So it seemed the moon hung high in the sky, eternal and untouchable, while I was nothing more than a mayfly—brief, insignificant, destined to fade.
I pressed a hand to my chest, fighting the suffocating ache that threatened to crush me from within.
"Can you even tell the difference between duty and love anymore?" My voice cracked. "Don't you realize how cruel this is? What you're doing to me?"
A flicker of guilt crossed Fenris Blackwood's face, so faint I might have imagined it. His tone softened, though his words cut just as deep.
"I'm sorry, Lyra. I should have discussed this with you first. It won't happen again."
He stepped closer, and I caught his familiar scent—pine and winter storms—now tainted with something foreign. Something that smelled like her.
"Look, I helped Selene fulfill her wish, that's all. She and the pup won't interfere with your life. They won't threaten your position as the Alpha's mate." He tilted his head, studying me with those cold silver eyes. "Why must you hold onto this so tightly?"
A broken laugh escaped my throat, sharp and bitter.
"Fenris Blackwood." I spoke his name like a curse. "So when she wanted a pup, you simply granted her wish. Tell me—do you even know what my wish has been all these years?"
My hands found the soft plush toys scattered around our sleeping chamber. One by one, I hurled them at him with all the strength my trembling arms could muster.
How many nights had I clutched these foolish things to my chest? How many times had I dreamed of holding a real pup of my own, feeling its warmth against my skin, breathing in that sweet newborn scent?
I had been patient. Understanding. I knew Fenris carried wounds from the territory wars, scars that ran deeper than the ones marking his body. I never pressured him about pups. I accepted his decision to keep our bond childless, swallowing my longing year after year.
While I spent countless nights alone, aching with unfulfilled dreams, he had been with her. Helping her. Giving her the one thing I wanted most—the chance to become a mother.
Fenris fell silent. He offered no more excuses, no more explanations. Instead, he simply ordered all the visiting pack members to leave our den.
"Lyra." His voice was quiet now, almost gentle. "I know you're angry. I understand. Take your time... adjust to this. But Selene—I cannot abandon her. She carries my blood."
Without another word, he turned and walked out.
I crumpled to the floor, my legs refusing to hold me any longer. Tears seeped through my fingers as I pressed my palms against my face, my shoulders shaking with silent sobs.
Fenris stayed true to his word. He didn't return to our chambers for days.
I found myself drawn to Selene Crowvale's social announcements like a moth to flame, torturing myself with every update she shared with the pack network.
Fenris had taken her to select pup-care supplies. They stood together before an ornate cradle carved from moonwood, posing for a portrait—his hand resting on her swollen belly, her smile radiant with triumph.
Fenris announced plans to build the largest play territory in all of Ironford lands, a gift for his unborn pup.
The day construction began, they stood before the gathered pack, cutting the ceremonial ribbon together. Their faces glowed with shared joy.
Fenris washing her feet in warm herb-infused water. Fenris reading ancient wolf-lore to her belly, his deep voice carrying the old stories to the pup growing inside her.
My hands shook as I forced myself to look at every single image, every announcement. Each one was a claw dragged across my heart.
Once the scandal became common knowledge, the Pack Matriarch stopped pretending. Aurora Blackwood no longer bothered hiding her visits to Starlight Grove, Selene's residence. She no longer praised me as the pack's good fortune.
Now she visited Selene eight times a day if she could manage it. She sent elaborate meals of blood-enriched broths and rare healing herbs. The nourishing soups meant to strengthen the pup-bearer were so abundant that even Selene's pet hound grew tired of the excess.
I watched them through the pack bond—mother, son, and the other female—gathered together in domestic bliss. Selene's face held that soft maternal glow, the serene contentment of an Omega carrying new life.
I couldn't stop myself.
Beneath one of Selene's public announcements, I left a comment for all to see:
"Stolen things seem to bring you such comfort."
Within moments, Aurora Blackwood's voice message arrived—a full minute of fury crackling through the bond-link.
"What nonsense are you spreading beneath Selene's announcements? Who exactly has stolen anything?"
"I thought you had some worth to you. I believed you could keep my son's attention, give the Blackwood bloodline proper heirs. But you've proven yourself useless! Ten years as his mate, and you haven't produced a single pup!"
"Small pack breeding shows its weakness. No real power, no real fertility. Selene returns from overseas for three moons, and already she's convinced Fenris to accept a pup. What right do you have to act jealous?"
Before I could gather my thoughts, Fenris's call came through.
"Lyra Ashenmoon." His voice was ice and barely contained rage. "When did you become so childish? Delete that comment immediately. Selene has already cried herself into a faint. She's locked herself away and won't let anyone near her—not me, not my mother. You will come here now and apologize. Tell her you made an error. Tell her your words were meant for someone else."
I had thought my tears were spent. I had cried for days until my eyes burned dry.
But hearing the fury in Fenris's voice—hearing him defend her, protect her, while demanding I grovel at her feet—fresh tears spilled down my cheeks.
I couldn't understand it. How could someone change so completely, so quickly?
The Pack Matriarch who had treated me like a daughter for a decade. The mate who had shared my bed for ten years. Now they hurled their harshest words at me, their voices sharp with contempt.
The door to my chamber burst open. Fenris stormed in, his Alpha presence crackling with barely restrained power.
He found me still weeping, my breath catching in broken gasps.
His hand closed around my arm, grip tight enough to bruise.
"Selene has locked herself in her room," he growled. "There's no telling how much she's suffered. You're coming with me right now. You will apologize to her."
