The sharp scent of healing herbs and moon elixirs dragged me back to awareness. I opened my eyes to a stone ceiling, the steady hum of healing crystals vibrating near my cot.
Stella's voice reached me first. "You really are stubborn. I can't believe those sea hunters actually pulled you out alive."
Turning my head, I saw her standing by my side.
Her sweet, pack-sister act was gone. Instead, she reached out and crushed my throat with her claws, squeezing with supernatural strength. "Why will you not just die, Abigail? If you were dead, I could finally be the Luna of the Barnes Pack."
"Can you not see it? Vladimir does not love you. You are like a stray omega clinging to a title you stole. Pathetic."
"It only took one whisper from me for him to exile you to that island, knowing your wolf is terrified of deep water. Do you still not understand who his heart truly beats for?"
Her grip tightened. She was not bluffing; she fully intended to choke the life out of me right there.
I could not draw a breath, and my shifting instincts surged, forcing me to claw at her to push her away.
Suddenly, she released me and threw herself backward, crashing into a tray of medical tools that clattered across the stone floor. A sharp dagger cut across her palm, leaving a deep, bleeding gash.
Stella let out a high-pitched howl. "Luna Abigail, why did you attack me?"
Before I could respond, Vladimir appeared in the doorway.
Tears immediately welled in Stella’s eyes. "Alpha, I was only checking on Abigail’s recovery, and she … "
She did not need to finish. The lie hung in the air like poison.
Vladimir did not even ask for my version of the truth. His jaw set, ready to roar at me.
But when he saw how pale my face was, for once, he stayed silent. Instead, he scooped up the bleeding Stella and rushed her out of the chamber.
Ten minutes later, he stormed back in with the fury of a True Alpha. Without a word, he yanked me off the cot.
I stumbled on weak legs. "Let go! What are you doing?"
"Stella's essence is fading because of you. She is losing too much blood. You are the same rank and type. You will give her a transfusion of your life force." His voice was low and freezing.
I froze. I had never heard of her having any wasting sickness. And after barely surviving the cold waters of Moon Cliffs, my inner wolf could hardly stand.
I struggled desperately. "I will not do it! Let me go!"
However, Vladimir gripped my wrist even tighter. "You have no choice in this pack."
He shoved me toward the healers.
One of them looked at me with hesitation. "But Alpha, she is severely drained after the exile. Forcing a blood bond transfusion now could cause her soul to shatter."
Vladimir's face remained like ice. "Stella's life comes first. Do it."
The needle directly pierced my skin. My blood drained into the vials, leaving my entire body aching, especially my lower belly.
Without knowing, something warm trickled beneath me. It was sticky and burning, but it was not my monthly cycle.
A cold sweat broke out on my brow. I clutched my stomach as a sharp pain tore through me, and then the world went dark.
When I woke again, the healer was sitting beside me with a heavy expression. "Luna, I am so sorry. After the trauma your body suffered, you lost the pup."
I went numb. "The pup?"
She nodded slowly. "You were only one moon along. With your weak condition and the massive blood loss, the little one could not survive."
I placed my hand over my empty stomach, unable to find my voice.
The tiny life I had not even known was growing there was gone. Perhaps the Moon Goddess intended this fate.
Outside, loud booms suddenly shook the sanctum, followed by a chain of magical explosions.
It was the fireworks. Those giant bursts of light painted the afternoon sky with brilliant colors, visible even in the bright sun.
A group of young pack girls crowded by the window, whispering with excitement. "Did you hear? The Alpha Barnes ordered this display to celebrate his mate's pregnancy. It is so romantic."
"If I had a mate like that, I would be the happiest wolf in the woods."
"He is planning a massive feast for the whole pack next week. Whoever the Barnes Luna is must be so lucky!"
If I were not the Luna of Barnes myself, I probably would have been moved by such a grand gesture of love. Unfortunately, I was her.
My mind drifted back to a year ago.
