Chapter 3

RORY’S POV

The room became completely silent after my words. Lucian and his mother both stared at me, unable to hide their surprise. Lucian’s expression changed immediately, his eyes narrowing slightly as a deep frown appeared on his face.

His mother looked different.

The shock on her face slowly disappeared, and concern replaced it. She looked at me with sadness, her eyes moving from my face to the medicine tray trembling in my hands.

“Rory…” she whispered.

Her voice became softer, and I saw hesitation cross her expression. “Is this… is this because of the child we lost?”

The question broke something inside me.

My eyes instantly became wet, and tears gathered at the corners of them. I struggled to breathe normally as my fingers tightened around the tray. My hands were shaking so badly that I almost dropped the medicine I had prepared.

I tried to focus, but my mind had already returned to that night.

The room around me became distant as the memory came rushing back.

Two years ago, during my heat, the mate bond between Lucian and me became impossible to ignore. The connection between us finally overcame the distance he had always placed between us, and we came together as mates for the first time since our marriage.

That night was how I became pregnant.

For a short moment, I believed things would change. I believed that carrying his child would finally allow him to see me differently. And that after our baby was born, Lucian would mark me, accept me completely, and we would finally become what fate had always intended us to be.

Even though Lucian continued keeping his distance from me afterward, he made sure I received the best care throughout my pregnancy.

At the time, I held onto those small actions.

I convinced myself they meant something more. I thought maybe he loved me but did not know how to show it. I convinced myself to believe that he was simply struggling with everything that had happened between us. I waited because I believed there was still a chance for our family. Then, when I was eight months pregnant, my entire world changed.

My baby suddenly lost all signs of life.

I remembered the fear that consumed me when the healers came to tell me. I recall asking to see my child, needing to hold my baby even if it was only for a short moment.

But the elders refused.

They said it was because they were protecting me and feared that seeing my child after death would destroy me completely. They believed they were making the right decision, but they never understood that not being able to say goodbye became another pain I had to carry on my own.

My chest tightened as I remembered that day.

The tears I had been holding back, finally slipped down my face.

I felt weak and heavy, as though my body could no longer carry the sadness I had hidden for so long. Losing my baby had changed something inside me, and even after two years, the pain remained whenever the memory returned.

“Rory.”

My thoughts were interrupted by Mary. She stepped closer and looked at me with worry. “Lucian, comfort her.”

I froze slightly at her words.

For a moment, I looked at her with surprise. There was gratitude in my heart because she was the first person who noticed how much pain I was carrying. Then my eyes slowly moved toward Lucian.

I waited for him to say something or at least move closer.

But instead, he stared at me silently. His expression was difficult to read, but he did not approach me. After a few seconds, he turned his face away.

My heart sank.

Even now, when my pain was visible in front of him, he still did not know how to reach for me.

I lowered my gaze, hiding the disappointment that filled me. I hated that a small part of me had still hoped he would finally choose me at that moment.

His mother came forward and gently held my hand. “Rory, you have carried too much alone.”

I looked at her, unable to speak.

She had always cared about me and seen me as more than just a Luna chosen by the council. To her I was the girl who had lost her parents and needed someone to protect her.

“Tonight, you and Lucian will sleep in the same room,” she said firmly.

My eyes widened slightly.

I knew she had always worried about our marriage. She had noticed the distance between us, even when I tried to hide it from everyone else.

My room felt unfamiliar when we returned, even though I had spent countless nights there before. My body was still carrying the pain from the previous day, and every movement reminded me of the wounds I had tried to ignore.

I sat on the edge of the bed and carefully removed the bandages from my side. The moment I did, a sharp pain moved through me, causing me to hiss quietly.

“This is nothing,” I whispered to myself, even though my hands shook slightly while cleaning the injuries.

I had survived worse. I’d faced rogues, protected the borders, and carried responsibilities that many people never understood. Yet sitting there alone with my wounds exposed, I felt more exhausted than I wanted to admit.

My thoughts returned to the missing Omegas and the questions surrounding their disappearance. There were too many things that did not make sense, and I refused to believe that their absence was a simple coincidence. As Luna, I needed to find the truth and protect the people who depended on me.

I was lost in my thoughts when I suddenly looked up.

Lucian was standing there.

My body immediately became tense. Normally, I would have noticed his scent the moment he entered the room, but my mind had been somewhere else. I had been so consumed by everything that happened that I never realized he was standing only a few steps away.

I quickly stood up and adjusted my clothes. “I will sleep on the sofa,” I said quietly.

I did not wait for an answer. I moved toward the other side of the room, preparing myself to keep the distance between us. But before I could reach the sofa, Lucian grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

My eyes widened in surprise.

Before I could ask what he was doing, he wrapped his arms around me, and pressed his lips against mine.

I froze.

For a moment, I could not understand what was happening. Lucian was kissing me. The same man who had spent months keeping his distance from me was suddenly holding me as if he had forgotten every wall he had built between us.

This was the first time he had kissed me since we lost our child.

My heart reacted before my mind could stop it. A part of me wanted to believe that he finally missed me and perhaps finally understood how much I had suffered. But the pain from everything that happened was still there.

I pulled back slightly, breathless. “What are you doing?”

His expression darkened, his eyes unreadable.

Then he finally said,

“My mother wants us to have another child as soon as possible,” he said coldly. “The council is also putting pressure on us. This pack needs an heir.”

I stared at him, trying to understand how he could speak about our future like it was only a responsibility.

The question left my mouth before I could stop myself. “Do you truly want another child with me, or is this only for political reasons?”

The moment I asked, regret filled me.

I did not know if I could handle his answer. Hearing him confirm that everything was only duty would hurt more than I wanted to admit.

Lucian looked at me without emotion. “When you insisted on becoming my Luna, you should have known what kind of marriage you were accepting.”

My heart sank.

Before I could respond, he lowered his head and kissed me again.

I tried to pull away, but the memories of losing my child made my body react with fear. I pressed my hands against him as I struggled to create distance.

Just then, his phone rang. The sound interrupted everything as he stopped and reached for it.

My eyes moved toward the screen. The moment I saw the name, my heart tightened.

Trixie.

The sadness inside me was replaced with anger. I pushed his arms away from me and stepped back. “The person who truly wants to see you is waiting for you.”