Zera’s POV
Their voices still echo in my mind. “What if she finds out?” Hannah’s trembling whisper had sliced through the air like a knife.
For a moment, I thought there might be a sliver of guilt in her tone. That maybe, just maybe, the woman I once called my sister felt remorse.
But Jeremiah’s laugh was cruel and cold. “You’re too naive, Hannah. Zera is loyal to a fault. She won’t question me, she never does.”
Then Hannah’s giggle followed, soft and wicked. “Poor Luna Zera. She’s too perfect to even suspect anything.”
I remember standing there, frozen in place, my heart pounding so hard it hurt. They went on mocking me, tearing me apart piece by piece, my devotion, my grief, my trust. Every word was another dagger in my chest.
“She still thinks Annie’s death was fate,” Jeremiah sneered. “She would never imagine I ordered those soldiers to choose differently.”
“And even if she does,” Hannah said, “what can she do? She’s just your Luna, and you’re her Alpha.”
Just his Luna. Not his equal. Just a title.
The room swam before my eyes as I stumbled away, forcing myself not to break down there. My wolf was howling in agony in the back of my mind. I wanted to tear through the door, to rip them both apart for what they’d done, but my heart, my broken, bleeding heart, still refused to let go.
Instead, I walked away. I walked until I reached the balcony overlooking the Moonshadow plains, the heart of our pack. Below me, the wolves were training, patrolling, living their lives as if nothing had shattered. The moon above looked down on me, silent and silver, as if it, too, was mourning.
And I fell to my knees.
The sobs came out of me like a storm I could no longer contain. Every cry echoed against the stone walls of the packhouse, swallowed by the wind. I clutched the railing, shaking, my tears dripping onto the marble like rain.
My wolf keened inside me, Our pup, our bond, everything we gave him…
I pressed a trembling hand to my stomach, where our new pup was growing. I should’ve felt joy. Instead, I felt betrayal burning in my veins.
Then my phone buzzed.
A small sound, almost insignificant, but it sliced through the quiet.
I blinked through my tears and looked down at the screen. The notification was from Moonbook, the social network our pack used.
The name on it made my heart stutter.
Hannah Linston had posted something. For reasons I couldn’t explain, my thumb hovered for a moment before I opened it.
And then my whole world turned black.
A photo filled the screen, two hands intertwined, their faces not shown. One hand belonged to a woman, delicate, pale, familiar. The other was large, tan, veined… masculine.
And on that wrist — that unmistakable bracelet of pure silver with an engraved moon symbol.
The bracelet I’d given Jeremiah for our second anniversary.
The caption beneath it read, “A miracle after all the pain. We can’t wait to meet our little one.”
My breath caught. My vision blurred. Pregnant.
She was pregnant. With my husband’s child.
And he wasn’t even hiding it, not really. The world could see. The pack could see. And I, his Luna, was reduced to a fool.
I felt something inside me snap, a soundless crack that tore through my chest and into my soul.
The phone slipped from my hand, clattering onto the balcony floor. I stared blankly at the horizon as the sun began to set, turning the sky into a cruel mix of red and gold.
My wolf’s growl rumbled through me. He betrayed the bond, Zera. He took everything from us, our pup, our dignity. What more must we lose before we fight back?
I wiped my tears with the back of my hand. My breathing steadied. Slowly, a different kind of fire began to rise in me, not of sorrow, but of resolve.
I turned toward my office, my mind already racing. My fingers shook as I picked up my phone again, not to look at the post, but to make a call I never thought I’d make.
My father. Alpha Peter Hatunberg, the most feared and respected Alpha across the northern territories.
He had warned me once. “You don’t marry for love, daughter. You marry for legacy. Love fades. Duty endures.”
And I had defied him. For Jeremiah. For what I thought was love. I ran away from home just to marry him, and now, it seemed like my father was right.
My hand trembled as I dialed his number. It rang twice before his deep, familiar voice answered.
“Zera?” For a moment, I couldn’t speak. My throat closed, and my tears threatened to fall again. “Father…” I whispered.
There was silence. Then his tone softened, cautious. “It’s been years, little one. Why are you calling?”
I swallowed hard. “I want to come home. I will marry whoever that man you wanted me to marry years ago.”
He inhaled sharply. “What about Jeremiah? You left your family, your pack, everything for that Alpha.”
“I was wrong,” I said quietly, my voice trembling. “He betrayed me. He killed my daughter, Father. He’s been cheating on me… with my best friend.”
Another silence. I could almost hear the growl building in his chest through the phone.
“Did he harm you?”
“No,” I said, though my voice wavered. “Not yet. But he will. I can feel it. And I can’t stay here any longer.”
“Then come home,” my father said immediately, his tone commanding. “I’ll send an escort—”
“No,” I interrupted, straightening my shoulders. “Not yet. I’ll handle this my way. I’ll leave in seven days. One week. That’s all I need.”
He hesitated. “Zera…”
“I’ll do what you wanted, Father,” I said, cutting him off again. “I’ll marry whoever you choose. I’ll do it your way this time.”
I could almost feel his surprise through the phone. “You mean that?”
“Yes.” My voice hardened. “I’m done following my heart. This time, I’ll follow my blood.”
There was a long pause. Then I heard the sound of his breath steadying. “Very well,” he said at last, his Alpha tone returning. “I’ll tell your brothers you’re coming home.”
My heart squeezed at the mention of them, my three older brothers, each an Alpha of their own territory. They had warned me before I left.
“Jeremiah Clinton will never love you the way you deserve, Zera,” my eldest brother had said.
But I hadn’t listened.
Now, the memory burned like salt on a wound.
“Tell them,” I whispered, my voice trembling with restrained fury. “Tell them the Moonshadow Alpha has made an enemy of the Hatunbergs.”
My father’s voice dropped, low and dangerous. “Then may the Goddess have mercy on his soul.”
The call ended, but my heart was thundering.
Seven days. In seven days, I would no longer be Luna of Moonshadow Pack. In seven days, I would no longer be Alpha Jeremiah Clinton’s wife.
I looked out toward the horizon again. The crimson sun had sunk completely now, swallowed by night. The first silver light of the moon shimmered over the plains, reflecting in my eyes.
My wolf stirred, her fury matching my own. They think we’re broken, she growled. They think we’ll crawl away in silence.
“No,” I whispered. “We’ll make them remember who I am.”
