Fiona's POV

I sat at the edge of the bed, eyes burning, and heart heavier than it was this morning. The silence in the room, which was broken by the clock's tick and occasional murmurs of the guards Kael had planted in front of my room to watch me, was suffocating.

Laila's pregnancy announcement had gutted me, but the house arrest sealed it all. And now, the Ravaryn festival-my chance to reach Alpha Derek-was slipping away just when I thought the moon goddess finally remembered me.

I have never felt this hopeless in my entire life before, my mind was clouded and my eyes looked distant. But despite this pit of despair I was thrown in, giving up wasn't an option as I still believe a miracle could come before the festival and it did come that morning. 

I was seated at my dressing table, running a comb through my hair with slow strokes when I heard the door creek open without a knock.

"Fiona?"

I turned to see Kael leaned casually against the doorframe, with his damp golden-blonde hair dripping onto his shoulders. The way his eyes racked over me in a carefree manner like he hadn't just gotten his mistress pregnant under my nose and locked me away for getting angry about it, made me feel even more useless for a mate and more like a possession he still has right to claim.

"I'm going to the Ravaryn Festival," he announced, "Laila is down with a cold, she can't go. So, I want you to come with me."

I blinked. "Excuse me?"

"I said..."

"I heard what you said perfectly," I cut sharply, "I am just wondering why I get to be treated like a side piece that is only picked up because your little miss is unavailable. I'm your Luna, Kael. I should be your first pick in everything."

"That is not what this is," he replied.

"Then what exactly is it?" I yelled.

After a short moment of silence, "You should be grateful I'm even considering taking you despite your misbehaviors. Get dressed. We leave in one hour," Kael stated.

He walked out, leaving me trembling with humiliation and rage at the thought of how I had been reduced to nothing. Shoving the bitterness aside, I forced myself to focus on what truly mattered.

 After having my bath, I slipped into an emerald silk gown, not caring if it impressed him as he wouldn't be able to see me anyway, and quickly applied a light layer of makeup on my face before stepping out of the room. The moment I got outside the courtyard, the line of SUVs on the driveway came into view along with Kael standing beside the first car, checking his watch.

 I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly as I made my way to him. Just as I was about to step into the back seat of the opened car Kael was beside, "Alpha Kael," a familiar voice called out from behind us, and I turned to see Laila dressed stunningly in a wine-red velvet gown that hugged her bump that was surprisingly showing already like a crown.

What the hell? What is she doing out here, dressed? Isn't she supposed to be down with a cold and locked away in the pack clinic to rest?

 Kael's face lit up. "Laila?" He rushed to her and snuck his hands protectively around her waist. "What are you doing here? I thought..."

 She planted a kiss on his lips before he could finish and went on to say, "It was all an act. I wanted to see if you would stay back for me," giggling lightly. 

 "Laila," Kael stressed, grinning from ear to ear.

 "Anyways, I'm coming with you," she said simply.

 "Are you sure?" Kael asked.

 "Don't you want me to?"

 "Of course. I would love that."

 And just like that, they turned, walking towards me. I also turned to enter the car when Kael's voice stopped me. 

 "Fiona, ride in the next car with Gareth, Laila is riding with me."

 I opened my mouth to protest, but shame silenced me. Swallowing my pride as I thought about how this wasn't the moment to act on it, I headed to the next car where Gareth waited with a sympathetic look on his face. 

 The drive to the Moonfang pack took less than three hours, but somehow, it felt endless. When we finally arrived, Alphas and elders from different packs across the region were mingling and the atmosphere was agog with celebration. 

 I trailed behind Kael and Laila like an unwanted shadow, watching elders scold him for bringing his mistress to such a gathering while he mumbled incoherent excuses. As they asked after me, I slipped away, smirking at Laila's face that was flushed with embarrassment.

The festival glowed with Silver lanterns, silk banners carrying intricate patterns, and the soft flutes that serenade the air. But I barely paid attention to it as my eyes swept the crowd, searching for Alpha Derek.

"Luna Fiona," a voice called beside me, and I turned to see two young wolves, approaching me. One held a clipboard and the other a sack bag.

"Do you want to take part in the brawl challenge?" The clipboard boy asked.

"Uhm..."

"You can join one of the exhibition fights, it's tradition and a great way to make a name," he continued. "Plus players are matched fairly and you don't know your opponent till you are called up."

I hesitated. "What category will I play in?"

"Mixed Combat. Group red, round four."

The other boy pulled a folded outfit-a fitted black vest top, crimson pants with gold sash and arm wrap-from his sack. He pointed to the tents nearby, "You can change there."

I went ahead to change quickly and returned as the festival began with the commentator, an elderly woman with blonde hair and an annoying high pitch voice, announcing the first match. Looking for a space to sit, I spotted Kael and Laila with Gareth. I held their gaze for a while before slipping away to sit alone.

As the matches unfolded, I kept looking forward to his arrival, but there was no sign of him. My hope was starting to fade, thinking it might just be rumors, when a convoy of black Escalades that flanked a white Rolls-Royce arrived. Warriors in red spilled out in numbers, surrounding the white car. I stopped breathing as Alpha Derek stepped out.

He had a tall, towering look with dark tousled hair that looked artfully disheveled with a chiseled jaw like a sculptor's masterpiece. He was adorned with dark shades, a black coat trimmed in silver, and held a silver cane with a wolf-handle.

He snapped his head in my direction and I was about to roll my eyes away when I remembered he's blind. But the way he moved, with warriors flanking him on all sides, no one will ever guess it. His presence sucked the air from the atmosphere, forcing heads to turn.

I watched him disappear into the front row, wondering why he'd attend an event he couldn't see. Still, I hoped his ears worked well enough to hear my name being echoed when I won the brawl. My thoughts which were trying to piece together what I would say to him when I finally got his attention scattered as the commentator went on to say, "Up next-representing the Moonveil pack...Luna Fiona!"

Cheers erupted around me as I made my way to the stage, my heart pounding louder than the drums.

As the commentator went ahead to announce my opponent, the crowd erupted once again with loud applause. But I froze with my breath hitched, and lips slightly parted. The noise faded into nothing as I stared, wide-eyed and numb.

Fiona's POV

 Alpha Derek rose up with an unhurried confidence before going on to strip off his jacket and unbutton his shirt with a sickening precision. Leaving just his pants as the top fabric fell off revealing a sculpted chest and tight muscles.

I stupidly waited for him to remove his glasses, but he didn't. Instead, he handed his clothes to a warrior next to him and strode to the stage with one of the warriors leading him, proving the rumors about how he fought and kept it on till the end to be true. 

The arena fell silent leaving only the drums that my heart matched the rhythm pounding like the drummers were possessed as he stepped into the ring.

The bell rang, and with his hand stretched out like he was feeling the air, he lunged without warning. His fist sliced into the air, the force of it grazing my cheek as I ducked back. He pushed one hand forward again before another blow came for my jaw as quickly as the first, but I caught it with both hands, my knees buckling under the force. 

"Alpha Derek," I called politely in a breathless manner. "I did not come here for a fight, but to talk to you," I added, shifting sideways to avoid another blow.

"I have been trying to get your attention for a while now because I urgently need your help in setting myself free from the cage your ex who recently returned to my pack had thrown me in," I continued, ducking a jab before twisting to throw him a kick but he caught my ankle mid-air and shoved me back, saying nothing to me.

I hissed as I stumbled backward. "She said she was wrongly accused and exiled, hence her return back to the Moonveil, but I don't trust that so I was hoping you could share with me what truly happened," I continued breathlessly, "I would have walked away from it all, but Kael wouldn't let me."

Without saying anything, he struck again-a punch to my ribs and a knee aimed at my thigh. I managed to block the second, but groaned as the first landed. His hand clamped my neck the next second and he hurled me to the ground. 

"Say something!" I screamed in frustration, swinging my fist wildly at him.

Finally, his voice cut through the air like a blade. "You talk too much for a woman."

I froze in a spot and he circled me like a predator, slightly hunched forward with his head twisting ceaselessly like he was trying to sniff me out while his hand wandered in front of him.

"Yes, plus your desperation stinks and I don't have the time to give to a weak link who is choosing to run away from her marriage like a coward instead of fighting to win." 

My fist clenched as rage exploded through my body from his words, and without thinking, I launched at him. My fists flew faster without aiming and he caught some while he grunted at the others that hit him. He tried to shove me, but I used his momentum to flip him to the ground.

I quickly got on him and pinned him down, as the crowd erupted into a loud round of applause. "Am I worth your time now?" I spat, heaving.

He shoved me off, stood up, and walked off the stage with the help of his warrior that was on standby throughout the fight. I went after him, pushing through the crowd backstage. "Don't walk away, we're not done here. I know you want this fight as much as I do because of how she discarded you despite your status so why shy away from it?"

His warriors stepped in, forming a wall between us. "He's not interested," one of them muttered. 

I stood there, stunned and breathless as I watched him walk away.

"Why are you trying to speak with Derek?" Kael's voice landed behind me like a whip and I turned quickly.

"Just trying to thank him for...not breaking my ribs," I lied, forcing a soft smile. 

Kael eyed me for a bit too long, and without praising me for scaling through such an intense match, "Go get changed, we are about to leave," he went on to say.

Back at the pack house that night, I couldn't sleep so I slipped into the woods for air. As I made my way further into the woods under the full moon with cold biting my skin and dress dragging dried leaves and broken twigs, I fought back tears. Everything I held dear-my hope, mate, pack, and pride-had crumbled as if the universe had yanked the ground beneath me.

I stopped at the edge of a hill, clutching my belly as tears effortlessly streamed down my face. Exhaustion and confusion consumed me as I thought about how raising a child who would end up competing with Laila's own for Kael's attention just like I was, felt unbearable. I wanted to confront him, explain why I sought after Alpha Derek, and demand freedom from the marriage. But would he even listen? 

I turned to head back to the pack house, ready to face my fears, when I saw Laila leaning against a tree, arms folded across her chest.

I sucked my teeth. "How long have you been standing there?"

Stepping out of the shadows, "Long enough to witness you accepting your glorious fall, Luna Fiona. You're unraveling beautifully," She said in a voice that lacked the innocent part she always tries to play around Kael as she blocked my way. "Anyways, where are you going? I thought you were going to throw yourself off the hill to save us all the trouble."

I swallowed the lump forming in my throat. "Get out of my way, Laila, I don't have any time to waste on a bitch like you," I muttered.

"Oh wait," She continued, tilting her head mockingly, "Are you going to remind him of that worthless thing growing inside of you? Because he seems to have forgotten that as he only talks about me and mine."

"You don't get to talk about my child in such a manner," I snapped, slapping her hard across her face.

She held her cheek and straightened her head that had snapped to the side from the slap. "It is hopeless for you to think that the baby would fix anything. He doesn't love you, Fiona, can't you see? You were just a convenient warm body when I wasn't around. And now that I am..." she leaned closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. "You're just in my way."

I let out a bitter laugh. "You walked thoughtlessly away from him and I was the one who stood by him and made him who he is today when you damaged him."

"And somehow, he still wants me," She broke into a clacking laughter. "He always steals kisses from me in the open, like a hopelessly romantic college boy and he rides me like he's starving. I bet he has never had something as good as me, not even from you, that was why he was quick to dash back into my arms."

"You're lying," I whispered, not wanting to think about her words.

"Am I?" She whispered back, circling me. "You know it's true. He only mated you because he couldn't have me. And now you are here, stuck in a marriage where you are your unborn child are just obstacles. But somehow, you still want to play the victim card and act all innocent when you are the real devil here." 

"Shut your damn mouth!" I exploded, shoving her hard in the chest.

She staggered back, laughing heartily. "There it is. The real you. Not so innocent."

"You are delusional," I spat, reaching to grab her hair, but she slapped my hand away and kicked my stomach, knocking me towards the hill edge. I struggled to get back on my feet, ready to strike, when she shoved me from behind, sending me tumbling down.

I crashed at the foot of the hill, pain exploding through me in a blinding manner. Warm blood spread through my thighs as my body refused to move. 

I slowly lifted my gaze up the hill and saw Laila staring at me with no remorse at all before quietly walking away. "No...no, please..." I gasped, my fingers trembling over my stomach. "Please don't go...help me."

The world blurred as searing pain tore through my abdomen. A choked sob escaped me, and through the misery that engulfed me, I started hearing footsteps.

I tried to lift my head as the steps drew closer to me, but I was too weak to. "Help," I cried out weakly, "help me."

Minutes later, a tall, broad silhouette which I think coincidentally happened to be Alpha Derek appeared. He crouched beside me looking straight ahead, face as unreadable as during the brawl, with two warriors standing silently behind him.

Taking a deep breath, "Please...I'm losing...I lost..." I tried to talk.

"I know," he said quietly, his voice too calm for someone seeing misery unfold. 

I gripped his wrist weakly. "How did you know?"

"I followed the scent of your blood. You leave quite a trail when you bleed. I thought it was a wanderer being attacked, but now that I know it's you I will..."

"No, don't leave me here," I cut in sharply. "I need your help, I will do anything in return," I continued, choking back a sob.

A faint smirk curved one side of his mouth. "Anything is a dangerous word, Luna."

"I know, but I need...I want...to be free from him and everything I once knew. I want revenge, and I want my pack back," I managed to say, my words slurred as I fought to stay awake.

He paused, letting the weight of the silence fall between us for a while before speaking again. "I am going to help you get rid of your unfaithful husband along with his side piece, and also get you your pack back. But," his lips curled again, "you have to sign a contract to be my Luna for one year."

"I...I..." my words slurred as my eyes came shut. 

Fiona's POV

I woke up to the blinding rays of sunlight cutting across my face from the curtain parted in two. For a moment, I just lay there, still, staring at the carved beams of the unfamiliar ceiling. 

The sheets I lay on smelled of cedar and sage, nothing like Moonveil or home. My heart lurched painfully in my chest as fragments of the night-the argument with Laila, the tumble down the hill, and the hot gush of blood between my thighs-rushed back.

My hand flew to my flat, cold stomach and panic crept up my throat as I scrambled upright. I clutched my stomach tighter, wondering if the warm liquid that flooded my thighs was my pup or a mere concussion when the door creaked open.

A girl who looked like she was in her mid twenties with cropped dark-red hair and hazel eyes slipped in quietly, balancing a silver tray in her hands. She looked nothing like the maids I was used to.

"Where am I?" My voice cracked through the silence.

The girl, snapping her head in the direction of the bed that was at the far corner of the room, was startled, nearly dropping the tray. "You're awake," she breathed, relief washing across her startled features.

Setting the tray on the side table, she bowed slightly. "I'm Mara and you're in Silvercrest, Alpha Derek's pack, Luna. You've been unconscious for two days, it's a relief to see you're awake."

Two days?

I was about to ask how I got here when the memory of Derek's towering silhouette and his unreadable face as he crouched beside me flashed across my mind along with his voice that was calm and cold, asking me to sign a contract to be his Luna. 

I swallowed hard. "My... my baby?" I forced the words out, my guts twisting with dread as I prepared to hear the heart-wrenching news.

Mara's gaze softened with pity. "I'm sorry, Luna. You lost the pup."

The world stopped and for a heartbeat, there was only silence, and then nothing at all just a hollow ache. My throat burned as I tried keeping my eyes dry till one hot tear slipped down my cheek, betraying my strength. 

Before Mara could notice, I wiped it off with the back of my hand, clearing my throat. My fists curled underneath the sheet, my nails digging into my skin, almost drawing blood. 

"Good," I muttered under my breath, straightening my back as Mara pushed her gaze from the tea she was pouring into a cup to me. "Now nothing will stop me from destroying Kael and that whore he calls his queen."

Mara shifted uneasily as though she was caught between her duty and her fear by my words. 

"I need to see Alpha Derek now," I demanded.

She lowered her gaze. "That is not possible, Luna, as he is the only one who can decide when to see you."

"And when will that be?" 

"I don't know, Luna. He hasn't asked after you since he brought you in and I have no idea when he will."

So, he saved me, sheltered me, and then vanished? My lips curled into a bitter smile. "If that is the case, then when he returns, tell him I want to speak to him."

Mara shook her head. "I can't do that either. Only his request is law. If you want his attention, Luna, you must decide quickly. Alpha Derek doesn't tolerate being left waiting. His patience is really thin."

"What an interesting trait," I sighed.

I swung my legs off the bed and I felt a sharp pain in my abdomen and back, but I refused to give in to it. 

Mara, rushing forward to me, "Luna, you can't go anywhere, you are not fully recovered," she stated. 

"Why? I am not your prisoner," I snapped, reaching for the robe folded at the foot of the bed. "I have unfinished business in my pack that I can't leave hanging."

"But Alpha Derek said if you crawl back to Alpha Kael, he will not help you anymore."

"Let him keep his conditions," I said coolly. "And you don't have to worry about me, I know so much not to waste this opportunity for my revenge, Mara."

Moments later, I found myself out of Alpha Derek's house boarding a vehicle back to my pack with the help of Mara. The journey back was a thought-filled one, with every tree that we whipped past looking like a witness to the vow I made ceaselessly to myself about how Kael and Laila would pay for their atrocities. 

By the time I arrived, the pack was enveloped in darkness. I avoided the main gate, slipping through the narrow servants' entrance to get to my quarters as I wanted to avoid any sign of Kael and his little miss. The once welcoming smell of pine and hearthfire now nauseated me because of how much it has lost its essence of feeling like home.

As I crept into the quarters, the sound of hushed laughter caught my ears and I turned in the direction it came from to see a cluster of maids huddled together at the tap. When they noticed me, their smirks widened like wolves scenting blood.

I was expecting a greeting as per the usual, but the next word that flew into the air was, "Look who's back," one of them sneered. "The Luna who couldn't do something as basic as keeping the Alpha's bed warm," followed by a ripple of laughter that tore into the night.

Heat rose to my face, but I kept walking like I was deaf.

Another maid snorted, "You should've stayed gone, Fiona. Everyone knows the truth now about how you're not out Luna anymore, and how there isn't any space to accept a caricature like you as this place now belongs to Laila."

"Better yet," came another voice, "I think she should get rid of that pup in her belly because no one wants a bastard dragging around Kael's name."

The others giggled and then I halted. I shouldn't have. I should have kept minding my business but of what use is it?

Straightening my shoulders, I forced a thin smile and turned to face them. "You want her?" I asked in a low, measured voice. "Then take her. She can wear the crown, warm his bed, play the Luna, whatever. I don't want it anymore."

With the way their laughter faltered, I could tell they had expected me to scream, to try to call them off their bullshit, or better still break down. Not what I had just served them with.

"Why are you suddenly unbothered? Have you run out of fights and accepted defeat?" One finally scoffed, trying to recover. 

I tilted my head, studying their smug faces. "You know what?" I asked softly, "I would fill you in on that info if you tell me who told you about the baby."

They shifted uncomfortably with their eyes darting between each other until the first maid who spoke muttered, "Laila did."

Of course.

"She said it wasn't Alpha Kael's," another added quickly, like she was eager to wound me deeper. "She also said it was a mistake, a bastard, and that you tricked him into claiming it."

"She also added that you ought to be reduced to a maid for such a betrayal to the throne," the first maid chipped in.

Their words struck like someone was twisting a blade in my chest and for a long moment, I said nothing. Then nodding my head slowly, I let off another deliberate smile. 

"She's right," I whispered, and they gave a knowing smile. "The pup never belonged to Kael," I continued and the air shifted, their smile froze, faltering into a wide-eyed shock. One of them dropped the bucket she was holding, the water from it spilling across the floor.

"Kael wasn't the only one cheating in our union," I let the words drip like poison.

They gasped collectively, and my heart hammered from the lies I was boldly telling, but I kept my chin high, feeding on their stunned silence. 

Then, a voice rang out from the entrance of the quarter, "What did you just say?" 

My blood turned to ice as every head snapped toward the doorway