The Truth about the Barren Luna

The day my world shattered was supposed to be a celebration of our Moonbond. I had spent hours preparing a quiet feast at the table, lighting moon-candles and tuning the wind-chimes, imagining how the night might reignite the lost fire between us.

Instead, Raiden, my mate, did not even cross the threshold on time.

It was deep into the night, the greater moon high, as I sat alone at the stone table staring at untouched plates, that my crystal communicator hummed. A pack-wide rune-message shimmered.

It showed Raiden with another she-wolf from the Silvercrest pack. She wore a silky red dress that clung to her figure, with his hand resting possessively on her lower back.

I heard him speak faintly. "Celebrating life with someone who makes every moment brighter."

I gazed at the glowing stone, my hands trembling.

The woman was Kaia, his neighboring allied pack, whose laugh always seemed a little too loud and smile a little too wide whenever he was around. The audacity of it all hit like a slap to my face.

Then, I whispered through the mind-link. "Nice."

My crystal communicator pulsed almost instantly with his call. I watched his name glow before answering.

"Don't take this the wrong way, Freya," he began defensively. "It's just a formal gathering between packs. You understand how these duties are."

"Duty?" My voice was eerily calm. "Is that why your hand looks so comfortable on her back?"

Raiden sighed. I could hear the frustration in his tone, barely concealed. "You are always overthinking things. We might not be having these problems if you weren't so controlling.

I severed the connection without another word and turned to my faint reflection in the moonlit glass.

Outside, the lanterns along the ridge blurred into glowing trails, mocking how hollow I felt inside.

His excuses were an old chant. I'd heard them too many times. They always made me feel like the villain and the irrational one.

Raiden arrived home many hours later, smelling heavily of fermented elderberry wine and foreign perfume. He did not offer an appeasement or even a greeting. Instead, he flung his cloak onto the divan and noticed the small wooden box I had carved earlier. It was a token I'd intended to give him for our anniversary.

"What's this?" he asked indifferently.

"Your anniversary gift," I replied flatly.

He frowned and left it unopened. "I didn't have time to bring you anything. Kaia was in charge of planning tonight's celebration. And everything took longer than expected."

Of course, Kaia.

Then his gaze flicked toward the moon-herb vials on the table.

"You've skipped your fertility tonics again? Is this your way of throwing a tantrum?" he asked irritably.

"I'm not angry," I replied evenly. Still, my heart ached after saying that.

He faked a laugh. "Could've fooled me. You know you need those tonics if you still want a pup. You've wanted this for cycles, Freya. Don't mess it up now."

I swallowed hard. "I have my audience with the pack healer at dawn."

He didn't acknowledge it. Instead, he drew a wooden box from his hunting satchel. "Kaia wanted to apologize in case you got the wrong impression earlier. She chose this for you."

Curiosity clashed with fear as I unwrapped it, revealing a handkerchief. The edges were embroidered with Kaia's sigil. I tightened my grasp on the fabric, resisting the temptation to toss it across the chamber.

How dare he present this to me as a gift?

"She thought it would make you feel better," Raiden added. Annoyance was plain in his voice, as if he expected my immediate gratitude.

I placed the box down. "Inform Kaia I express my thanks."

Raiden's face went gloomy. "Freya, what's with the attitude? You know, she didn't need to do this. Unlike you, Kaia is considerate."

The sting of his words was an old pain, one I'd experienced before. Yet, it lost none of its sharpness. I excused myself and retreated to the sleep-chamber early. I curled into a ball, overthinking. The faint sound of the fire crackling in the hearth and the occasional clink of his pewter mug against the wooden mantle did nothing to soothe my restlessness.

At midnight, the hushed sound of his crystal communicator vibrating woke me. I reached over and saw Kaia's name illuminated on the surface.

I could hear her muffled voice, "Cannot stop recalling our time tonight. Wish you were still with me."

I stared at the message. The voice seared itself into my mind. My finger hovered over the crystal.

A hundred furious rebuttals formed in my mind, but I stopped myself. Instead, I erased the message without a flicker of hesitation and returned the crystal to the stand. If Raiden noticed, he made no mention of it.

At dawn, I sat at the edge of the bed as I stared at the moon clock. A decision slowly rooted itself within me.

I wouldn't fight for someone who wasn't fighting for me. Not anymore.

During the morning meal, Raiden seemed oblivious to my silence as he scanned through his crystal, letting out a soft chuckle at something. I observed him from across the table, absorbing every detail of him.

The subtle tension between his brows and the way his lips curved when he smirked. For years, I had cherished those details, clung to them as proof that we had a bond worth protecting.

However, they now served as a reminder of what I had sacrificed for someone who considered me to be an inconvenience.

"I'm going to work early today," Raiden declared without even looking up. "I have a hectic day planned."

I nodded indifferently. "Don't forget your handkerchief. Kaia would hate for it to go to waste."