Chapter 1: Why?

Neriah POV

“Silas, darling! Hurry up!” I said excitedly.

It’s our three-year anniversary. Three years ago, I entered a Luna Selection Reality Show called ‘Claim the Worthy Luna’. I was eighteen, and in love with Alpha Silas of the Halo Moon pack. He entered the competition because he wanted to find a Luna. I joined immediately, and since I was eighteen, there was no reason for him to reject me.

I followed him around and practically begged for him to pick me throughout the competition and even before the show began. I promised him we would win the competition, and he could add it to his many accolades back at the pack. There was reluctance in his eyes, and eventually, he agreed.

We dominated every single competition. It was grueling. There were times we had to work together. Other times we had to work individually. Sometimes, we had to prove our worth to neutral elders and gain their approval.

After two months of competitions, we were in the top three, and we had to embark on a grueling journey to retrieve rare herbs for a neighboring pack that could synthesize them into medicine for adult wolves suffering from premature wolf decay. We reached the top, and I was bitten by a poisonous snake. We still made it back down before I passed out from the poison.

When I woke up, I was in a hospital room, but we had won the competition. Silas looked at me with tears in his eyes and promised to take care of me for the rest of my life. That’s when he dropped the bombshell on me. The poison from the snakebite ruined my chances of having pups and severed my wolf from me. It had been in my system for too long, and by the time the show was able to get me treated, it was too late.

Three years later, Silas and I have been happy. I planned an anniversary picnic at the lookout point at ‘Lover’s Cliff’. I reserved the entire place for us, so we could have privacy. I couldn’t bear pups, and he always said it didn’t matter. He said we could adopt.

I went to every healer I could find. Put myself through expensive, and sometimes painful, treatments to reverse the damage to my body. The medicines, tonics, special rituals, retreats, and countless other things I had tried over the last three years had yielded no results. Until now. I hid the pregnancy test in the picnic basket. This is going to make him so happy. Our miracle pup. I couldn’t wait to see the expression on his face.

“I’m coming, Neriah,” he said with a clipped tone.

I’m sure his mood will brighten when I tell him the good news. “Don’t be a grump. This is going to be a beautiful day. It’s our anniversary after all.”

He smiled even though it didn’t reach his eyes. “I know. Happy Anniversary,” he muttered.

We left the pack house and made it to ‘Lover’s Cliff’. We spent all afternoon there, but Silas wasn’t really present. He kept looking at his phone and couldn’t engage in any conversation.

“Silas, what is wrong? You’ve barely paid me any attention.”

He looked at me, annoyed and tired. “Neriah, what’s the point in all of this? Don’t you think this is a bit adolescent?”

His words stabbed my heart. “I was trying to do something special with you. We haven’t had much time together lately.”

He sighed. Then I heard footsteps behind us. When I turned around, my half-sister Jemisha was walking towards us. I frowned.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“I came to rescue Silas from your suffocating presence, of course,” she said shamelessly.

I looked at Silas, who was staring at Jemisha the way he used to stare at me. It suddenly clicked. His distance, the way he always seems bothered by me, the way his smile never reaches his eyes…they were together. They were cheating on me behind my back.

“Silas? Why?” I asked with my eyes watering. “Why would you do this to me? To us?”

“Us?” he sneered. “Neriah, I felt sorry for you because you couldn’t have pups after helping me win the competition three years ago. I shouldn’t have to suffer this the rest of my life because you were careless, though. I need an heir. Jemisha is pregnant with my pup.”

My world stops. No!

“Why didn’t I feel the betrayal pains?”

“Oh, sister,” Jemisha laughed. “I slipped a blocker into your many tonics, so you wouldn’t know. Actually, Silas and I were always together. He just had a sense of obligation to you. But that is over now.”

“But I’m pregnant,” I whispered, looking at Silas.

Silas’s eyes widened, and for a split second, I thought I saw surprise in his eyes. He quickly covered it and looked at me with a stone-cold expression. Before he said anything, Jemisha interrupted by laughing.

“Honestly, Neriah, who are you trying to fool? Your womb is dead. Now you are conveniently pregnant?” she mocked.

Silas huffed. “Pathetic.”

“No, really, I am. That’s why I wanted to come here with you. I wanted to end our picnic with the surprise. I’m pregnant!” I said, reaching for the picnic basket to pull out the report.

Jemisha grabbed me by the hair, while Silas stood back and did nothing. “Let me be clear, sister. Our pup cannot be illegitimate. Silas is making me his Luna, and our pup will be the heir.”

“No! Silas, you know that we cannot divorce. It is against the pack law,” I screamed as Jemisha dragged me over.

Silas’s expression is stormy. “I know. That’s why you have to go, Neriah. I cannot keep Jemisha and my pup in the dark any longer.”

“I have the pregnancy report in the picnic basket, Silas! Don’t do this. You would kill our pup?!” I cried out.

“Please, you can’t have pups, and now you want to bring a fake report?” Jemisha spat. She looked at Silas. “You know she is an empty vessel. That report is a fake.”

She knelt down and whispered in my ear, “I know you are pregnant, sister. I never thought you would recover. I paid men to put the snake there that day. I wasn’t going to let you take Silas from me.”

I gasped. She staged the snake. She caused my disgrace. Because of her, I went through years of treatments, all because she wanted Silas. No. She wanted to become Luna and take Silas.

“You're shameless, Neriah. I’m glad you booked this cliff today. It makes getting rid of you easier,” Silas said. He looked at Jemisha. “My Jem, let’s not waste any more time.”

Silas grabbed one arm, and Jemisha grabbed the other. I tried to fight. I didn’t want my pup to die with me. I was no match for them, though.

Before they threw me off the cliff, I screamed, “IF I EVER HAVE THE CHANCE TO COME BACK, THEN I SWEAR ON THE MOON GODDESS YOU BOTH WILL PAY FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO ME!”

Silas and Jemisha laughed at my words as they threw me off the cliff. I closed my eyes and cried to the Moon Goddess for justice.

Next thing I know, I wake up. I look around and see my suitcase and the tickets for ‘Claim The Worthy Luna’ sitting on my desk. The Moon Goddess heard my plea. I’ve been reborn. I placed a hand over my stomach. This time, I’m going to show them who the hell they crossed.