Andromeda
That morning, I held the referral letter for another round of silver purification.
The doctor had said I’d need two sessions. I thought I could squeeze in Athena’s funeral before heading to the hospital.
But reality is cruel. Alpha Rigel managed to bury his daughter—making sure he laid her in the ground with his own hands this time.
When I called, asking to be there, all he said was that it would only break me, ruin my state of mind, and affect my health.
He didn’t give me a chance to say goodbye. He stripped me of my right to be Athena’s mother.
What a hypocrite. And I’d lived with him for eight years of lies.
I spent the morning staring at old photos of us until tears blurred my vision.
“What’s that in your hand, love?”
His deep voice jolted me. Alpha Rigel slipped his arms around me from behind, resting his chin on my shoulder.
Once upon a time, that would’ve warmed me. Melted me.
But those feelings had died the day Mata Hari built a wall between us.
“I’ve got another purification this afternoon,” I said flatly.
“You should’ve stayed at the hospital, darling. Athena’s at peace now. I took care of everything. You just need to rest.”
“Athena was my daughter too.”
My voice was short—like a blade held back from cutting too deep.
“But you’re still recovering. I worry about you,” he said, soft and sweet, his words laced with that warmth I no longer believed in.
I stayed silent—not from fear, but from exhaustion.
Exhaustion from hearing the same lies, wrapped in the same sickly tenderness.
Alpha Rigel always played the perfect father in front of everyone—
even me.
“After the hospital, I’ll visit Athena’s grave,” I murmured.
“I’ll take you,” he offered quickly.
I shook my head. “Don’t bother. You’ve got work to do.”
He looked at me for a long time, as if trying to read my thoughts, before parting his lips to speak again—
But then his phone rang.
The name flashing on the screen was the thorn in my side: Mata Hari.
My eyes sharpened. Rigel snatched up the phone, turning the screen away from me.
“Just a quick call,” he said, disappearing into the bathroom.
I reached my AirPods and followed him. Through the door, his voice was low, sweet.
“Your flight’s about to take off? Alright, I’ll pick you up at the airport. I love you, Mata Hari.”
The same tone he once used with me.
I smiled bitterly, sinking onto the edge of the bed then slipped my Airpods in.
He probably thought I hadn’t heard him when he stepped out again.
He came closer, tried to kiss me—but I turned my face away.
He froze for a second before his eyes dropped to my ears.
I removed the AirPods slowly, letting him know I’d heard every word of his betrayal.
“Sorry, Luna Andromeda, I’ve got to run. Work matters.”
Without waiting for a response, he strode out. The door had barely closed when another figure slipped in—Margareth, Rigel’s mother.
Her gaze could cut glass. “You’re still here? Shouldn’t you be at the hospital?”
“I’m leaving this afternoon.”
“If you’d done your job as a mother, Athena wouldn’t be dead. And now, instead of healing, you’re wandering about,” she sneered, her voice sharp enough to freeze blood. “Perhaps it’d be better if you died too—so you’d stop being a burden to Rigel.”
I drew a deep breath and stared her down. “I won’t die as easily as you hope.”
“Oh? Found your tongue, have you? Listen, Luna Andromeda—Mata Hari and her son, Oasis, will be moving in. And I suggest you don’t make trouble.”
I let out a hollow, bitter laugh.
“Do you think I’m afraid? Rigel would be nothing without me. I built him up from scratch—long before you remembered who cleared your precious family’s debts.”
I was the one who became his lifeline in those early days, the IT girl behind his little start-up—back when he was a nobody.
That old she-wolf seems to have forgotten who won those competitions and poured every prize into her son’s dream.
Who kept his company afloat. Who paid off the Richter family, so their knives stayed out of his back.
Her hand cracked across my face before I saw it coming. Heat stung my skin, but I refused to give her the satisfaction of seeing me fall.
“You’re lucky you’re Luna of this pack. If not, I’d have stuffed your mouth with stones by now.”
“Such a shame, isn’t it? Maybe you’ll be satisfied when I’m gone.”
She scoffed and swept out, leaving behind the stench of sharp perfume that made my stomach turn.
Let her enjoy her little victory. She’d be scavenging the gutters soon enough—once I bring Carlson Hallow to its knees.
**
The purification lasted an hour.
Agony burned through every fibre of my body as the silver drained from my system. I felt wrung out—emptied.
“All done,” said Healer Lysandra, her gentle eyes unable to mask her worry.
I nodded, dragging in a shaky breath.
“Luna Andromeda…” She hesitated. “There’s something else you need to know. The tests show… you’re pregnant. About two weeks along.”
Her words cut deeper than any silver needle.
I was carrying life—pure and innocent—while still bleeding from Athena’s death.
I froze. Part of me wanted to shield that pup with everything I had.
Another part whispered that this was nothing but a trap—chains to bind me longer to Alpha Rigel.
My phone buzzed. A message from Altair:
Check your email. My Beta sent you the forms.
I stared at the screen, my hands trembling—not from the pain of purification, but from the choices looming before me.
Keep this pup and cling to the hope that things might change…Or walk away—for good.
The first option felt like throwing myself off a cliff.
My mind was blank. I’d surrendered before the war even began.
Alpha Rigel would never allow this child to exist—not when it stood in the way of his bastard son becoming the rightful heir.
And his love for Mata Hari gave him every excuse to shatter the bond blessed by the Moon Goddess.
By dawn the next day, Alpha Rigel was gone.
Beta Roland simply said the Alpha had slipped away at first light.
And sure enough, there it was—Margareth’s latest post, parading Rigel at London Heathrow with the little family he’d kept hidden…
Until now—When Alpha Rigel could finally show them to the world.
