A Life for a Life

I spent four years taking care of my mate's niece. Then I found out she wasn't his niece at all. She was his daughter. And now they wanted my kidney.

The sharp smell of disinfectant filled the air as I walked through the glass doors of Mooncrest General Hospital. I had walked these same halls every month for the past four years, so every nurse already knew my name. They smiled the moment they saw me because they knew exactly why I had come.

"Good morning, Luna Lyra," the receptionist greeted with a warm smile as she slid another consent form across the desk.

The title made my fingers pause around the pen. I forced a smile anyway and signed the form. I had never been given a Luna ceremony. Five years had passed since Alpha Kieran Blackwood marked me, yet I was still only his mate. Whenever anyone asked when the ceremony would happen, the elders always smiled and said the timing wasn't right. Kieran always gave me the same answer.

"We're already together. A ceremony won't change how I feel about you."

I believed him.

I folded the form and handed it back before making my way toward the pediatric wing. Iris had finished another treatment that morning, and I wanted to surprise her with the stuffed wolf tucked inside the gift bag swinging gently from my hand.

She was only four years old, with soft brown curls and bright golden eyes that sparkled whenever she laughed. Every time she wrapped her tiny arms around me and called me Aunt Lyra, my heart melted. I had never questioned why I loved her so deeply. She felt like family.

As I reached the consultation rooms, I noticed one of the doors hadn't been fully closed. Voices drifted into the quiet hallway, and I recognized Kieran's voice immediately.

"The blood transfusions aren't enough anymore."

Doctor Evelyn Carter answered in a calm but serious tone. She had been treating Iris since she was born, and I trusted her more than anyone in this hospital.

"I know they aren't, Alpha. Your daughter needs a kidney."

Everything inside me stopped.

The gift bag slipped from my fingers, and the stuffed wolf rolled across the polished floor.

My daughter.

The words echoed through my head so loudly that I wondered if I had imagined them.

My wolf stirred uneasily.

No.

I must have heard wrong.

Before I could convince myself of that lie, another woman spoke. Her voice was smooth and familiar in a way that immediately made my stomach knot.

"I warned you this secret wouldn't stay hidden forever."

Doctor Carter sighed heavily. "Selene, this isn't helping."

Selene.

The name sent a chill down my spine.

Years ago, one of the older wolves had mentioned her by accident before quickly changing the subject. She had been Kieran's first love. I had never met her, and I had only heard her name once because Kieran always refused to speak about his past.

Now she was standing inside that room with him.

"I told you," Selene continued quietly. "Keeping Iris from your mate was never going to last."

The hallway seemed to sway beneath my feet.

Keeping Iris from your mate.

Doctor Carter lowered her voice. "She has donated blood every month for four years. She deserves to know the truth."

"I know she has," Kieran replied without the slightest hint of guilt. "But Lyra doesn't need to know."

My wolf whimpered, and the pain spread through my body until it became difficult to breathe.

Doctor Carter sounded frustrated. "She's your mate, Alpha."

Kieran gave a quiet laugh that made my stomach twist.

"And?"

Doctor Carter was silent for a second before she spoke again. "You don't think she'll feel betrayed?"

"It doesn't matter," Kieran answered. "She'll keep helping Iris because that's who she is."

I pressed my shaking hand against the wall to steady myself.

He wasn't asking whether I would forgive him.

He wasn't worried about losing me.

He wasn't even wondering how much this would hurt.

He already knew what I would do.

Doctor Carter tried once more. "She loves that little girl."

"Exactly," Kieran replied calmly. "She loves Iris too much to walk away."

Every word drove deeper into my chest.

For four years I had celebrated Iris's birthdays. I had held her hand through painful treatments. I had sat beside her hospital bed while she cried herself to sleep. I had kissed her forehead and promised she would always have me.

And all that time...

She had never been his niece.

She had been his daughter.

Doctor Carter let out a slow breath before asking, "Does your mother know?"

"Of course," Kieran answered.

"And the elders?"

"They've known since Iris was born."

The blood drained from my face.

His mother knew.

The elders knew.

The entire pack knew.

Only I didn't.

Selene broke the silence with a quiet laugh. "I still don't understand why you marked Lyra if you never planned to give her the Luna title."

My heart pounded so hard it hurt.

Kieran answered without hesitation.

"It solved a problem."

Doctor Carter sounded genuinely disturbed.

"Alpha..."

"I needed someone the pack would accept," he continued coldly. "Lyra was kind, obedient, respected, and easy to trust. The elders wanted stability after the rogue attacks, and she gave them that."

"So you used her?" Doctor Carter asked quietly.

"I gave the pack what it needed."

There wasn't a trace of regret in his voice.

Not one.

The answer explained everything.

Why five years had passed without a Luna ceremony.

Why every excuse sounded rehearsed.

Why every promise was always pushed to another day.

It had never been delayed.

It had simply never been meant for me.

My vision blurred, and I bit the inside of my cheek until I tasted blood. My wolf curled into herself, letting out soft, broken cries that I could feel deep inside my chest.

Footsteps approached the door.

I quickly bent down, picked up the stuffed wolf, and forced every piece of my face back into place.

The door opened.

Kieran walked into the hallway, and the moment he saw me, he smiled as naturally as if nothing had happened.

"Lyra." He stepped closer and kissed my forehead. "Iris has been asking for you all morning."

I smiled back so easily that even I almost believed it.

"I came as soon as I could."

He reached for my hand and laced his fingers through mine.

"Thank you," he said warmly. "You've always taken such good care of my niece."

The lie slipped from his mouth without effort.

I looked into his eyes, searching desperately for even the smallest sign of guilt.

There was nothing.

Not shame.

Not regret.

Not even discomfort.

Only complete confidence that I would keep believing him.

"I love her," I said softly.

"I know," he replied with a satisfied smile. "That's why I know I can always count on you."

My wolf's cries became weaker until they were barely more than painful whimpers echoing through the bond between us.

I didn't let a single tear fall.

If they had all spent four years lying to me, then they could keep believing I knew nothing.

For now.

Kieran glanced toward the nurses' station before looking back at me.

"Go finish your blood donation," he said. "Then come home. I have something important to tell you.”