Andromeda
Chaos in the pack house was spiralling out of control. Margareth sharpened her sarcasm like a blade, slicing me apart with every comparison to Mata Hari.
And Alpha Rigel? He flaunted his betrayal at every corner, as if he wanted to shove me out of South Hallow piece by piece.
Earlier today, when I went to retrieve Athena’s photos from her room, I heard them—Rigel and Mata Hari—mating with those disgusting noises.
In my daughter’s room.
And I stood there, powerless, outside that door.
The only thing I could do was record it all on my phone—evidence I’d one day throw in Alpha Rigel’s face when I finally walked away.
The weight of betrayal pressing on my chest only eased when my gaze dropped to my stomach, my hand resting softly on the life inside me.
I returned to my room and buried myself in work—gathering evidence of Athena’s death.
My fingers danced across files: videos, voice recordings, chat logs. Every trace of Rigel’s movements over the past two weeks, every whisper of deceit.
I would use it all during Athena’s memorial ritual.
I was focused on downloading CCTV footage from Golden Glee Park when the door swung open without so much as a knock.
Mata Hari stepped in—her movements rehearsed, her body the stage.
Her eyes glinted with smug delight, like a cat dangling its prey.
“Nice room,” she purred, scanning every corner. “No wonder you’ve been hiding in here.”
I didn’t look up. “Leave. I don’t have time for you.”
Her smirk curved like a dagger. “Did you like the little photo I sent?”
My fingers stilled above the keyboard. But I forced them to move again.
Maybe annoyed that I wasn’t rising to the bait, she nudged the glass by my laptop. Water spilled, flooding the keys.
“Oops… clumsy me,” she murmured with fake regret.
“Get out,” I said flatly. “Or better yet—go spread your legs for Alpha Rigel all day long.”
She laughed, wicked and shameless. “Thanks for the advice. Already did. Didn’t even need a reminder.” Her grin was pure devilry.
“Then what more do you want? My blessing?” I tilted my head. “Seems like you’re still worried I might ruin your little fairytale, Mata Hari.”
Her fingers gripped my chin, nails digging in. “I gave you eight years, Andromeda. Eight years. Now it’s my turn to take what’s mine.”
I stared at her, my hand sliding to my phone, tapping the recorder. I needed her confession—her sins carved in her own voice.
“Take him. I don’t care,” I spat. “Save your energy for pleasing Rigel. After Athena, he’s nothing to me.”
Her lips curled. “Ah, that brat…” she whispered, leaning closer. “When I told Rigel to send that mad hunter to kill you—for me and Oasis—I felt alive again.”
My pulse thundered. “You… it was you?”
Her smile was venom. She gripped my chin, forcing my face up. “Of course. Rigel does whatever I want. You were just a pawn. Athena was collateral damage.”
The world narrowed. My breath came ragged. I shoved her hand away, rage burning through my bones.
“You—shameless witch!” I drove her back, step by step. “You think the world spins around your body? You think I’ll just stand here after you crushed my pup’s life?”
She smirked. “You won’t do a thing. You’re weak.”
My hand cracked against her cheek. The sound split the air. She froze—then her eyes gleamed with something darker.
“Oh… this will be fun,” she whispered.
Before I could move, she darted back, whipping a silver blade from her pocket.
Smoke hissed as it seared her palm. She slashed her own thigh, then tumbled down the stairs, screaming.
Voices erupted below. Footsteps thundered. Alpha Rigel burst in, Margareth at his side—Oasis trailing behind, wide-eyed.
“What did you do to her, you vile bitch?!” Margareth shrieked, cradling Mata Hari as she feigned unconsciousness.
I stood frozen at the top of the stairs, my chest heaving. “She—”
“Shut up!” Alpha Rigel’s voice cut like steel. “I’ve had enough, Luna Andromeda.”
Margareth glared at me with pure loathing. “First you kill your own child, now you try to kill my grandson’s mother? You have no shame!”
“She’s lying! She threw herself—” My voice broke. No one cared.
Oasis clung to Margareth, sobbing, his eyes staring at me like I was a monster.
Alpha Rigel stormed up the stairs, his hand crushing my shoulder before I could step back. “You’ll never touch Mata Hari again.”
His shove sent me tumbling. My back slammed the steps, pain igniting like fire, my skull pounding as the world spun out of focus.
Through the blur, I saw him scooping Mata Hari into his arms, carrying her out—leaving me sprawled at the foot of the stairs like trash.
**
When I woke, antiseptic burned my nostrils. The harsh glow of pack hospital lights stabbed my eyes.
An IV pierced my arm, morphine flowing warm into my veins—laced with wolfbane, heavy and cruel.
I tried to lift my hand, but strength deserted me.
“What did you do to her, Luna Andromeda?”
AlphaRigel’s voice—cold, merciless—dragged my gaze to him. He didn’t even care enough to ask if I was okay.
“What I did?” My throat was raw. “You should be asking what she did to me—to our daughter!”
Alpha Rigel loomed closer, his jaw clenched tight. “You’re always like this. Blaming everyone else when it was you who failed Athena.”
The words shattered me like glass.
He still painted me as the mother who killed her child.
“I carried her. I birthed her. I—” My voice cracked. “And you dare make it look like I murdered her?”
“I lost her too!” Alpha Rigel roared. “But I’m not wasting my life whining and pointing fingers.”
“You didn’t lose her, Alpha. You were too busy fucking Mata Hari—building your perfect little family!” My throat burned as tears carved hot paths down my cheeks.
Alpha Rigel moved in with slow, predatory steps, until his breath was fire against my skin. His fingers gripped my jaw, forcing me to meet those storm-grey eyes I once thought were my sanctuary.
“Watch your mouth, Luna Andromeda!” he murmured, voice like a blade wrapped in silk. “You’ve got no proof. And you should be grateful Mata Hari survived. Tomorrow—she becomes my lady.”
“Your lady?” My chest heaved, fury pulsing in every word. “Take her, then. Take all your lies, all your betrayal. I’m done.”
“You’re going nowhere, Andie. Not while I’m still your Alpha.” He leaned closer, his thumb brushing the tears from my cheek—mocking tenderness in a grip that could break bone. “You’ll see what a real Luna looks like… and a true heir for South Hallow. That prophecy? I’ve erased it.”
“Just reject me, Alpha!” My voice ripped from my throat, raw and shaking.
His gaze darkened, possessive and venomous. Then came the whisper, low and lethal, the kind that binds chains around your soul:
“Never.” His lips hovered at my ear, each word dripping with obsession. “I still love you, Andie… but not the way I love Mata Hari.”
My heart slammed against my ribs, my wolf trapped in a burning cage.
He called this love. For Moon Goddess’s sake—this twisted, diseased, bleeding.
He barked for the doctor, ordering a heavier dose of morphine and wolfbane.
My body turned to lead as darkness dragged me under.
**
When I woke again, a voice—low, unfamiliar—slipped through the silence.
“Finally awake, Andromeda.”
A he-wolf sat in the shadows by my bed, his face cloaked in dim light.
“Who… are you?” My voice was a rasp.
He leaned forward, eyes glinting like steel. “A loyal man of Winchester. Alpha Altair sent me to get you out of Alpha Rigel’s grip.”
He unclipped the IV from my arm, smooth and precise.
From his jacket, a golden badge caught the faint light—the Winchester Claw.
“Alpha Altair says you’ve got five days to leave South Hallow. Tomorrow night, when the full moon peaks—I’ll come for you.”
