Lunara’s POV
Chapter Two
When I returned to the packhouse, I didn’t hesitate. I went straight to Kael’s private study–once a forbidden territory. He had always warned me not to enter, claiming it was laden with “confidential Alpha–bound documents.” But I wasn’t the same obedient Luna anymore.
The oak door creaked open. A rush of magic swept over me, brushing against my skin like static. The study was laced with low–level wards–nothing I couldn’t break through. I stepped inside, heart pounding. My eyes scanned the bookshelves lining the walls, all smelling faintly of dust and moon herbs.
Then I saw it.Behind the shelf of old treaties and training scrolls, faint glowing runes shimmere -barely visible to the untrained eye. A steel safe, masked with concealment glyphs. My breath
hitched.
I moved closer and placed my palm near the lock. It responded with a soft hum.
A blood–activated seal.I bit my thumb and smeared a line of blood across the sigil. A soft click. Then another. The runes dimmed–and the safe door slowly swung open.
Inside lay dozens of files–medical records, scent–coded transaction parchments, and soul–pact agreements with healers from the Crescent Moon Hospital. Each one detailed something more horrific than the last. My fingers trembled as I flipped through the documents.
He hadn’t just arranged Ethan’s death–he had traded his life.
There, in a blood–bound transfer scroll, were their names:
Donor: Ethan Winslow
Recipient: Ashira Thorne
Ashira. My sister. My packmate. Rage flooded me. The room spun as realization sank in–Kael had orchestrated our son’s death to save Ashira’s life. Not just through bribes. No. He had bounc the healers with blood oaths to silence them. Cloaked Ethan’s death as a rogue attack. And made sure everything disappeared with him.
I clutched the edge of the desk, my claws slipping out against my will. My wolf howled in grief.
He took my son. My heart. My blood.
My phone felt heavy as I took pictures of everything–every document, every signature, every hidden truth. I closed the safe and replaced the spell. For now, he couldn’t know I had found it.
This wasn’t grief anymore.It was war.
Back in our bedroom, my heart twisted with another decision. My hand drifted unconsciously to my stomach.
I had dreamed of this child. Another chance at motherhood. Another soul to love after Ethan. But how could I bring a pup into this den of lies and betrayal? A child fathered by a male who had torn my life apart.
I pulled out my phone, fingers numb, and dialed the underground healer’s number.
“Moonveil Grove Healing Den,” a soft voice answered. “How may we assist you?”
Chapter One
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4:12 am
“I… I need to schedule a soul–cleansing,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “A termination.”
There was a pause on the other end.
“Tomorrow morning, 10 a.m.?”
“Yes.”
“Name?”
“Lunara Winslow,” I answered.
Not Lunara Thorne. I wouldn’t use the name of the pack that ruined me. Not now. Not eve again. As I ended the call, I turned–and found Kael standing in the doorway.My entire body stiffened.
“Where are you going?” he asked, brow raised.
I slid my phone into my robe pocket and masked my scent. “Just a checkup with the healer,” said coolly, refusing to meet his eyes.
Kael stepped closer, studying me. “Is something wrong?”
I forced a small, bitter smile. “Everything’s just the way it’s supposed to be.”
He lingered for a second before heading into the bathroom. The door shut. Water began to run.
Then his phone buzzed.I glanced at it. Just one notification–Ashira [].
The blood drained from my face. Without hesitation, I picked it up. Ashira’s birthday. The same passcode I had used on the safe. The phone unlocked.
I opened their message thread.
Ashira: I miss you already. When can we meet again? I’ll tell Killian I want to visit my sister.
Kael: Tomorrow, my love. I’ll tell Lunara I have urgent Alpha business to attend to.
Ashira: I’m tired of hiding, Richie. I want us to be free.
Kael: Soon. When I take over as Alpha of the Thorne Pack, I’ll make you my Luna. No one will stop us–not even her.
A raw, guttural sob escaped my throat. I clapped my hand over my mouth. My knees buckled.
My mate. My sister. He had been using me for years, waiting for the moment he could finally cast me aside and crown her.
The bathroom door creaked open. Kael stepped out, a towel wrapped around his waist. His eyes
met mine.
“You sure you’re okay?”
I turned away before he could see the storm in mine.
“I’m fine, Richie,” I said, with a smile so sharp it could cut through steel.
But my wolf stirred inside me. This wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.
Chapter Two
