LOGINBorn as the daughter of an Alpha, Haliyah Mooncrest was expected to be powerful, but she had failed to awaken her wolf. Despite that, she devoted herself to her Alpha husband, Raven Crimson, managing his pack and upholding the role of Luna in name. Throughout their five-year marriage, she had longed to conceive a child that would secure her place. But when that long-awaited news of her pregnancy finally came, she caught Raven in the arms of his widowed sister-in-law, Cassandra Nightvale, and uncovered a devastating truth: the child Cassandra claimed to be her late husband’s, Raven’s elder brother, was in fact Raven’s biological child. The betrayal cost Haliyah everything, even her unborn pup and her freedom when Raven imprisoned her to protect his power. With nothing left to lose, Haliyah made a desperate escape… only to fall into the hands of Damon Blackthorn— Raven’s dangerous uncle and the most feared Alpha alive. The moment he caught her scent, he knew. She was his mate. But claiming her would mean war against his own bloodline… and Damon was a man who would burn an entire pack to ashes rather than give up what was his.
View MoreHaliyah’s POV.
I sat across from the healer, my hands folded in my lap as she examined me. Her fingers rested lightly on my wrist. Her brows slowly drew together, then a relaxed smile appeared on her face. “Congratulations, Luna! You are with a child.” I blinked, once, twice, as if my eyes could clear my ears too. The room seemed to tilt slightly, as if the words hadn’t found their way into my mind yet. I pressed a hand to my chest, feeling my heart pound hard against my palm. “What…?” My voice came out uncertain. I didn’t think much of it at first. For days, my body felt unwell. Certain smells made my stomach turn. I told myself it was just exhaustion from managing the pack as Luna. That was what I believed. She gently pushed a thin sheet of paper toward me. “You’re pregnant.” I hesitated, then slowly picked it up, my head spinning. I stared at the paper in my hands, and for a second, I thought I might faint. Tears welled up in my eyes without warning, blurring the words. “I… I’m pregnant?” I asked again, as if saying it aloud would make it real. The healer nodded, chuckling at my overwhelmed reaction. “Yes, Luna. You’re going to be a mother.” I covered my mouth with my trembling hand. Tears spilled down my cheeks, but this time, they were unstoppable. I laughed and cried at the same time, unable to control myself. I had waited five years for this moment. The healer patted my hand kindly. “Take good care of yourself. The child is healthy.” I left the healer’s hall in a daze, my feet barely touching the ground as if I were floating. The moment I stepped outside, the world looked different. The sun had never looked so bright. Even the cold wind felt gentle against my face. I clutched the test report tightly and caught myself smiling foolishly. Raven didn’t know yet. I could already imagine his reaction. He would be so surprised— maybe even stunned. This news deserved more than a simple announcement. It had to be special. Almost without thinking, one name came to my mind. Cassandra… She was my sister-in-law, but more than that, she had been my best friend long before she married into the family. After her husband passed away, she raised her child alone. She knew everything about pregnancy, about children, about parenting and motherhood. If anyone could help me now, it was her. I wanted to tell her first. I wanted to ask her for advice and help me plan a surprise pregnancy announcement ceremony for Raven. With that thought, I adjusted my cloak and hurried toward her residence. I passed through the familiar paths of the pack. Pack members stopped what they were doing and bowed as I walked by, greeting me respectfully. “Good afternoon, Luna Haliyah.” I nodded back in response, my hand resting lightly over my stomach without realizing it. No one knew. Only me. And soon… the whole pack would. As I approached Cassandra’s house, I slowed down and stopped in front of the door, suddenly nervous. I didn’t know why my heart was beating so fast. The place was quiet as usual. Something didn’t feel right, though I couldn’t tell what. I took a deep breath and raised my hand, about to knock. But just as my knuckles were about to touch the door, I paused. I lowered my hand and frowned slightly. A sound came out from inside. It was faint, more like a gasp. At first, I thought I had heard wrong. The wind often played tricks on the ears. I leaned closer, my fingers slipped from the air and fell to my side. Then, I heard it again, but clearer this time. “O-Oh! Raven…” Cassandra breathlessly moaned. My blood ran ice-cold. A chill ran up my spine, every hair on my body standing on end. No. That couldn’t be. I breathed in and swallowed hard, trying to calm myself. Raven was busy today. He told me he had pack matters to handle. Surely, this was impossible. I must be mistaken. Maybe Cassandra was unwell. Maybe someone else was visiting. But my feet moved on their own, and I stepped closer to the door against my will. Another sound followed, deeper this time. It was a man’s voice. It was too familiar to be mistaken. “Cassandra… you feel so good…” My ears rang as if someone had struck me. My heart slammed painfully against my chest. Could I be wrong? Maybe it wasn’t him. Maybe I had imagined it. But I knew his voice better than my own. No. Please… no. I pressed my palm against the wooden door. I didn’t know what I was hoping for. That the door would be locked? Or that my ears were lying? The door wasn’t fully closed. There was a small crack to let me see inside. I leaned forward, my breath caught in my throat. And then, my worst fear became real… Raven, my husband, was in bed with Cassandra. I froze in shock, my whole body stiff as if it had turned to stone. I felt like the world had stopped. The room blurred instantly, as if my eyes refused to accept the scene before me. Raven’s back faced the door, his shoulders tense. Cassandra was beneath him, her hands clutching his arm. They were too close— too intimate that there was no room for doubt. “Be gentle…” Cassandra whispered. “Don’t make too much noise. Be careful not to wake our precious boy.” Precious boy? “Don’t worry. I know,” Raven replied softly, nothing like the cold tone he always used on me. “I’ll be careful.” Cassandra let out a giggle. “You’re spoiling him too much. He’s still young.” Raven chuckled. “He’s my only son. Of course, I’ll spoil him.” His son. I sucked in a sharp breath. I could barely breathe. Nausea rolled up from my stomach. I tasted bitterness at the back of my throat. I clamped a hand over my mouth to keep from making a sound. My whole body trembled uncontrollably, like I had stepped into icy water. How long? How many years had this been going on? How many times had Cassandra smiled at me while hiding this? How many nights had Raven come back to my bed after leaving hers, pretending nothing had happened? The thought pierced my chest like a knife. My husband and my best friend… their immoral affair had been going on for years. They even had a child together, which everyone, even I, even I, had thought he was Raven’s brother’s child. But now, the truth crashed down on me with terrifying clarity. The boy was his. I couldn’t believe it. My knees buckled, but I grabbed the doorframe desperately for support, as if it were the only thing keeping me upright. I felt the pregnancy report slip from my fingers, fluttering down silently to the floor. I didn’t pick it up. I couldn’t. I felt drained of all strength. The future I had imagined shattered in an instant. All my dreams of a family with Raven were gone. “What about Haliyah?” Cassandra asked casually. “She’s been trying so hard to give you a child. Sometimes, I almost feel bad when I see her.” Raven snorted. “That’s useless. She can cry for another ten years and it won’t change anything. She won’t have a child. She never will.” “What do you mean?” Raven lowered his voice, as if sharing a secret meant only for her. “I made sure of it,” he continued calmly. “I’ve been giving her contraceptives since the first year of our marriage. I mixed them into her food and medicine. She trusted me completely. She never suspected a thing. She never noticed.” My heartbeat went wild. My vision swirled and went black for a moment. I slid down the wall, my legs finally giving out. My body shook violently, and I barely managed to stay silent. So… the truth revealed itself. Five years. Five years of blaming myself, hating my body, crying alone at night, and begging the Moon Goddess for mercy. It wasn’t my fault that I couldn’t get pregnant. It wasn’t me. It wasn’t my body that was broken. It was him. It was all part of his deliberate scheme. I didn’t know how to make myself believe such a harsh truth. “So that’s why… all those failed attempts,” Cassandra said mockingly. “I couldn’t let her have a child,” Raven spoke again. “Because the only heir I want… is our son.” Only heir. The words repeated themselves in my mind. I bit down hard on my lip until I tasted blood, and yet the pain didn’t stop the tears from falling. “But what about the pack? The elders favor Haliyah. She’s the Luna.” Raven’s voice turned firm. “I’ll arrange it.” “Arrange it how?” “I’ll announce the pack’s heir soon. When the time comes, the elders won’t object. They’ll have no choice.” Cassandra sounded pleased. “So… my son will inherit everything?” “Yes,” Raven said without hesitation. “He’ll be the pack’s future Alpha.” “And Haliyah?” He scoffed. “She’s just a title. Once the heir is confirmed, she’s nothing.” Cassandra hummed thoughtfully. “What if she finds out?” “She won’t.” “And if she does?” “Then, she’ll just have to accept it.” I couldn’t hear anymore. I felt dizzy. Betrayal on top of betrayal, crushing me from all sides. My heart felt like it had been ripped out and stomped on. How could they? How could they do this to me? How could they betray me like this? They were the two people I trusted the most, and yet they showed me no respect at all. Cheating on me was already painful enough— but hiding the fact that my husband had a child with my best friend all this time was even crueler. I forced myself to stand, my body unsteady as I staggered backward. Step by step, I turned away slowly from the door. I couldn’t stay there. I had to leave. If I stayed even one second longer, I knew I would collapse right there. “Keep going, Haliyah,” I whispered to myself. I groaned and doubled over, clutching myself as a sharp pain stabbed my lower belly. The pain grew stronger. Cold sweat soaked my back. “No… no…” I murmured, panic rising. Then, a warm sensation trickled down my legs. My mind went blank with fear. I looked down, and my breath caught in a strangled sob when I saw so much blood spreading across the floor, staining the carpet. I collapsed to my knees, the pain crashing over me all at once. My raw cry tore out before I could stop it. “No… no, please!” I gasped, tears blinding me. My hands clutched my stomach, my body curling inward as if I could protect the life inside me that was already being taken away. I was losing the child I hadn’t even held, the child I had dreamed of for so long… “I’m sorry…” I sobbed, not knowing who I was apologizing to. “I’m so sorry… I didn’t know…” My vision blurred completely. As darkness swallowed me, my last thought echoed fiercely in my mind. They destroyed me. They took everything from me. And I would never forgive them. One last tear rolled over my cheek. Then, everything went black.Haliyah’s POV. My vision was blurry, light and shadow forming the shape of a man carrying me. It took me a moment to register the scent of wood and musk. My eyelids fluttered as I forced my eyes open. Damon’s face came into partial view from my angle. I caught the outline of his neck and the firm line of his jaw as he moved forward. When he finally walked away from Cassandra and Raven, I felt the tension dissipate, though not entirely. They didn’t follow. They stayed behind, and I could still feel their presence lingering like unresolved pressure in the air. Only when we turned into a quieter corridor did I finally breathe properly. I watched him from where I lay in his arms, trying to piece together what little I had heard earlier, but the fragments refused to form anything clear. I questioned it because it didn’t match what I expected. Damon wasn’t someone who involved himself unnecessarily. He wasn’t supposed to stand between me and least of all accusations directed at me. A
Damon’s POV. Still carrying Haliyah in my arms as I walked out of the restroom, my mind wandered far away, replaying what had just happened inside. I still couldn’t forget how I had suddenly kissed her on the forehead while staring at her face. I shook my head, hoping that with the motion, the memory would somehow be shaken loose and erased as I walked down the empty hallway. I still couldn’t understand why I did that— whether it was because of the way my wolf had been howling inside me. It wasn’t as if I was unaware of how my wolf kept insisting, over and over again, that Haliyah was my mate. Maybe I had simply been carried away by that bond and not because I actually wanted it. “It was the mate pull. Nothing more.” The words came out low and flat, spoken more to silence the noise in my own head and convince myself. The mate pull was a deep, natural force that bound two destined wolves together. It wasn’t something chosen or learned— it just existed, beyond logic or reason. Wh
Damon’s POV. I carried the unconscious Haliyah out of the bathroom. She remained limp in my arms, still under the effects of the substance. Whoever did this knew how to control the dosage and avoid killing her while still making her weak enough to collapse. She needed to be moved somewhere safe. I paused for a moment in front of the bathroom door, thinking about what if anyone saw us like this— me carrying her while we were alone together— they might misunderstand and assume something improper. But then, I reminded myself that the situation was normal. Carrying an unconscious person wasn’t unusual in emergencies. There was nothing to question. I didn’t need to explain anything. My gaze dropped to her face. Her expression still looked peaceful in unconsciousness, but I knew it wasn’t real rest. Her body was still fighting something internally. Even in stillness, there was tension in her system. I could sense it in the irregular rhythm of her breathing. My mind started analyz
Damon’s POV. “I won’t touch you…” I meant it. I would not. But even as the words left my mouth, I could already see how fragile Haliyah was in front of me. Her body wasn’t just weakening; it was slowly taking her away piece by piece. I watched her closely as she slowly lost consciousness while sitting on the floor after hearing my words. The resistance that always defined her whenever I was near slipped away in real time. Not slowly like rest, but abruptly like something inside her system had been forcibly shut down. Her guard dropped completely. Her shoulders slackened. The tension that used to hold her upright disappeared. Her hands, which had been pushing me away moments ago, fell down as if she had forgotten how to hold them up. “Haliyah,” I called softly. I moved closer and reached out, but stopped just before touching her. My hand hovered in the air, suspended between action and restraint. There was a line. I had always known there was a line with her and she had made it
Haliyah’s POV. After the Lunar Ascension Banquet, I continued attending gatherings within our pack and even managed to visit other packs, all in an effort to expand my connections. Lately, Raven had not been as restrictive with me, which I found pleasing as it aligned perfectly with the executio
Damon’s POV. I adjusted the necktie of my blue tuxedo and studied my reflection in the mirror. Then, I glanced at my watch to check the time. It was already seven in the evening, and the banquet would begin at around eight. I grabbed my coat and car keys before leaving my condominium. I got into
Haliyah’s POV. On the fourth day of our investigation, Damon and I met again. Around four in the afternoon, we met by the lake with the fountain and the wide open field that overlooked the city lights of the pack. I waved at him when I spotted him from a distance. He arrived on a motorcycle this
Haliyah’s POV. We successfully got a copy of the CCTV footage from the coffee shop after Damon spoke with the café manager. It turned out the manager recognized me and even more so when he saw who I was with. He remembered how powerful Damon was as an Alpha, so he didn’t hesitate to give what we a
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