Chapter 02

“T-triplets?” Luna stammered before collapsing into the armchair in the doctor’s office, her eyes wide and her face completely pale.

The doctor’s words echoed in her mind as if coming from far away: “Three healthy babies. You’re a lucky woman.”

Lucky? That felt like a cruel joke from fate.

The weight of the past few weeks came crashing down on her all at once. Her legs trembled, and her chest tightened. Three babies. Alone. In a strange city, without friends, without money, without anyone.

The tears came before she could stop them. It wasn’t just fear, it was a deep, silent despair that consumed her from within.

Since the day she fled her old city, Luna had been surviving, not living. She slept in shelters, walked for hours on foot, and begged for silence and invisibility. Until one night, she stopped in front of a food stand and saw on the TV what she had never wanted to see: Ethan smiling at the altar, next to Amara, making vows of love. He had turned his wedding into a grand spectacle. No one talked about anything else except that wedding.

“How pathetic,” she gestured alone in the middle of the street. She spoke with disdain, but her heart ached seeing her beloved marry another woman so soon.

Amara had won. Now she had what she always wanted.

Luna staggered away, heart shattered. While Ethan celebrated, she hid in the shadows of the city, crushed by a pain that seemed endless. Life no longer seemed fair to her.

She hid the pregnancy as best as she could. She lied, kept silent, and endured. Working at a small restaurant, she got a job as a server where nobody asked questions. But she couldn’t keep the secret for long—before the triplets were born, she was dismissed.

The days were harsh. Her future was uncertain. Luna thought many times about leaving the babies in an orphanage as soon as they were born. She wouldn’t be able to raise three children on her own, with no home and no job. But when they were born, and she laid eyes on the three boys, she didn’t have the courage. She clung to them and turned a mother’s love into her only strength.

The exhaustion was constant. The loneliness, immense. But she didn’t forget. Every sleepless night, every dish washed, every humiliation—everything was for the chance to start over. Far from the shame of being rejected and in a place where no one could discover her secret.

Six years later.

The first light of day spilled into the bedroom when Luna opened her eyes, still groggy. Before she could even sit up, the triplets were already running around the bed like miniature hurricanes.

“Bryan, what did I say about not biting your brother?” she asked, staring at the boy, who smiled with mischievous pride.

“I wanted to be a wolf, Mommy,” he growled softly, as if that explained everything.

Luna rolled her eyes, holding back a laugh. Those boys had so much of Ethan in them… in their looks, their stubbornness, even their gestures. And even though his name was never spoken in the house, it was impossible not to see him in the children.

Luna, still battling guilt, resisted the idea of telling the truth. When the boys asked about their father, she simply said he had gone away. It was too soon. Or maybe it's too late to talk about his existence.

Trying to push those thoughts aside, Luna stretched in bed to reach the phone vibrating on the nightstand.

It was a message from Bárbara, or as Luna liked to call her, her guardian angel. It was on a rainy night, about to give birth alone and lost, that Bárbara appeared in her life. Moved by the desperate young pregnant woman, she offered her shelter, help, and dignity. Since then, she had become a second mother to the boys.

She got Luna a good job as a secretary at an important company. With that income, Luna rebuilt her life and started over—independent and capable of taking care of her children on her own.

The house, as usual, was a mess. Luna could barely make it to the door.

“I’m sorry to leave you in the middle of this chaos,” she said as she opened it and saw Bárbara smiling.

“When you get back, everything will be in order,” she replied, already crouched down, picking up scattered toys.

“You know you don’t have to do that, Babi. The kids are already enough work.”

“Don’t exaggerate, Luna. I love the company of those little rascals. By the way, where are they?”

The boys ran toward her and hugged her as if they hadn’t seen her in years. Bárbara laughed, almost breathless, with so much affection.

“Are you sure it’s not a problem for me to spend the night here?”

“If you ask me that again, I swear I’ll get mad,” she said, still in the middle of hugs. “Go to work with peace of mind. I’ll take care of everything here.”

Luna had a better job now, close to home, one that gave her dignity, but occasionally she had to work another job, doing overtime in the middle of the night. But she was still worried. It wasn’t the first time she had left the boys with Bárbara, so there was nothing to worry about—but something inside her tightened in her chest like a warning sign.

She said nothing. She didn't mean to offend or make it seem like she didn’t trust Bárbara.

Not only that, but she hugged each of them before leaving.

“I promise I’ll take care of my brothers,” Bryan said, squeezing her tight.

It was almost impossible not to think of Ethan when looking at that boy. Even the courage was the same.

“You’re my wolf king,” she whispered, stroking his hair. “You’re going to protect the pack because you’re strong and brave.”

Bryan laughed.

“I promise, Mommy!”

When night fell over Manhattan, the peace in the house was almost ironic. Aydan, Dante, and Bryan were asleep on the couch, exhausted from the day’s running around. Bárbara carried them to bed, tucked in their blankets, then sat in the armchair with a book in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.

Ten minutes later, a knock at the door made her body tremble. She looked at the clock. Too late for visitors.

Another knock. Louder this time.

She set the cup aside and walked into the hallway, stopping halfway. Her heart raced, her eyes fixed on the door.

The knocking stopped. For a second, she believed the person had left.

She was about to turn around when the door was slammed inward violently. The wood cracked; shards flew.

Bárbara screamed,or tried to, but the sound died in her throat. A hand grabbed her by the hair and covered her mouth.

“Where are the triplets?” the invader’s sharp, furious voice cut through her bones.

It was like a nightmare. Bárbara could see, but she couldn’t react. How did they know about the children? Why were they after them?

“Tear the house apart!” the man shouted.

Bárbara struggled, trying to breathe. A tear slipped down, wetting the attacker’s hand. He squeezed her face so tightly she could feel her teeth grinding.

Then came the screams. The boys’ screams.

Her sobs grew louder. She tried to beg, but only muffled groans came out. She watched, helpless, as the three were dragged outside. Like animals. Like prey.

“Kill the bitch.”

It was the last thing she heard.

One step. Another. The blow. The blade plunged straight into her chest. Blood spilled across the living room, mixing with the toys and the last image of her boys being taken away.

And then, silence.