Avelyn’s POV
When I opened my eyes again, silver moonlight filtered through the ward’s frost-glass windows. The scent of wolfsbane and ashroot stung my nose—a healer’s chamber for the packborn, where the scent of pain never faded. My body throbbed with dull agony, every nerve raw, as though I’d been dragged through shards of moonstone.
The healer stood beside my bed, his coat marked with the insignia of the Lunar Court’s Medical Guild, his expression tight and guilty.
“Luna Avelyn,” he murmured, avoiding my gaze, “if something like this happens again, you might lose your ability to bear heirs. The Moon’s blessing upon your womb is fading.”
My throat went dry. “How much?” I rasped.
He blinked, startled. “Pardon?”
“How much did he pay you,” I said, voice shaking, “to drain my bloodline essence and kill my son?”
His hand froze midair. “Luna, I… I don’t know what you’re talking about—”
“Don’t lie to me,” I hissed. The faint glimmer of my suppressed wolf aura shimmered through my skin. “You siphoned my moon essence for Vionne’s transplant. You helped them. Now discharge me before I show you how an Alpha’s mate punishes treachery.”
His shoulders slumped. Without a word, he slid the release tablet toward me. I pressed my trembling claw-tip to the rune, sealing it with a signature of silver flame.
“You should remain here for a few more moons, Luna,” he whispered.
“I’d rather die beneath the eclipse than spend another second here,” I said coldly.
He lowered his gaze. “Then… may the Moon forgive us all.”
I said nothing. I gathered what little remained of my strength and walked out. My steps were weak, but fury burned steadier than blood.
***
When I reached the Valloren Manor, the manor that once pulsed with the warmth of my pack’s laughter, the air felt wrong—empty. The silverwood gates I had carved myself now gleamed cold under the moon. I had chosen every color, every curtain, believing it would be the den where our pups would grow.
Now, it felt like a tomb.
I pushed the great doors open. Laughter drifted from the inner hall—soft, lilting, and cruel.
Vionne was lounging on the stone couch, curled into Zayne’s chest, her swollen belly glowing faintly with the Lunar Bond mark. His hands, those same hands that had once refused to touch me, were gently massaging her feet.
A bitter laugh escaped my throat. I remembered the night I was heavy with our son, when I had begged him to ease my pain. He tossed me a handful of silver coins and said, “Ask a maid. I don’t do lesser chores.”
Now, here he was, smiling like a fool, tending to her every need.
“You two look cozy,” I said, my voice sharp as frost.
Zayne stiffened. His amber eyes narrowed. “What are you doing here, Avelyn? You were supposed to remain under the healer’s ward.”
“Why?” I asked quietly. “So you could keep pretending I’m dead?”
He glared. “Don’t start this again. Vionne carries my heir. You’re supposed to support her, not cause turmoil.”
My throat burned. “You killed my child for her.”
His aura surged, gold flames licking the air. “Enough! If you weren’t so unstable, maybe the Moon would’ve spared your child!”
The words struck like claws across my heart. I turned away before he could see me break. “Don’t worry, Alpha. I’ll be gone soon.”
***
Upstairs, I stopped outside the the room I had enchanted with moon crystals to hum lullabies when touched by light. The faint scent of milkweed lingered, but it was overpowered by something else—rosewater, Vionne’s favorite.
The door was ajar. I pushed it open and froze.
Everything was gone.
The silver cradle I forged under the crescent, the soft wolf-hide rug, even the azure curtains I had sewn by hand—all replaced.
The walls gleamed with pink moon-paint, and above a new cradle, etched in curling silver letters, was the name: “Baby Ravyn.”
My knees weakened. I stepped forward and saw my baby’s last relic—his ultrasound rune crystal—shattered on the floor. My trembling hands reached for it.
“My sweet boy…” I whispered.
A sharp heel pressed down on my hand, grinding the shards into my skin until blood welled. Pain burned through me, laced with wolfsbane.
“Oops,” Vionne’s voice cooed, sweet and venomous. “Did I step on something sacred?”
I looked up, shaking with rage. “What is wrong with you?”
She smiled, her eyes gleaming silver in the moonlight. “Don’t be angry, Avelyn. Zayne said I could claim this chamber since… well, you don’t need it anymore.”
I rose slowly, blood dripping down my palm. “You’re a monster.”
“Oh, my dear,” she said louder, feigning panic, “are you hurting yourself because of me? You should’ve just said so! You’re scaring me!”
My voice cracked. “What are you doing, Vionne?”
“Oh!” she cried theatrically. “Zayne! She’s hurting herself again!”
Before I could breathe, Zayne stormed into the room, his golden aura flaring.
“What are you doing now?” he demanded, voice full of cold disdain.
“I didn’t do anything—she’s the one—”
But Vionne cut me off, eyes brimming with fake tears. “I made her upset, Zayne. She hurt herself after you said I could use the nursery. It’s my fault…”
My heart stopped. “That’s not—!”
“Enough!” Zayne barked. “I’ve tolerated your madness long enough.”
Vionne’s eyes glinted as she reached for a small box on the table. She lifted a diamond pendant shaped like a crescent moon.
“Ooh, this is lovely,” she said. “Is it yours?”
“No—wait, don’t—”
The necklace slipped from her fingers and shattered on the floor.
For a heartbeat, all sound vanished.
The pendant—my son’s Lunar Naming Crystal, the last piece of his soul tethered to this realm—lay broken among glinting shards.
“Oops,” she whispered, smiling.
My knees buckled. “How could you? That was his tether… the only link to my child’s spirit!”
Zayne’s voice was cold as iron. “It’s just a trinket, Avelyn.”
“Just a—?” I gasped, staring up at him. “You think the Moon binds trinkets? That was our son!”
Vionne’s lips twitched. “Poor thing,” she whispered sweetly. “Maybe the healers should purge her. She’s clearly unwell since the accident.”
“I don’t need purification!” I shouted, trembling. “I need her to stop stealing what isn’t hers!”
Zayne sighed. “You need help, Avelyn.”
Two pack guards appeared at his command, shadows moving fast as smoke. Their grips clamped down on my arms.
“What are you doing? Let me go, Zayne!” I cried, thrashing.
He crossed his arms, jaw clenched. “You’ve lost control again. You’re a danger to the pack—and to yourself.”
“I’m your Luna!” I screamed. “And she’s using you!”
Vionne whimpered, clutching her belly. “Please, Zayne, don’t let her near me. The pup—he can feel her rage.”
That was enough for him. His gaze hardened to stone. “Take her to the Moon Asylum. Now.”
“Zayne, please—” My voice broke. “You’re casting me out for her?”
He didn’t look back. His hand rested protectively on Vionne’s waist as he guided her away, the mark of his loyalty burning like a brand on my heart.
The guards dragged me down the stairs as her voice followed, dripping with mock pity.
“I’ll take good care of your Alpha while you heal, Avelyn.”
I screamed her name, my voice echoing through the halls of Valloren Manor—once my home, now my cage—until the doors slammed shut behind me.
