Resurrected by vengeance

Lyra Vance "You’re pregnant, Luna." "What… what did you say?" No. I must have misheard. The Goddess couldn’t possibly be this kind to me. For three years, they called me barren, wolfless, and useless. At night, I pressed my hands against my stomach and prayed for a child who never came. "Are you sure?" I gripped the edge of his desk. "Please, Doctor. I need to know you're certain." He pushed the report across, smiling. "Three weeks pregnant, Luna. I checked twice. Congratulations." The paper shook in my hands. I read the word POSITIVE twice before tears blurred the letters. I covered my mouth, but a sob escaped. I was going to be a mother. Me. Lyra, the wolfless girl they said could never give an Alpha an heir. After all the humiliation. An Elder once told me to my face at a Luna meeting, "A Luna without a wolf and without a pup is just a maid with a ring." The other Lunas laughed. Knox sat right there. He said nothing. He just looked away. At home, I sometimes ran the bath so Knox wouldn't hear me crying. Today, I finally had news worth celebrating. I pressed both hands to my stomach, as if I could already protect my baby. "You've lost weight, Luna. Please take care of yourself and the baby." "I will," I promised. I hurried to the carriage as fast as my shaking legs could carry me. “Take me home quickly,” I told the driver. I couldn't wait to share the news with Knox. During the whole ride, my hand never left my stomach. I imagined his face. Would his cold eyes finally soften? Would he pull me into his chest as he used to during our first months, when he would wait for me at dinner, when he walked me through the gardens and whispered that the Moon Goddess doesn't make mistakes? Then he changed. Cold bed. Empty chairs at dinner. Silence that lasted weeks. Whenever I asked, "Knox, what did I do?" he said, "Pack responsibilities," and left me standing alone. I believed him. Because it hurt less to believe he was busy than to believe he stopped loving me. I wanted to believe our baby would bring him back. When the carriage stopped, two guards bowed. "Is the Alpha home?" "In his study, Luna." My heart slammed against my ribs. I flew up the stairs. Halfway down the corridor, I collided with a servant carrying tea. The cups rattled. "Forgive me, Luna!" she gasped, but her eyes darted to the study door in panic. "Luna, he's occupied. Please, maybe you should return later." I smiled through tears, too happy to hear the warning. "I only need a moment, I promise." I walked past her without another thought. I knocked, breathless, smiling, tears still on my lashes. "Knox? It's me. I have wonderful news—" No answer. Then a woman laughed inside the study. I knew that laugh. Seraphina? My elder sister. What was she doing inside my husband's private study? "You're terrible," she giggled. "Come here," Knox replied. My hand froze mid-knock at that warmth. Oh Goddess, that warmth in his voice. I had begged for that warmth for a year. I cried for it. "Someone might come in," she whispered. "Let them." "Even your wife?" I held my breath, waiting for my husband to defend me. "Don't ruin the moment by mentioning Lyra." Something inside my chest, something I had held together for three years, cracked. Then I heard them kissing. My fingers went numb. I pushed the door open. Seraphina was on his lap, her dress pulled up to her thighs, her arms locked around his neck. His large hands were gripping her waist as he devoured her mouth. My handbag slipped from my fingers and hit the floor. They sprang apart. Seraphina looked startled, but then she smiled. Knox stared at me, not with guilt, but with irritation. "Lyra?" "What are you doing?" I caught the doorframe to steady myself. "Knox, what are you doing to us?" Seraphina slid off his lap lazily. "You're back early, little sister." "Knox, tell me there's an explanation." He stood and buttoned his shirt, his face cold. "Lyra, lower your voice. You're making a scene." "A scene?" My scream cracked in half. "You're kissing my sister! In our home!" Seraphina rolled her eyes. "Must you make everything about yourself? You always cry, Lyra. It's exhausting." I turned to her, my heart shredding. "You're my sister! I cried to you about my marriage! I laid my head on your lap and cried about him!" "And?" She tilted her head and smiled. "How long have you been sleeping with my husband?" "Would knowing make you feel better, barren Luna?" The word barren from her made me double over. "Knox, please," I sobbed, reaching for him. "Look at me. Tell me why I was never enough." He took Seraphina's hand tighter and looked at me with pure disgust. "Since you've discovered the truth, there's no reason to keep pretending." "Was any of it real?" I asked. "Stop embarrassing yourself! Seraphina isn't the other woman, Lyra. You are." "What about our vows? What about our marriage?" "What marriage? The only mistake I ever made was putting a ring on your finger instead of hers." I gripped the edge of the desk. My hand flew to my stomach. Our baby. He didn't know he just called his own child a mistake. For one desperate second, I wanted to scream I'm pregnant! But what if he said our baby was a mistake too? I bent, sobbing, to retrieve my handbag. The pregnancy report slipped halfway out, the bold word POSITIVE staring up. Before I could hide it, Seraphina's gaze dropped. Her triumphant smile vanished. Her eyes narrowed, locked on my stomach. She crouched slowly beside me where I knelt on the floor, picked up the paper between two fingers like it was dirty, and leaned close to my ear so only I could hear. "You know Knox will never let a wolfless, barren Luna give him an heir, Lyra," she whispered, sweet like poison. "You will lose this baby. One way or another." I covered my stomach with both hands. She stood, slid the report into Knox's hand, and smiled. "Knox, darling," she said loudly, "I think you should see what your wife brought home."