pregnant."
"I see."
"What about Scarlett?" I asked. "When did she start hating me?"
Nora was silent for a long time. Finally, she spoke.
"She always hated you. Since she was a child."
I stayed silent. I knew Scarlett had always been jealous of me becoming the Luna, but I thought it was just typical sibling rivalry. I had always looked out for her and tried to make her life better. I never imagined her hatred went back that far.
"You didn't know?" Nora looked into my eyes. "Scarlett isn't your parents' biological daughter."
"What?" I gasped.
"She was adopted," Nora said. "I did her physical when she arrived. You were six. Your parents thought you were lonely and wanted to give you a companion, so they adopted her from an orphanage."
My mind went blank for a second before everything suddenly clicked. It all made sense now.
"Scarlett was already five when she arrived," Nora continued. "She had been through so much trauma. Abandoned by her parents, bullied and abused in the orphanage. Then she came to your house and saw everything you had. Loving parents. A warm home. Food, toys, beautiful clothes. A room of your own."
She paused.
"She was consumed by jealousy."
I remembered how Scarlett used to watch me from the corners when we were kids. Her gaze always seemed strange, but I had just assumed she was shy.
"Your parents treated her well," Nora said. "They bought her the same clothes and the same toys. They sent her to school. But it was never enough for her. She always felt that if you didn't exist, your parents would love her more. That she would get all the love for herself."
My throat tightened.
"So she started destroying your things," Nora said. "Breaking your dolls, tearing up your homework. She spread rumors about you, saying you bullied her and looked down on her."
I remembered those incidents. I had always thought they were accidents.
"She took every boy you ever liked," Nora continued. "From middle school through high school. If you liked someone, she seduced them. Derek was just... the peak of her revenge. The perfect payback. Because Derek wasn't just a boy. He was the Alpha. He was your husband. He was your everything."
"So, is you being locked up here also part of Scarlett’s revenge?" I asked. "Is she stripping away everyone who ever cared about me?"
Nora lowered her head and said nothing.
I gave a cold laugh.
"Look, Dr. Nora, I’m grateful you helped me escape back then, and I’ll do my best to repay you for that."
"But I’m not stupid," I added. "Whether you’re actually a prisoner or just here to spy on me doesn't matter. I don't trust anyone anymore."
I moved to the other side of the bed and sat with my knees pulled to my chest.
Nora didn't speak for a long time. Then, she whispered:
"Sabrina. There’s still a way back for you."
I ignored her.
"Derek treated you badly," she continued. "But you are still the former Luna of Stillwater. If you submit to the Alpha, life won’t be bad. Your daughter can be raised as the next Alpha. Derek would never hurt his own flesh and blood. Abigail would have the best education, the best training, the best future."
I still didn't say a word.
"If you don't go back to Stillwater," Nora’s voice grew urgent, "where else can you go? Kael betrayed you. Exile’s Rest won't take you back. You can't even survive as a rogue. You have nowhere left to go."
I bit my lip. She was right. Kael had sold me out. He used me as bait for his own revenge. Where could I go? What could I even do?
Nora moved closer to me.
"If you're willing," she said softly, her voice like a mother soothing a child.
"I can help you. I can talk to Derek. I can get him to treat you better. I can help you become the Luna of Stillwater again. A real Luna. With power and status. Abigail will be the heir. You’ll be the Alpha's wife. You’ll be safe. You’ll be provided for."
"You will still be... the Luna of a powerful Alpha."