My name is Emma Hayes, and I’m the Luna no one knows exists.

My mate, Alpha David Hayes, marked me only to protect his reputation—

not because he loved me.

He believed I trapped him with pheromones under the full moon.

He believed I forced him to mate with me.

And when I got pregnant, he hid me from the entire pack.

No one knows I’m his wife. No one knows I gave birth to his heir.

When our son, Joseph, was born, David looked at him once—then turned away.

“Let’s hope he’s nothing like his mother,” he said coldly.

Since that day, I stopped hoping.

…Until last night.

David came home drunk from seeing her—his first love, Sophia Sinclair.

And for the first time ever, he picked up our son and held him close.

“Mom,” Joseph whispered, eyes shining, “does that mean he loves me now?”

I smiled through my tears.

His mate has returned. His Luna is no longer needed.

The healer says I have three days left to live.

Before I die, I’ll take my son somewhere he’ll be loved—

and by the time David realizes we’re gone,

it’ll already be too late.

Joseph went back to his room to play, and I unfolded the bond-breaking agreement.

Five years of being bound to David Hayes, the Alpha of the Blazetooth Pack.

Five years of living apart like strangers.

Tonight, I was finally ready to let go.

Just then, the door creaked open. Joseph padded in, clutching a small soccer ball.

“Mom, are we really leaving the pack?”

He wrapped his little arms around me, his voice muffled against my chest.

“Mom… David just kissed me on the cheek. I think he likes me.”

His innocent eyes lifted to mine—so full of hope that it broke something inside me.

I froze, remembering the truth: David had never once allowed Joseph to call him Dad.

When Joseph was three, he’d run up to him after a hunting trip, giggling.

“Dad, you’re amazing! I wanna be just like you when I grow up!”

The soldiers laughed softly.

David didn’t.

His expression darkened. “Who’s your dad? Don’t ever say that again.”

That night, he ignored our son’s tears completely.

When Joseph was four, he’d bragged to the other pups, “The Alpha is my dad!”

David found out. His face turned to stone. He didn’t yell—

he just stopped talking to Joseph for an entire month.

After that, the laughter in our home vanished.

Joseph learned to walk on tiptoe around his own father, afraid to breathe too loudly.

He started calling him “David.”

Now, holding my son close, I whispered, “Joseph, your dad’s mate has come back. We have to go.”

His eyes flickered with confusion. “But Mom… this ball—David gave it to me.

If he doesn’t like me, why would he give me a gift?”

He asked so earnestly that my throat tightened.

How could I tell him that David’s smile tonight wasn’t for him—but for her?

How could I tell him that I was dying?

That the healer said my wolf spirit was fading fast—

that I only had three days left before the bond would consume me completely?

“Joseph,” I murmured, “would you come with me? We’ll go to Grandpa’s pack. They’ll love you there.”

He hesitated. “Can we stay a little longer, Mom? Just three days?

If he really doesn’t want us after that, we’ll go. But I want to call him Dad… just once.”

Tears blurred my vision. I stroked his hair and nodded, though my heart was already breaking.

He didn’t know that three days was all I had left to give.

David’s first love, Sophia Sinclair, had returned today.

She was the Luna he was supposed to have—the one who disappeared five years ago, two days before their ceremony.

When she left, he fell apart. Every full moon, he’d howl at the sky like a wolf mourning his mate.

And then one night, under that same moon, his wolf lost control—

and I, the foolish council messenger, knocked on his door.

That was how I became the Luna no one in the pack knows exists.

The woman he marked out of duty.

The mother of the pup he never wanted.

And in three days, I’d be gone from his world forever.

After that night, I became David’s so-called “mystery Luna.”

Everyone in the Blazetooth Pack knew their Alpha had a Luna—

but no one knew it was me.

And of course, no one knew about our pup either.

David never allowed us to be seen together in public.

I stared at the bond-breaking papers in my hand.

Five years of silence. Five years of pretending to be invisible.

It was time to end this.

At the Pack Hall, the clerk gave me a sympathetic look.

“Vivian, once you renounce your pack ties, you can’t come back for five years. Are you sure?”

I forced a smile, though my voice trembled.

“I’m sure. I’ll take my pup north to be with his father. We’ve been apart long enough.”

He nodded gently. “You’ve been through enough raising him alone.”

As he stamped the form, I overheard two female wolves whisper behind the counter.

“I thought she didn’t have a mate… So the pup wasn’t illegitimate after all?”

The words hit like claws to my chest.

I froze, then lowered my gaze and sighed.

For years, everyone assumed I was just a single mother, abandoned and unwanted.

They weren’t entirely wrong.

When I turned to leave, I collided with someone—

and my papers went scattering across the floor.

Before I could bend down, a familiar voice echoed.

Laughter.

Warm, deep laughter I hadn’t heard in years.

I looked up—and my breath caught.

David Hayes stood there with Sophia Sinclair.

Their hands brushed as they walked in, smiling like no one else existed.

For a brief second, his gaze flickered toward me—cold, sharp, fleeting.

“David…” The name slipped out before I could stop it.

He froze. Then his jaw tightened, and he looked away.

Of course he did.

He was the Alpha. I was the secret he wished had never existed.

“So that’s the Alpha’s Luna…”

“No wonder he hid her—she’s gorgeous.”

“Still, Sophia suits him better…”

The whispers behind me sliced through the air.

I bit my lip until I tasted blood, forcing back the tears.

I bent to gather my papers, refusing to look up again.

He could laugh with Sophia all he wanted.

Once I was gone, he could mark her and make her the Luna he always wanted.

He didn’t even ask why I was there.

His eyes never once left Sophia.

It didn’t matter.

In three days, I’d be gone from this world.

Whether he loved me or not no longer mattered.

Outside the hall, my phone buzzed.

“Mom,” Joseph’s voice chirped. “You said you’d be at the hall. I just got out early—I’m nearby!”

“Alright, sweetheart. Wait for me.”

I turned the corner—and froze.

Joseph stood in the courtyard, his little backpack slipping from one shoulder,

eyes fixed ahead.

Following his gaze, I saw them.

David and Sophia, laughing together as he fed her ice cream from his hand.

They looked… perfect.

A picture the pack would adore.

Joseph’s eyes filled with tears.

Then David looked up and saw him.

For one fragile moment, Joseph’s face lit up—

but David’s expression hardened instantly.

He turned away.

Wrapped his arm around Sophia and walked off.

Joseph’s tiny shoulders stiffened. His ball rolled to the ground,

and he just stood there, shaking, tears spilling silently down his cheeks.

I rushed to him, gathering him into my arms.

“Sweetheart…”

He looked up at me, voice trembling but steady.

“Mom, tomorrow’s my sports day. Can David come?”

I froze. My throat closed up.

He smiled faintly, as if he already knew the answer.

“It’s okay, Mom. I was just asking. He’s never had time for us anyway.”

His words cut deeper than any blade.

I held him tighter, burying my face in his hair.

And for the first time, I realized—

my son had already stopped expecting love from his father.

Joseph tried to act fine, but I saw his little shoulders trembling as he walked faster, his hand secretly wiping away tears.

He was only five… and yet he had to learn what rejection felt like from his own father.

Just as my chest tightened, my phone rang.

It was David.

I answered instantly, barely breathing.

He spoke only two words. “I’ll be there.”

Then the line went dead.

I froze for a second, then shouted after Joseph, my heart bursting with relief.

“Joseph! Dad says he’s coming to your sports day tomorrow!”

He turned, his eyes widening in disbelief before his whole face lit up.

“Really? Dad’s coming? I knew it! I knew Dad wouldn’t break his promise this time!”

The rest of the day, he wouldn’t stop talking.

He held my hand the entire way home, telling me about his games, his friends, his award.

“Mom, if Dad sees me win tomorrow, do you think he’ll like me more? Maybe he’ll tell everyone I’m his pup!”

My chest ached as I smiled and hugged him.

“He will, baby. You’re his only pup.”

He grinned so brightly it hurt to look at him.

And for a fleeting second, I wanted to believe it too.

The next morning, Joseph was up before sunrise.

He dressed neatly, hair brushed, and waited by the window.

Every few minutes, he’d peek outside.

Cars came and went.

But not David’s.

Minutes became hours.

The sports day was about to begin.

Then my phone buzzed.

It wasn’t a message from David—but a post from Sophia Sinclair.

She’d uploaded a photo of David sitting beside a little boy at a piano, smiling as he guided the boy’s hands over the keys.

Her caption read:

“What’s it like to have an Alpha for a dad?”

My hand went numb around the phone.

When I turned, Joseph was still staring out the window.

Our eyes met through the glass.

He already knew.

He turned slowly, his voice quiet but far too mature for his age.

“Mom… Dad’s not coming, is he?”

I forced a smile, walked over, and hugged him tight.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart. Mom’s here. I’ll go with you.”

He nodded wordlessly, slipping his small hand into mine.

We walked to the school in silence, each step heavy with everything unspoken.

No one mentioned David again.

Maybe that was for the best.

But in my heart, something had already broken beyond repair.

Just as we reached the school gate, Joseph froze.

His eyes lit up. “Dad!”

I followed his gaze.

David stood by the entrance, tall and perfect as ever, looking like the Alpha everyone admired.

“Dad!” Joseph ran toward him, laughter spilling out as he wrapped his arms around David’s waist.

But instead of hugging him back, David stiffened.

He peeled Joseph’s hands off and asked coldly,

“What are you doing here?”

Joseph blinked, confused. “Dad… you promised—”

David’s voice was like a whip.

“Who’s your dad?”

The light in Joseph’s eyes shattered. He stepped back and whispered, “Sorry, sir. I must’ve mistaken you for someone else.”

I bit down on my trembling lip, watching my son’s small hands curl into fists.

Before I could move, another little boy ran up and shoved Joseph.

“Hey! He’s my dad! Back off!”

Joseph turned pale. “You’re lying! He’s my… my uncle.”

The boy pointed at Joseph smugly. “He’s not your uncle! He’s my dad! I’m going to be his heir one day!”

David stepped forward protectively, placing a hand on the boy’s shoulder.

“Lucas is just a child,” he said, tone soft and indulgent—the kind of tone he’d never used with Joseph.

“He doesn’t mean what he says. Don’t make a scene.”

I looked at the two of them—David and the boy from Sophia’s photo—and suddenly it all made sense.

The way David smiled at Lucas, the tenderness in his eyes… it was everything Joseph had ever longed for.

And I finally understood.

David never hated me.

He simply loved someone else—so completely that there was no space left for us.