Alliana’s POV
The moment I reached the hospital entrance, I didn’t stop running. My breath came out in harsh clouds of white. The winter air stabbed my lungs, but I didn’t care. My heart was pounding too hard, too fast, as if it was trying to break out of my chest.
“Dione… please be okay…”
I pushed open the hospital doors and rushed down the bright hallway, searching for my son’s scent, soft, warm, sweet like morning bread. I followed it straight to the children’s ward, but two Snowstorm warriors blocked the door.
I froze. “I… I need to go inside. My son—my son is in there.”
They didn’t move.
Instead, one of them lifted a small whiteboard and showed me the words written there, [Luna Alliana is not allowed inside.]
My stomach twisted. “What? What do you mean not allowed? He’s my son!”
The guard kept his face emotionless.
[You are not permitted. Orders from Alpha Benedict.]
“No—no, please,” I whispered, stepping closer. “He needs me. Dione needs his mother. Please let me in.”
They didn’t budge. The second warrior lifted his hand and made a gesture.
[Stay back.]
Then he pushed me away when I tried to reach for the door. The shove wasn’t gentle—I stumbled and hit the wall with my shoulder.
“Please!” My voice cracked painfully. “He’s only three! He’s sick! He must be terrified—I have to be with him. Please, I’m begging you!”
They didn’t look at me.
The first guard simply wrote again, [He is being cared for. Step away.]
“I am his mother,” I choked. Tears blurred my vision. “How can you keep a mother away from her child?”
But they didn’t answer. I pressed my forehead against the cold wall, swallowing a sob. How cruel could this pack get? How cruel could Alpha Benedict become?
Just then, footsteps echoed down the hall. Alpha Benedict and Hannah.
I spun toward them immediately.
“Please,” I said, wiping my tears. “Please let me in. I want to see Dione. He needs me. He’s sick, Alpha. You can’t keep me out.”
He didn’t even look bothered. He only raised his hands and used sign language, slowly, as if explaining something reasonable, [He needs physicians, Alliana. Not you. Don’t cause trouble.]
I shook my head. “You can’t be serious! He’s three! He needs comfort, warmth, he needs his mother! How can you be so heartless?”
Benedict’s expression didn’t change. Hannah slipped her hand through his arm and looked at me with false sympathy.
“You’ll only get in the way,” she said softly. “Just be patient.”
“I’m his mother!” My voice broke, louder this time.
“Enough,” Benedict said sharply. He turned to the guards. “Keep her out. No matter what.”
Then he and Hannah entered the room.
And the door shut right in my face.
I stood there frozen, staring at the door, unable to breathe for a moment. The sound of the latch locking echoed like a slap to my chest.
I sank to the floor, my hands trembling violently.
If I lost him… If anything happened to Dione… I would rather die.
Tears streamed down my cheeks as I hugged my knees. The hallway felt too bright, too cold. Nurses passed by, glancing but never stopping. Nobody dared help the Luna. The fake Luna.
My breathing grew shaky. I felt helpless, useless, powerless.
Minutes passed. Maybe hours.
I didn’t know anymore. Time was slipping away, and all I could think was—
Please, let my baby be safe.
I leaned my back against the wall, trying to steady myself.
Then… I heard it. The soft click of the door. Not all the way closed. It was slightly ajar.
My body went rigid.
Voices drifted from inside the room. I hesitated for half a second… and then I leaned closer, just enough to hear what they were saying.
Hannah’s voice was the first I heard.
“So the Snowstorm wolves will attack Crownfest Pack without warning? Anytime now?”
My blood turned to ice.
Attack… Crownfest? My pack?
I pressed my hand over my mouth, holding in a gasp.
“Yes,” Benedict replied. His tone was cold, serious. “They stole the weapon shipment meant for us. Crownfest Pack took advantage of my father’s kindness and tried to hide it. That’s treason.”
“That’s why you plan to attack them?” Hannah asked.
“Of course,” Benedict said. “They betrayed us. This week, we’ll strike.” His voice dropped even lower, darker. “I will see the fall of the proud Crownfest Pack soon.”
My heart plummeted.
No. No, this can’t be happening. Crownfest Pack would never steal weapons. Never.
My father was an honorable Alpha. My brother was a respected one. My mother had always taught us that a pack’s honor mattered more than anything.
Snowstorm… must have been tricked. Or they misunderstood something. Or someone framed my pack—
My hands shook violently.
They were going to be attacked. This week.
“A good thing she’s too stupid to notice anything,” Hannah laughed softly. “Even if she finds out, she can’t do anything.”
Benedict chuckled. “She won’t find out. She believes everything we tell her.”
I bit my lip so hard it bled.
Everything was falling apart. My son was sick. And my pack was in danger.
I needed to warn them.
I stumbled away from the door and ran to the end of the hallway. I grabbed my phone and dialed my mother.
The call rang.
Once. Twice. Three times. No answer.
I tried my father. No response.
My brother. Still nothing.
My stomach twisted painfully. “Come on… please… please answer…”
I dialed again. Nothing.
Why weren’t they answering? Did something already happen? Was the pack already under attack? Were they hurt?
My legs felt weak. I pressed my back against the wall for support. My mind raced, dizzy and frantic.
I needed to go home. I needed to get to Crownfest Pack. I needed to stop this. I needed to warn them.
But— Dione. My son was inside that room. Feverish. Sick. Vulnerable. And Benedict’s pack would never let me take him.
My hands covered my face. “What do I do…? What do I do…?”
For the first time in years, I felt truly trapped.
Like a wolf caught in a hunter’s snare.
Dione needed me. My family needed me.
But I only had one body. One life. One heart.
And it was being torn in two.
