Chapter 1

Mabel’s POV

My child’s cry echoed in the hospital room, and she had been in this condition for the past six months, living between machines, injections, and restless nights that never seemed to end, with just one month left. 

The doctors said the only thing that could save her would be a heart surgery.

Yet my husband Kyran Zendaro, the Alpha of Darknile Pack, was not even here, instead he was busy trying to make up for what he always called his past mistake of marrying me instead of his first love, Gena.

The night we were found to be fated mates, Kyran had been drunk during a pack event, he marked me, sealing the bond between us through mating before I even understood what it meant, and I had no idea I was already carrying his child then. 

Being adopted by the lowest ranking family in the pack meant I didn’t grow up with the training other she-wolves had.

I didn’t understand politics, status, or how deeply a mate bond could change a person’s life, so when I finally gave birth to our son Arlan, I thought maybe things would settle, maybe bringing him to his father would fix everything, but that was the same day Kyran was supposed to marry Gena.

Instead, he was forced to marry me as the heir of Darknile Pack could not be born out of an illegitimate bond, and the elders made that decision without giving him a choice.

I knew Kyran hated me after that, even when he never said it directly, he was cold to me, and for the past five years of our marriage I had tried everything to make it work, I tried to be a proper Luna, a proper wife.

Someone he could look at without resentment, and for a while I believed I succeeded when I became pregnant again with our daughter, thinking maybe this child would soften whatever was left between us.

But that illusion broke the moment Gena returned to the pack with her child, a daughter from her marriage to a man who died fighting human hunters, and suddenly Kyran’s guilt over her past became louder than anything else, she and her child became the center of his world.

And somehow, without even trying, I became the background in my own life.

Even Arlan, my son, began drifting toward her, while my own daughter, the child who needed them both the most, was left in a room like this fighting for every breath.

“Luna Mabel, we have to give the pup another pain relief.”

The doctor in charge, Dr. Veyron Hale, announced as he stepped into the private ward, breaking through my thoughts, and I turned to look at him immediately, relieved the surgery could happen without any delay.

“I’m sorry Veyron, but the surgery was supposed to have started by now,” I said quickly, my voice tighter than I intended, 

“it’s obvious whatever you keep shooting into her veins is not working anymore. We found a donor, the heart is already here, so why are we still delaying this?”

My brows furrowed as I watched him carefully, trying to understand what kind of reasoning could possibly justify this.

“Is this some kind of mistake, or are you just being reckless?”

He exhaled slowly like I was the one being unreasonable, then adjusted his gloves before speaking again, “Ah, about that… we have transplanted the heart to the child in ward 50 upstairs.”

For a second, I thought I misheard him. I actually blinked, staring at him like the words needed time to arrange themselves into something that made sense.

“So we will have to find another donor before the time runs out,” he added, as if he was talking about something as simple as replacing a file or rescheduling an appointment.

My eyes widened instantly, disbelief locking my body in place.

“Excuse me,” my voice dropped lower, dangerous now, “what the hell did you just say?”

I stepped forward without realizing it, my hands curling into fists as I tried to process it. 

“My child has just one month left, and you’re telling me the heart that was finally matched, after six months of waiting, was given to someone else? Are you serious right now?”

My voice cracked slightly at the end. “Are you telling me you saved another child with my daughter’s heart?”

“I’m sorry, Luna,” he replied quickly, almost defensive now, “the little one had only a week left. If we hadn’t done it immediately, she might have died before we could even get approval for another organ.”

A short, bitter laugh escaped my lips.

“You’re listening to yourself right now, aren’t you?” I said, my voice shaking as I stepped closer, “it took us six hellish moon months to find a matching donor because my daughter has a rare condition, and you’re telling me you just handed it over like it meant nothing?”

My throat tightened as the words started to break apart inside me, and I pressed a hand to the bed beside my daughter just to steady myself.

“Who gave you the right to decide that?” I asked, my voice rising now, tears burning behind my eyes, “who gave you the right to treat an Alpha’s child like she doesn’t matter?”

“It was the Alpha,” he said quietly, and everything inside me went still.

My heart dropped.

“He specifically requested it,” the doctor continued, avoiding my gaze now, “he didn’t wait to hear who the heart belonged to. As soon as he heard it matched Lady Gena’s daughter, he ordered the transfer immediately.”

Ah.

So that was it.

Kyran had done it again.

My chest tightened so sharply it felt like something inside me cracked, and my knees weakened until I had to grip the edge of the bed just to keep myself upright, for a moment the room tilted, and all I could hear was my daughter’s faint breathing mixed with the sound of my own silence.

I stared at her small fragile body lying helpless on the bed, then back at the doctor, forcing my voice out even though it's trembling.

“There must be another way,” I said quickly, “there has to be something faster than waiting for another donor.”

The doctor hesitated before answering, as if weighing whether he should even say it, 

“There is one option, but it is difficult. We can request a direct emergency allocation from the Supreme Territory Hospital. Major donor organs are stored and distributed there, but only the Supreme Alpha can authorize it.”

My brows knitted immediately at the mention.

The Supreme Territory was the capital of the entire werewolf world, where all medical authority, political decisions, and rare resources were centralized, and every pack Alpha was bound under its jurisdiction. 

Kyran, as the Supreme Alpha, had authority over emergency allocations like this, and it only required his signature on a sealed letter for the request to be approved and transferred immediately to my daughter.

Just one signature.

That was all.

I reached for my phone with shaking hands almost immediately, dialing his number once, then again when it didn’t go through. 

I paced slightly beside the bed as my daughter’s soft whimpers filled the room, but the call still didn’t connect.

I tried again.

And again.

Until finally, it rang.

My breath caught instantly, relief and desperation mixing together as I lifted it to my ear, ready to speak, ready to beg if I had to, ready to say anything that would make him understand.

But before I could even form a single word, his voice came through first with urgency.

“Sorry Mabel, Gena’s daughter is in the emergency room. I’ll call you back.”

And the line went dead. It went completely dead without Kyran hearing that his daughter's life was on a thin line. 

I couldn't hold back the sob and tears spilling from my eyes, I tried calling back but it ended abruptly.