In the fifth year of my marking bond with Alpha Jrue Garcia of the Shadow Moon Pack, he suddenly expressed his longing to become a father. A month later, I discovered I was pregnant. While organizing the Alpha’s quarters—a responsibility I, as Luna, took seriously—I stumbled upon his secret. Jrue had an unattainable love, a "white moonlight" figure. He planned to give our first child to her, Lilian Perry, who couldn’t have children. Everything was part of Jrue’s scheme. So, I went to the pack healer to arrange an abortion and watched as he continued dreaming about a blissful future.

When the Moon Festival arrived—a sacred time for our kind to honor the Moon Goddess—he invited Lilian to join the pack gathering. That was when I tossed the abortion paperwork in front of him, leaving him completely shattered.

---

“Please schedule an abortion for me, as soon as possible,” I said to the pack healer, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me. The healer, a kind older wolf named Lakelyn, adjusted her slipping glasses, her eyes widening in surprise. “Luna Melanie, are you sure? Your recent check-ups show that your pup is very healthy.”

“I’ve made up my mind. Please arrange it quickly,” I replied, cutting off any further questions. Before she could protest, I grabbed the prenatal exam papers and left her office. As I stashed the papers in my bag, the corner of a book pricked my hand. My gaze fell on the notebook inside, already yellowing with age and worn at the edges, evidence of frequent perusal by its owner. The handwriting was unmistakably Jrue’s.

I had initially intended to clear out the cluttered room in the Alpha’s quarters to create a nursery for our soon-to-be-born pup. Instead, I found Jrue’s journal, filled with scribbles of adoration for another she-wolf. Sadly, that she-wolf wasn’t me. Her name was Lilian Perry. The journal chronicled their journey from being together to their eventual separation. The latest entries were from a few months ago. As I calmly flipped through Jrue’s journal, my heart began to sink.

A few days ago, Jrue had promised to accompany me to a prenatal check-up. Yet, just as we arrived at the pack clinic, he was summoned away by a mind link. He left with a sense of urgency, offering no explanation for his sudden departure. By the time I finished the check-up, he was gone without leaving any message. I endured the pitying glances of the pack healers alone, completing the remaining tests, even stumbling once due to my limited mobility, without him ever returning.

According to the journal’s notes, Lilian had come back from abroad that day. The call must have been from her. I had hoped that the check-up would mark a turning point in my relationship with Jrue. But clearly, it was only wishful thinking on my part. I gently caressed my belly, feeling the vibrancy of the small life inside. *Pup*, I whispered in my mind, *I can’t let you be born into this kind of pack, nor will I let you call someone else your mother.*

After leaving the clinic, I returned to the Alpha’s quarters to prepare for my hospital stay. My phone suddenly rang—it was Jrue’s brother, a Delta in the pack. “Luna Melanie,” he said, his voice tense, “Alpha Jrue’s had too much mead. You should come pick him up; he’s causing a scene at the pack hall.” On the other end was Jrue’s best friend, the Beta, and I replied indifferently, “Got it.” This wasn’t the first time; whenever Jrue drank too much, no matter how late, I would go and bring him home. I used to worry about him catching a chill after drinking, so I always carried a jacket when fetching him. But he never wore it and brushed off my concern as meddling. Now, I felt nothing but deep disgust. *I’ll pick him up one last time,* I thought, *and finally tell him clearly—this isn’t working anymore.*

I followed the directions from Jrue’s Beta and arrived at the packhouse bar. Before I even pushed open the door to the private lounge, I could hear laughter and chatter inside.

“Lilian, what brings you back from overseas? Are you here because you couldn’t resist Alpha Jrue?”

“Come on, guys, we’re just friends now. Besides, Alpha Jrue has a mate, doesn’t he?”

The flirtatious voice slipped through the crack in the door, freezing me in place.

Lilian Perry. That name from Jrue’s journal, his obsession abroad.

Taking a deep breath, I steeled myself and opened the door. As soon as I appeared, silence fell over the room. My gaze settled on the man huddled in the corner, looking somewhat pitiable.

Jrue, the Alpha of the Shadow Moon Pack, was slumped on the corner sofa, his tall, muscular frame appearing dejected. Beside him sat a woman with flowing waves of hair, radiating magnetic charm. As soon as she noticed me, her lips curled into an amused, almost mocking smile. I recognized that face from Jrue’s phone wallpaper.

Back then, I asked him whose face it was and why he used that picture. He brushed it off as just a random image from the internet.

Turns out, he was deceiving me all along.

“I’m here to take the Alpha home,” I said, my voice trembling, pointing to the man on the sofa. Jrue instinctively glanced at Lilian, then shot me a look full of irritation, as though I had interrupted their moment.

“Alpha Jrue, is this your…?”

“My Beta. She’s just my Beta.”

With Jrue’s words, all eyes landed on me—some filled with pity, others with ridicule, each gaze cutting painfully into my chest.

“Alpha Jrue…” His Beta, who had called me, stood up, uncertainty written on his face, as if he wanted to say something, but I cut him off.

“Yes, I’m the Alpha’s Beta, here to take him home.”

Jrue rubbed his forehead, casually tossing his coat to me, then walked over to Lilian with a concerned look.

“Let me take you home. It’s late, and I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you.”

My grip on the coat tightened. So he understood the dangers for a woman out alone at night, yet always had me pick him up and drop him off. Only Lilian’s safety seemed to matter. What about mine?

“No need, remember we’re in a safer place now than back in the States.”

“I know what happened a couple of years ago when I was attacked abroad left a scar, but don’t worry. I can handle myself now.”

I noticed Lilian sneak a glance at me, her eyes filled with challenge.

All these years, Jrue had been keeping track of Lilian’s life, even knowing about her troubles overseas. The thought made me laugh at myself.

“You’re the Alpha’s Beta, right? He’s pretty drunk, so take it easy on your way home.”

“When Alpha Jrue drinks too much, he can be a handful at night. You’d better stay at his place tonight to keep an eye on him.”

Lilian spoke with a commanding tone, and the others exchanged knowing looks. Lilian might be oblivious to my true identity, but everyone else knew. Many of them had attended our marking ceremony.

I clenched my fists, wanting to speak up, but Jrue grabbed my arm.

“We’ll head out now. Lilian, if you need anything, call me. It’s still the same number.”

With that, he pulled me away.

Watching his retreating figure, I felt a chill sweep over me, my mind teetering on the brink, my body numb and cold.

I’ve been Luna of the Shadow Moon Pack for years, and I know Jrue can be difficult when drunk. But tonight, he was unusually quiet, going straight to the bedroom without a word once we got home.

If he’d just looked at me a little longer, he would notice how pale I am, my lips devoid of color. But he couldn’t spare me even a glance.

Normally, I would rush after him to care for him, but today I couldn’t find the strength. Seeing him only reminded me of that heartbreaking journal, suffocating me with its memories.

Jrue’s phone lay abandoned on the couch, buzzing incessantly. He hadn’t taken it with him to the bedroom, and the noise was grating on my nerves. After what felt like an eternity, I finally picked it up. I tried several passwords—our anniversary, the date of our marking ceremony, even his Alpha coronation day—but none worked. Then I remembered Lilian’s birthday, scribbled in his diary years ago. I hesitated for a moment before entering it. The screen unlocked instantly. I let out a quiet, bitter laugh. Of course. Even after all this time, Lilian still held that kind of power over him. Her birthday was his password, a constant reminder of the woman he truly wanted.

The messages in their group chat kept pinging, tagging Jrue repeatedly. My fingers trembled as I scrolled through their past conversations. My mind went blank, my chest tightening as my heart pounded violently.

"I originally thought that by marking Melanie, Lilian would get jealous and come back to me. But when she didn’t, I went ahead and marked her anyway."

"Lilian can't have pups, but she really wants one. I need to make that dream come true for her because a pup would be the only thing connecting us."

The words hit me like a physical blow, and I felt my wolf whimper faintly in the back of my mind, a low, pained sound. My heart turned to ice.

"But this is unfair to Melanie. After all, the pup would be hers, born through her own effort and pain."

"Melanie is healthy; we'll have more pups. But Lilian will never have any in her lifetime. She can be expected to stay quiet about it."

I glanced toward the bedroom, where Jrue’s soft snores drifted down. My fists clenched so tightly that my nails dug into my palms, drawing blood. Tears streamed down my face, and my chest heaved with the effort of holding back a scream. My lips trembled uncontrollably.

No wonder Jrue had suddenly started talking about wanting a pup. I’d been naive enough to believe that my years of loyalty and devotion had finally softened him, that he’d seen me as more than just his Luna, his mate. But now it was clear—this was all about Lilian. She couldn’t have pups, so he’d decided to use me to give her one. The bitterness of it all twisted my stomach, and the hatred in my eyes felt like it could burn through the walls.

Their plan was meticulous, but how could they possibly think I’d let my pup call another woman ‘Mother’? The thought alone made my wolf snarl, a low, guttural sound that echoed in my mind. I wasn’t just a pawn in their twisted game, and I wouldn’t let them turn my child into one either.