HIS FATHER'S LUNA

The pain hit before I opened the door. At first, it was only a dull ache beneath my ribs. A strange pressure. The kind that made it difficult to breathe. I slowed my pace as I crossed the marble hallway of the Alpha House, pressing a hand against my chest. Something felt wrong. Terribly wrong. My wolf, Nyra, stirred uneasily inside me. Do you feel that? she whispered. I nodded to myself. Every step forward made the pain worse. As if an invisible hand was tightening around my heart. Tonight was supposed to be perfect. In less than a month, Ethan and I would officially complete our Luna Ceremony. After years of dreaming about it, after years of loving him, I was finally going to become Luna of the Mooncrest Pack. Or so I thought. "Ethan?" I called softly. No answer. The house was unusually quiet. Most of the pack members were gathered in the training grounds for evening drills. Ethan had told me he needed to finish paperwork with his father. That was why I came looking for him. To surprise him. To spend a little time together. Maybe discuss the ceremony. Maybe talk about our future. A future that now felt strangely distant. The ache intensified. I stopped. My breathing became uneven. Nyra growled. Something is wrong. I inhaled deeply. Immediately, a familiar scent filled my senses. Ethan. But there was another scent mixed with his. Sweet. Floral. Painfully familiar. Sophia. My younger sister. Confusion flashed through me. Why would Sophia be here? At this hour? And in Ethan's private wing? I continued walking. Slowly. The closer I got, the stronger the scents became. My stomach twisted. My heart began pounding. No. No. There had to be another explanation. Sophia and Ethan had known each other for years. Of course they spent time together. They were practically family. I was overthinking. That's all. Yet Nyra remained tense. Aria... I ignored her warning. I couldn't explain why. Maybe because some part of me already knew the truth. And was desperately trying to avoid it. Then I heard it. A laugh. A soft feminine laugh. Sophia's laugh. Coming from Ethan's bedroom. The world seemed to stop. Every sound disappeared. Every thought vanished. My entire body went cold. No. No. No. My hand trembled as I reached the door. The mate bond pulsed violently. Pain shot through my chest. A warning. A desperate warning. But I opened the door anyway. And my life shattered. The room blurred. For several seconds, my mind refused to process what I was seeing. Ethan. Sophia. In his bed. Together. Half-dressed. Their bodies tangled beneath dark sheets. My mate. My sister. My entire future. Destroyed in a single heartbeat. Sophia saw me first. Her eyes widened. The color drained from her face. "Aria—" Ethan turned. Everything froze. The expression on his face told me everything. Shock. Guilt. Panic. Not innocence. Never innocence. The mate bond cracked. The pain was unlike anything I had ever experienced. It felt as though someone had ripped open my chest and reached directly into my soul. A scream tore from my throat. I stumbled backward. My knees nearly gave out. "Aria..." Ethan jumped from the bed. But I couldn't hear him properly. Blood roared inside my ears. My vision blurred with tears. I stared at him. The man I had loved since childhood. The man the Moon Goddess had supposedly chosen for me. The man who promised forever. And suddenly I didn't recognize him at all. "Ethan," I whispered. My voice sounded broken. Foreign. "Tell me this isn't real." Silence. That silence hurt more than any confession. Because if there had been an explanation— Any explanation— He would have given it. Instead, he simply stared at me. Guilty. Ashamed. Caught. Sophia wrapped the blanket around herself. Tears filled her eyes. "I'm sorry." The laugh that escaped me sounded insane. Sorry? That was all she had? Sorry? After twenty-two years of being my sister? After every secret shared? Every birthday? Every memory? Sorry? Nyra exploded inside my mind. Kill them. The rage shocked me. But it was there. Hot. Violent. Primal. For one horrifying second, I imagined shifting. Imagined tearing the room apart. Imagined making them hurt exactly the way they had hurt me. "Aria, please listen." Ethan stepped forward. I immediately stepped back. The movement made him flinch. Good. For once, let him feel pain. "Listen to what?" I asked. My voice was frighteningly calm now. The tears had stopped. The screaming had stopped. Something inside me had broken. And what remained was far colder. "It wasn't supposed to happen." The words hit harder than a slap. Not because he cheated. But because he sounded sorry he got caught. Not sorry he did it. My stomach twisted with disgust. "It wasn't supposed to happen?" I repeated. "Ethan, you've slept with my sister." His face darkened. "I made a mistake." "A mistake?" I laughed again. "Spilling coffee is a mistake." His jaw tightened. "Aria—" "No." The single word silenced him. I looked toward Sophia. She couldn't even meet my eyes. Coward. The realization hurt. Because despite everything, I loved her. Or at least I thought I did. Apparently I had been the only one. "You know what the worst part is?" I asked quietly. Neither of them answered. "I trusted both of you." The room fell silent. "I defended you when people criticized you, Sophia." Her shoulders shook. "I believed every promise you ever made, Ethan." His eyes closed. "And now I find you in bed together." The mate bond cracked again. This time I physically doubled over. Pain exploded through my chest. I gasped. Nyra howled. The sound echoed through my mind. The bond was dying. Breaking. A fate worse than death for most wolves. Because a mate bond wasn't just love. It was destiny. A piece of your soul. And mine was being ripped away. Ethan rushed forward. "Aria!" "Don't touch me!" The force of my scream made him stop. For the first time since I entered the room, fear appeared in his eyes. Real fear. Good. Maybe now he understood. Maybe now he realized what he had destroyed. I slowly straightened. My entire body trembled. But I refused to collapse. Not in front of them. Never in front of them. I wiped my tears. Lifted my chin. And looked directly into Ethan's eyes. The eyes I once loved. The eyes I now hated. "I spent years loving you." His face paled. "I would have given you everything." "Aria..." "I would have died for you." The guilt in his expression deepened. Too late. Far too late. I turned toward the door. "Where are you going?" he asked. I paused. Without looking back. Without giving him the satisfaction. Then I spoke. "You'll regret this." The room fell silent. The certainty in my voice frightened even me. Because I meant it. Every word. One day he would regret everything. Every lie. Every betrayal. Every moment that led to tonight. And when that day came— I wouldn't save him. I walked away. Down the staircase. Across the empty corridors. Out into the cold night air. The moment I stepped outside, my composure shattered. Tears streamed down my face. The moon hung high above the pack lands. Bright. Beautiful. Cruel. I collapsed onto my knees. Nyra's grief consumed me. The mate bond continued breaking. Piece by piece. The pain was unbearable. I pressed a hand against my chest. Trying to hold myself together. Trying not to fall apart completely. But heartbreak doesn't care about pride. It doesn't care about dignity. It simply destroys. Minutes passed. Maybe hours. I wasn't sure. Then suddenly— A strange sensation crawled across my skin. The unmistakable feeling of being watched. Every instinct sharpened. I slowly lifted my head. And froze. Across the courtyard stood a man. Tall. Broad-shouldered. Powerful. The moonlight illuminated his sharp features. His dark coat moved slightly in the wind. Silver eyes watched me from the shadows. Alpha Damien Thorn. Ethan's father. The Alpha King of Mooncrest. The most feared Alpha in the region. My breath caught. How long had he been standing there? How much had he seen? The answer came immediately. Everything. He had seen my humiliation. My heartbreak. My collapse. For a moment neither of us spoke. Neither of us moved. The air itself seemed charged. Dangerous. Then something unexpected happened. His gaze softened. Only slightly. Barely noticeable. But enough. Enough for me to see. Not pity. Not sympathy. Something else. Something darker. Something far more dangerous. Interest. Possession. Desire. The realization sent a strange shiver down my spine. And for the first time since my world shattered— Nyra fell completely silent. As if she, too, had noticed the way the Alpha was looking at us. As if she understood something I didn't. Something that was about to change everything.