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CHAPTER FOUR

Author: Judith GW
last update Last Updated: 2025-07-03 15:26:15

Talia’s POV

I stood by the window, staring down at the garden that used to be mine.

Now it reeked of lavender and other flowers that Viki thought was more elegant. Her scent coated every stone path and flower bed: an invasive putrid scent of jasmine and smugness.

My wolf growled low in the back of my mind. ‘You shouldn’t have allowed this. She defiled our territory.’

‘It’s just a garden,’ I sighed and swallowed the bitterness.

Even though I wanted to ignore the situation, my wolf was right. I should have challenged her on the spot and made her submit to me, but deep down I knew there was no point. Viki would have her way no matter what I did. If she told Jason to help, I would have no chance to win.

Viki had taken my mate, my bed, and my garden. What was going to be next?  

Ever since Viki had moved into the Alpha’s residence, Jason hadn’t spent a single night with me. He went to be with her instead.

He betrayed the mate bond night after night not caring about the pain, he was putting me through.

Still, some deluded part of me clung to the hope that I still had a place in his heart.

Maybe once the pup was born, he would come to his senses.

Maybe he would treat Viki like a breeder, and he would come back to me.

After all, I was still Luna.

Viki couldn’t take that from me.

I went to the kitchen mid-morning, needing tea. I needed something to soothe my sore body after another sleepless night. Viki was there, draped over a stool like a lounging cat in heat. I groaned in frustration as she was not who I wanted to see first in the morning.

Viki’s robe hung open enough to make any unmated wolf turn his head and stare. Her bare legs were crossed, revealing skin she had no shame showing like the whore she was.

My nose twitched before I even saw it. The scent of her blood, from a fresh bite.

I froze.

There, on the curve of her neck, was a mate mark. The flesh was still raw, slightly raised. My stomach dropped.

My wolf bristled. ‘He didn’t, did he? Tell me he didn’t,’ she growled.

“Did... did Alpha mark you?” I asked, voice tight.

Viki smiled, baring her teeth in triumph. “Oh, this?” She tilted her head, so I could see the mark better. “Yes, last night, he was like a wild animal. He just couldn’t help himself.”

My gut twisted and my blood chilled. This wasn’t just lust. Their relationship wasn’t something that had just happened to produce an heir like Jason wanted me to believe.

A mark meant claiming.

A bond.

“He said I smelled irresistible,” Viki added, stroking the edge of the wound. “Said he couldn’t stand the thought of another male even looking at me. You know how possessive Alpha can be.”

“Don’t let it go to your head. You’re nothing but an incubator,” I said through gritted teeth.

Viki leaned forward. Her voice was laced with cruelty. “Alpha told me I am on a level with Luna. It makes sense after all, I’m the one carrying his pup.”

My wolf paced inside me, snarling, ‘Tear her face off. Do it now!’ I took a calming breath and stepped backward from her. Viki smirked seeing my distress.

“Don’t tell me, you’re surprised Talia,” Viki said while playing with a lock of her hair.

“I am surprised that you’re utterly shameless,” I snapped.

“You knew this day was coming, Talia. I was raised by my father to be Luna, and now you should just bow out with grace,” Viki whispered with a bright smile.

“Don’t fool yourself, Viki. That mark means nothing but that you’re a thieving whore. There is only one Luna in this pack and that’s me,” I said through gritted teeth.

Viki flinched but then laughed, “For now, but let’s wait and see.”

“I don’t have time for your little games, Viki.”

I turned to leave, afraid of what I might do if I stayed in the same room with her.

Then I heard it.

A sharp, theatrical cry followed by a heavy thud.

I turned just in time to see Viki throw herself to the ground; her hand clutched around her swollen stomach. She smirked at me as she began to cry.

I froze. 

Viki screamed again, louder this time. “Talia, why did you push me? Why are you trying to hurt the heir?”

“What?! I didn’t touch you! You…” I snapped.

Jason burst through the door, eyes glowing, his wolf close to the surface. His scent burned with fury as he glared at me with hatred.

“What the hell did you do to her?!” he barked.

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  • Second Chance for the Barren Luna   CHAPTER TWENTY

    Jason’s POVThe video loaded slowly, and for a moment, I hoped it had been taken down. Viki’s face appeared on the screen. Her eyes were still red and puffy. Her makeup was caked on and deliberately smudged in the right places. Her hands trembled as she stared into the camera.“Goddess, she’s trying to look as pathetic as possible for sympathy,” Della snorted.“I want to apologize,” she began, her voice cracking. “to Luna Talia for everything I’ve said and done.”Della rolled her eyes beside me. “Good start. Let’s see if she can keep it up.”Viki sniffled delicately. “I was jealous,” Viki continued. “Talia was just an omega, and yet Alpha Jason still made her Luna. I’ve known him my whole life, but I was forced to live in the shadows, pretending to be nothing when I was the one who truly loved him. I’m the daughter of our Beta, and I’m carrying his child. It wasn’t fair.”My jaw tightened. Viki was making it seem like I bullied her out of being Luna. The Moon Goddess chose me to be Ja

  • Second Chance for the Barren Luna   CHAPTER NINETEEN

    Talia’s POVThe moment Jason left with Viki, I finally allowed the tears to fall.I held them in through the accusations, the betrayal, the cold indifference, but now, with no one left to see me break, I collapsed.Solon caught me before I hit the ground. I sobbed into his chest as I clung to him. He wrapped his arms around me without hesitation.“You don’t have to hold it in anymore,” Solon cooed. “Let it out.”“I just don’t understand,” I said through choked breaths. “He used to treat me so well, and I’m his fated mate, but now….”Solon held me tighter, but he didn’t interrupt me.“He loved surprising me with little gifts,” I continued. “It could be a new rose or a necklace. Or even a cup of chamomile tea before bed when I had a stressful day. He used to listen and pay attention to my preferences.” My voice broke. “I thought that was what love was.”Solon let out a quiet sigh, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. “Only through difficult times will you know who someone truly is.”

  • Second Chance for the Barren Luna   CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

    Jason’s POVI never thought Talia could be so cold.She used to be so agreeable and soft-spoken. Now, she stared at Viki like she was nothing. Her voice had no tremor. It was just cold as she gave her terms: a public confession or let Viki rot in that cell.“Talia, you can’t be serious. Our reputation will be ruined. The other packs will no longer take us seriously,” I said.“Sorry. What happens to your pack has nothing to do with me,” Talia countered.Viki curled against the cell wall as she began to cry again. “I didn’t mean to hurt her,” she sobbed, snot and tears running down her face. “I thought she was gone. I didn’t know she was… that she was someone so important. I was scared, Jason. Please, tell her. I didn’t mean it.”“I’m standing right here, Viki. Your apology doesn’t mean anything unless it is public,” Talia reiterated.Viki clutched her stomach and pleaded again, “Please, please Talia. I’m carrying the heir.”My gaze went to Talia. She had a stern expression. Talia meant

  • Second Chance for the Barren Luna   CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

    Talia’s POVViki clutched her swollen belly like a shield. “Jason, please,” she whimpered. “You have to save me. They’re treating me like a rogue. This is not healthy for our pup!”Jason looked torn, his gaze flicking from Viki’s tear-streaked face to Solon, who stood stone-faced beside me. Just as Jason opened his mouth to speak, Solon spoke. “Is this how you allow her to slander others at will, Alpha Jason?”“No, Prince Solon,” Jason muttered.“Jason, I didn’t do anything. You have to believe me!” Viki sobbed.“We heard everything, Viki. You’re not here because of Lady Talia. You’re here because you lied and slandered a royal guest,” Prince Solon stated.Viki looked hopeless for a split second before she whirled on me. Her eyes were filled with hatred as she hissed, “You planned this! You set me up!”Solon sneered at Viki’s audacity. “And it seems that you still don’t understand the severity of the situation.”I rolled my eyes. “Don’t flatter yourself, Viki. You made that post all o

  • Second Chance for the Barren Luna   CHAPTER SIXTEEN

    Talia’s POVThis was not how I wanted to spend my night.I thought I would be able to get a good night’s rest, but it seemed that I could not escape Viki’s foolishness.‘We should just leave her in the dungeon to rot,’ my wolf growled. ‘It is what she deserves.’“I thought Viki left with Jason after you told him to back off,” I said, breaking the silence.“She spread lies about you, so I decided to take action,” Solon shrugged.“Solon!” I snapped. “I told you I’d handle it. You can’t always make decisions for me.”“Yes, I can! I’m your brother, and she slandered you,” he replied coolly. “She deserved to be punished.”I rubbed my temples in frustration. “Ok. I will meet her myself now.”I made my way down the dark, damn corridor that led to the holding cells. The scent of mildew and blood clung to the air. It didn’t matter how many times I came down here. It always made me uneasy.I stopped outside Viki’s cell, where she sat on the small cot. Viki sat hunched on the small cot, her arms

  • Second Chance for the Barren Luna   CHAPTER FIFTEEN

    Talia’s POVOn the screen was a trending post from a gossip forum popular among the wolf packs. The headline was: “Royal Necklace Thief Exposed: The Barren Luna Who Faked Her Status.” Underneath the headline was a doctored photo of me angry at the banquet with Rosecrest clearly visible and it was paired with a cropped image of Jason and Viki looking like some fairytale couple.‘Why does she always have to cause problems?’ my wolf snarled. ‘She already got what she wanted!’The post twisted everything. It accused me of stealing Rosecrest, betraying the Moon Goddess’s mate bond by rejecting Jason, and of endangering Viki’s unborn child because I was “a bitter hateful barren omega that only cared about power”. The post turned my heartbreak into a weapon and made me out to be a villain. “It’s Viki,” Della snarled. “How dare she attempt to ruin your reputation! You should have let me claw her face.”“That would have only made the situation worse, and you know it,” I said.I wasn’t even up

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