“The Luna's Awakening”

Chapter 1: The Unseen Bond

The wind howled through the forest, whipping at Kiera’s hair as she made her way to the clearing. Every step felt heavier than the last, each footfall echoing in her chest. She should’ve been stronger. She should’ve been better.

But here she was, walking toward the very place where her heart had been shattered, just a few weeks ago. The mansion loomed ahead like a giant, brooding reminder of everything she had lost.

Kiera stopped at the edge of the clearing, staring at the place where Xavier had once held her, kissed her, told her she was everything. All of that seemed like a far-off fantasy now, one she would never be able to achieve. Still hurting from his rejection, she bawled her fingers into fists at her sides.

She was ready to turn and go away when she heard a voice interrupt. A voice she was all too familiar with.

“Kiera.”

She froze, her breath trapped in her throat.

Xavier.

She was unwilling to look back. After all, she didn't want to confront him in this manner. She gently turned to face him, but her body betrayed her.

He was standing there, tall and commanding, his eyes black with something she couldn't quite identify—guilt? Anger? Regret? Maybe all three. But it didn't matter what it was. He had made his choice.

“What do you want, Xavier?” Kiera's remarks, which were weighed down by everything they had experienced, were hardly audible above a whisper.

For an instant, Xavier's eyes strayed to the floor as if he was attempting to avoid meeting her sight. However, when he looked up, his expression became much more icy than anything he had done before. He went on to remark, "This is not what I asked for. You didn't ask for this," as if the words were painful.

The sound of each word made her heart shatter. "You didn’t ask for me, but you still bound me to you. You still—"

Her words cut off as his eyes hardened.

“No. I didn’t,” he growled. "You weren't called for, Kiera. None of this was something I requested, but it did occur. I'm stuck with it now. You’re not... you’re not what I need.”

It seemed to Kiera that the earth had suddenly vanished beneath her feet. She gasped, her voice barely able to hold itself together, "What are you talking about?" “I’m... I’m your mate, Xavier. I’m carrying your child. Don’t you get it? I need you. I love you. I have always loved you.”

But Xavier stepped back, his jaw tightening as if he were trying to push down everything inside him. His eyes flitted to her stomach, and then—almost dismissively—he turned away. “I don’t have room for love, Kiera. Not with what I’ve lost. Not with her.”

At the mention of her name, he recoiled. Kiera's gut began to turn around in a knot of pain and jealousy. "I apologize," Xavier said in a quiet voice. "I can no longer do this. Kiera, I told you already.You’re not her. You’re not... what I need.”

“What you need?” With her eyes full of tears she would not let fall, Kiera stepped forward, her voice trembling. "Xavier, you have been harboring her ghost for years. And now... now you’re going to throw me away too? Just like that? Like I was nothing?”

Xavier didn't do anything to stop her, even though his face was a mask of pain. He repeated, "I apologize," in a voice that was hardly audible above a whisper. But this is not working.How to make it work is beyond me.

Kiera's hands were now shaking and squeezed so tightly that her nails were digging into her palms. “I’ve tried, Xavier. I’ve tried for you. I’ve tried for us. But you... you’ve never seen me. Not really. I was just... a substitute. A placeholder for her.”

Her words stung, but they felt true.

Xavier’s shoulders sagged, and he seemed to struggle with himself before speaking again. “I never meant to hurt you. But you don’t understand. You don’t know what she meant to me.”

“Then let her go!” Kiera shouted, the words finally breaking free. “She’s dead, Xavier! You can’t keep holding onto someone who’s gone! You’re hurting me... and yourself.”

Xavier remained motionless for a considerable amount of time, seemingly paralyzed by her remarks. He didn't even look at her or say he was sorry. He just gazed off into the distance as if he were in a completely different place.

Kiera stood there in the center of the clearing, feeling more alone than she had ever felt before, while Xavier turned around and began to leave, as if the last remnant of his willpower had finally crumbled.

“Xavier!” Kiera let out a cry, but he continued.

The ensuing hush was oppressive. Kiera fell to her knees, tears that she would not let go clouding her vision.How could he do this to her? How could he reject their child so easily? How could he still choose Maya over her?

A deep, smooth, but unquestionably powerful voice spoke before she could respond to the rustle behind her.

"This is not enough for you."

A tall, dark-haired man Kiera had never seen before appeared as her head sprang up and her eyes startled. Her heart pounded as his icy, calculating eyes studied her.

“Who are you?” Kiera demanded, her voice still trembling from the conversation she had just endured.

The man didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he stepped closer, his presence overwhelming. “Alpha Reign,” he said, his voice rich with authority. “And I think you’ve had enough of him.”

Kiera swallowed hard, every instinct in her telling her to run, but something in his gaze held her in place. “I’m not interested in—”

“You’re not interested?” Reign interrupted, his voice dangerously smooth."I don't give a damn about your interests. But I know what you need.” He paused, stepping closer until he was standing just inches away. “You need a future. You require a someone who accepts you for who you truly are. And I can give you that, Kiera.”

Breathing became difficult for her. "What are you looking for from me?"

Reign's eyes darkened, perhaps with a challenge or want, but he didn't smile. "You're wasting your time with someone who is too damaged to love you, and I want you to stop.You should also quit believing that you are unworthy.”

Kiera’s chest tightened. “I’m not interested in you, either.”

Reign’s eyes flashed, a smirk pulling at the corners of his lips. “Funny. I didn’t think you were interested in him either. Yet here you are.”

Her heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean?"

Reign tilted his head, studying her with a calculating look. “You still want him, don’t you? But let me make this clear, Kiera. I can offer you what he never could.”

The implications of the words were heavy, and they hovered in the air. As Kiera's reality changed once more, but in a completely unexpected way, she felt her breath catch.

Her phone rang in her pocket before she could reply, bringing her back to the present. Anticipating a message from Rian, she looked at the screen. Instead, a strange number appeared on the screen, and a video started playing, making her heart sink.

Her fingers shook as she clicked it open.

It was Xavier. And Maya.

Together.

The video showed Xavier, his face torn with emotion, standing before Maya. The camera wavered, but Kiera could clearly make out the look in Xavier’s eyes—it wasn’t love. It was guilt. And regret. But it was also something else.

Maya moved close to Xavier, her sneer clearly visible. Her quiet but sinister tone reverberated in Kiera's ears.

“I’ll make sure Kiera never has a place in this world again.”

The screen went black.

Kiera’s pulse pounded in her ears as she stood frozen, the weight of the video crushing down on her.

As she stood there, the blood drained from her face, her heart heavy with disbelief. Reign, watching her intently, said nothing—but his gaze seemed to hold the promise of something darker, something that Kiera could no longer ignore.

“Seems like you’ve got bigger problems than you thought, Kiera,” Reign murmured.