Celene’s POV
The false heiress,Rionna Greymoss,shoved me down the Hawthorne Pack's sacred stairs while I was carrying an heir blessed by the Moon Goddess.
I crashed onto the stone floor,blood spreading beneath me as I felt the tiny life inside me fading away.Tears streamed down my face from the unbearable pain.
And my mate,Alpha Lucian Hawthorne,was busy wiping the tears from the woman trembling in his arms,whispering gentle words to comfort her.
"Don't look.It's unpleasant.Did you get hurt anywhere?"
Because the best time to save both me and the pup was missed,I lost my ability to ever bear a child again.
Lucian brushed it aside as if it meant nothing.
"So you can't have pups anymore.It's not like you're dead."
From the day we became mates,through our Moon Blessing ceremony,until now,eight long winters had passed.No one knew better than him how much I loved pups.
And he had taken away my chance to ever become a mother.
Three days later,I returned to the Alpha Manor in a daze.
On the sheets of the Alpha bedroom was a half-dried mark.The meaning was obvious.They had shared a night together in the bed that belonged to my mating bond.
I quietly closed the door.
Something inside me died completely.
I dialed a number I had not contacted in winters.
"I agree.I'll keep our promise.I'll leave him and become your mate."
***
"Celene,the bond severance papers and your resignation letter are ready.Are you really doing this?"
My closest friend handed me the documents.Her eyes were filled with worry and confusion.
She had been with me ever since I was brought back to the Ravenmoor Territory.She had watched every step of my story with Lucian.
I accepted the papers.
Eight winters of my life had been reduced to two thin sheets.
It felt almost ridiculous.
I nodded firmly.
"Yes."
I was returning to Silvercrest Territory.My adoptive parents were still waiting for me there.
Turning around,I carried the documents straight to the Hawthorne Pack Headquarters and made my way to the Alpha's office at the top of the tower.
Lucian looked up when I entered.Surprise flashed across his face before a frown appeared.
"Why did you leave the healer's den?Are you feeling better?I've been overwhelmed lately.That's why I haven't had time to visit you."
"You shouldn't be rushing back to work.Your only job right now is recovering.You understand that,don't you?"
Overwhelmed?
No.
He simply did not care enough.It was all because of too busy looking after Rionna.
I smiled but said nothing.
Sliding the papers across the desk,I said,
"Sign these."
Lucian lowered his gaze.His eyes narrowed slightly.
"What are these?"
I watched him reach for the first page,and the ache in my chest deepened.A bitter laugh escaped me.
"Think of it as compensation."
A trace of guilt appeared on his face.Even he knew he had gone too far.
He opened the document.
Lucian had always been careful.No matter how busy he was,he would at least read the contents first.
But then his communication crystal lit up.
The name displayed on it stabbed into my eyes.
‘My Moon Rionna.’
That meant…Rionna Greymoss.
The woman who had stolen eighteen winters of my life.The woman who tormented me from the moment I returned.
And…the woman who had killed my unborn pup.
Lucian knew everything I had suffered.
There was once a time when he hated Rionna too.And now he had saved her contact as‘My Moon’.
How laughable.
A cold laugh slipped from my lips.
Eight winters of love had become nothing but a cruel joke.
Lucian immediately answered.Without realizing it,his voice softened.
A spoiled voice came from the crystal.
"Lucian,I want moon pearl tea from that shop in Wolfcliff Territory.Come with me and get some!"
He stood up without hesitation and headed for the door.
"Celene,I'll be back soon."
I reached out and grabbed his wrist.
My fingers felt freezing cold.
My voice was calm.
"Rionna pushed me down the stairs and killed our pup.Asking you to sign a small compensation agreement for her isn't too much,is it?"
His expression darkened immediately.
"I already told you,Rionna didn't do it on purpose.She was having severe moon sickness that day.She lost her balance and bumped into you.She cried from fear afterward."
"Stop turning everything into a huge issue."
Lost her balance…
Three simple words.As light as air.
I laughed.
I laughed until tears blurred my vision.
I had been screaming in agony while lying in a pool of blood,and he had been wiping away Rionna's tears.
I had been fighting for my life in the healer's den,and he had spent the entire night caring for Rionna's stomach pains.
I stared into his eyes,searching for even the smallest trace of guilt.
Or love.
Lucian shifted uncomfortably under my gaze.He searched my face as well,expecting the old anger and heartbreak he was used to seeing.
Instead,he found nothing.Only emptiness.A silence that had already given up.
"Just sign it.Once you're done,I'll leave.I won't ruin your little outing."
I pressed the pen into his hand.
He hesitated briefly before flipping to the final pages.
With a quick stroke,he signed his name.
He stepped closer,pulled me into his arms,and kissed my forehead.The gesture almost felt affectionate.
"Whatever you want,it's yours.Now be good and go home."
Then he turned and left without another glance.
I watched his retreating figure.
Eight winters of memories crashed into me all at once.
When the Greymoss Clan first brought me back to Ravenmoor Territory,everyone hated me.
My brother,Rhydan Greymoss,said I had stolen Rionna's place.
Rionna herself constantly bullied me and tried to break me down.
It was Lucian who stepped forward and shielded me behind him.
With a cold face,he demanded that Rionna apologize.
He knew I was terrified in that unfamiliar pack.Every day after training,he would sit beside me with a cup of warm moonmilk and say,"Don't be afraid.I'm here."
He promised to protect me for the rest of his life.He also promised no one would ever hurt me.
Back then,I was the only one he saw.
The office door suddenly opened,pulling me from my thoughts.
"Luna Hawthorne,where would you like these pastries and flowers?"
A new assistant entered carrying a large bouquet of crimson moon roses and a box of delicate desserts.Envy filled her face.
"Alpha Hawthorne treats you so well.Fresh flowers arrive every day,and these desserts are specially prepared so you won't go hungry while working."
I looked at the sweet pastries.
I looked at the crimson moon roses I had never liked,the same flowers that always appeared in Rionna's social posts.
A hollow smile touched my lips.
I never liked sweets.And I hated moon roses.Lucian knew that better than anyone.
"Just leave them there."My voice was flat.
I gathered my belongings and walked out.
Behind me,the assistant continued talking,"Luna,you're so lucky.Alpha Hawthorne only has eyes for you..."
Lucky?
I stepped out of Hawthorne Pack Headquarters.
The evening wind brushed against my face,making my eyes sting.
My communication crystal vibrated.A name I had not seen in eight winters appeared before me.
Zayne Grimclaw,the future Alpha King of Grimclaw Pack.
Even through the crystal,I could hear the smile in his voice.
"Eight winters before you finally contacted me.Much longer than I expected.I'll come for you tomorrow."
I shook my head,my eyes steady.
"Give me one week.There's something I need to finish first."
Finalize the bond severance.
Then,at Rionna's moon-born day gala beneath the full moon,give them a gift they would never forget.
