Blessed Luna

The first time my mate made me feel like a stranger in my own home, he was holding another woman's child. I stood at the entrance of the grand dining hall, a silver tray balanced between my palms, watching Alpha Adrian Blackthorne smile. Not the cold, obligatory smile he occasionally offered me when other pack members were watching. Not the brief expression of politeness he wore whenever I reminded him of his responsibilities as my mate. This was different. It was warm. Genuine. Almost tender. And it wasn't meant for me. "Careful, little one," Adrian murmured, lifting the boy higher in his arms. "You don't want to spill your juice." The child giggled, his tiny fingers clutching Adrian's shirt. Isabella sat beside him, watching the scene with a satisfied smile. Her long golden hair fell over her shoulders, and the expensive silk dress she wore was one I recognized. It had been delivered to the packhouse three days earlier. I had assumed it was a gift for one of the visiting dignitaries. Apparently, I had been wrong. "Seraphina." Adrian's voice pulled me out of my thoughts. I straightened. "Yes, Alpha?" His eyes moved briefly to the tray in my hands. "Breakfast." I approached the table and began serving the food. "Good morning, Adrian," I said quietly. He barely acknowledged me. "Isabella hasn't had her tea." I looked at the empty cup beside her plate. "Of course." I reached for the teapot. "Not that one," Isabella interrupted sweetly. "I prefer the herbal blend. The one you made yesterday was wonderful." I paused. The herbal blend was something I prepared for myself. It helped with the headaches that had plagued me for weeks. But I nodded. "I'll prepare it." "Thank you, darling." Darling. She said it as though we were old friends. As though she hadn't taken the place I had spent years trying to earn. I turned away before either of them could notice the tightening in my throat. Three months. It had been three months since Isabella moved into our home with her son, Elias. Three months since Adrian had announced that his late brother's widow needed a place to stay. Three months since the Alpha who once promised to protect me began treating me as though I were an inconvenience. And I was beginning to understand that the situation was not temporary. I had met Adrian when I was seventeen. Back then, he was not yet the formidable Alpha of Silvermoon. He was simply a young warrior with an arrogant smile and an irritating habit of appearing wherever I went. I was an Omega without a wolf. In our world, that was practically a curse. Most wolves shifted during adolescence. Their wolves awakened, their senses sharpened, and their place in the pack hierarchy became clearer. Mine never came. The pack healers called it a spiritual deficiency. Some called me defective. Others believed the Moon Goddess had forgotten me. Adrian had never cared. At least, that was what he told me. When our mate bond finally snapped into place, I thought the Moon Goddess had rewarded me for every lonely night I had endured. He had held my face between his palms and whispered that he would never allow anyone to make me feel worthless again. I believed him. I had loved him long before the bond confirmed what my heart already knew. But promises were easy to make when a man had nothing to lose. Now Adrian was Alpha, and I was still the wolf-less girl who had somehow become his greatest political embarrassment. The bond remained. Unfortunately, so did the memories. "Seraphina!" I nearly dropped the teapot. Isabella was looking at me. "Could you take Elias outside after breakfast? He hasn't had much fresh air lately." I glanced at Adrian. He continued cutting his food. "Why can't one of the nannies take him?" I asked. The question escaped before I could stop it. Isabella's expression changed. Only slightly. But I noticed. "Oh. I thought you wouldn't mind. You seem to have so much free time." "I have duties in the infirmary." Adrian placed his knife down. The small metallic sound silenced the table. "You're in no position to refuse a simple request." I stared at him. "I'm your mate, Adrian. Not the household nanny." Silence. The guards standing near the entrance suddenly became very interested in the floor. Adrian's eyes hardened. "Then perhaps you should start behaving like someone worthy of being my mate." The words struck harder than I expected. My fingers tightened around the teapot. Isabella lowered her gaze, hiding what looked suspiciously like a smile. I set the teapot down. "Of course, Alpha." I turned and left. I refused to cry in front of them. Not again. The infirmary was the only place in Silvermoon where I could breathe. It smelled of lavender, dried herbs and freshly washed linen. The shelves were lined with medicinal bottles, bandages and carefully labelled jars. I had spent years learning everything I could about healing. If I couldn't shift, I could still make myself useful. That was how I had survived. "You're early." I looked up. Martha, the elderly pack healer, stood behind the examination table. She was one of the few people who had never treated me differently because I lacked a wolf. "I couldn't sleep." Her gaze softened. "Again?" I nodded. She approached and touched my wrist. "Your pulse is unusually fast." "It's nothing." "Seraphina." I sighed. "Just headaches." Martha studied my face. "Have you told the Alpha?" I almost laughed. "He's occupied." "With the widow?" I said nothing. Martha shook her head. "That man is becoming increasingly foolish." "He's grieving his brother." "Grief does not excuse cruelty." I looked down at my hands. I wanted to believe her. I wanted to believe that Adrian was simply overwhelmed, that his behaviour was temporary, that one day he would look at me the way he used to. But every passing day made that hope feel more ridiculous. "Sometimes," Martha said quietly, "I wonder whether you understand what the Moon Goddess has placed inside you." I frowned. "What do you mean?" She hesitated. For a moment, something strange passed through her eyes. Fear. Then she shook her head. "Nothing. Forget I said that." Before I could question her, the infirmary doors opened. Two warriors entered, carrying a badly injured young wolf. "Help us!" I rushed forward. "What happened?" "Training accident. He was struck across the abdomen." I immediately began preparing the examination table. "Put him here." The warriors lowered him carefully. Blood had soaked through his shirt. I pressed my fingers against the wound. Something was wrong. The injury was deep, but the bleeding was slowing far too quickly. I frowned. "Has he received treatment?" "No." I looked at Martha. She was staring at my hands. A strange warmth spread beneath my fingertips. Then, for a fraction of a second, the blood around the wound shimmered silver. I blinked. It was gone. The young wolf gasped. His breathing steadied. I withdrew my hands, startled. "What just happened?" one of the warriors whispered. "I... I don't know." Martha quickly covered the wound with a clean cloth. "Take him to the recovery room." The warriors obeyed. When they were gone, Martha grabbed my wrist. Her fingers were trembling. "Did you see it?" "See what?" "The silver." My stomach tightened. "Was I imagining it?" Martha looked toward the closed doors. Then she leaned closer. "Listen to me carefully. Whatever happens, do not let anyone discover what you just did." "Why?" Her expression became grave. "Because some people would rather destroy a miracle than allow it to exist." I returned to the packhouse that evening with more questions than answers. The dining hall was empty, but laughter drifted from the adjoining sitting room. I stopped. Adrian's voice. Then Isabella's. I hadn't intended to listen. But my name made me freeze. "How long are you going to keep pretending this arrangement is acceptable?" Isabella asked. A pause. "What arrangement?" "Seraphina. You know exactly what I mean." I moved closer to the doorway. Adrian sighed. "She's my mate." "And?" "And I have responsibilities." "To a woman who cannot even shift?" My heart began pounding. Adrian didn't answer immediately. Isabella continued. "You're the Alpha of Silvermoon. The other Alphas already question your leadership. Do you really think having a wolf-less Luna will help your reputation?" "Enough." "I'm only trying to help you." "Then stop discussing my mate as though she isn't a person." For one brief moment, hope stirred in my chest. But it died with his next words. "I know what I'm doing, Isabella. I cannot afford to make another mistake." Another mistake. I pressed my hand against my mouth. Isabella's voice softened. "Then perhaps it's time you considered taking a proper Luna." I heard the unmistakable sound of a glass being placed on a table. "There's a daughter of Alpha Sterling," she continued. "She's young, powerful and politically well connected. Her father would gladly support your claim to the northern territories." Adrian said nothing. And somehow, his silence hurt more than any answer could have. I stepped away from the doorway. My chest ached. The mate bond, which had always felt like a warm thread connecting us, suddenly seemed painfully tight. I wanted to run. I wanted to scream. Instead, I walked upstairs. I was halfway through removing my jewellery when Adrian entered our bedroom. He loosened his tie and placed his watch on the dresser. "You were listening." It wasn't a question. I kept my eyes on the mirror. "I wasn't trying to." "Then you shouldn't have stood outside the sitting room." I turned. "Are you planning to replace me?" His expression hardened. "Don't be dramatic." "Is that a yes?" He exhaled sharply. "Seraphina, you know the position I'm in. I'm responsible for thousands of wolves. I cannot make decisions based entirely on feelings." "So our bond means nothing?" "I didn't say that." "Then what am I supposed to understand?" He walked toward the window. "You know how the other Alphas see you." I swallowed. "Yes. I do." "Then you understand why things cannot continue as they are." The room seemed to tilt. "Things?" "Your position. Your inability to shift. The constant questions about my choice of Luna." I stared at him. For a moment, I couldn't recognize the man standing before me. The man who had once kissed my forehead and promised that my weakness would never matter. The man who had told me that I was enough. "Do you still love me?" I whispered. His jaw tightened. "That's not the issue." It was. It was the only issue that mattered. I stepped closer. "Look at me, Adrian." He did. "Do you still love me?" For several seconds, neither of us spoke. Then he looked away. And I understood. Something inside me broke. Not loudly. Not dramatically. It simply stopped reaching for him. Adrian approached the bed and picked up his phone. "Get some rest. We have guests arriving tomorrow." "Who?" He paused at the door. "Alpha Sterling and his daughter." The door closed. I remained standing in the middle of the room. Tomorrow. He was bringing another Alpha and his daughter into our home. Perhaps he intended to introduce her as his future Luna. I walked to the window and looked at the moon. It was unusually bright tonight. Silver light spilled across the gardens, illuminating the trees and the distant training grounds. For the first time in years, I made a wish. Not for Adrian to love me. Not for my wolf to awaken. Not even for the Moon Goddess to explain why I had been born different. I wished for the strength to leave. Then, somewhere deep inside my chest, something stirred. A faint warmth. A whisper. So ancient that it seemed to come from beneath the earth itself. Daughter of the forgotten moon... I staggered backward. My breath caught. The silver light outside my window suddenly intensified. And for one impossible moment, I saw a pair of glowing silver eyes staring back at me from the darkness. Then everything went black.