Zera’s POV

The air outside the Alpha’s office smelled of cedar and authority, the scent of my alpha husband.

I smiled faintly as I adjusted the velvet box in my hands, my heart fluttering with excitement and nerves. It was our fourth anniversary today, and I had pulled every string I could to get him something special, something that would make his eyes light up the way they used to when he looked at me.

Inside the box lay the archaic silver dagger Jeremiah had been eyeing in an auction for months, a relic said to have belonged to one of the first Alpha kings centuries ago. I’d traded favors, and even reached out to my father’s old allies just to secure it.

And tucked beside it… was the small pregnancy test I’d taken that morning. Two bold lines stared back at me like a promise from the Moon Goddess herself.

I was carrying our second pup. My hand instinctively brushed my stomach, a smile tugging at my lips. Annie would have been so happy… My chest ached at the memory of my little girl, my sweet, laughing pup with eyes like mine. She would have turned five this year if she’d survived the attack.

But I shook off the heaviness. Jeremiah and I had made it through that storm together. Or so I thought.

I took a deep breath, my heels clicking softly on the marble floors of the central plains building, the nerve center of Moonshadow Pack. The guards bowed as I passed. “Luna,” they greeted respectfully.

I nodded, my heart racing as I neared the tall double doors of the Alpha’s office. I could already imagine his reaction, the flash of surprise, the warmth in his voice when he realized he’d be a father again. Maybe this would be the spark we needed to bring us back together.

But before I could knock, a sound from inside froze me mid-step.

It was soft at first, a faint muffled noise, followed by something that made my stomach twist.

A moan. No. That couldn’t be right.

I leaned closer, my wolf, going still inside me. The scent that drifted through the slightly ajar door wasn’t mine. It was sweet… powdery… too familiar.

Hannah. My pulse stuttered. My best friend’s scent.

I pushed the door slightly, and what I saw made the world crash around me.

Alpha Jeremiah, my husband, had his lips pressed against Hannah Linston’s neck, his hands tangled in her hair. Her back was against his desk, her fingers clutching his shoulders as if she belonged there.

My knees nearly buckled.

“Alpha…” I whispered, but the word died in my throat.

The air grew heavy, my wolf growling low inside me, fury mixing with heartbreak. My wolf wanted to burst out, to tear the room apart, but I forced her down. I couldn’t let them hear me.

I stood there in silence, the dagger box trembling in my hands as I watched the two people I trusted most betray me in the cruelest way.

My breath came in shallow gasps. I wanted to scream, to break something, but then,

Hannah’s voice shattered the silence. “What about what happened a year ago?” she whispered, her tone trembling. “You promised me… no one would ever find out.”

Jeremiah’s back stiffened. “They won’t,” he said, his deep voice low and cold. “I made sure of it. The soldiers were paid well enough to keep quiet.”

Soldiers? My brows furrowed through the haze of shock. What were they talking about?

Hannah’s fingers tightened around his shirt. “You’re sure Zera doesn’t know? About that night?”

That night. My heart began to race again, a different kind of dread settling in.

Jeremiah sighed, his hand sliding down her arm. “She thinks the rescue failed. That Annie didn’t make it. The soldiers told her what I told them to say.”

I pressed my hand against my mouth, choking back a sob. What was he saying?

Hannah bit her lip, looking down. “But Annie… she could’ve been saved. You said they reached us at the same time—”

“I couldn’t let you die, Hannah!” Jeremiah snapped, slamming his fist on the desk. “I paid them to prioritize you. Do you understand that? You were bleeding out, and I couldn’t lose you.”

My blood ran cold. My wolf whimpered. My wolf’s voice echoed in my mind, Our pup… our Annie…

I stumbled back against the wall, unable to breathe. The dagger box slipped from my fingers, hitting the floor with a soft thud.

But the worst hadn’t come yet.

Hannah’s voice trembled again. “And… her heart? You promised that was between us. Are you sure it’s kept a secret, alpha?”

Jeremiah exhaled shakily. “It still is. I made Zera sign the medical documents while she was mourning. She never knew what they were. No one knows about it, even the healers and doctors.”

My knees gave way. I pressed a trembling hand against my chest as realization hit me like a silver blade to the heart.

Annie’s heart. They… they gave her heart to Hannah.

I hired those soldiers, used all of my conncetions, to prioritized saving my daughter who was kidnapped during the war. But Alpha Jeremiah paid them double to save Hannah instead. And that was why, a year ago, they only got my daughter’s lifeless body, while they managed to save the unconscious Hannah.

And now, Alpha Jeremiah gave my daughter’s heart just to save his fucking mistress?

Zera’s POV

Their voices still echo in my mind. “What if she finds out?” Hannah’s trembling whisper had sliced through the air like a knife.

For a moment, I thought there might be a sliver of guilt in her tone. That maybe, just maybe, the woman I once called my sister felt remorse.

But Jeremiah’s laugh was cruel and cold. “You’re too naive, Hannah. Zera is loyal to a fault. She won’t question me, she never does.”

Then Hannah’s giggle followed, soft and wicked. “Poor Luna Zera. She’s too perfect to even suspect anything.”

I remember standing there, frozen in place, my heart pounding so hard it hurt. They went on mocking me, tearing me apart piece by piece, my devotion, my grief, my trust. Every word was another dagger in my chest.

“She still thinks Annie’s death was fate,” Jeremiah sneered. “She would never imagine I ordered those soldiers to choose differently.”

“And even if she does,” Hannah said, “what can she do? She’s just your Luna, and you’re her Alpha.”

Just his Luna. Not his equal. Just a title.

The room swam before my eyes as I stumbled away, forcing myself not to break down there. My wolf was howling in agony in the back of my mind. I wanted to tear through the door, to rip them both apart for what they’d done, but my heart, my broken, bleeding heart, still refused to let go.

Instead, I walked away. I walked until I reached the balcony overlooking the Moonshadow plains, the heart of our pack. Below me, the wolves were training, patrolling, living their lives as if nothing had shattered. The moon above looked down on me, silent and silver, as if it, too, was mourning.

And I fell to my knees.

The sobs came out of me like a storm I could no longer contain. Every cry echoed against the stone walls of the packhouse, swallowed by the wind. I clutched the railing, shaking, my tears dripping onto the marble like rain.

My wolf keened inside me, Our pup, our bond, everything we gave him…

I pressed a trembling hand to my stomach, where our new pup was growing. I should’ve felt joy. Instead, I felt betrayal burning in my veins.

Then my phone buzzed.

A small sound, almost insignificant, but it sliced through the quiet.

I blinked through my tears and looked down at the screen. The notification was from Moonbook, the social network our pack used.

The name on it made my heart stutter.

Hannah Linston had posted something. For reasons I couldn’t explain, my thumb hovered for a moment before I opened it.

And then my whole world turned black.

A photo filled the screen, two hands intertwined, their faces not shown. One hand belonged to a woman, delicate, pale, familiar. The other was large, tan, veined… masculine.

And on that wrist — that unmistakable bracelet of pure silver with an engraved moon symbol.

The bracelet I’d given Jeremiah for our second anniversary.

The caption beneath it read, “A miracle after all the pain. We can’t wait to meet our little one.”

My breath caught. My vision blurred. Pregnant.

She was pregnant. With my husband’s child.

And he wasn’t even hiding it, not really. The world could see. The pack could see. And I, his Luna, was reduced to a fool.

I felt something inside me snap, a soundless crack that tore through my chest and into my soul.

The phone slipped from my hand, clattering onto the balcony floor. I stared blankly at the horizon as the sun began to set, turning the sky into a cruel mix of red and gold.

My wolf’s growl rumbled through me. He betrayed the bond, Zera. He took everything from us, our pup, our dignity. What more must we lose before we fight back?

I wiped my tears with the back of my hand. My breathing steadied. Slowly, a different kind of fire began to rise in me, not of sorrow, but of resolve.

I turned toward my office, my mind already racing. My fingers shook as I picked up my phone again, not to look at the post, but to make a call I never thought I’d make.

My father. Alpha Peter Hatunberg, the most feared and respected Alpha across the northern territories.

He had warned me once. “You don’t marry for love, daughter. You marry for legacy. Love fades. Duty endures.”

And I had defied him. For Jeremiah. For what I thought was love. I ran away from home just to marry him, and now, it seemed like my father was right.

My hand trembled as I dialed his number. It rang twice before his deep, familiar voice answered.

“Zera?” For a moment, I couldn’t speak. My throat closed, and my tears threatened to fall again. “Father…” I whispered.

There was silence. Then his tone softened, cautious. “It’s been years, little one. Why are you calling?”

I swallowed hard. “I want to come home. I will marry whoever that man you wanted me to marry years ago.”

He inhaled sharply. “What about Jeremiah? You left your family, your pack, everything for that Alpha.”

“I was wrong,” I said quietly, my voice trembling. “He betrayed me. He killed my daughter, Father. He’s been cheating on me… with my best friend.”

Another silence. I could almost hear the growl building in his chest through the phone.

“Did he harm you?”

“No,” I said, though my voice wavered. “Not yet. But he will. I can feel it. And I can’t stay here any longer.”

“Then come home,” my father said immediately, his tone commanding. “I’ll send an escort—”

“No,” I interrupted, straightening my shoulders. “Not yet. I’ll handle this my way. I’ll leave in seven days. One week. That’s all I need.”

He hesitated. “Zera…”

“I’ll do what you wanted, Father,” I said, cutting him off again. “I’ll marry whoever you choose. I’ll do it your way this time.”

I could almost feel his surprise through the phone. “You mean that?”

“Yes.” My voice hardened. “I’m done following my heart. This time, I’ll follow my blood.”

There was a long pause. Then I heard the sound of his breath steadying. “Very well,” he said at last, his Alpha tone returning. “I’ll tell your brothers you’re coming home.”

My heart squeezed at the mention of them, my three older brothers, each an Alpha of their own territory. They had warned me before I left.

“Jeremiah Clinton will never love you the way you deserve, Zera,” my eldest brother had said.

But I hadn’t listened.

Now, the memory burned like salt on a wound.

“Tell them,” I whispered, my voice trembling with restrained fury. “Tell them the Moonshadow Alpha has made an enemy of the Hatunbergs.”

My father’s voice dropped, low and dangerous. “Then may the Goddess have mercy on his soul.”

The call ended, but my heart was thundering.

Seven days. In seven days, I would no longer be Luna of Moonshadow Pack. In seven days, I would no longer be Alpha Jeremiah Clinton’s wife.

I looked out toward the horizon again. The crimson sun had sunk completely now, swallowed by night. The first silver light of the moon shimmered over the plains, reflecting in my eyes.

My wolf stirred, her fury matching my own. They think we’re broken, she growled. They think we’ll crawl away in silence.

“No,” I whispered. “We’ll make them remember who I am.”

Zera’s POV

My room smelled faintly of lavender and dust, the scent of a home that no longer felt like mine.

The sun had barely risen when I began to pack. I folded dresses that had once made me feel beautiful, pressed down coats that still carried Jeremiah’s scent, and stacked the life I’d built here into neat, fragile piles. Every movement was deliberate, mechanical.

Seven days. That’s all I had before I walked out of Moonshadow Pack for good.

As I crouched by the bottom drawer, something caught my eye, a folded piece of paper sticking out from the corner. I reached for it, frowning. Then another, and another. Soon, I realized it wasn’t just one, it was a small stack of drawings, crumpled but colorful.

I sat on the floor, my knees drawn to my chest, and slowly unfolded the first one.

It was Annie’s drawing.

The stick figures were crooked and bright with color. There was me, wearing a blue dress. Jeremiah, drawn taller, with messy brown hair and a big smile. And between us, a small girl with golden hair and wide eyes. Annie had drawn herself holding both our hands.

The title at the top read: My Family.

My vision blurred. I lifted another one, this time, the three of us standing under a moon, surrounded by wolves. She had written the words Our Pack Will Always Be Together.

I pressed the paper to my chest, a sob catching in my throat. “Oh, my sweet girl…” My voice cracked.

Tears rolled down my cheeks as I gathered all her drawings in my arms. There were so many, little pieces of her imagination, her dreams, her love. Every page was a memory, every crayon stroke a heartbeat of the daughter I’d lost.

Except she wasn’t lost.

Her heart was still beating, inside the woman who destroyed me. My chest tightened painfully.

I didn’t even notice the door open until a deep voice interrupted the silence.

“Zera?”

I stiffened, quickly wiping my tears. Alpha Jeremiah stood at the doorway, tall and composed, his scent filling the room, that familiar mix of pinewood and smoke that once made me feel safe.

Now it only made me sick.

He glanced around, his eyes landing on the open suitcases and the scattered papers on the floor. “What are you doing? What’s all this?”

I forced a smile, keeping my tone even. “Just rearranging my closet.”

His brows furrowed. “Rearranging? It looks like you’re moving out.”

“If I were,” I said softly, folding another piece of clothing, “would it matter?”

He hesitated, but before he could answer, another scent invaded the air, sweet, floral, nauseatingly familiar.

Hannah. I froze. My hands curled into fists as she stepped into the room behind him, her belly barely showing but glowing with arrogance. The mate bond between Jeremiah and me pulsed painfully, warning me of the betrayal standing beside him.

Every part of me screamed to lunge, to rip her apart, to tear that stolen heart from her chest, my daughter’s heart.

But I didn’t move. I couldn’t.

Instead, I lifted my gaze, meeting hers. My voice came out cold. “Why is she here?”

Jeremiah shifted uncomfortably, clearing his throat. “Hannah will be staying with us for a while.”

The words didn’t make sense at first. I blinked slowly, my mind struggling to process them. “What?”

“She’s… she’s pregnant,” he said finally, his tone careful, as if waiting for me to explode.

I looked at him, then at her. Hannah’s lips curved into a shy smile, her hands resting over her stomach.

My heart went silent. Then, quietly, I said, “And?”

Hannah’s smile faltered. “I thought you’d be happy for me.”

I laughed under my breath, the sound sharp and bitter. “Happy?” I echoed. “Yeah, sure.”

Jeremiah’s expression hardened. “Zera, that’s enough. Why are you even acting this way? You should be happy your bestfriend is expecting a baby.”

“Are you sure that baby isn’t yours, Alpha? Because you seem so concern,” I said, standing now, meeting his eyes head-on.

His aura flared, the weight of his Alpha power pressing into the room. “No. I don’t know what the heck you are talking about. Hannah needs us, that’s why I offered our home,” he said firmly. “There’s no one else to take care of her. She’s carrying life.”

I clenched my jaw. “And that’s supposed to make me agree with this setup?”

He growled softly, frustration flashing in his eyes. “I’m not a monster, Zera. I won’t turn her away just because of your bitterness.”

My laugh came out like a blade. “Bitterness? That’s what you call it, Alpha?”

“You’re jealous,” he shot back. “Hannah’s pregnant, and instead of being happy for her, you’re acting like—”

“Like what?” I interrupted sharply. What kind of monster prioritizes his mistress’s life over his own daughter? I wanted to ask him that question, but I stopped myself.

For a moment, the air between us froze.

His gaze darkened dangerously. “You’re really hardheaded. Aren’t you concern? If you’re such a lacking mother before, don’t project your insecurities to Hannah who only wants the best for her baby.”

I swallowed hard after hearing that, lowering my tone, forcing control. “Never mind,” I muttered, turning away, “you should let her rest. That’s what I said.”

My wolf stirred restlessly, warning me to tread carefully. I couldn’t let him know I’d overheard everything. Not yet.

Hannah’s voice broke the tension. “Luna, I didn’t mean to—”

I turned to her slowly, my eyes cold. “Just do what you want.” After all, it seemed like I didn’t have any say on this.

Her mouth opened, but no words came out. She looked to Jeremiah for help, but he only sighed, stepping between us.

“Enough,” he said firmly. “Hannah will stay here, and that’s final. You’ll treat her with respect. She’s family.”

Family. The word made bile rise in my throat.

I nodded stiffly. “Just like I said, fine.” My voice was calm, detached, the calm before the storm. “If that’s what you want, Alpha.”

Jeremiah frowned at the title. He opened his mouth to say something, but I didn’t let him. “Now, if you’ll excuse me,” I said, bending down to pick up Annie’s drawings, “I have to finish rearranging my closet.”

He hesitated again, but when he saw the cold finality in my eyes, he turned and led Hannah out of the room.

As the door closed behind them, I let out a shaky breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.

Just seven more days, and I’d be gone. Gone from this cursed pack. Gone from this man who once made me believe in forever. Gone from the woman who carried my daughter’s heart and called it her own.