Chapter 2

Panic flashed in his eyes, but he smothered it just as quickly with a pained smile.

"Shelly, we're twins." He stroked my hair, his voice catching with practiced grief. "Even our own mother couldn't tell our scents apart when we were kids. Your senses are clouded by grief. It's normal to mistake me for him."

He looked down, faking a pained sigh. "Sometimes... I wish I was him. Then I could be the one to protect you."

A flawless performance. If I hadn't heard that conversation, I might have actually been moved.

"I'm sorry," I took his hand. "I just… I miss him so much."

"I know," he patted my back. "Get some rest. You have your prenatal check-up tomorrow."

The next morning, the pack's medical center was buzzing.

Everyone was waiting for the first official check-up of the future Alpha of this pack.

As the Luna, this should have been my proudest moment.

But Ford wasn't here.

"Luna, Alpha Aiden sends his apologies. Kyra isn't feeling well, and he needs to be with her," the Beta explained quietly, his eyes filled with pity.

I glanced into a corner where a few she-wolves were whispering.

"Poor Shelly. Her Alpha dies, and now the Alpha-in-waiting is too busy for her."

"I heard that Kyra girl is pregnant, too. An Alpha has to take care of his chosen, I guess."

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms.

The healer began the exam, her hands hovering over my stomach as a glowing crystal projected the shimmering image of our pup.

"Everything is perfect, Luna," the healer smiled. "The pup is healthy, with a strong heartbeat."

Just then, the door burst open.

Kyra stumbled in, pale as a ghost, one hand clutching the wall for support, the other pressed to her belly.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't take it anymore," she said weakly. "I'm having sharp pains. Aiden was worried I was miscarrying."

Ford rushed to her side, catching her as she swayed.

"Healer, check on her, quickly!" he demanded, his voice filled with panic.

The healer immediately abandoned my check-up to tend to Kyra.

The entire medical center's attention shifted to her.

And I, the pack's Luna, was left forgotten on the examination table.

As Kyra was led past me, she glanced back, just for a second, and a triumphant smirk twisted her lips.

That look was a knife to the heart.

I slid off the table and walked out of the medical center alone.

No one noticed me leave.

That night, I went to my family's secret altar.

Moonlight spilled onto the ancient stone, and the air hummed with sacred power.

I laid a hand on my belly, feeling the strong, steady pulse of the tiny life inside.

My child. Ford's child.

But I couldn't let him be born to a father who had desecrated our sacred bond.

"I'm sorry, little one," I whispered. "Mommy can't bring you into a world built on lies."

I closed my eyes, reaching for the forbidden power humming in my bloodline—the gift of a Life Weaver.

It could quicken or suppress the growth of any werewolf, even a pup still in the womb.

But it came with a terrible price.

To place my child in a temporary stasis within my womb… …risked damaging both his soul and my own.

Suddenly, a flash of images flooded my mind.

Ford's hand caressing Kyra's cheek.

The two of them tangled in bed, her voice a sultry whisper. "Aiden, do you really not regret it? Giving up everything for me?"

"Never," Ford's voice was thick with affection. "Shelly is the perfect Luna—strong, composed. She doesn't need coddling. Not like you."

"And the baby in her belly—"

"Will be a fine heir. But you're the woman I truly want."

The images vanished. I opened my eyes, and they were cold as stone.

A mind-link.

Kyra was flaunting her victory.

I pressed my hands back to my stomach, and the Life Weaver's power answered my call. A golden light poured from my fingertips, enveloping the small life within me.

"Shelly!"

An Elder's shocked voice came from behind me. "What are you doing? This is blasphemy against the Moon Goddess!"