Chapter 2 – The Silent Luna
1759 Words
Morning arrived quietly in Black Hollow Pack.
Too quietly.
Luna Lyra sat before the vanity mirror inside her chambers while pale sunlight filtered through the tall curtains. Usually, mornings were filled with Kael’s presence—the sound of his deep voice giving orders while dressing for patrol, the warmth of his hands around her waist, the teasing kisses pressed against her shoulder whenever she braided her silver hair too slowly.
Now the room felt empty.
Cold.
Like a place abandoned long ago.
Her fingers paused against the brush as she noticed the untouched side of the bed behind her.
Kael hadn’t returned last night.
Not even once.
A soft knock sounded at the door.
“Enter.”
The elderly maid stepped inside carrying a breakfast tray. “Good morning, Luna.”
Lyra forced a small smile. “Thank you, Mara.”
Mara carefully placed the tray near the window before hesitating.
“The Alpha has already begun morning council.”
Lyra looked up slowly. “Without me?”
The maid lowered her gaze.
“Yes, Luna.”
Something inside her chest tightened painfully.
Pack councils were always attended by both Alpha and Luna. It had been tradition for generations. A Luna represented the heart of the pack—the voice of diplomacy, compassion, and unity beside the Alpha’s strength.
Yet Kael had started without her.
Again.
Mara carefully adjusted the tea cups. “Would you like me to prepare your ceremonial gown?”
“No.” Lyra stood slowly. “I’ll attend as I am.”
The maid looked worried but nodded obediently.
As Lyra walked through the stone corridors of the pack house, whispers followed her like shadows.
“She looks tired.”
“Did the Alpha not sleep in her chambers again?”
“I heard he stayed beside Selene’s child all night.”
Lyra kept her chin lifted high.
A Luna never showed weakness.
No matter how badly she was bleeding inside.
The council chamber doors opened the moment she approached.
Inside, several elders sat around the massive oak table while Kael stood near the map wall discussing border reports with his generals.
And beside him—
Selene.
She held the infant carefully in her arms while Kael quietly bounced the child to keep him calm.
Lyra stopped walking.
For one painful second, the sight resembled a complete family.
Kael glanced toward the entrance.
His expression shifted slightly.
“You’re here.”
No apology.
No acknowledgment that he had begun without her.
Lyra moved toward her usual seat calmly. “I wasn’t informed the meeting started early.”
One of the elders coughed awkwardly.
Kael returned his attention to the maps. “There were urgent matters regarding the northern patrol.”
Selene immediately lowered her head. “I told Alpha Kael he should wake you, but he said you needed rest.”
The sweetness in her voice sounded genuine.
That somehow made it worse.
Lyra sat gracefully beside Kael despite the ache building inside her chest.
“What happened at the northern border?” she asked evenly.
General Rowan answered quickly. “Several rogue sightings near the mountain pass, Luna. Nothing severe yet.”
Kael nodded. “I’m sending additional warriors tonight.”
The infant suddenly whimpered.
Before anyone else could react, Kael reached for the child instinctively.
“There now,” he murmured softly.
The baby immediately quieted against his chest.
A few elders exchanged approving smiles.
“Natural Alpha instincts,” one of them commented warmly.
“Black Hollow finally has hope for an heir.”
The words sliced through the room like a blade.
Silence followed instantly.
Everyone realized too late what had been implied.
Lyra felt heat crawl painfully into her face.
Kael’s expression darkened. “Enough.”
The elder looked embarrassed. “My apologies, Luna. I did not mean disrespect.”
But the damage was done.
Lyra folded her hands neatly in her lap.
“It’s fine,” she said softly.
Even though it wasn’t.
Not even close.
The meeting continued, but Lyra barely heard the discussions anymore.
Her thoughts spiraled endlessly around the same cruel truth.
Five years.
Five years as Kael’s mate without producing an heir.
At first, the pack had been patient. Many wolves waited years before conceiving.
But time changed people.
Especially elders.
Especially powerful packs obsessed with bloodlines.
She remembered every whispered rumor.
Every pitying glance.
Every herbal remedy secretly left outside her chambers by hopeful servants.
And Kael…
He had once defended her fiercely.
“The Moon Goddess decides these things,” he used to say. “My mate is enough.”
But lately?
Even he had grown quieter whenever the topic arose.
The meeting finally ended near midday.
Elders and generals began leaving the chamber one by one until only Kael, Selene, Lyra, and two servants remained.
Selene carefully stood from her chair. “I should feed him before he starts crying again.”
Kael nodded immediately. “I’ll walk you back.”
Lyra looked at him.
“You’re leaving?”
Kael frowned slightly as though the question confused him. “She shouldn’t walk alone carrying the child.”
The words shouldn’t have hurt.
Yet somehow they did.
“I see.”
Selene shifted awkwardly between them. “Luna Lyra… would you like to hold him?”
The offer startled her.
Lyra looked toward the infant wrapped in dark furs.
Large silver eyes blinked up at her innocently.
A beautiful child.
None of this was his fault.
Slowly, Lyra reached out and took him carefully into her arms.
The baby stared at her for a moment before grabbing a strand of her silver hair.
Something warm cracked open painfully inside her chest.
Kael watched silently.
For the first time that morning, his expression softened.
“You’re good with him,” he said quietly.
Lyra smiled faintly at the child.
“He’s adorable.”
Selene’s eyes watered instantly. “Thank you…”
Kael stepped closer beside Selene.
And suddenly Lyra realized something horrifying.
They looked comfortable together.
Not lovers.
Not yet.
But familiar.
Like people slowly building a life side by side.
The realization made it difficult to breathe.
The child suddenly yawned sleepily against her chest.
Selene laughed softly. “He likes you.”
Lyra carefully returned him to her arms.
“Most children do.”
An awkward silence followed.
Then Kael finally spoke.
“There’s a banquet tomorrow night. The neighboring packs will attend.”
Lyra blinked. “Tomorrow?”
“It was arranged this morning.”
Without telling her.
Again.
“You’ll stand beside me during introductions,” Kael continued. “The elders want the packs to see Black Hollow remains stable after my brother’s death.”
Lyra stared at him carefully.
Stable.
That was all she was now.
Part of the image.
A beautiful Luna standing beside her Alpha while his attention belonged elsewhere.
Selene lowered her gaze again. “I should go.”
Kael nodded immediately. “I’ll escort you.”
Lyra watched them leave together.
The moment the chamber doors closed behind them, silence swallowed the room.
Heavy.
Humiliating silence.
One of the servants approached nervously. “Luna… should I prepare the eastern wing nursery this afternoon?”
Lyra turned slowly.
“Nursery?”
The servant immediately paled. “Alpha Kael ordered additional furnishings this morning.”
Of course he did.
Without telling her.
Again.
Lyra inhaled carefully.
“What kind of furnishings?”
“A cradle. Toys. Warding charms for pups.” The servant hesitated. “And… family portraits.”
Family portraits.
Her stomach twisted violently.
“Leave me.”
The servant bowed quickly before hurrying out.
The moment the chamber emptied completely, Lyra’s composure finally cracked.
She gripped the edge of the council table tightly, fighting the sudden sting burning behind her eyes.
This was ridiculous.
She was Luna of Black Hollow.
Strong.
Respected.
Admired.
So why did she suddenly feel like a stranger wandering through someone else’s life?
Hours later, the pack house buzzed with activity preparing for tomorrow’s banquet.
Servants rushed through corridors carrying flowers and silver trays while warriors decorated the main hall with Black Hollow banners.
Lyra walked quietly through the eastern wing alone.
This part of the pack house had once been unused after Kael’s brother left years ago.
Now it was alive again.
Warm light spilled from beneath doorways.
She paused outside the nursery.
Inside, several maids arranged blankets beside a beautiful wooden cradle.
Selene stood near the window holding the child while Kael assembled furniture himself.
Lyra froze.
Kael hated manual work.
He always pushed such tasks onto servants.
Yet here he was tightening wooden screws while Selene laughed softly beside him.
“You’re doing it wrong,” Selene teased.
Kael smirked faintly. “I’m an Alpha. Not a carpenter.”
“It’s crooked.”
“It’s functional.”
Selene laughed again.
The sound echoed painfully through the hallway.
Kael looked up suddenly.
His eyes met Lyra’s.
The smile disappeared from his face instantly.
For a moment, nobody moved.
Then Kael slowly stood.
“Lyra.”
She forced calmness onto her expression.
“The nursery looks beautiful.”
Selene immediately looked guilty. “I told him it was unnecessary—”
“The child deserves comfort,” Lyra interrupted gently.
Kael studied her face carefully, almost suspiciously.
“You’re upset.”
“No,” she lied smoothly.
He stepped closer.
“You’ve barely spoken to me all day.”
Lyra let out a soft laugh.
“You’ve barely looked at me all day.”
Kael’s jaw tightened.
Behind him, Selene quietly lowered her head and carried the child toward another room.
Leaving them alone.
Smart woman.
Once the door shut, silence filled the nursery.
Kael exhaled heavily. “You’re making this harder than it needs to be.”
Lyra stared at him in disbelief.
“I’m making this hard?”
“You know why I’m doing this.”
“Yes,” she whispered quietly. “Because she needs you.”
Kael’s expression softened slightly.
“She has no one else.”
“And what am I supposed to be, Kael?”
He frowned.
“My mate.”
The answer came too quickly.
Too automatically.
Not because he felt it.
Because it was expected.
Lyra looked around the nursery one final time.
At the cradle.
The blankets.
The family warmth slowly blooming inside these walls.
Then she looked back at her Alpha.
And for the first time since Selene arrived, fear truly settled inside her heart.
Because deep down…
She was beginning to realize Kael no longer saw her first anymore.
- Writer
