Chapter 2

Early the next morning, Keane brought me a velvet box. Inside was a moonstone necklace.

"Talise, let me put it on you, okay?" he asked softly.

I ran my fingers over it and felt the moonlight energy flowing through it.

It was a piece meant only for the Luna.

Back then, on the grass by the Moon Spring, he'd told me, his eyes red, "Only you are good enough to be my Moon Goddess, my fated mate."

His voice had been full of conviction. "Talise, I swear, no matter what happens, you're my only one."

My heart fluttered, and I let him put it on me.

He fastened the clasp, wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, and looked into the mirror with me. "It suits you, sweetheart."

In the mirror, Keane was looking at me with so much love, as if I were still the most precious thing he had.

Maybe the Elder Council really is just putting too much pressure on him...

Maybe I really am the only one in his heart...

I took a deep breath, ready to tell him. "Keane, the institute has a project—"

His phone rang and cut me off.

Keane frowned. "Who'd be calling at this hour..."

He glanced at the caller ID, and his expression changed instantly.

"The clinic?" He picked up right away. "What is it?"

A frantic voice came through the line. "Alpha! Mrs. Blackwood has severe abdominal pain, and we can't find the cause!"

"What?" Keane went stiff.

"The pureblood heir's power may be so strong that it's destabilizing the pregnancy."

I watched Keane's face.

The moment the healer said "pureblood heir," something flashed in his eyes. Wild, hungry, possessive.

It was that damned Alpha hunger for an heir.

"I'm on my way," he said, already grabbing his coat.

"Keane." I caught his hand, refusing to give up. "Let me finish first..."

But he shook off my hand without a second's hesitation. The warmth was gone from his eyes. All that was left was cold authority.

His voice left no room for argument. "Talise, the heir comes first. Don't make a scene right now."

What I'd been about to say died in my throat.

I'd forgotten again. Elara and the pup came first now.

I'd always come after them.

I stood up, and my voice went cold too. "Fine. Then I'm coming with you."

Keane turned, his hard gaze edged with suspicion.

"For what? Talise, Elara doesn't need you."

His words cut me like a knife.

"I'll protect them. You don't need to come," he snapped, shoving past me toward the door.

I stumbled, and the back of my head hit the sharp corner of the coffee table. Pain shot through me, and I felt something warm seep through my hair.

"Keane!" I cried. When I pulled my hand away from my head, it was covered in blood.

He paused at the door for less than a second.

Without turning around, he said, "Talise, I have to protect my heir."

I stared at the spots of blood on my hand and couldn't say another word.

Once again, Keane had chosen his pack over me.

I sat alone in the living room, lonelier than I'd ever been, until something on my phone caught my eye.

A post was going viral on Instagram. In the picture, Keane had one hand on Elara's waist and a checkup report in the other.

The caption read, "The Alpha is so sweet taking Elara to her prenatal checkup. That baby pup is so lucky."

The comments exploded.

[I heard Talise is a half-blood. No wonder the Alpha went looking elsewhere.]

[Right? She's not even good enough to give the Alpha an heir.]

[And the Alpha still wants to bond with her? That's real devotion.]

[Elara is so beautiful and gentle. She's the one who should be the pack's Luna.]

My mate got someone else pregnant, and they're calling him devoted?

And me? Because I'm a half-blood, it doesn't matter that I'm a senior researcher or his fated mate. I'm still not good enough to have his heir?

I gave a short, bitter laugh.

I grabbed my car keys off the table and drove straight to the clinic. If nothing else, I wanted to hear Keane say it himself. Was I good enough or not?

Even that late at night, the clinic was lit up. I ran into Keane the second I got to the door.

He walked up to me frowning, clearly annoyed. "What are you doing here this late? Talise, don't forget you're my Luna—"

"Oh, really?" I laughed. "Then who are you? Elara's Alpha?"

His jaw tightened. He took a deep breath, like he was fighting to hold on to his temper.

Then he went still. The hard look left his face, and his eyes softened.

The pack mind-link.

Elara was reaching for him.

Sure enough, Keane stepped back and moved off to the side with his back to me.

I stared at him.

Suddenly I couldn't speak.

Then he spoke, his voice resigned. "Talise. The mating ceremony... might have to be pushed back for a while. Elara's pregnancy hasn't been stable, and the Elder Council wants me to spend more time with her."

I fought back the tears and forced a smile. "Sure."

Keane was obviously caught off guard.

He'd probably had a whole speech ready to talk me into it. Maybe he'd even braced for a fight.

He frowned, looking confused. He seemed both relieved and hurt that I cared so little.

Right then, my phone rang. It was a number I didn't know.

"Hello, is this Ms. Hart? I'm calling to confirm your flight details—"

"Yes, that's me," I said quickly. "One moment, please."

But Keane snatched my phone, suddenly on guard. "What flight details?"