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Lahat ng Kabanata ng TO DENY A LUNA: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

172 Kabanata

CHAPTER 01: MASKS OF DESIRE

VELARA’S POVAs I entered the magnificent ballroom of the Banks Hotel, the glitzy center of the yearly Alpha Gathering, the night air hummed with unsaid tension. Crystal fragments from the chandeliers scattered broken starlight on the polished marble, resembling frozen constellations. Like a living creature, music, a sluggish, primordial bass, and a captivating tangle of eerie strings prowled across the atmosphere. It wasn’t background noise. It demanded attention. Each beat burrowed under my skin, syncing mercilessly with the thrum of my pulse.Clad in silk and secrets, masked wolves sailed through the mist of candlelight and perfume, their features concealed by gilded masks, velvet, and feathers. Future Alphas, Betas, foreign dignitaries and threats wrapped in civility. Every smile was calculated. Every gesture weighed. Power simmered beneath the surface, a low, dangerous current that warned: tread carefully.Astrid tugged my arm, her lips curving with mischief beneath a silver fili

CHAPTER 02: THE MORNING AFTER

VELARA’S POV The instant I wake up, a piercing ache slashes through my skull. As soon as my eyes open, a dazzling stream of morning sunlight that is coming through sheer curtains attacks me strongly. The regret that weighs heavy in my chest is continuously echoed by the pounding in my mind, which feels like war drums. The room whips around me in a crazily nauseous blur, and I grunt hoarsely, suffering as I make myself sit up. Everything feels unfamiliar, deeply wrong.My throat tightens with panic as I look around the room. Where the hell am I?I take a deep breath, desperately willing my foggy brain to piece together the night before. Fragments return in jarring flashes: the annual Alpha meet-up, the grand masquerade ball filled with laughter, music, and too many glittering costumes. I remember my sister tugging my hand, both of us sneaking away from our parents’ watchful eyes to mingle with the other future Alphas. My father always pushes me to network, to bond with the powerful he

CHAPTER 03: HEIR NO MORE

VELARA’S POVSix weeks. That’s all it took for my entire world to unravel.One night. One reckless, blurry night that I barely remembered. I had been brought up to defend everything I believed in, and that was all it took to destroy it.As soon as my body began to fail me, I knew something was amiss. For days, I had been feeling strange. Not simply weary or cranky, but a profound, lasting malaise that refused to leave. I dismissed it at first.After all, werewolves rarely got sick. We were supposed to be strong, immune to common illnesses. But this? This was something different.I didn't feel a knot of dread in my gut until I missed my period. I remained silent, though. I hoped it would pass, that it was just stress or exhaustion. I kept quiet until I could no longer hide it. My father had finally lost patience with my excuses and dragged me to see the pack doctor.Moondale City is home to four packs. Our pack is the second-largest, well-respected, and tightly knit. I was the eldest of

CHAPTER 04: A FATHER'S WRATH

VELARA’S POVThere's a heavy, suffocating air in the room, and it feels like every breath I take is fighting against an invisible force. My thoughts are racing, and it feels like the ground is moving beneath me. I grip the sides of my chair, not sure if I'm going to pass out or scream.“Yes, Alpha. I will test it again,” the pack doctor, Stone, says hurriedly before hastily retreating from the room. He doesn’t look back. No one dares challenge my father’s fury, not even someone as respected as Doc Stone. His footsteps echo against the floor like the tick of a countdown I cannot escape.Even though my father moves slowly and deliberately, every step he takes has the weight of a storm that is about to blow. Then he stops suddenly and turns to face me with a cold stare. My chest roars with my heartbeat.“He must be mistaken,” he growls, his voice low but filled with venom. “You’re not that kind of girl. You wouldn’t disgrace me like this.”His eyes search mine, desperately seeking some e

CHAPTER 05: FORGOTTEN CRADLE

VELARA'S POVEight months had passed since that night changed everything.I now held my newborn boy against my chest while sitting by myself in a dark nook of the maternity unit. The air around me was alive with laughter, joy, and the coziness of family get-togethers. In the radiance of mutual happiness and family pride, new mothers were showered with flowers and congratulated in whispers by their partners. A woman on the other side of me smiled as her partner caressed her hand and kissed her forehead. My chest ached from the tender, affectionate way he gazed at her. I was cruelly reminded that no one would be doing that for me as his presence encircled her like a safety net.There would be no visitors rushing in with teary eyes to meet my baby. No one had called. No one had asked if I was alright. No arms had opened to welcome this little life nestled against my skin. It was just me and him. No family. No friends. Certainly no mate.But I told myself it would be okay. It had to be.Lik

CHAPTER 06: WHISPERS IN THE WARD

VELARA's POV I had just eased my baby boy into his crib, his tiny body finally succumbing to sleep against my chest. His soft breaths puffed rhythmically against my skin, a moment of peace that felt borrowed in this cold, indifferent hospital. As I turned away from the crib, adjusting the thin blanket over his legs, I noticed someone passing the doorway. A nurse. I instinctively raised my hand in a small wave, hoping to ask for something warm to drink, maybe a little comfort in a paper cup. She noticed me and stepped inside.Her presence was different from the others. Her uniform was crisp and neatly pressed, the color subtly darker than the others I'd seen. She must have ranked higher, head midwife, perhaps. Her straight, glossy hair grazed her shoulders, partly covering the ID clipped neatly to her chest. I squinted at the name beneath the laminated tag: Jane. The letters underneath her name were too small to decipher, but she didn’t look much older than me. Maybe mid-twenties at m

CHAPTER 07: SHUNNED MOTHERS

VELARA’S POVThe room around me is sterile, cold, and quiet, almost suffocating in its silence. I feel small in this place, even though I know I should be focusing on the life I just brought into the world. My mind drifts between exhaustion and frustration, a strange combination that keeps me from falling asleep.The oldest one, a woman with tired eyes and an air of weary wisdom, greets me with a simple introduction. “My name’s Kylie,” she says, her voice calm but edged with something I can’t quite place. “Hi,” I respond quietly, “Velara.” She nods in acknowledgment, but it’s her next words that break through the fog of isolation in my mind.“Her name’s Elysia,” Kylie continues, gesturing toward the younger girl beside her. “Welcome to the shunned mothers’ club,” she says, her voice heavy with irony, followed by a small, sad chuckle. She low

CHAPTER 08: NO PLACE TO CALL HOME

VELARA’S POVIt had been three long weeks.There was a light tapping against the glass beside me.Startled, I looked up from the driver’s seat. A man stood just outside the car, his knuckles gently knocking on the window as he peered inside. A flashlight beamed through the glass, sweeping across the interior. I squinted, raising a hand to shield my face when the harsh light struck my eyes. He quickly redirected the beam, realizing the discomfort he’d caused.“Excuse me, ma’am,” he said in a calm but firm tone. Judging by the uniform and the badge clipped to his chest, he was part of the city’s transit security. “You can’t stay parked here overnight.”His voice stirred Kael from his restless sleep. My baby, named after the only beautiful thing I could cling to, let out a quiet, irritated cry. The man immediately lowered the flashlight to the ground, his face softening as the baby’s crying stopped.“I’ve seen your car here the last couple of weeks,” he continued. “This is a train statio

CHAPTER 09: GREY MORNINGS, EMPTY BELLIES

VELERA’S POVRain pelted the roof of the car as I stirred awake, a dull ache settling in my joints from another night curled in the cramped backseat. The air was damp, the kind of chill that seeped into your bones, and when I cracked my eyes open, I could barely make out the grey smear of morning through the foggy windows. Outside, water fell in sheets. I groaned softly and rubbed at my eyes. It was too early, but time didn’t work the same when you lived out of a car. Every morning came with a list of tasks just to stay clean and fed, and the rain only made things harder.Shifting to sit up, I reached behind the seat, groping blindly for my umbrella. My fingers brushed against the cold metal handle, and I pulled it free. I shoved my feet into my shoes, their soles already worn thin, then leaned over and checked on Kael. He was still asleep, bundled in his blanket, his tiny chest rising and falling with soft, snuffling breaths. I adjusted the edge of the fabric to make sure he stayed w

CHAPTER 10: UNSPOKEN KINDNESS

VELARA’S POVMost of my day is spent pacing and thinking, my mind consumed with the question of how I’m going to come up with money. The security guard’s voice lingers in my head like a stubborn echo. “This isn’t the kind of life a child should live.” He didn’t mean to be cruel, but the truth in his words is undeniable and heavy. I feel like I’m failing at everything. I need help, but I don’t know who to turn to, or if I even deserve to ask. My pride is already in tatters.As evening creeps in and shadows stretch longer across the pavement, I watch the five o’clock train rumble into the station. The dimming light makes it harder to see, so I fumble around inside the car, searching for my lighter to ignite the candle I keep on a chipped ceramic plate. It’s the only source of warmth and light I have. But when I flick the wheel again and again, nothing sparks. It’s out of fuel.I step out and lift the trunk, grabbing my worn umbrella. The air has turned cool, brushing against my skin, ma

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