Chapter Five

Ruth's POV

Six months should have been enough time to forget him.

I stood in the nursery, folding tiny clothes for the hundredth time, trying to ignore the ache in my chest. The room was perfect—soft yellows and greens, a beautiful crib my father had handcrafted, shelves full of toys and books.

Everything a pup could want. Everything except a father.

"You're thinking about him again."

I turned to find Marcus in the doorway, holding a tray of food.

"No, I'm not," I lied.

"Your scent gives you away." He set the tray down. "You always smell like rain when you think of him."

I hated that he was right. Even with the bond severed, I couldn't stop thinking about Langmore. Wondering where he was. If he was okay.

"Any news from Bloodmoon?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

Marcus hesitated. "Ruth..."

"Just tell me."

"It's chaos. Thomas tried to claim Alpha, but half the pack rebelled. Mara gave birth last week, and Thomas immediately announced the pup wasn't his. He rejected them both."

"What?" I spun around. "He rejected his own pup?"

"Apparently, he only wanted Mara for the power she could bring him. When the pack refused to accept him as Alpha, he blamed her." Marcus shook his head. "She's been exiled. Her and the pup."

I felt a pang of sympathy, which surprised me. "Where did she go?"

"No one knows. But Ruth... there's something else."

"What?"

"Langmore's back."

My heart stopped. "What do you mean he's back?"

"He returned three weeks ago. Challenged Thomas for Alpha, won easily. He's been rebuilding the pack, fixing the mess Thomas created."

"Oh." I didn't know what else to say.

"He's asked about you," Marcus added quietly. "Through official channels. Just wanting to know if you're well."

"And?"

"Dad told him you're fine. Nothing more."

I nodded, turning back to the baby clothes. My hands were shaking.

"You could reach out to him," Marcus suggested. "The pup's due soon. He has a right to know—"

"He gave up that right," I said firmly. "He accepted the rejection. We're done."

Marcus looked like he wanted to argue, but a sharp pain shot through my abdomen, making me gasp.

"Ruth?"

Another pain, stronger this time. Wetness flooded down my legs.

"Oh no," I breathed. "Not now. It's too early!"

"It's only two weeks early," Marcus said, but he was already scooping me up. "That's normal. We need to get you to the medical wing."

The next few hours were a blur of pain and pushing and Dr. Chen's calm voice guiding me through it. My father held one hand, Marcus the other, as I brought my pup into the world.

"It's a girl!" Dr. Chen announced.

The moment they placed her on my chest, everything else faded away. She was perfect. Tiny and wrinkled and absolutely perfect. She had my dark hair but her eyes... when she opened them, they were Langmore's exact shade of amber.

"What's her name?" my father asked softly.

"Luna," I whispered. "Her name is Luna."

Marcus laughed. "Isn't that a bit confusing? Naming her after a title?"

"It's not about the title," I said, unable to look away from my daughter. "Luna means moon. And she's my little moon."

For three days, everything was perfect. Luna was healthy, eating well, and I was recovering quickly. The pack celebrated the birth of a new princess. I even managed to forget about Langmore for whole minutes at a time.

Then everything went wrong.

I woke to Luna screaming—not her normal hungry cry, but something agonized. Her tiny body was burning with fever.

"What's wrong with her?" I begged Dr. Chen as she examined my baby.

"I don't understand," the doctor muttered. "Her vitals are all over the place. Her wolf... it's like her wolf is searching for something."

"Searching for what?"

Dr. Chen looked uncomfortable. "Has her father been here? Had any contact with her?"

"No. Why?"

"Sometimes, with Alpha bloodlines, especially strong ones, pups need both parents' presence to stabilize their wolves. Without it..."

"Without it, what?" I demanded.

"Without it, they can fail to thrive. Some even..." She trailed off.

"Die?" I finished, my voice hollow. "You're saying my baby could die because her father isn't here?"

"It's rare, but with two Alpha bloodlines... Ruth, her wolf is incredibly strong. Maybe too strong for her body without both parents to anchor her."

I looked down at Luna, who was whimpering weakly in my arms. Her skin was too hot, her breathing too fast.

"Get him," I said.

"Ruth—" my father started.

"I don't care!" I screamed. "Get Langmore here now! I won't let my baby die because of my pride!"

Marcus ran from the room. I held Luna close, rocking her gently, singing the lullaby my mother used to sing to me. Praying to the Moon Goddess to save my baby.

"Please," I whispered. "Please don't take her. She's all I have."

Four hours later, I heard commotion in the hallway. Then Langmore burst through the door.

He looked wild. His hair was disheveled, his clothes wrinkled like he'd thrown them on in a rush. But his eyes were focused entirely on the bundle in my arms.

"Is she...?"

"She's sick," I said, too exhausted to be angry at him. "Dr. Chen thinks she needs both of us. Our wolves, to stabilize hers."

He approached slowly, like he was afraid I'd send him away. "Can I...?"

I nodded, carefully transferring Luna to his arms. The moment she made contact with him, her crying stopped. Her breathing evened out.

"Hello, little moon," he whispered, and I startled. How did he know her name?

"Marcus," he explained, seeing my look. "He told me everything on the way here."

Luna opened her eyes, staring up at her father. Then she did something she hadn't done since she was born—she settled. Completely. Her fever broke within minutes.

"It's working," Dr. Chen said, checking her vitals. "Her wolf is stabilizing. But..."

"But what?" Langmore asked.

"She'll need both of you. Regularly. At least until she's older and her wolf is stronger. Being apart from either parent for too long could trigger another episode."

I closed my eyes. Of course. Of course the universe would do this to me.

"We'll figure it out," Langmore said quietly. "Whatever you need, Ruth. However you want to handle this."

"You rejected us," I said bitterly. "You threw us away."

"I was an idiot. The biggest mistake of my life." He looked down at Luna, who was gripping his finger with her tiny hand. "But I won't make that mistake with her. I'll be whatever you need me to be. Present father, distant benefactor, anything. Just... please. Let me be in her life."

"I don't have a choice, do I?" I said. "She needs you."

"She needs us," he corrected. "Both of us."

I wanted to argue, but I was too tired. And looking at Luna, peaceful in her father's arms, I knew he was right.

"You can visit," I said finally. "Supervised. Scheduled. And only for Luna."

"Thank you," he breathed.

"I'm not doing it for you."

"I know."

We sat in silence for a moment, watching our daughter sleep. It should have been awkward, but somehow it wasn't. It felt... right. Which terrified me.

"She's beautiful," Langmore said softly. "She looks like you."

"She has your eyes."

"And your stubbornness, I'm sure."

Despite everything, I almost smiled. "Probably."

"Ruth, about what happened—"

"Don't," I cut him off. "Not now. Not today. Today is about Luna."

He nodded. "You're right. I'm sorry."

As the sun set outside, painting the room in gold, I watched Langmore hold our daughter. He was gentle, careful, like she was made of glass. The look on his face was pure wonder.

"I'll come every day," he said. "If you'll let me. For her."

"We'll see," I said, too tired to think about what that would mean. "We'll take it one day at a time."

But as Luna's tiny hand wrapped around her father's finger, and I saw the tears in his eyes, I wondered if I was fooling myself. The bond was broken, but something else connected us now. Something that might be even stronger.

Our daughter.

Our little moon.

And I had no idea if that would save us or destroy us all over again.