Lunara’s POV
Chapter Twenty Three
Pain. That was the first thing I felt. A dull, aching, soul–crushing pain that went far beyon physical. My senses stirred sluggishly. The sterile scent of herbs and wolfsbane made my nos twitch. Soft beeping pulsed beside me. My eyelids fluttered open to a world of dim lights and white stone walls–another healer’s wing.
Not again. A groan scraped up my throat as I blinked blearily. Every muscle felt bruised, ever inch of my body drained. My skin prickled with heat as my wolf shifted weakly within me, to quiet, too still.
My hands trembled as I placed them on my belly. No movement. No flutter. No reassuring heartbeat from within.Terror seized me.
My breath caught, and my pulse spiked. No. My heart screamed the word before my lips could. tried reaching for my wolf, but she was silent, curled in grief. Panic clawed its way up my throa as I pressed my palms harder against my abdomen.
My pup… where was my pup?A shaky sob escaped my lips just as a familiar scent hit me–pine storms, and home. My gaze shifted to the corner, and there he was.
Killian Slumped in the healer’s chair beside me, his massive frame hunched forward. His face was gaunt, stubble shadowing his sharp jaw, dark circles etched beneath his eyes. He looke like he hadn’t slept in days.
Like he’d broken right alongside me.Before I could call his name, the door creaked open, and healer stepped in–a pale, wiry male with nervous eyes. Killian snapped awake instantly, eyes flashing golden before they softened when they landed on me.
“Lunara…” he breathed, his voice hoarse and full of emotion.
My lips moved soundlessly as my eyes locked on the healer.
“My baby,” I rasped. My throat felt raw. “Please… my pup…”
The healer’s eyes dropped. Just for a second.
But it was enough. My world shattered before the words even left his mouth.
“I’m… I’m deeply sorry, Luna,” he said, voice soft as falling ash. “We couldn’t save the Th
pup.
poison–it was too fast. Too potent.”
Silence.Crushing, suffocating silence.
And then-
“No,” I whispered, the word trembling off my lips. “No… no, no-”
The agony exploded in my chest. My body screamed in protest as I bolted upright, hands flying to my stomach as if I could summon life back into it.
“Not again!” I cried out. “Moon, please–not again!”
Tears streamed down my cheeks. My wolf howled within me, her grief bleeding into mine.Killian moved closer, arms outstretched but uncertain. I could feel his pain echoing through the bond- anguished, helpless, furious.
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“I can’t–I can’t do this again,” I sobbed, curling in on myself. “Why me? Why does the Moon hate me?”
Strong arms enveloped me then, warm and trembling. Killian pulled me into his chest, his scent. grounding me, his heartbeat a steady thrum against my ear.
“I’m so sorry,” he whispered, his voice raw and broken. “Mi amore…”
I didn’t resist. I collapsed into him, letting my tears soak his tunic. His hand slid up to cradle the back of my head, his other arm wrapped tightly around me like he was trying to hold me. together.
“I can’t…” I choked. “It hurts too much.”
“I know,” he said softly, pressing a kiss to the crown of my head. “I’m here. I’m not leaving you.”
The bond between us pulsed faintly, like a heartbeat muffled under snow. Eventually, the exhaustion dragged me under again.
The days that followed blurred together.
I didn’t remember the journey back to the Alpha estate. Just Killian’s arms. His presence. His voice–quiet, gentle, patient.
I didn’t shift. I couldn’t. My wolf mourned in silence, too deep in grief to come forward. Killian stayed close, feeding me, holding me through the night when I woke screaming from dreams of blood and Lila’s venomous smile.
According to Killian, Lila had been arrested. Caught with wolfsbane–tainted wine and charged with attempted murder. And murder.
She’d killed our pup. The news didn’t bring me peace. Just more tears. And yet… something had
shifted between Killian and me.
Even in my grief, I felt it.In the way his fingers brushed mine when he thought I wasn’t looking. In how he tucked blankets around me. In the softness of his gaze when I caught him watching me read by the hearth.
One evening, nestled beside him on the couch, I felt the tension in his body change. He was quiet for a long moment before finally asking, “Why didn’t you tell me you were pregnant?”
I knew it was coming.I closed my book and exhaled slowly, the firelight dancing in the silence. “I wanted to,” I said softly. “But the day I found out… it was the same day you brought Lila back.”
His body stiffened.
I continued. “You looked at her like she was your responsibility. Like you still… cared. And I-” I paused, staring at my hands. “I didn’t know if I had a place anymore. I didn’t know if we had a
place.”
A silence settled between us.Killian’s hand found mine.
‘I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “For everything. For Lila. For not seeing what she was doing. For not protecting you the way I should have.”
I looked at him, really looked. There was no alpha arrogance in his eyes. Just remorse. And something else… deeper.
Longing. After a pause, he asked one more question, his voice rough with emotion.
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“The pup… was it from that night?”
The one we never spoke of. The night of the blood moon. The night our wolves had claimed each other under a spell neither of us could resist–or forget.
I nodded. “Yes.”
His shoulders sagged slightly, as if the truth was both a weight and a balm.
“I would’ve loved that pup,” he whispered.
I believed him. And in that moment, I realized something painful and beautiful:
We had both lost something. But maybe… just maybe, we hadn’t lost each other.
