THE LUNA THEY CAST AWAY

The day everything fell apart didn't begin with screaming. It began with hope. I stood in front of the mirror, smoothing the wrinkles from my pale blue dress as my wolf purred softly inside me. "He'll notice you today," she whispered. "I hope so." It had been weeks since Alpha Rowan Blackwood had looked at me the way he used to. Before the council meetings. Before the endless patrols. Before grief settled over our home after his older brother died in battle. I picked up the tray from the kitchen, balancing two steaming cups of coffee and his favorite honey bread. It was a silly routine, but one I'd kept since we were newly mated three years ago. Even when he forgot to thank me. Even when he barely smiled anymore. Love wasn't always grand gestures. Sometimes it was simply staying. The front door creaked open. "Rowan?" I called with a smile. Heavy boots crossed the marble floor. Then another pair of footsteps followed. Lighter. Slower. My smile faded. When I stepped into the foyer, Rowan stood there with rain dripping from his dark hair. Beside him was a young woman wrapped in a soaked gray cloak. She looked exhausted, her red-rimmed eyes fixed on the ground. Clinging tightly to her hand was a little boy, no older than five. His curls were damp from the rain, and he hid behind her legs. I stopped walking. For a moment, no one spoke. Finally, Rowan cleared his throat. "This is Lillian." I frowned. "My brother's wife." A painful silence settled between us. His brother, Ethan, had been killed on the northern border only four months ago. I remembered the funeral. The pack mourned for days. Lillian hadn't attended. People said grief had left her too broken to leave her home. Now she was here. Rowan's expression softened as he looked at the frightened child. "And this is Noah." The little boy peeked at Rowan before reaching for his hand. Without hesitation, Rowan lifted him into his arms. The child buried his face against Rowan's shoulder as if he'd done it a hundred times before. Something inside my chest tightened. "They'll be staying here," Rowan said. I blinked. "Staying?" "Their territory isn't safe anymore." I looked from him to Lillian. "How long?" "For as long as they need." The answer came so quickly that I realized the decision had already been made. No discussion. No asking. No consideration that this was my home too. Lillian finally spoke. "I'm sorry for imposing." Her voice was quiet and shaky. "I didn't know where else to go." Before I could answer, Rowan cut in. "Prepare the east wing." I stared at him. "The servants can—" "No." His eyes met mine. "I want you to make sure they're comfortable." It wasn't a request. It was an order. I swallowed the lump in my throat. "As you wish, Alpha." For the first time since we'd been mated... I didn't call him my mate. --- The following weeks passed in strange silence. Lillian was kind. Too kind to hate. She always thanked me for meals. She apologized whenever she felt she was in the way. The problem wasn't her. It was Rowan. He laughed again. Not with me. With Noah. Every evening, he carried the little boy through the gardens. He taught him how to carve wooden wolves. He lifted him onto his shoulders during patrols. I'd never seen him smile so often. One afternoon I stood at the nursery window, watching them. Noah squealed with laughter as Rowan pretended to lose a race. Lillian laughed too. For a moment... They looked like a family. A sharp ache settled in my chest. Three years. Three years of praying for a child. Three years of herbs, healers, and whispered blessings beneath the full moon. Nothing. Every month ended the same. Disappointment. Tears. Silence. Rowan never blamed me. He simply stopped talking about children altogether. Until Noah arrived. --- The Harvest Moon Festival arrived sooner than expected. It was the most important celebration of the year. Every Alpha danced with his Luna beneath the moon to renew their bond before the entire pack. I wore the silver gown Rowan had once said made me look like moonlight itself. As I entered the square, dozens of pack members smiled politely. Some bowed. Others whispered. I ignored them. Rowan stood near the ceremonial fire. When our eyes met, I waited for him to walk toward me. Instead... A child's cry broke the silence. Noah had tripped over a stone. Before anyone else could react, Rowan rushed forward. He scooped the little boy into his arms. "Easy there." "I'm okay," Noah sniffled. Rowan smiled. "Brave boy." Lillian placed a grateful hand on Rowan's arm. "Thank you." Their fingers lingered together for only a second. But I noticed. So did everyone else. Around me, whispers spread through the crowd. "They look perfect together." "Poor Lillian has suffered enough." "Noah needs a father." Someone laughed quietly. "Maybe the Moon Goddess chose the wrong Luna." My blood ran cold. I searched Rowan's face. Waiting. Begging. Praying. Tell them they're wrong. Tell them I'm your Luna. Tell them I'm your wife. Instead... He said nothing. The silence was louder than any words. When the ceremonial dance began, Rowan was late joining me. By then... Something inside me had cracked. --- That night, I couldn't sleep. The moonlight spilled across the floor as I stood on the balcony overlooking the forest. My wolf was restless. "Something is coming," she whispered. I frowned. "What do you mean?" Before she could answer, a powerful howl echoed through the mountains. It wasn't from any wolf in our pack. It was deeper. Ancient. Commanding. Every wolf in Blackwood territory froze. Even Rowan rushed onto the balcony beside me. His face had gone pale. "Impossible..." "What is it?" I asked. He didn't answer. His eyes remained fixed on the dark forest beyond our borders. Then another howl split the night. Closer this time. And somewhere in the darkness... Two glowing golden eyes opened. Watching me. Not Rowan. Me.