Barren Luna's Revenge

chapter 1

Chapter One

Ana

The white walls of the hospital felt like they were closing in on me. I stood in the small bathroom, staring at the piece of paper in my hand.

I lost my balance the moment I saw the results.

One week pregnant.

The paper trembled in my fingers, and my whole body went cold, as if ice had replaced my blood. I could not move. My legs felt like they were made of lead, and I had to lean against the sink to keep from falling.

"Are you okay, Ana?" Lily’s voice came from the other side of the door. She sounded worried. She had stayed close to me the whole time, refusing to let me come to this appointment alone.

I opened the door slowly. Lily was standing there, her hands tucked into her pockets. When she saw my face, her expression changed from worry to fear. I didn't say a word. I just held out the paper.

She gently took it from my shaking fingers and stared at it. Her eyes grew wide with shock.

"Oh my god," she whispered. "Ana, is this real?"

I didn't answer. I slowly lowered myself to the hospital floor, sitting right there on the cold tiles. I tried to catch my breath, but it felt like the air was too thin.

How could this be happening? It was impossible.

Every doctor and every pack elder had told me the same thing since I was a young girl. I was born without a wolf. I had no power, no scent, and no inner beast. They said I carried a curse and would never bear a child in my life.

Lily knelt down to my level. She didn't care that we were sitting on a public floor. She took my hands in hers and squeezed them tight. She looked up at me with kind, warm eyes.

"Why are you unhappy, Ana?" Lily asked softly. "This is a miracle. Alpha Desmond will be so happy. You have waited for this day for so long. Why back down now? You finally get to have the family you dreamed of."

I looked at my friend as her words sank in. I took a deep breath, and for the first time in twenty minutes, I felt my heart rate slow down. She was right. Desmond would be happy.

For years, he had loved me deeply, even when his own advisors told him to find a "real" mate. He had looked me in the eyes and promised that even if I could never give him an heir, he would still love me with all his heart.

He chose me when no one else would.

A small spark of hope warmed my chest, melting some of the ice in my veins. I stood up slowly, using Lily for support, and nodded.

"You are right," I said, my voice finally coming back. "If I give Desmond the news, he will be happy. This changes everything."

Lily smiled and linked her arm with mine. "Let’s get out of here. You need to tell him today."

We left the hospital and caught a cab. My mind was racing the whole way. I kept touching my stomach, wondering if there was really a tiny life growing there.

We soon arrived at the Bloodtron estate. The gates were open, and the large stone house looked grand under the afternoon sun. Lily helped me out of the car carefully, making sure I did not miss a step or fall. Her touch was steady and comforting, and I felt lucky to have her.

The estate was busy and full of life today. People were running back and forth with decorations and food. Everyone moved around with excitement. Voices rose and fell, and laughter floated through the air. I had forgotten that today was the ceremony for the young pups. It was the day the teenagers tried to shift into their wolves for the first time. It was the most important day in a young shifter's life.

I looked around and smiled softly. I remembered when I was little, I had always wanted to stand among them. I used to practice my breathing and pray to the Moon Goddess to let my wolf out. But I never had the chance because I was different. I was the girl who stayed human while everyone else grew fur and claws.

But now, I was pregnant. Soon, my child would be among these pups. Maybe my child would have the wolf I never had. The thought made my eyes sting with happy tears.

"Look at her," someone whispered loudly from behind me.

I turned my head slightly. A group of women from the pack were standing near the fountain. They weren't even trying to hide their judging stares.

"Isn't that the Lupa who clings to the Alpha all the time?" one woman said, loud enough for me to hear.

"Yes," another replied, tossing her hair. "I heard she was even trying to force herself into bed with him the other day. Desperate, isn't it?"

"What's the point?" a third woman laughed. "Even if she sleeps with him, someone like her can never get pregnant. A wolf-less female is just a waste of space."

I tried hard to hold the anger inside. I gripped my bag until my knuckles turned white. After everything I had done for the pack—managing the accounts, organizing the shifts, and taking care of the sick—they still saw me this way.

Since Desmond made me his Luna, he had not yet announced it publicly. He said he was waiting for the right moment to protect me from the elders, but the secret made these whispers cut deeper than I wanted to admit.

"Don't listen to them," Lily said softly, squeezing my arm. She glared at the women until they looked away. "They are just jealous because Desmond loves you. They are not worth your time."

I nodded and forced a smile. I wouldn't let them ruin this day. I decided to go find Desmond and tell him the good news right away. He was usually in his office or by the training grounds during the ceremony.

But just as I took a step forward, someone blocked my path.

I looked up and my heart sank. The air in my lungs felt like it vanished. It was the last face I expected to see.

Ema.

She was standing there, looking beautiful and perfect in a red silk dress. She smiled and stepped closer, her eyes scanning me from head to toe.

"Long time, Ana. Didn't expect to see you again," she said. Her voice was smooth, like honey covering a blade.

I clenched my fists tight. I tried to hold in my anger, but it was hard. What was Ema doing here?

She was Desmond’s first love, the girl everyone thought he would marry. But she had been away from the pack for a few years. When the pack was attacked and things got hard, she refused to fight for Desmond. She left him when he needed her most, leaving him broken and alone.

I was the one who stayed. I was the one who sat by his bed and did all the hard work to help him heal. I helped him rebuild the pack from nothing. And now that he was a successful, powerful Alpha, she had come back.

Ema smiled even wider and reached out to hold my hands. I tried to pull away, but she gripped them tight.

"I know I was wrong back then, Ana. I was young and scared," she said sweetly, her voice loud enough for the people nearby to hear. "But now I am back, and I want to make it up to Desmond. I want to give him everything he deserves."

I slowly pulled my hands away, feeling disgusted by her touch. Lily, who had been right behind me, stepped forward.

"Ema, back off," Lily told her firmly. "You chose to leave. You don't get to just walk back in here."

Ema didn't even look at Lily. She kept her eyes straight on me and took another step closer, lowering her voice so only I could hear.

"I came because I feel bad for you, Ana. Really, I do," she whispered. "But I have been back in the pack for a while now. I’ve been staying at the guest house. I just didn't expect Desmond to be so shy. Did he really not tell you about the child I am carrying for him?"

Shock hit me like a physical wave. I felt like I had been punched in the stomach. I stared at Ema, my mouth hanging open.

"What?" I whispered. My heart started to beat fast, a painful thudding against my ribs. "That’s a lie."

"Is it?" Ema smirked. She placed a hand on her flat stomach. "He missed me, Ana. A man has needs that a broken girl like you just can't fill."

Before I could say anything more, I heard heavy footsteps on the gravel behind me. I turned around and saw Desmond walking toward us. He looked strong and handsome in his Alpha leathers.

For a split second, my heart lifted. I wanted to run to him, show him the paper, and ask him to tell Ema to leave. I was ready to share my own news and bury her lies.

But Ema was faster.

As soon as Desmond was close enough to see us, Ema quickly grabbed my hands again. She gave me a wicked look, and then she twisted her body with a sudden jerk. She made it look like I had shoved her with all my strength.

She threw herself backward onto the ground and let out a loud, piercing scream.

"No! My baby!" she cried out.

Before I could even react or explain, Desmond rushed over. He didn't ask what happened. He didn't look at the shock on my face.

He pushed me aside so hard that I lost my balance. I hit the ground, the rough stones scratching my palms.

Desmond didn't even look at me. He went straight to Ema. He lifted her up in his arms carefully, holding her as if she was the most precious thing in the world. His face was full of a worry I had never seen before.

"I've got you, Ema. It’s okay," he muttered.

He turned and began to carry her away toward the medical wing, his long strides moving fast. He didn't look back once. He didn't check to see if I was hurt.

He just left.

I stayed on the floor, my hands bleeding and a sharp, stinging pain shooting through my stomach. I slowly looked up at Desmond’s back as he walked away, disappearing into the crowd. I felt the eyes of the pack members on me, their whispers turning into cold laughter.

At that moment, I understood everything.

My miracle didn't matter. My years of loyalty didn't matter. His first love was back, and she was carrying the heir I was never supposed to have.

Now, I meant nothing at all.