My Alpha Mate Chose His Ex—So I Burned the Moon

you lost us

I pushed the door open.

The sight inside hit me like a physical blow.

Kael was on top of another woman. His hands gripped her hips. His face was buried in her neck, inhaling her scent deeply, like a starving wolf finally fed. The woman beneath him arched toward him, her nails digging into his back, her lips parted in pleasure.

I could smell it instantly. s*x. Heat. Another she-wolf’s pheromones thick in the air.

My legs locked.

My heart stopped.

So this was the business he could not leave.

This was why he did not come.

This was why I screamed alone in a hospital bed while our son fought to live.

My wolf, Mira, roared inside me. Her growl tore through my chest, violent and feral, demanding blood, demanding retribution. My claws burned beneath my skin, itching to rip and shred. My vision blurred, tears and fury mixing until I could barely breathe.

I opened my mouth to scream.

Before a sound escaped, Kael lifted his head.

His eyes met mine.

He did not flinch.

He did not panic.

He did not look guilty.

He slowly pulled away from the woman beneath him, rose from the bed, and reached for a robe. He tied it around his waist with calm, practiced movements, as if this was an ordinary evening interrupted by nothing important.

Then he walked toward me.

He stopped a few steps away, his gaze flicking briefly to the bundle in my arms.

“Lyra,” he said calmly. “You’re back.”

The words shattered something inside me.

I stared at him, my body shaking, my arms tightening around Eryx as if he might vanish too. My voice came out raw and broken.

“You were not there,” I said. “I was bleeding. I was screaming. I was giving birth to your son.”

Kael’s face did not change.

“I had matters to handle,” he replied.

A sharp laugh tore from my throat, ugly and full of pain. “Matters?” I demanded. “This was the matter?”

He exhaled slowly, like I was exhausting him.

“Lyra,” he said, “calm yourself.”

That was it.

Something inside me snapped.

“Do not tell me to calm myself,” I said, my voice shaking but loud. “I almost died. Our child almost died. I was alone.”

My wolf pushed against my control, snarling, furious. My claws slid halfway out before I forced them back.

Kael shrugged.

A simple, careless movement.

“Because this union was never about love,” he said. “It was duty. The elders forced it. You were chosen for me. Not by me.”

Each word cut deeper than the last.

He turned slightly and gestured toward the bed.

“Seraphina,” he said. “She is my chosen one.”

The woman on the bed sat up slowly.

She was beautiful. Tall. Strong. Her hair fell loosely around her shoulders. Confidence rolled off her like armor. She rose without shame, pulled a sheet around herself, and walked toward us.

She stopped beside Kael and placed her hands on his shoulders possessively.

“You see,” she said, her voice smooth and cruel, “you were never worth it, Lyra.”

The room tilted.

“You made Kael break up with me,” Seraphina continued. “The elders chose you because they thought you were his fated mate. But he has always loved me.”

I felt like I was drowning.

My chest burned. My vision darkened at the edges. I looked down at Eryx, at his tiny face, at his peaceful sleep, unaware that his world was already breaking.

“You knew I was pregnant,” I whispered to Kael. “You knew tonight was dangerous.”

Kael looked at me like I was discussing weather.

“Pregnancy is a risk,” he said. “Weakness is not attractive in a Luna.”

The words struck harder than any blow.

Seraphina smirked.

“You were always too soft,” she added. “Too hopeful. He needed someone strong. Someone who understands power.”

I laughed again, but this time there was no humor in it.

“I carried his child,” I said. “I lost two before this. I begged you to come home.”

Kael’s jaw tightened slightly, the first sign of irritation.

“You were emotional,” he said. “That is your nature.”

My wolf howled.

I took a step forward.

Seraphina stiffened but did not move her hands from Kael.

“Get away from him,” she warned.

I ignored her.

I looked at Kael, really looked at him, and finally understood.

There was nothing inside him.

No bond.

No remorse.

No love.

“You chose this,” I said quietly. “You chose her over me. Over your son.”

Kael glanced at Eryx again, briefly.

“He will be provided for,” he said. “That is all that matters.”

Something cold spread through my veins.

“That is not love,” I said. “That is ownership.”

Seraphina laughed softly. “You sound pathetic.”

I turned my eyes to her, and she faltered.

My storm-gray eyes were no longer warm.

They were sharp. Dangerous.

“You are standing in my home,” I said. “You are breathing the air of my child.”

She lifted her chin. “And soon, this will be my home.”

Kael did not correct her.

The silence confirmed everything.

Tears finally spilled, hot and unstoppable, but my voice remained steady.

“I gave you everything,” I said. “I broke myself trying to be enough.”

Kael did not answer.

Seraphina leaned closer to him, pressing her body against his side.

“You were never enough,” she said. “And you never will be.”

Mira roared.

My claws snapped out fully this time. The air vibrated with my barely restrained power.

Eryx stirred in my arms, making a small sound.

That sound saved them.

I inhaled slowly, forcing my wolf back, forcing control.

I looked at my son.

Then I looked at Kael.

Kael scoffed. “You will calm down. You always do.”

I smiled.

It scared him.

“No,” I said. “Not anymore.”

I turned away as I walked out of the room.