The Luna He Discarded

Chapter5:The Pregnancy

Liora's POV

I was on my knees scrubbing at a stubborn patch of dirt near the courtyard steps when the sound of an engine pulled my attention up.

A sleek black car rolled to a stop just outside the gate, and my whole body went still the moment I recognized it.Kaius's car.

I stayed crouched where I was, my hands frozen mid motion, watching as the driver stepped out and opened the back door. Selene emerged first, smoothing down her dress, and then Kaius stepped out behind her.

His eyes found me almost immediately, like some part of him already knew exactly where to look. We stared at each other for a moment longer than either of us probably meant to, something unreadable passing across his face, before he quickly looked away, clearing his throat and turning his attention back to Selene.

I went back to scrubbing the step, my chest tight, refusing to let myself watch anymore.But I couldn't help glancing up one more time as they said their goodbyes.

Selene wrapped her arms around him in a hug, and there was something strange about the way they held each other, the hug looked a bit forced, like two people performing affection rather than feeling it.

Kaius's hand rested lightly on her back, almost hesitant, and when they pulled apart his expression looked more like relief than reluctance to let her go.

I didn't have time to think too much about what that might mean. He got back into the car without looking my way again, and it drove off into the road, leaving a trail of dust behind it.

Selene turned and walked toward the chambers, and the head maid was already rushing forward to greet her with the kind of excitement reserved for someone important.

"Welcome, Luna, welcome" the head maid said, practically bowing as she led Selene inside.

I stood up slowly, wiping my hands on my apron, and followed behind at a respectful distance because the head maid had already made it clear earlier that I would be the one serving her for the day.

The chambers buzzed with quiet excitement the rest of the morning, everyone eager to please the woman who would one day be their official Luna. I kept my expression neutral and did exactly what I was told, bringing tea, arranging fresh flowers in her room, fetching whatever small thing she requested.

By midday I was carrying a tray of food into the small dining area where she sat waiting, and the moment the smell hit me, something turned violently in my stomach.

I barely managed to set the tray down before my body lurched, the nausea rising up so fast I didn't even have time to excuse myself properly. I dropped the tray onto the table, food sliding sideways, and rushed out of the room with my hand pressed tightly over my mouth.

I made it to the bathroom just in time, my body heaving over the sink as everything I had eaten that morning came back up, I vomited everything. I gripped the edges of the sink tightly, my whole body trembling, sweat breaking out across my forehead despite the chill in the room.

What was wrong with me?

I had felt off for the past few days, tired in a way that sleep didn't seem to fix, but I had told myself it was just stress, just everything that had happened piling up at once. This felt different. This felt like something my body was trying to tell me.

I splashed cold water on my face and stared at my reflection in the small mirror above the sink, my eyes wide and scared, my mind already racing through possibilities I didn't want to consider yet.

I heard footsteps approaching outside the door, followed by the unmistakable sound of the head maid's voice, sharp and irritated, asking one of the other girls where I had gone off to.

I couldn't let her find me like this. Not now.

I quickly wiped my face dry, smoothed down my apron, and slipped out of the bathroom through the side door before the head maid rounded the corner, ducking into the hallway and making my way back toward my room instead of returning to serve Selene.

I told myself I would explain it later, that I had felt sick, that anyone could understand that. But my mind wasn't really on the head maid anymore. It was stuck on the question circling over and over in my head, refusing to let me think about anything else.

I waited until the chambers had quieted down for the evening before slipping out one more time, this time toward the small shop a few streets away that sold basic supplies to the women in the breeder quarters. I kept my hood up and my eyes down the entire walk there, buying what I needed quickly and shoving it deep into my bag before anyone could see what it was.

Back in my room, with the door locked and Wren still out helping with evening chores, I sat on the edge of my bed for a long time just staring at the small box in my hands before I finally found the courage to use it.

The wait afterward felt like the longest few minutes of my life. I sat frozen on the edge of the bed, my knees bouncing slightly, my mind refusing to settle on any single thought for more than a second before jumping to the next one.

Finally, I made myself stand and walk over to where I had set the pregnancy strip down.I picked it up slowly, my hand shaking so badly the small piece of plastic rattled slightly between my fingers.

I stared down at it.My breath caught somewhere deep in my chest, and I stood there in the middle of my small room, completely frozen, the strip held tightly between trembling fingers, fear settling into every part of me at once. I felt my heart pounding really hard in my chest as I stared at the pregnancy test strip.