Avelyn’s POV
The first thing I felt when I woke was the chill of moonstone restraints biting into my wrists. I lay on a narrow cot inside a sterile chamber that smelled of iron and burning sage. Silver runes glowed faintly across the walls — wards meant to suppress one’s wolf.
A man in healer’s robes stood beside me, humming softly as he prepared a vial of shimmering blue liquid.
“Where… where am I?” I whispered, my voice hoarse.
He smiled without meeting my eyes. “Your Alpha requested healing. Don’t struggle, Luna Valloren. I’m here to cure your mind.”
Before I could react, the needle plunged into my arm. The potion burned like liquid frost in my veins. My vision spun, my wolf howled in my head — but the wards silenced her. I tried to speak, but my tongue felt heavy, my strength stripped away.
“Just relax,” the healer murmured. “This is part of the moon correction process.”
Then came the shock — raw, magical lightning surged through my body, searing every nerve. I screamed, my cry echoing off the cold walls.
“Shh…” he whispered. “It’s for your own good.”
Time lost all meaning. For two days — maybe more — I was trapped in a haze of pain and sleep spells. Whenever I begged to go home, they forced another dose down my throat.
I heard the attendants whisper when they thought I was lost to the sedatives.
“Lady Vionne said not to leave scars,” one muttered.
“Pity,” the other replied. “She paid so well.”
That was when I realized — Vionne had sent me here. This wasn’t treatment. It was punishment disguised as healing.
By the second night, my body had stopped trembling. I couldn’t even cry anymore. I just stared at the glowing ceiling sigils and waited for the torment to end.
When the restraints finally released, I was too weak to stand. Hours later, the door opened — and Zayne entered, his presence cold as winter rain.
I thought I’d scream, curse him, demand answers. But I didn’t. I just looked at him, hollow.
“You look awful,” he said flatly. “It’s only been two days.”
Two days. That’s all it took for him to destroy what little was left of me.
He turned toward the door. “Let’s go. Vionne’s waiting at the manor — she needs me.”
Of course she did.
He didn’t even offer his hand. I followed in silence, my legs burning with every step. Outside, storm clouds swallowed the moon, and rain poured like the heavens themselves were mourning.
We rode in silence across the misted ridge. The lights of the pack city flickered in the distance. I stared out the window, trembling, soaked in silence.
Then his communicator flared. Vionne’s voice filled the air — soft, panicked.
“Zayne! Please, come home — the pup’s not moving! Something’s wrong!”
His knuckles whitened around the reins. Without a word, he halted the spirit-carriage and opened my door.
“Get out,” he said.
I blinked. “What?”
“Get out, Avelyn. Vionne needs me.”
“You’re leaving me here?”
He looked at me, eyes void of warmth. “You’ll manage.”
The door slammed. Hooves pounded. The carriage vanished into the rain, leaving me on the muddy roadside.
I stood there trembling as the storm drenched me, my white cloak clinging to my skin. When I tried to cross the bridge toward the lower packs, light flared — a carriage horn, a scream of wheels — and then, darkness.
***
When I opened my eyes again, I was in a ward beneath the Moon Healer’s Spire. The air smelled of blood and lavender. My body ached with every breath.
A healer approached, his face grim. “Luna Valloren,” he said softly, “the spirits spared your life, but the damage was grave. We had to remove your moonwomb. I’m sorry… you won’t be able to bear a pup again.”
My world shattered.
I stared at him, lips trembling. “What… what did you just say?”
He lowered his gaze. “There was too much internal bleeding. The goddess preserved you, but your gift of life is gone.”
My chest heaved; tears burned my cheeks. The moonstone monitor beside me pulsed erratically.
Then came the knock.
Vionne glided into the room in a silk gown the color of blush dawn, her swollen belly framed by moonlight.
“Oh dear,” she cooed, feigning pity. “I heard you had an accident. Such a tragedy about your womb.” Her lips curved. “But look at the bright side — now you can help me raise our pup.”
My claws ached to unsheathe. “Why are you here?” I rasped. “Haven’t you done enough?”
She laughed softly. “I came to admire my handiwork. I did tell those brutes not to kill you, but perhaps I should’ve been clearer.”
Rage surged through me. I seized her by the hair, tears spilling down my face. “You killed my pup! What more do you want from me?”
“Help!” Vionne screamed.
The door burst open. Zayne stormed in with the healer, eyes flaring with fury.
“It’s barely been a day, and you’re attacking her again?” he snarled, shoving me backward.
I fell, my stitches tearing open, blood staining the sheets.
“Zayne,” I gasped. “She did this — she sent those wolves after me—”
“Enough!” he barked. “I’ve already spoken to the guards who caught the driver. He said you paid him to cause the accident. You disgust me, Avelyn.”
I froze. “What? That’s a lie!”
He scoffed. “You’d do anything for attention.”
His voice dripped with venom as he stepped closer. “How far will you go to make yourself a victim? Vionne’s done everything to care for you, and this is how you repay her?”
“I lost my child, Zayne!” I cried, shaking.
He turned away. “You lost your sanity. Enough of this. Vionne’s moon blessing is tonight. Try not to embarrass yourself — or me.”
Vionne leaned close, her eyes glittering like frost. “Don’t worry, Avelyn,” she whispered. “I’ll make sure Zayne saves you a slice of the celebration cake.”
Then they left, leaving only the sound of the door slamming and the storm raging outside.
I sat there, staring at the crimson stain spreading across my gown. My hands trembled as my crystal communicator buzzed beside me.
A message blinked across the glowing surface:
“Divorce rites completed.” — Advocate Darian Melvere
A single tear slipped down my cheek — the last one I would ever shed for Zayne Valloren.
