Chapter 1 001

• Serenya’s POV
• This engagement party feels like a funeral.
• I’m twenty-three, six months pregnant, and I should feel happy in my own engagement. I should feel excited but instead, I’m sitting in this stiff hall with… let me count… one, two, three, four people. That’s it. Four people. Four people to witness a day I’ve imagined a hundred different ways.
• Jade said he wanted it private. “No unnecessary attention, Serenya,” he told me, like he was doing me a favor and not what I actually wanted.
• And because I love him, I agreed. Because I thought love meant giving up my dreams. Because I thought a small, quiet celebration would be enough. I've always dreamt of having an extravagant party for my engagement filled with people choking on their envy.
• I try to straighten my back, to smile properly. I want to look like everything is fine but my baby kicks inside me, reminding me of a life I’m supposed to be celebrating.
• I glance at Jade. My fiancé. The man I’ve been dating for a two years now . The man I’ve come to trust more than anyone else in the world.
• He sits opposite me with his hand resting on the table. His eyes flick to the door over and over for the past thirty minutes now, like he’s waiting for someone to appear.
• “Jade,” I whisper, leaning slightly forward. “Why do you keep looking at the door like that? Are you nervous?”
• He lets out a short laugh. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
• “I’m pregnant. Me being nervous is allowed over my man is allowed,” I say, my voice slightly sharper than I intended. “Actually, more than allowed.”
• He doesn’t smile at my words as usual and that’s when a cold twist spreads through me—not from the baby, from him. Something isn’t right. I adjust my posture and keep my head high. I’ve learned that weakness gets noticed. Weakness is dangerous.
• And just then the door opens and a woman walks in.
• I notice her before I can even think. She’s perfectly put together, carrying herself with a kind of confidence I can’t place. Two little boys that was perhaps her children follow her, one around seven years, the other five and a tiny girl that rests in her arms. They looked like the perfect family I've always dreamt of with Jade.
• Two boys and a girl.
• I shift in my chair. My baby bump suddenly feels huge, my hair flat, my lips dull. I tug at my dress, trying to adjust it. I feel exposed.
• Jade notices her and then what I thought was impossible happens. He rises from his seat, leaves me sitting there and walks toward her and kisses her cheek. A simple, brief kiss but at my engagement party, it feels like a punch to the gut.
• I grip my wine glass tightly. “Really? Now?” I mutter under my breath. “Do I clap?” Perhaps I shouldn't get myself worked up—she might just one of his friends he invited seeing that she has three kids already —there was no need to panic right?
• He’s already guiding her to the table where I sat, holding her hand the way he never held mine.
• She sits across from me, smiling as if we’ve been friends for years.
• “Hi,” she says softly. “I’m Maya.”
• I frown. The name scratches at something in my memory, but I can’t quite place it. “I’m Serenya,” I say, trying to keep my voice calm and polite. “Jade fiancée.”
• Her smile widens, like I’ve said something amusing.
• I glance at Jade. His eyes avoid mine. My chest tightens. My hands shake slightly on the table. Something is very wrong, I can feel it in my gut.
• Minutes crawl by as Maya leans close to Jade, whispering in his ear. His lips twitch in ways I hate and my stomach twists, feeling tight and uncomfortable.
• “Wow,” I say loudly, tapping my fork against the table. “I see this is a very private party. Do you want me to leave so you two can finish your private conversation?”
• He clears his throat and walks toward the podium at the front of the room. My heart skips a beat. Maybe he’s going to finally do the speech I’ve been imagining. Maybe he’s about to announce me. Maybe he’s going to tell everyone how much he loves me.
• Yes.. afterall I was his and there was no need to get jealous over some woman's lovey-dovey gestures towards him.
• “Thank you, everyone,” he begins, his voice even. “I would like to introduce my fiance and my only family.”
• My lips part in a tentative smile. My heart flutters. This is it. This is the moment I’ve been waiting for. He’s going to announce me. Serenya, his fiancée. My baby. Our life together.
• But then his gaze slides past me to her.
• He stretches his hand toward Maya. “This is my fiancée, Maya and my kids. In a few days, we’ll be married.”
• My heart stops. My mouth opens, but nothing comes out. I blink, trying to make sense of it. Did he just…? No, it has to be a joke—perhaps a prank. Cameras are going to jump out any second. “Surprise! It’s a prank!”
• But she rises gracefully and walks towards him, takes his hand and smiles
• I grip the edge of the table. “No. No, no, no. This isn’t funny, Jade. Tell me this is a joke!”
• He doesn't look my way and he continues. My stomach churns.
• “As you all know,” he continues, “today I will also complete my first mission as a hunter. After this, I’ll be a full member.”
• My mind stutters. Hunter? Mission? I don’t understand. My voice catches in my throat.
• I look at him, trying to read his expression, but there’s nothing I can recognize. No warmth. No love.
• I swallow hard. “Jade… what are you talking about?”
• I press my hands against the table, trying to stop them from shaking. My vision is narrowing, my breathing uneven. My baby kicks relentlessly now—it could definitely feel what I was feeling.
• "What I am talking about is th
• at I am a hunter Serenya Lopes, for killing you the Alpha princess"
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