HIS LOST LUNA

The Coat

The car sped down the gravel road leading away from the Pack House. The morning sun had climbed higher, casting long shadows through the dense forest on either side. Birds sang in the trees. Somewhere in the distance, a river rushed over rocks.

But inside the Bliss family's black sedan, there was no peace.

Fray sat in the back seat, her body rigid with rage. Her fingers gripped the leather seat so hard that her knuckles had turned white. Her jaw was clenched. Her eyes burned.

She seethed with uncontrollable anger.

Curses spilled endlessly from her mouth — words so foul that even Farina, sitting in the passenger seat, flinched at a few of them. Fray did not care. She could not stop herself.

Her sharp heels repeatedly slammed against the floorboard of the moving car. Thump. Thump. Thump. Each violent stomp echoed the fury boiling inside her chest.

"Are you kidding me right now?" Fray snapped hysterically. Her voice cracked. Her face was flushed. "Mum, Dad… what are we going to do now?"

Farina pressed trembling fingers against her forehead. Her eyes were closed. Her breathing remained uneven, shallow — as if she had just run a long distance. She was still struggling to process everything they had learned at the gathering.

The drugging. The unknown girl. The coat. The execution.

And now — the possibility that Fae, the daughter she had always despised, might be connected to the future Alpha.

Farina turned toward her husband desperately.

"It can't be possible, right, Max?" she asked quietly. Her voice was barely a whisper. Pleading. Begging for reassurance that she knew, deep down, he could not give.

Maxwell drove in silence for a long moment. His hands gripped the steering wheel. His eyes stayed fixed on the road ahead.

Then his expression darkened.

The veins along his neck became visible as his jaw clenched tightly. A muscle twitched in his cheek.

"That isn't even the issue anymore," he muttered coldly. His voice was flat — but underneath it, there was something else. Fear. "If we investigate this and it truly belongs to him… then what happens next?"

Fray let out a strangled scream.

She yanked harshly at her own hair, pulling handfuls of black strands between her fingers. Her chest heaved. Her eyes were wild.

She had worked too hard for this.

Too hard.

Years of planning. Years of manipulation. Years of slowly breaking Fae down until there was nothing left but a hollow, obedient shell.

And now — because of one stupid night — everything could collapse.

Fray had always despised her twin sister.

From the moment they were old enough to understand the difference between love and neglect, Fray had known that Fae was special. Not because of anything Fae did — but because of how others reacted to her.

Teachers praised her. Classmates wanted to befriend her. Boys stared at her like she was the moon itself.

And Fray?

Fray was just the other twin. The mean one. The jealous one. The one everyone whispered about behind her back.

To Fray, Fae was nothing more than a weak, wolfless girl. No status. No protection. No real value within the pack.

Worse still, Fray blamed Fae's existence for the near-death experience their mother went through years ago during childbirth. If Fae had never been born, Farina would not have suffered. If Fae had never been born, Fray would have been an only child — the center of attention, the beloved daughter, the jewel of the Bliss family.

And yet somehow — despite being unwanted her entire life — Fae continuously attracted attention without even trying.

Fray remembered it all too clearly.

The lingering stares from boys at school whenever Fae walked through the hallways. They looked at Fae like she was water in a desert. Like she was the only girl in the room.

The unconscious way others gravitated toward her. In group projects, everyone wanted to be on Fae's team. At lunch, there was always an empty seat saved for her — even when she did not ask.

The strange incidents where people defended her even when she remained silent. Fray remembered spreading a rumor that Fae had stolen money from a classmate. Instead of turning against Fae, the classmate had defended her. "Fae wouldn't do that," she had said. "She's not like that."

It infuriated Fray beyond reason.

She had spent years making Fae miserable. She spread rumors about her — that she was cursed, that she had a disease, that she slept with older wolves for money. She convinced students that Fae was dangerous to be around. She manipulated servants into overworking Fae, giving her the heaviest chores, the smallest portions of food, the coldest room in the house.

She did everything possible to crush whatever confidence Fae possessed.

But Fae endured it all quietly.

Without retaliation.

Without hatred.

Without even raising her voice.

And now this?

Pregnant?

Possibly carrying the child of Jax Knox — the future Alpha heir of Blue Moon Pack?

"No… nooooo!" Fray screamed again.

She slammed her palm against the car window so hard that the glass shuddered. A sharp pain shot up her arm, but she did not care.

"This can't happen!"

Maxwell's eyes flicked to the rearview mirror. His gaze was hard.

"We cannot touch the child until we know the truth," he warned firmly. Though anger still burned visibly in his eyes, his voice was controlled. Calculated. "If the child belongs to Jax Knox, then this situation becomes extremely dangerous."

Dangerous was an understatement.

If Fae truly carried Jax's pup, everything would change overnight.

The pack elders would protect her. They had laws for this sort of thing — any wolf carrying an Alpha's blood was sacred, regardless of the mother's rank.

Luna herself would likely favor her. Katie Knox had a reputation for protecting Omegas and** wolves. If she learned that Fae had been mistreated while pregnant with her grandchild…

Even Alpha Drake Knox would have no choice but to acknowledge the child, regardless of Fae's status. A pup was a pup. An heir was an heir.

And Fray's dreams?

Destroyed instantly.

No more being the favored daughter. No more standing at the top of the pack's social ladder. No more looking down on Fae.

Everything she had built — every lie, every manipulation, every cruel act — would mean nothing.

—

The car pulled into the long driveway of the Bliss estate. Gravel crunched under the tires. The old oak trees that lined the path cast dappled shadows across the hood.

The moment the car stopped, Fray practically burst out of the door. She did not wait for her parents. She did not look back.

Her heels clicked furiously against the stone walkway as she stormed toward the grand silver doors of the mansion.

The servants inside immediately lowered their heads nervously as she entered. They had seen Fray angry before — many times — but this was different. This was not the usual petty rage over a broken nail or a canceled shopping trip.

This was something darker.

"Maxine! Karissa!" Fray barked furiously. Her voice echoed off the high ceilings. "Where are you both?"

The frightened maids hurried out almost immediately from the kitchen. Both wore gray uniforms with white aprons. Both had their hands clasped in front of them.

"Here we are, ma'am," they answered in unison. Their voices trembled.

Fray's breathing was ragged. Her chest rose and fell rapidly. Her eyes were wild.

"Where is the coat that slut was wearing when she came home last week?"

Karissa blinked in confusion. Her brow furrowed.

"You told us to dispose of it, ma'am," she said slowly, as if reminding Fray of her own order.

"i***t!" Fray shrieked viciously. She took a step forward, and Karissa flinched. "I know what I said! Now go and bring it back!"

Farina entered behind her daughter, her heels clicking softly on the marble floor. Her face was pale. Dark circles shadowed her eyes.

"Fray, calm down—"

"How can I calm down?" Fray snapped, spinning to face her mother. Her eyes were glassy with unshed tears of rage. "Do you understand what happens if she's truly carrying his child?"

Maxwell entered silently after them. He closed the door behind himself with a soft click. His cold gaze swept across the room — the antique furniture, the crystal chandelier, the portraits of Bliss ancestors hanging on the walls.

"Bring the coat," he ordered. His voice was quiet, but it carried the weight of absolute authority.

"I'll get it immediately, sir," Maxine said quickly before rushing away. Her footsteps pattered down the hallway.

The entire living room fell silent afterward.

Even the ticking of the grand oakwood clock sounded unbearably loud. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Each second stretched into an eternity.

Fray paced restlessly across the marble floor. Her arms were crossed. Her heels clicked in a frantic rhythm.

Memories from a week ago resurfaced in her mind.

That night had been strange from the beginning.

Fae had returned home close to dawn — soaking wet from head to toe, shivering violently, with a large unfamiliar coat wrapped tightly around her body. Fray remembered standing upstairs on the balcony when Robbie had called her.

"The plan failed," Robbie had said. "I never got her into the room. She ran off somewhere. I don't know where she went."

Panic had settled into Fray immediately. She had rushed downstairs — only to find Fae already inside, entering the mansion weakly while their parents stared at her with suspicion.

At the time, Fray had only assumed things had worked out in her favor anyway. Fae was back. She was ruined. The rumors would spread. Her reputation would be destroyed.

But now…

Everything felt different.

Farina looked equally disturbed as she sat down slowly on the velvet couch. Her hands trembled in her lap.

"What if this changes everything?" she whispered under her breath. Her voice was barely audible.

Maxwell exhaled sharply through his nose.

"Then we adapt."

Fray turned toward him in disbelief. Her mouth fell open.

"Adapt?" she repeated incredulously. Her voice rose. "Dad, that girl will destroy everything we've worked for!"

"Lower your voice," Maxwell warned. His eyes flashed.

But Fray was too far gone. The dam had broken.

"She doesn't deserve him!" she shouted. Spittle flew from her lips. "She's weak! Pathetic! Beneath us! She doesn't even have a wolf! What kind of mate would she be for an Alpha?"

Farina hesitated before speaking carefully. Her eyes darted between her husband and her daughter.

"Still… Jax Knox has always been indifferent toward women. He's never shown interest in anyone. What makes her different?"

Fray glared at her mother instantly. Her lip curled.

"Whose side are you on?"

Before Farina could answer, hurried footsteps echoed through the hallway.

Maxine returned, carrying a dark coat carefully in trembling hands. The fabric was folded over her arms. The black color seemed to absorb the light from the chandelier.

"I found it, sir," Maxine said softly.

Without hesitation, Fray snatched it from her.

The coat was heavy — expensive wool blend, lined with something silky. Even after being washed, it looked almost new. The buttons were mother-of-pearl. The collar was trimmed with soft leather.

Fray stared intensely at the coat, her eyes scanning every inch.

Then she frowned.

"Why does it smell like detergent?" she asked sharply. Her nose wrinkled.

The atmosphere shifted instantly.

Maxine stiffened near the doorway. She twisted her fingers together nervously. Her face paled.

"You ordered us to throw it away," she explained softly. Her voice shook. "But it looked expensive and was still in perfect condition. I thought it would be wasteful, so… I had it washed. I wanted to give it to my mate when I returned home next month."

Fray barely listened.

Her attention had already locked onto the coat itself.

Something about it felt important.

Dangerously important.

Her fingers moved across the expensive fabric carefully — searching every seam, every pocket, every inch of lining. There had to be something. A symbol. A crest. A monogram. Anything.

Her heart pounded harder with every passing second.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Within the pack lands, only three academies held true prestige.

Crystal Academy stood above them all — a school reserved for prodigies, heirs, royalty, and families whose wealth was beyond measure. The building was a castle, really — all stone towers and stained glass windows. The tuition cost more than most wolves earned in a lifetime.

Diamond Academy came second. It housed the children of elites, politicians, military officials, and upper-class wolves. The Bliss family had attended Diamond Academy for generations.

That was the academy Fray and Fae attended.

Then came Silver Academy — meant for ordinary business families and lower-ranking nobles. Good school, respectable, but not exceptional.

Jax Knox belonged to Crystal Academy.

So did his twin sister, Celine Knox, Nathan Ross, Serena Vale, and Michael Bliss — Fae and Fray's older brother.

Ironically, Fae should have attended Crystal Academy herself. Her scores had surpassed nearly every applicant during the entrance examinations. The examiners had called her exceptional. Gifted. One in a generation.

But Fray's jealousy had destroyed that opportunity years ago.

She had gone to their father with lies — told him that Fae had cheated on the exams, that she had paid someone to take the test for her, that she could not possibly have scored that high on her own.

Maxwell had believed her.

He always believed her.

The only reason Fae remained in school at all was because of the relentless protection of their grandmother Celeste and older brother Michael. Without them, Fray would have stripped everything away from her twin long ago.

"Did you find something?" Farina asked uneasily after noticing the terrifying stillness in Fray's expression.

Fray's grip tightened around the coat.

Her breathing slowed.

Then stopped completely.

"There's a label," Farina suddenly whispered, leaning closer. Her eyes narrowed. "Look right there. Inside the collar."

Everyone crowded around immediately.

Fray turned the coat inside out.

There, sewn into the lining near the back of the neck, were two small embroidered initials.

JK.

The letters were elegant — silver thread on black fabric, stitched with care. Professional. Expensive.

Silence swallowed the room whole.

Farina's eyes widened first. Her hand flew to her mouth.

"JK…" she whispered shakily. "Jax Knox."

Maxwell frowned immediately. His brow furrowed.

"How can you be certain?" he challenged. "Those could simply be the brand initials. Many designers mark their products."

"No," Fray answered quietly.

Her voice sounded hollow now. Empty. As if all the rage had drained out of her, leaving nothing but cold certainty.

"I've heard students talk about it before. Everything Jax owns is customized. His clothes, his shoes, his belts — all marked with his initials. It's a family tradition. His grandfather started it."

She held the coat up so the initials caught the light.

"This coat belongs to Jax Knox."

The color drained from her face entirely.

Panic erupted instantly.

Maxine covered her mouth with both hands. Her eyes were wide as dinner plates. She backed away from the group as if the coat itself were poisonous.

Farina stumbled backward into the couch. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the cushions. Her hand pressed against her chest.

Even Maxwell looked shaken now.

His composure — the careful control he always maintained — cracked. Just a little. Just enough for his family to see the fear beneath.

Because they all understood exactly what this meant.

The coat belonged to the future Alpha heir of Blue Moon Pack.

And somehow…

Fae had been with him that night.

Fray's knees suddenly gave out beneath her.

She collapsed onto the floor — hard. The impact sent a jolt through her body, but she did not feel it. Her legs had simply stopped working.

The coat slipped from her fingers and landed on the marble tiles with a soft whisper of fabric.

Her breathing became uneven. Her chest heaved. Terrifying thoughts crashed violently through her mind like waves against a cliff.

How had Fae gotten close to Jax Knox?

Had he seen her face?

Did he know who she was?

Was he searching for her right now?

If Jax discovered the truth — if he came to the Bliss mansion and demanded to see Fae — everything Fray had carefully planned for years could crumble overnight.

Because unlike ordinary wolves…

Jax Knox was untouchable.

His family had ruled the Blue Moon Pack for three centuries. Their bloodline was pure. Their power was absolute. Their allies were everywhere.

Jax himself was dangerous — not just because of his strength, but because of his mind. He did not forget slights. He did not forgive betrayals. And he was obsessive about things that belonged to him.

If he ever came searching for the girl who wore that coat…

There would be nowhere left to hide.

Farina looked around nervously. Her eyes darted from Maxwell to Fray to the coat on the floor. Her fingers twisted in her lap.

Finally, she whispered the question haunting all of them.

"So… what do we do now?"

Fray stared at the embroidered initials on the coat.

JK.

Two letters.

Two simple letters that could destroy everything.

For the first time in years…

She was truly afraid.

—

Outside, the sun continued to rise. Golden light spilled through the tall windows of the Bliss mansion, illuminating dust motes that floated in the air.

Birds sang in the trees.

Somewhere in the pack territory, a mother held her rescued daughter. A father sharpened his claws for the execution at sundown. A young Alpha paced the floor of his room, haunted by the memory of a girl he could not find.

And in the shed behind the Bliss estate, Fae slept fitfully, one hand resting on her belly, dreaming of a waterfall and a wolf with black eyes.

None of them knew what was coming.

But the storm was already here.