The golden Luna Doctor

Prologue

Helen slipped out of her extravagant bed quietly, her heart racing. Despite hearing her husband's heavy breathing beside her, she knew she couldn't only rely on the copious amounts of alcohol he had consumed at dinner. With his wolfish enhanced hearing, he could awaken at any moment.

She had to be quick, there was no second to lose.

Peering into the dimly lit corridors, she confirmed that the guards were not in place, just as she had instructed. At the top of the stairs, she saw Pierce, with his broad figure and his thick chestnut hair, awaiting her.

"Come on, my love," he murmured, gently grasping her hand, after placing a soft kiss on her temple.

They descended the stairs carefully, ensuring no noise was made.

"This way," Pierce directed, tugging her along. "My men are stationed outside."

"No, I must take Hyp with me. I won't leave without him," she insisted, shaking her long blond hair.

He knew she shared a strong bond with the young boy, but staying in the house for even a moment longer would only increase the danger. His main concern was ensuring the safety of the beautiful woman he loved. "But my love, this will make things even more difficult. You know that witch watches over him like a hawk, and her bedroom is right next to his."

"I don't care. He's my son, even if I didn't give birth to him." Helen declared firmly, her lips forming a thin line as she stood on her ground, feet firmly planted on the floor.

He knew better than to go against that fiery, stubborn woman. With reluctance, Pierce conceded. "Alright, but hurry. They'll soon realize we're gone."

She rushed to her son's bedroom door, her lover's grip firm around her hand. But before she could reach for it, her husband's frame appeared in front of hers, knocking the air out of her lungs.

"Going somewhere, Helen?" he sneered. "Did you really think I wouldn't sense you sneaking out in the middle of the night?"

"Let me go, Menelaus. I'm leaving you, and I'm taking my boy with me." She answered, trying to sound firm, but her voice wavered slightly.

"No, you're not. You are my wife, MY MATE!" he roared, narrowing his eyes into a ferocious, intense glare.

Pierce pulled Helen behind his body in a protective stance. "You're a terrible mate, Menelaus. That's why she no longer loves you. It's time to accept her rejection once and for all and set her free."

"NEVER! Take your hands off her!" Menelaus roared at Pierce, his voice reverberating through the corridors.

The air was thick with tension. The two men locked eyes in a silent challenge, each ready to strike.

Helen watched them, caught between her sense of duty as a wife and her newfound love. She realized she needed to act quickly to prevent a fight.

Stepping out from behind Pierce, she confronted her husband. "It's over, Menelaus. I'm pregnant. I'm leaving with Pierce to start a new life."

Helen was terrified of her husband. However, she had to protect her baby at all costs.

"You are out of your mind if you think I'll let you go with my pup inside your belly. You are MINE, Helen" he spat, eyes blazing with fury and desperation.

"It's. not. your. pup!" She declared, each word cutting through Menelaus' cold heart. "You know very well that you haven't touched me for a long time. Pierce is the baby's father."

"You w.hore!" He lunged at her throat, his big hands squeezing it.

Upon seeing that scene, Pierce lost it. He wouldn't allow Menelaus to harm the love of his life or his unborn child. The calm that he was holding for a thread snapped, and he pounced at him, shifting midair.

As a huge brown wolf collided with him, Menelaus stumbled backward, releasing Helen's neck. Without hesitation, he shifted and charged at his adversary. The two wolves grappled fiercely, rolling on the ground in a violent struggle.

Finally free, Helen gasped for breath. Caught in the middle of this intense confrontation, she could only watch as her husband and the man she loved faced off against each other.

She knew she had to act, so she started to recite the same words she had spoken a few months earlier. "I, Helen Stark, Luna of the Silver Moon pack, reject you, Menelaus Stark, alpha of the Silver Moon pack."

She was aware he wouldn't accept her rejection, just as he hadn't before. But at least, he would experience a wave of pain strong enough to give Pierce some leverage.

Menelaus staggered sideways in agony, and Pierce seized the moment to leap at his neck. His powerful teeth sank into Menelaus's flesh, snapping his neck with lethal force. The colossal black wolf of the Silver Moon Pack collapsed lifelessly onto the floor.

Behind him, Helen realized for the first time that the door to her son's bedroom was ajar, and the black-haired boy stood at the entrance.

"Come here, sweetie," she extended her arm for him to grasp it.

The walls of the pack house reverberated with the sound of hurried footsteps as Menelaus' and Pierce's men stormed into the hall. As they took the scene before them, confusion was evident in their eyes.

"Mommy?" The boy's striking blue eyes glistened as he asked, his lips quivering.

"It's okay, Hyp. Mommy will take you somewhere safe," Helen told him, but before she could reach his hand, a woman with long red hair pulled the boy behind her.

"You can leave now, Helen, but you'll never bring Hyperion with you," declared Hecate, the pack's witch. Her decisive tone made it clear that she would stop at nothing to prevent Helen from taking the child.

She scanned the room. Although fiercely loyal, Pierce's guards were severely outnumbered and surrounded in enemy territory.

The odds were against them; their defeat seemed inevitable. A battle between them would only lead to a bloodbath. She, the man she loved, and their baby would die.

The sense of unease was almost palpable. The weight of destiny loomed in her hands.

Pierce, having shifted back, stood by her side in shorts that someone had handed him. He drew her closer, urging softly, "It's time to go, love."

With tears streaming down her face, Helen nodded. She knew it was the only way, but how could she depart and leave a chunk of her heart behind?

Ultimately, she took a step forward, kissing the top of the boy's soft, thick hair. "Mommy is leaving now, but I'll come back later for you, I promise."

Retreating to the exit, each step she took was a struggle. Before leaving the house, she cast one last look at the boy she loved more than herself, her green eyes clouded with emotion. Hyp sobbed, fighting to break free, but Hecate's firm hands held him back. The witch stood firmly planted, resolute in her stance.

Helen was swept away by Pierce and his men. Their hands were entwined, and she knew that their lives would be intertwined as well.

One day she would come back for her son and her life would be complete.