Chapter 3

Amelia POV

Alexander had been constantly by my side lately.

He would drive for hours to buy my favorite French pastries, peel oranges perfectly clean, and even feed me himself.

My response to him was always a lukewarm "Thank you."

Alexander had recently bought a new villa.

It was closer to Frostbane Pack.

His public explanation was that it was for easier cooperation with Frostbane Pack.

And: "I was worried my Luna would miss home, so I chose this house."

Outsiders praised his deep affection for me, unaware that directly opposite his study was the guest room where Vivian was temporarily staying.

I wasn't sure if he was worried about me missing home, or if he couldn't bear to be far from Vivian next door.

As soon as we returned home, the maid began to brew tea. While serving it, she accidentally spilled tea on the documents on the table.

The servant apologized profusely, "I'm so sorry, Luna Amelia, I didn't mean to."

I casually tossed the soaked documents into the trash can. "It's nothing important, don't worry about it."

Alexander, who was usually a neat freak, pulled it out of the trash and carefully wiped it clean.

"Amelia, this is the nursery blueprint you designed yourself. I was just about to give it to the construction team. Why would you just throw it away?"

I answered almost instinctively, "It's not needed anymore."

Alexander gripped my wrist, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Taking Vivian to New York on our anniversary was thoughtless of me, but you don't need to be childish about the baby."

I desperately wanted to say that I wasn't being childish, that we would soon no longer be mates, and that I wouldn't be having children with him.

But before I could, Alexander's phone rang.

That familiar, soft feminine voice came through. "Alexander, I think someone's following me..."

"Send me your location. Try to go somewhere crowded."

Watching Alexander grab his car keys and rush out in a panic, I finally swallowed my words.

I pushed open the nursery door and began to clear out everything I had prepared for a new life, the tiny clothes, the toys, all to be thrown away.

As I tossed the last box, the night wind, carrying snowflakes, blew across my face.

The heart that once eagerly awaited that new life finally settled into silence.

The moment I turned, a sack was abruptly thrown over my head!

Before I could struggle, a sharp pain shot through the back of my neck. My vision went black, and I lost consciousness completely.

When I woke again, I found myself still inside the sack, my hands tied behind my back, my mouth tightly gagged with cloth.

Behind me, a man's rough voice reported, "Alpha Alexander, this is the one who hired us to kidnap Miss Vivian and threatened to kill the child in her belly."

Another person added, "That's right, Alpha Alexander, we were just doing it for the money."

My heart instantly went cold.

Alpha Alexander? Alexander?

Vivian's voice, timid and weak, spoke up.

"Alexander, I'm fine, really. Maybe we should just let it go..."

Alexander let out a cold laugh, his voice infused with a cruelty I had never heard before. "Let it go?"

I couldn't see, but I could imagine his expression at that moment.

"He wanted your life and the baby's. I have to get revenge for you."

"Take him to the pool downstairs. Let him learn his lesson."

As his words fell, my heart instantly trembled.

Before I could resist, several men came forward, grabbed me, and dragged me like a dead dog to a pool filled with broken ice.

The biting cold instantly spread from my toes throughout my body. The more I struggled, the faster I sank, the chill piercing my skin like needles.

I lifted my head, trying to surface for a breath, but as soon as I took one, I was pushed back under the water again.

After several repetitions, the air in my lungs dwindled, replaced by an intense feeling of suffocation.

I coughed violently, water mixed with blood streaming from my lungs, until I no longer had the strength to struggle.

Vivian, feigning concern, called out, "Enough! He's going to die!"

"It's not enough,"Alexander's voice rang out from above.

Immediately after, I felt a leather shoe press down hard on my fingers, grinding them with force.

"I want to make sure he can never harm anyone again."

With that, he delivered a brutal kick to my abdomen, right where I'd just had surgery.

Before I could recover, my entire body slid back into the icy pool.

A sharp object at the bottom of the pool tore through the sack. Through the hole, I struggled to float back up.

Vivian, however, was looking directly at me, a mocking smile on her face. Then she conveniently collapsed into Alexander's arms.

"Alexander, I don't feel so good..."

Alexander immediately turned and embraced Vivian, his voice becoming incredibly gentle. "There, there. Were you scared? I'll take you to the healer."

With that, he picked up Vivian and waved to the men behind him. "Don't bother with that loser in the water."

Through the gap, I saw Alexander's resolute back as he walked away.

After countless attempts, I finally managed to crawl out of the pool.

I rubbed the ropes against the stones at the edge of the pool until they broke, enduring the searing pain in my abdomen, and found my dropped phone in the grass.

I unlocked the screen. It was a message from Alexander: "Working late tonight, get some rest."