001: CELESTE NEEDS ME

~Elara~

The spoon slips slightly in my hand as I stir the soup. I finish adjusting the heat when footsteps sound at the doorway.

“Kael?” I turn. “Are you going somewhere? I was hoping you’d come with me to the hospital today.”

He pauses at the entrance, already dressed.

“I can’t,” he says flatly. “Celeste needs me.”

My chest tightens. I swallow hard, clearing my throat before trying again. “It’s the last appointment before I give birth. The doctor thinks—”

“It’s just a routine checkup,” he cuts in impatiently. “Celeste feels unwell again. She needs me more.”

Celeste. Again. The dying first love of my mate.

I put the spoon away and turn the heat down more.

“Do you even remember the baby is due next month?” I ask quietly. “Kael, ever since she came back, you haven’t come to a single prenatal appointment.”

Kael frowns. “You don’t understand what a broken mate bond does to a werewolf. She’s been through a lot. She needs support. I’m the Alpha. This is my responsibility.”

I clench my fists.

I am a human married to an Alpha. Because I am human, Kael can never truly claim me or give me a formal mark.

But the way I care, the way I love him, is no less than any werewolf mate.

And I can feel it.

My mate. My husband.

He is slipping farther away from me.

“Then after you finish being an Alpha,” I say softly, “if you still have time, please remember to be a father. And a husband.”

I turn back to the stove, pick up the spoon again, stirring the soup mechanically.

Kael steps closer and wraps his arms around me from behind. “Of course, Elara. You and the pup matter to me too.”

When I place my hand over his, he adds casually, “Is the soup ready? If it is, I can take some to Celeste on the way.”

I lower my hand, about to answer him—

“Don’t overcook it,” Helen, my mother-in-law, comes in and interrupts me. “After all, this is the only thing you’re good for.”

I ignore her insults. I am already used to them.

This recipe takes me years to perfect. Not for praise, but because it heals. A careful balance of herbs and roots that strengthens immunity, loved by everyone who tastes it.

Everyone except the ones who matter.

Helen and Kael leave the kitchen together, and just like that, I am forgotten. Cast aside, as I always am, ever since Celeste Blackthorne returns to the pack.

I turn off the stove. The meal is ready.

I take a bowl of it and dress to go to the hospital. I leave the rest behind. Let them find it and bring it to anyone they want. I am not their servant.

–

Today is my final full checkup before the birth.

“Mrs. Elara.”

Yes. Not Luna. Just Mrs.

The pack still hasn’t accepted my place. Maybe giving birth to a healthy heir will help. Maybe then, I will finally matter.

Doctor Corvin steps inside, a tablet tucked under his arm. His gaze flicks briefly to my stomach before returning to my face. As the head doctor of the pack’s hospital, he is responsible for me until my delivery.

“The Alpha didn’t come with you today,” he notes. His tone is professional, though the faint scowl on his face betrays his disapproval.

“No,” I reply quietly. “He’s…occupied.”

“I see,” he says dryly, scrolling through his tablet. “I’ll need to report directly to the Alpha regarding the pregnancy.”

My heart skips. Is something wrong with my baby?

“Corvin, I’m the mom,” I say firmly. He scrunches his nose in mockery, but I ignore it. “If there’s anything I need to know, tell me now.”

He lowers the tablet, his expression darkening. “Today’s scan shows an irregularity in the fetus.”

He taps the screen, lines and figures flashing before my eyes, meaningless to me. “The pup’s gestation rate is concerning.”

I shake my head slowly. “That doesn’t make sense. I feel stronger than I’ve ever felt.” I pause to steady my breath. “Why?”

“Who knows? After all, there has never been a human before.”

I take a deep breath, forcing myself to remain calm. I can’t afford to let him sense my fear, though I suspect he already has.

“We can’t be certain at this stage,” Corvin continues. “This is extremely rare among werewolf pups, so there’s very little research. Further evaluations will be required.”

“And?” I lift my brows, waiting for the part he is clearly holding back. He taps the tablet impatiently, as if eager to be anywhere but here.

“There is a possibility your pregnancy may be terminated,” he says at last. “There are standards the Alpha’s heir must meet. This will have to be considered.”

Instinctively, I wrap my arms around my stomach as dread washes over me.

“Alpha Kael will decide what happens to the child,” Corvin adds. “Bring him with you to your next appointment.”

With that, he turns and leaves.

The door slams shut behind him. I finally let out the breath I am holding as tears blur my vision. Clutching the results to my chest, I stumble out of the ward and into the hallway. His words echo relentlessly in my mind.

Terminate the pregnancy.

There are only weeks left before my baby is due. I refuse to let anything happen to it.

Then a familiar scent drifts into my senses.

Kael.

I can smell him, like every wolf can. His scent is familiar, unmistakable, and special to me.

I quicken my steps toward it.

He finally comes. Right.

He comes to care about me and our pup.

I need his support. I need to tell him what the doctor says.

But as I turn the corner, another scent reaches me.

The same scent that clings to Kael’s clothes late at night when he returns home. The same scent that invades my space, claiming everything that belongs to me.

My stomach twists.

My steps slow.

At the end of the hallway stands Kael, his arm wrapped protectively around a woman’s shoulders. She leans into him as if she can’t stand on her own, her fingers curled into the fabric of his jacket. Her face is pale, eyes glassy, lips parted as she drags in a breath. When Kael leans into her to whisper something into her ear, she breaks out in a laugh. My grip on the result sheet tightens.

He comes to the hospital after all.

Just not for me.

He comes for his first love.