The Sacrificial Virgin and Her Rejected Mate

THE ESCAPE

Lauren arrived at the end of the hospital's left wing, pale and panting. Her muscles weakened even more because of how far she had walked. Fortunately, she managed to get away from the women keeping watch over her. Furthermore, there weren't many guards on duty during those hours.

After the big revelation, Lauren had no intention of leaving that place. She didn't love that man, and she would rather die than bear his child. However, the doctor informed her that there was only a small chance of the child being born due to the risky process and an unanticipated negative reaction.

Lauren was unsure if she needed to be comforted. She needed to figure out how to remove that thing from her body before it's too late. The pack would all undoubtedly start to fear her when they realized she was bearing his child, believing that she was cooperating with him. She wished to avoid becoming the object of their hatred. But in those situations, she had to put her safety above all else.

She had come a long way when she heard the loud cries of women only a few steps away from her. She abruptly halted her actions. Something whispered to her to go there just as she was about to take a step in the other direction.

Lauren covered her mouth in shock. The sight of a room full of women her age made her tremble. They had devices attached to them, just as she had earlier, as though they were undergoing some sort of study. She was unable to imagine a worse scenario. She could no longer comprehend what was going on. She could only be certain of the risk that place posed.

Lauren was astounded by the huge size of the place. It seemed to her that she was moving only in one direction. That man would definitely discover her if she stayed there for an extended period of time.

After more than an hour of walking, Lauren finally discovered the way out. Her face welled up with tears; she would be free at last. She would regain the freedom that had been denied to her for a very long time in a few more steps. She would make sure to enjoy life to the fullest with the people she loved after everything that had happened.

"Do you really believe you can get away from me so quickly?”

Lauren’s eyes widened when she heard a familiar voice a few steps away from her. She gripped her chest when she sensed his footsteps coming toward her. She could clearly see her death in his hands. At that precise moment, she couldn't do anything to save herself.

"Try to move closer, you monster! I'll make sure your soul will vanish along with your body!" A figure with a black mask emerged from the groaning darkness, a gun aimed at the man’s direction.

The man heard the statement, and the other corner of his mouth lifted. He thought his remarks were amusing.

"You believe you are some kind of powerful being that frightens me. It appears that you are forgetting that you are in my territory. You will undoubtedly end up food for my pets if you make one mistake." Just as the man attempted to step, he was shot from below, causing him to stop his tract.

“Not bad. Now tell me, what is it that you want? I'll give you more than enough; just name your price.”

"The woman in front of you is all I want.” Without a trace of doubt, the man in the black mask declared, "I'm here to take her since it's my responsibility as her mate."

Laured started to cry profusely when she heard the familiar voice. She couldn't be mistaken. She had known this man for a long time—his voice, the way he spoke each word he uttered, and the way her heart responded to him.

"Mate, you say?" The man burst into laughter after hearing his revelations.

"How dare you claim my woman to be your mate?"

"I didn't come here to explain myself to someone like you. Now, come, Lauren. Let's go home." The man in the mask held out his hand to Lauren.

Lauren couldn't contain herself. She was feeling conflicted at the time. She truly believed that her life would end there, thanks to this man who claimed to be her mate and had come to save her.

"Thank you." Just as Lauren extended her hand to grasp his hand, she heard three gunshots. Her entire body trembled, her eyes wide open, when he abruptly slumped in front of her. He was shot to the side of his chest, leaving a lot of damage.

Lauren wanted to scream for help, but she couldn't open her mouth. Even her entire body suddenly went numb due to intense fear.

“Save yourself! This is all I can do for you. I swear, we'll be together when the time comes. Go as quickly as you can, now!"

Only then did Lauren return to her senses. She was about to make her escape when the man pointed his gun at her. He was about to shoot her when the man in the mask fired at him, stopping his tracts.

“Now, go! ”

Lauren seized the chance to escape. Even though it pained her to leave him behind, she didn't want the sacrifice he made to save her to be in vain.

"I'm sorry." Up until the very end, the man in the mask was still thinking about Lauren. He was confident that their next meeting would take place at the right time, even though their first meeting wasn't the perfect one.

*****

Lauren decided to live her life away from the pack after what had happened, fearing that man would find her there. Now that she was involved in his sinister scheme, she was certain he would not give up until she located her. She would rather suffer all kinds of hardship just to ensure the safety of the entire pack. She refused to let another defenseless life be sacrificed for her sake.

Due to extreme poverty, Lauren wandered the streets without food to eat. She looked for work but was consistently turned down since she wasn't qualified for the position. She was going through a lot, but instead of thinking about giving up, she grew even more determined in the hopes that one day she would be able to escape her cruel fate.

As the days went by, Lauren became aware of the gradual change in her figure. She also frequently felt so weak that it was occasionally difficult for her to move. There had also been times when she had severe stomach pain. She wanted to see the doctor, but she didn't have enough money. She was also terrified of the test results.

"What if the child developed inside of me? What should I do?" These were the questions that kept coming back to Lauren. She got really worried just thinking about the possibility. What if she really was in that situation?

"Congratulations! You are four weeks pregnant! The baby is fine, so you don't have to worry."

What Lauren heard appeared to take a ton of cold water to her. She was unsure of how to react to what she had said to her and what to say in response. Ultimately, she failed to overcome the cruel fate engraved on her palm.

"No, this can't be happening!" Lauren was trembling as she raised her hands to her face to stop crying. She wanted to scream out loud, but all she could manage to respond to was a stream of tears.

Lauren was completely wrong, believing that she would be able to forget yesterday, but it all appeared like a nightmare that was haunting her, having come real. She wished she had killed herself rather than going through what she was suffering at the moment.

Given that Lauren was bearing an extraordinary child, her pregnancy was risky. It required a lot of strength to prevent the baby from using up all of her energies. She was sick virtually every day, and her body was weakening, so she felt like it was killing her little by little. Additionally, she made multiple attempts to abort it, but ultimately she believed she had no right to take a life, particularly because it was her own flesh and blood.

Lauren's body grew weaker and weaker over the days. The baby was healthy, the doctor said, but the moment she gave birth, her life would be in jeopardy. She made an effort to remain strong until the day that heaven had chosen, despite the danger that came with being pregnant.

“Just a little while longer, my child. We're almost there.”

Lauren could barely move, but she forced herself to walk, and as there were no vehicles passing by at the moment, she had no other option but to walk all the way to the hospital. She felt as though she was on a narrow road with no specific direction. She had no idea when, or even if, her suffering would come to an end. She was already on the verge of giving up, since weak beings like her would undoubtedly end up there.

"Why? Why am I experiencing all of this? What did I do to deserve such a harsh punishment? Why not take my life to put an end to this? Isn't that what you were truly hoping for all along?" Lauren dropped to her knees in the center of the road, her tears streaming down her face.

The heavy rain began to fall. The brightness abruptly vanished and was replaced by darkness a short while later. At last, the entire world was pleading with Lauren. Though she could sense its sympathy, her anguish persisted. She hoped such moments would vanish so she could at last live in peace.

"I'm sorry if I can't be strong for you." Just as Lauren turned her head, she saw a car speeding in her direction. She simply closed her eyes and let herself be completely enveloped in darkness.