Once His Luna

Prologue – Aria’s “Change patrol shifts every six hours,” I said gently. “And tell the hunters to check the northern traps before nightfall.” It felt like any other day . Busy. Demanding. But I didn’t mind. This pack was my home, and I loved them like family. They trusted me. They listened when I spoke. They called me Luna—and I carried that name with pride. Because I believed in what we built. Because I believed in him. I felt his presence before I heard him. “Aria,” Kael’s deep voice broke through the air like a warm wind. I look around. There he was—my Alpha, my mate. My heart. His dark eyes softened when he gazed at mine. He walked over and picked me up in his arms. "You're always doing too much," he whispered, pressing his lips against my forehead. "You never stop." "I'm the Luna," I said, smiling. "I want to protect them." "No," he breathed. "You're not just their Luna. You're my Luna." He hugged me tighter, his heart beat firm

Chapter Three – The Stranger by the Water Lucien's POV The sky was already a warm gold as I made my way deeper into the woods, my boots sinking softly into the mossy ground. The trees were whispering about me, serene and still, but my heart was far from that. I was supposed to be looking for Gerva leaves—a medicinal plant our healer had asked our pack to obtain. One of the puppies was running a fever, and she had said the leaves might be able to lower his body temperature. That is the only reason I came out here. Not to think about her. Not to feel this ache again. But I did. Every step I made, I remembered how my mate would smile. How she would hum when she brushed her hair in front of the window. How she disappeared into thin air. Two years. And yet, I looked for her face in each crowd. Still followed each whiff of scent that was like hers. Still carried her name as a wound I never wanted to heal. Elara. I closed my eyes for a moment, th

Chapter Tfive :The Warning" Aria's POV I slept soundly when I was roused awake. "Wake up," a cold, harsh voice ordered. I opened my eyes and sat up quickly, panting for breath. I looked around at the unfamiliar room. My heart pounded as memories came flooding back—Kael… Lyra… rejection… rain… and then the dark-eyed man who had borne me. Lucien. He stood beside the bed, his arms crossed, peaceful but uninterested-looking. "You have to come on out of there. My parents came back. They need to see us both in the big pack room." I blunked up at him, spooked and wondering. "Your parents…" "The Nightfang Pack Alpha and Luna," he told me. Nightfang. That was that place's name. Lucien strolled over to a chair that had clean clothing folded on it. He scooped them up and handed them to me. A long flowy dress, dark blue, with silver on the sleeves that was embroidered. It was simple but beautiful. "Wear this," he instructed. "You need to be dresse

Chapter Seven – A Name That Shouldn’t Be SaidAria’s Point of ViewThe room was cold.I sat alone by the window, my arms wrapped tightly around myself. The moonlight fell across the floor like broken glass—sharp, scattered, beautiful in a way that hurt.My chest was still tight from earlier. Their words still echoed in my mind like thunder that wouldn’t fade.“She’s used goods.”“She doesn’t look like Luna stuff at all.”“What if she can’t produce an heir?”I swallowed the lump in my throat, but it stayed. Heavy and thick.Why? Why did they look at me like that?Was it because I wasn’t born of power? Because I had already been someone’s Luna once before? Because I had been thrown away like something unwanted?I stared at my reflection in the glass—red eyes, pale skin, lips that trembled.I’m not enough for them.I’ll never be.The door creaked open behind me.I stiffened, my heart skipping.Lucien.He walked in slowly, his boots echoing against the wooden floor. His presence filled th

Chapter Nine – Nowhere to RunAria’s Point of ViewThe night was cold.But not colder than my heart.I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the supplements the healer had given me. My hands trembled as I held the small packet. One word kept echoing in my head.Pregnant.My chest felt tight. My breaths shallow. I wasn’t ready for this. I wasn’t ready to carry a child. Not now. Not here. Not in this cruel house. Not when the father wasn’t even Lucien.It was Kael’s.And the moment Lucien finds out…I closed my eyes, swallowing the rising panic in my throat. I had seen his anger before. The coldness in his voice. The threat in his stare. He didn’t touch me with love. He never held me gently. He only saw me as something that belonged to him.What would he do when he found out I carried another man’s child?Tears spilled down my cheeks again.I wanted to scream. I wanted to break something. But I didn’t. I sat there, frozen, like a trapped animal.Then I remembered Cara’s voice.“If you