When the Moon Never Mends

Nancy was pregnant, no doubt about it.The pregnancy report she sent showed she was eight weeks along.That meant Zack had been with Nancy two months ago, for their so-called Breeding Ceremony.Zack's recent behavior? Probably just guilt eating at him.That explained his earlier excitement.His beloved childhood Omega had finally done it—she had gotten pregnant.I bet he was at the hospital, by her side, toasting to their future.I stood frozen, feeling like my heart had been ripped out.My breath caught, and I nearly blacked out.All the love we shared over the years—gone in an instant.We had just picked our bonding date in front of the elders, and we were supposed to be crowned Alpha and Luna next month.I had dreamed of that day, walking hand in hand with him to the altar.At this point, though, it was all a cruel joke. The Alpha I have loved for so long was then father to another Omega's child.The buzz of my phone snapped me back to the present.I answered the call.

Zack stood there, dumbstruck.He opened his mouth to protest, but I was already heading into the bathroom.When I emerged, he was all smiles, texting away on his phone, the earlier confusion wiped clean, replaced by sheer bliss.'Probably sweet-talking Nancy,' I figured.A sharp pang hit the wolf inside me.I was not Zack's Luna yet, but three days ago, he had marked me as his own, if only for a moment. Even if he strayed, the sting of betrayal would still cut deep.I kept silent, turning to head into the room.Then Zack's voice broke the silence."Maggie, we need to talk."I stopped dead in my tracks.He seldom used that grave tone with me.The last time he did, a month ago, he had talked about having kids with Nancy. Then she got pregnant. What more could he possibly have to say?Tears threatened, but I fought them back, striving for composure."What's up?"Zack seemed to struggle with himself, then finally blurted, "Can we skip the photo session tomorrow?"His uneasy

Zack had not set foot in the house for a week, yet his escapades with Nancy played out before my eyes daily. Their adventures to Golden Palm Springs, their ascent of snow-capped peaks, their shared moments under the Northwood auroras—all broadcasted for the world to see. I watched, a silent spectator, then scrolled on. Those moments, once mine alone, were then shared with another Omega.However, I had not wasted my days wallowing. The house was cluttered with the past, and it took days to sort and box up my life.Once done, I sought refuge with my parents' pack, announcing my departure. They were shocked, to say the least."You're leaving? But you two are set to bond! And you're heading to the Northwood herbal research station? That's years of seclusion, years apart from him," my mother said, her hands gripping mine, eyes brimming with concern."Maggie, please reconsider. You've chased after him for years, and you've finally got him to commit to tying the knot... What if he backs

Zack had not caught everything I said, and I was not in the mood to fill him in."A friend of mine is moving to Northwood."He looked puzzled but did not press on.Four days before the end, Zack came home with a massive portrait of our Bonding Ceremony.He was still chatting with Nancy on the phone."Nancy, check out our Bonding Ceremony portrait! Everyone says we're a match made in heaven..."Zack's words hung in the air as I stepped out of the room.He caught my eye and looked away awkwardly, as if he was about to explain himself. I gave the oath portrait a brief look, my voice steady."It's pretty."I had gone out of my way to find the best photographer to capture Zack's likeness as accurately as possible.It felt like he was still there with me.Looking at it then, the photographer really nailed it. The sad part was that the person standing next to Zack was not me.My heart ached, mourning the wasted effort.Externally, though, I was the picture of serenity.Ever sinc

Meanwhile, Zack only left after making sure Nancy was okay.On his way to the altar, he shot me a text.[Are you all set for the ceremony? I'm already on my way.]Of course, I never replied.As he got into his car, he tried messaging me again.Zack whipped out his phone and was hit with the sudden realization that it had been ages since we last talked. The last message I had sent him was a fortnight ago. His hands shook as he scrolled back through our chat history. It was pretty much a one-sided conversation, with me always being the one to reach out. Sometimes I would check in to see what he was up to, other times I would seek his thoughts on how to set up the ceremony.His responses were always dismissive, a quick, "Nothing much," or, "Whatever you think." Still, back then, I would share the day's prep work with him enthusiastically.However, those past couple of weeks, even when he was home, our conversations were nearly nonexistent. A weird feeling snaked through Zack'