Chapter Forty- A Luna's Duty

Aria’s POV

I barely slept. Every time I closed my eyes, Kael’s words returned to haunt me.

“If you still refuse to have pups with me, then perhaps I will have to take a breeder.”

He had said it with a straight face, as though he were discussing a new trade agreement or deciding how many warriors to assign to the border.

Or the possibility of bringing another woman into our marriage meant nothing or I meant nothing.

I had spent the night staring at his back, wondering how the man who had promised to earn my trust could threaten me with another woman simply because I wasn’t ready to give him a child.

At some point, exhaustion had finally claimed me. When I woke the next morning, Kael was already gone.

I didn’t know whether I was relieved or disappointed, or even both.

After my bath, I sat before the dressing table in my chambers while Martha stood behind me, carefully combing through my damp hair. The familiar scent of her lavender oil filled the room, and the gentle strokes of the comb should have been soothing.

Instead, my thoughts kept returning to everything that had happened since I became Luna.

Selena’s taunts. Her deliberate attempts to make me question my place beside Kael. The way she had spoken about becoming his breeder as though she were simply waiting for me to fail.

And now Kael had said almost the same thing.

The thought made my stomach twist.

“You’re going to pull your hair out if you keep doing that,” Martha murmured.

I blinked at my reflection. “Doing what?”

“Twisting your fingers together like that.” She paused, studying me through the mirror. “You’ve been restless since you came out of the bathroom. Is something wrong?”

I almost said no.

It had become a habit of mine to swallow my problems, to convince myself that if I remained silent long enough, they would eventually disappear. I had done it with Damon, pretending that his broken promises didn’t hurt me. I had done it when I returned to Ironcrest, hiding how deeply my father’s death had wounded me.

But I was tired of carrying everything alone.

“Martha,” I began, “can I tell you something?”

“Of course, sweetheart.”

I swallowed. “I don’t know what is happening to my marriage.”

The comb stopped moving.

Martha leaned slightly to the side, trying to meet my eyes in the mirror.

“What do you mean?”

I let out a slow breath. “Everything was going well. Or at least, I thought it was. Kael and I had started getting along. We were talking more, spending time together, and I was beginning to feel comfortable around him.” My lips tightened. “Then Selena started making things difficult.”

Martha’s expression darkened at the mention of her name.

“That woman again?”

I nodded. “She came to Kael’s office and started talking about our marriage. She said she hadn’t picked his scent on me since the wedding. Then she began talking about the elders, the lack of an heir, and how she would happily become their breeder if I ever abandoned him again.”

Martha’s mouth fell open. “She said that to the Alpha?”

“Yes. And she said it as though she were doing him a favor.”

“That shameless woman!” Martha shrieked

“I wanted to confront her immediately, but I didn’t.” I looked down at my hands. “I didn’t want her to think she had succeeded in getting under my skin.”

“She has no right to interfere in your marriage.” Martha shook her head sadly. “And what did Kael say?”

I hesitated.

“He ordered her out. He told her that I was his Luna and that she had no place discussing our marriage.”

Martha seemed to relax a little. “At least he defended you.”

“He did.” I stared at my reflection, remembering how relieved I had felt when I heard him correct Selena. “But last night, he said something that made me wonder whether he was thinking the same way she was.”

Martha resumed combing my hair, though her movements had grown slower.

“What did he say?”

I drew a breath. “Damon came to the gate again. Kael told me about it last night.”

Her eyes widened in the mirror. “That man came back?”

“Yes. The guards refused to let him in, but he apparently said some things to Kael before they sent him away.”

“What things?”

I felt my cheeks grow hot with humiliation, even though I had done nothing wrong.

“He told Kael that he knew me better than he did. He talked about our past relationship and described our private life together.”

Martha’s expression twisted with disgust.

“That wretched man! After everything he did to you, he still has the audacity to speak about you like that?”

“Apparently.” I shrugged.

“And what did Kael do?”

“He asked me whether I still had feelings for Damon.” I said softly.

Martha stared at me. For a moment, she seemed unable to process what I had said.

“Why would he ask you that?”

“I don’t know.” I laughed bitterly. “I told him that I didn’t. I explained everything that happened, reminded him that Damon had lied to me and hidden my father’s death. I thought that would be enough.”

“And it wasn’t?”

“No.” My throat tightened. “Kael was upset because Damon had things with me that he hadn’t. He kept talking about how long Damon and I had been together, as though I should apologize for having a life before I became his wife.”

Martha slowly set the comb down on the dressing table “I cannot believe this.”

“Neither can I.” I shook my head sadly.

“After everything you have done to make this marriage work?”

I nodded, blinking rapidly.

“I tried to explain that Damon meant nothing to me anymore. I told Kael that he was the man I had chosen to come home to. But he didn’t seem to understand.”

Martha’s expression softened. “Oh, Aria.”

I hated how close I was to crying. I had spent so long trying to become stronger, trying to prove that I could handle my responsibilities without falling apart, yet a few words from my husband had left me feeling as though the ground beneath my feet had shifted.

“And then,” I whispered, “he brought up the matter of an heir.”

Martha’s face became serious. “What about it?”

I stared at the floor.

“He said the elders were pressuring him. He said he wanted pups with me, that he wanted a family, and that he couldn’t wait forever.”

“Aria…” She blinked repeatedly.

“I reminded him that I wasn’t ready. I thought he understood that. He had promised he wouldn’t pressure me.”

Martha remained quiet.

I wished she would say something comforting. I wished she would tell me that Kael had spoken out of anger and that he would apologize when he realized how much he had hurt me.

Instead, she asked, “What did he say after that?”

My fingers curled around the edge of my dress.

“He said that if I continued refusing to have pups with him, he might have to take a breeder.”

The silence that followed was so heavy that I could hear the faint rustle of leaves outside the window.

Martha’s hand flew to her mouth. “He said what?”

I nodded. “He said he might take another woman to give him an heir.”

“Moon Goddess preserve us.” She exclaimed.

Her shock was so genuine that, for a moment, I almost felt relieved. At least I wasn’t the only one who thought his words were cruel.

“He turned his back afterward,” I continued. “He didn’t explain himself. He didn’t take it back. He simply went to sleep as though he hadn’t just threatened to bring another woman into our marriage.”

Martha slowly lowered her hand. “Did he mean it? Did he say he had already chosen someone?”

“No. He only said he might have to take a breeder if I continued refusing.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat.

“But what if he wasn’t just angry? What if he’s been thinking about it for a while? What if Selena has been telling him that I am failing him as a wife, and he is beginning to believe her?”

“That woman is not your concern.” She frowned.

“How can she not be my concern when she keeps trying to take my place?”

“Because she has no place to take!” Martha’s voice sharpened. “You are his wife. You are the Luna of Ironcrest. Whatever Selena wants, she cannot simply walk into your marriage and claim what belongs to you.”

I wanted to believe that.

I wanted to believe that being Kael’s wife meant something more than sharing a title, that our growing closeness had been real and not merely a temporary comfort while he waited for me to fulfill my duties.

But his words had planted a new fear in me.

What if I wasn’t enough? What if Kael eventually grew tired of waiting for me to feel ready? What if the pressure from the elders became too much for him to bear? What if he decided that producing an heir mattered more than protecting the fragile trust we had built?

Martha picked up the comb again, but she didn’t immediately continue.

“Aria, there is something I need to ask you.”

I turned toward her. “What is it?”

“Why are you still afraid of consummating your marriage?” She asked.

The question caught me off guard.

I stared at her, wondering whether I had heard her correctly.

“Martha…”

“I’m not trying to hurt you, sweetheart. But I need to understand.” She placed the comb gently against my hair. “You and Kael have been married for some time now. You live in the same chambers. You share a bed. From what you’ve told me, you have begun to trust him more than before.”

Her eyes met mine in the mirror. “So why are you still holding back?”

I looked away because I was afraid.

I remembered the way Kael had once pinned me against the wall and marked me despite my pleas. Because the man I had begun to trust was also the man who had taken away my choice, and no amount of kindness could make me forget how powerless I had felt in that moment.

I was still learning to distinguish between the man who had hurt me and the man who was trying to make things right because having a child was not a small decision. It meant tying myself to Kael for the rest of my life in a way I couldn’t undo. It meant bringing an innocent child into a marriage that was still learning how to stand.

“I don’t know,” I admitted.

Martha sighed. “Is it because you don’t love him?”

I shook my head before I could stop myself.

The realization startled me.

I didn’t know whether I loved Kael yet, but I knew I no longer felt the emptiness I had once felt whenever he entered a room. I looked forward to our conversations. I noticed when he was tired. I worried when he was hurt. And when he smiled at me, I sometimes found myself wishing he would do it again.

“I care about him,” I whispered.

“Then perhaps you should allow yourself to get closer to him.”

I frowned. “It’s not that simple.”

“I know it isn’t.” Martha gently smoothed a section of my hair. “But you cannot expect him to keep carrying the expectations of the elders alone. He is Alpha now, Aria. His responsibilities do not end with protecting the borders or negotiating trade agreements. He is expected to secure the future of this pack.”

“And that means I must give him a child?” I raised a brow.

“It means you must consider what this marriage requires of both of you.”

Her words unsettled me.

Martha had always been the person who reminded me that I was more than my title, that I deserved to be heard and respected. Yet now she was telling me to consider my husband’s needs, even though his threat had left me feeling as though my own needs had become an inconvenience.

“You’re saying I should just do my duty?”

“I’m saying that you should talk to him instead of letting fear decide everything for you.” Her voice softened. “You are his wife, Aria. You are not his prisoner. But he is your husband, and he has feelings and expectations too. You cannot ignore them forever.”

I looked at her reflection. “What if I’m still not ready?”

“Then tell him that honestly. But don’t leave him guessing. Don’t let him believe you will never want him simply because you are afraid to take the next step.”

I fell silent.

Martha continued combing my hair, her movements slow and careful.

“The elders are on his neck,” she said after a while. “They want an heir, and they will keep reminding him of that responsibility. If you and Kael do not speak openly, those voices will only grow louder. And people like Selena will use every silence, every misunderstanding, to make trouble for you.”

I knew she was right about one thing.

Silence had never helped me. It hadn’t helped me with Damon. I had swallowed my hurt and made excuses for him until I could no longer recognize the woman I had become. I had let my fear of losing him keep me trapped in a relationship that was slowly breaking me.

I didn’t want to repeat that mistake with Kael but neither did I want to agree to something as important as intimacy and motherhood simply because I was afraid another woman might take my place.

“I don’t want to have a child just to satisfy the elders,” I said.

“Then don’t.” She smiled.

I turned to her, surprised by the firmness in her answer.

Martha held my gaze in the mirror.

“But if you want this marriage to work, you must decide what you want from Kael and tell him. If you need time, If you want him to prove that you can trust him, tell him what that means to you. And if you are beginning to feel something for him, don’t let your fear convince you that you must keep him at a distance forever.”

I absorbed her words slowly.

Perhaps I had been so focused on protecting myself from being hurt that I had forgotten a marriage required more than two people promising not to wound each other.

It required honesty, It required difficult conversations and it required a willingness to discover whether the two people involved could build something stronger than the mistakes that had brought them together.

Still, Kael’s threat remained between us.

I could not pretend it hadn’t happened.

“I will speak to him,” I said at last.

Martha’s expression eased. “Good.”

“Not because I want to give in to the elders,” I added quickly. “And not because I want to compete with Selena. I need to understand what Kael truly wants from me, and I need him to understand what I am afraid of.”

“That is all I am asking.” Martha beamed.

I rose from the chair, and Martha helped me choose a dress for the day. As I dressed, my thoughts continued circling around the conversation I knew I needed to have.

I would ask Kael why he had spoken to me that way. I would tell him that I couldn’t build a family with a man who threatened to replace me whenever I failed to meet his expectations.

But I would also listen. Perhaps he had been more hurt by Damon’s visit than he wanted to admit. Perhaps the elders’ demands were weighing on him more heavily than I realized.

Understanding his feelings did not mean accepting his threat and loving him, if that was what I was slowly learning to do, did not mean surrendering my right to choose.

By the time Martha finished arranging my hair, I had made up my mind.

I would find Kael later that day, and we would talk.

Not as Alpha and Luna, forced to fulfill the expectations of an entire pack or as two people trying to win an argument.

But as husband and wife, standing at a crossroads neither of us could afford to ignore.

I only hoped that when I finally faced him, the man I had begun to trust would be willing to listen.