Celene’s POV
I returned to the Alpha Manor where I had lived for the past three winters.
Every corner had been arranged by my own hands.
The nursery still held the tiny clothes and shoes I had prepared for the pup blessed by the Moon Goddess.
Once,Lucian had wrapped me in his arms,pressing his forehead against mine.His eyes had been full of warmth.
"Celene,let's have a pup.I want a daughter who looks just like you."
He used to rest his hand on my stomach every night and read ancient moon tales to our unborn pup.
Afraid I would not enjoy the meals prepared by the servants,he learned to cook nourishing dishes for pregnant she wolves himself.
Back then,I truly believed we would spend our lives together.
Now,everything had turned to dust.
I packed every item connected to Lucian into boxes.
I was leaving.
Nothing belonging to him would remain.Each item brought back a memory.
The moon festivals we attended together…the territories we traveled through…the promises we made beneath the full moon….
But once everything was sealed inside those boxes,I could finally let go.
And when I let go,the pain would disappear too.
I called the servant and told her to throw everything away immediately.
Just as I finished,the manor doors opened.
Lucian frowned as he looked around the half empty hall.
"Why are so many things gone?"
I did not even look at him.
My voice was calm and cold."They were old.There was no reason to keep them."
He assumed I was still upset about Rionna and the sweet moon soup.
Nothing more.
He stepped behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist,resting his chin on my shoulder.
"Alright,stop being angry.You know Rionna has been sensitive ever since she learned she wasn't the Greymoss Pack's true daughter.You're the real daughter of the bloodline.She feels like she has nothing left.That's why I..."
Before he could finish,the cry of a young pup echoed through the room.
Lucian immediately released me.
I turned around.
Rionna walked inside carrying a pup who looked about a year old.
The little boy's eyes and brows looked almost identical to Lucian's.
My blood ran cold.A sharp ringing filled my ears.
Lucian's eyes flickered.He instinctively moved Rionna and the pup behind him before clearing his throat.
"Rionna and I have a pup."
Something exploded inside my head.Coldness spread through every part of my body.My fingers trembled.
"What did you just say?"
Lucian let out a long breath.
"You can't bear pups anymore.But the Hawthorne bloodline needs an heir.Besides,you've always loved pups,haven't you?From now on,he'll be our pup."
"He's still too young to leave his mother.That's why I brought them here.Living together will help you become closer."
The next moment,Rionna's eyes reddened.
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
"I'm sorry,Lune Celene.Please don't blame Alpha Lucian.Everything happened because of me.”
“Last winter,someone poisoned me with a heat potion.Several rogue wolves tried to take advantage of me,and Alpha Lucian saved me.I never expected to become pregnant.The healer said my womb was weak.If I rejected the pup,I might never have another child.I'm sorry..."
My breathing stopped.The cold sank deep into my bones.
Last winter,Lucian had held me in his arms and spoken about our future.
"Just wait a little longer.Next year we'll have our own pup."
Last winter,on my moon-born day,he hosted the grandest celebration in Ravenmoor Territory.
Countless moon lanterns floated into the night sky.
He gave me a rare moon opal ring and swore before the Moon Goddess that he would love only me forever.
Last winter,he held me every night until I fell asleep.
Last winter,he shared my bed as my mate.
And during all of that time,he had already fathered a child with Rionna?
The taste of blood rose into my throat.
I forced it back down.
"Both of you disgust me."
There was a time when Rionna stole from me and spread lies about me.
Lucian always stood on my side.He even forced her to apologize in front of the entire pack.
He pursued me for a whole year with fresh moon roses arrived every day.He even prepared breakfast with his own hands.
He remembered every little thing I liked and disliked.
When he asked me to become his mate,he knelt before me and cried.He gave me the grandest mating ceremony in the kingdom.
For eight winters…
From seventeen to twenty-five,I gave him every bit of my love and trust.
And now,only weeks after I lost our pup,he was bringing Rionna and their pup into our home.
I laughed until my entire body shook.Tears rolled freely down my face.
"Lucian,can you stand before our dead pup and tell me this is fair?"
His gaze immediately shifted away.Guilt darkened his expression.
But Rionna's sobs quickly pulled his attention back.
He sighed heavily."Celene,please accept this."
I wiped away my tears.My voice became quiet and steady.
"Fine.They can stay."
Lucian froze.He clearly had not expected me to agree so easily.
In his mind,I should have screamed and cried,or maybe throwing things.Anything of making a scene.
Instead,I simply turned and walked away.
I had barely reached the stairs when Lucian's voice sounded behind me.
"Clear out the nursery.The pup will sleep there."
I spun around.
My voice rose before I could stop it.
"Why should he?"
I had spent countless sleepless nights preparing that room.I visited shop after shop.I arranged every detail personally.Every corner carried the hopes I once had for my pup.
Rionna immediately lowered her head.
"If Luna Celene doesn't want to,it's alright.We can stay in one of the guest rooms."
Lucian's face hardened.
His voice became cold and commanding.
"No.Your health is weak,and the pup is still young.The future heir of the Hawthorne Pack will not stay in a guest room."
The pack servant immediately headed upstairs.
I ran after her.
And I stood there helplessly as everything I had prepared for my pup was removed one piece at a time.
The pain had sunk so deep that I could no longer feel it.
