Chapter 3

Tears streamed from her eyes as she held her stomach, unable to stand, as the pain both physical and emotional gripped her.

The door suddenly burst open. Glenda entered, and Glenda's heart sank.

Glenda stood frozen at the entrance, her face blank. Nothing could capture the disappointment she felt at that moment. Without saying a word, tears began dropping from her eyes. She cursed the day she’d given birth to Dane as she cried.

Zora could barely stay upright. Lyliana could no longer hold her up, so Glenda rushed over to help.

“Let’s get her to bed,” Glenda said gently, her voice laced with worry as she saw her daughter-in-law writhing in pain.

They helped Zora to the bed. She collapsed, her body curling up as if trying to shield itself from the agony. She writhed in pain, her body twisting like a sheet of paper in the wind.

Glenda watched helplessly, unsure what to do. She couldn’t bear the sight of Zora suffering like this. Her own heart broke as memories of her late husband flooded her mind. He had never betrayed her, even though they had no mate bond.

"Get the pack doctor," Glenda ordered Lyliana, her voice shaking with desperation.

“Ma’am, the pack doctor is away,” Lyliana replied. “Luna Zora has been filling in for him.”

Zora managed to speak through gritted teeth, her voice barely above a whisper, "Get my kit bag."

Lyliana rushed to the store and returned with the kit.

"Look for the anaesthesia injection. "Get the string and draw it," Zora instructed weakly, fighting against the pain.

Without hesitation Lyliana followed Zora’s instructions. She reached for the injection, but when she offered it to Zora, she shook her head and nodded in silent refusal.

“You administer it to me,” Zora said faintly. The room fell into an uneasy silence.

Lyliana’s hands trembled violently. She had never given an injection to anyone, let alone to Luna Zora. The thought terrified her. If anything went wrong, she would spend the rest of her life in the dungeon.

“Ma’am, please don’t make me do it,” Lyliana begged, her voice cracking. “I’ve never done this before—not even with animals, much less Luna. You only showed me how to do it with oranges just days ago…”

Zora groaned in pain, unable to lift her head. She collapsed back onto the bed, her body wracked with the intensity of the agony she was feeling.

Glenda watched as Zora struggled. Her heart ached as she continued crying. 

“Give her the injection,” Glenda commanded.

Lyliana steadied her breath, she calmed her nerves before she moved closer to Zora.

They gently rolled Zora to her side. Glenda lifted Zora’s silk gown, revealing the beautiful red silk underwear beneath. Fortunately, they didn’t need to pull down the garment to administer the injection.

Zora had dressed seductively for her husband that night, hoping to create a memorable anniversary. But now, that effort seemed like a distant, painful memory—especially with the realization that her husband was having sex with another woman instead.

What a cruel twist of fate.

She fell asleep minutes after the injection. Glenda and Lyliana were relieved. Glenda chose not to return to her room—if Dane chose to have sex throughout the night with his so-called mate, Zora might need another dose to survive the pain.

Glenda laid on the sofa, while Lyliana curled up near the kit bag, ready to be at her help anytime she needed them.

A soft groan from Zora startled them both awake. They hadn’t gotten much rest—Zora had moaned and shifted all night. The pain she endured was unlike anything they had seen before.

Glenda checked the time. 8:00 a.m.

Her heart sank.

"He stayed the whole night with that bitch," she thought. 

How shameful!

She reached out through the mind-link—and to her surprise, Dane responded instantly.

“Dane! I speak now not as your Luna’s mother-in-law, but as your mother. You have five minutes to get here,” she commanded, severing the link before he could counter with his Alpha power. The fact that his connection returned so quickly made her chest tighten.

Was he nearby already?

Thirty minutes later, Alpha Dane walked in. Glenda and Lyliana had stepped out of the room.

The moment Zora saw him, a storm of emotions exploded inside her. She raised a trembling hand, her voice weak but determined.

“I, Zora Diva—”

Dane crossed the room in a flash and covered her mouth.

“You dare not reject me,” he growled, pinning her wrists to the bed. His Alpha power surged over her like a wave, freezing her in place.

Tears ran silently down her cheeks.

“Dane, please,” she whispered when he finally released her mouth. “I’m of no use to you anymore. Just reject me.”

His expression softened—on the surface.

“How could I?” he said gently. “You are my moonlight. My perfect Luna. Yes, you’re not my fated mate, but no one will ever take your place. Zora, I love you”

A bitter scoff escaped Zora's lips, followed by a pool of tears. 

“You love me, and you cheat on me, not even that, you missed the ritual we had been doing for the past three months. You are a legend, you deserve an award.”

She turned her head and pointed weakly to the scattered syringes and shattered glass around the room.

“You know what it means to cheat after the mark? You know the pain I’ve been living through? I would’ve died if not for those injections.”

Dane glanced at the mess on the table, but his face remained unreadable.

“It won’t happen again, I promise,” he said, looking remorseful. Alicia and I… our wolves overpowered us. We couldn’t resist....” he stuttered.

Zora’s heart sank. She had hoped—naively—that Dane might even show genuine remorse. But now, as he spoke of Alicia, her fears were confirmed.

“About the ritual,” Dane said, shrugging. “I don’t think it’s necessary anymore, Alicia can serve as a breeder. She’s my mate—it won’t be hard for her to get pregnant. I will make sure she gets pregnant very fast so that you can have the child,”

Zora’s breath caught in her throat. The idea of Dane starting a family with Alicia sent a chilling ache through her chest. 

“What am I to you if I can’t give you a child?” she whispered. "Have you forgotten what the witch said? No one must abandon the ritual. If either of us backs out, one will suffer—and you assumed it’d be me because I’m not your mate.”

Her voice trembled as anger flared in her chest. “Dane, I hate you. Reject me now!”

Dane could no longer care anymore. Zora was running the excitement he was feeling, the great night he had had, the cloud Alicia had taken him to. He felt that he could die there.

“I am your alpha,” Dane snapped, stepping closer. “You don’t command me. What do you think someone out there will take you in? You’re an orphan, Zora. You have no family. No wolf. No power. You’re lucky to be here, and I made that happen.”

His words pierce through her heart like a blade.

“I promised you wouldn’t suffer by my side, but now you’re pushing me to the wall. You will remain my Luna. No one’s rejecting anyone.”

He leaned in, his voice low and laced with anger. “I am not parting with my mate for our benefit. I’ll get the best doctors to manage your pain… until you learn to live with it.”

He turned his back to her. “I’m sorry, Zora,” he muttered, before walking out.