Bled Dry for His First Love

"Elder Thorne, the seating arrangement remains exactly as I set it," Carter announced, his voice cutting through the hum of the banquet hall.

I paused at the arched doorway, balancing the ceremonial silver bowl of moon salt against my hip. My heavy bronze family crest dug into my palm. At the head table, right where the Luna's chair belonged, Sienna sat picking at a linen napkin. Carter stood beside her, adjusting her water glass.

"Alpha," Thorne argued, gesturing with a wrinkled hand. "The Founding Supper requires the Luna at your right side. Protocol dictates--"

"Protocol does not account for a patient prone to fainting spells," Carter interrupted. "Sienna needs to sit near the exit. She stays."

I walked forward and set the moon salt on the white tablecloth. I did not argue. I pinned the bronze crest to my lapel, taking the empty seat two spaces down.

"Let us begin," I told the silent room.

I stood and raised the salt. "The Alpha and Luna protect the Pack."

Before I could finish the oath, a small hand waved frantically from the front row. Eli leaned entirely out of his chair, flashing a complex hand gesture toward the head table. He was not looking at me. He was looking at Sienna.

Sienna smiled and mirrored the gesture back. Carter chuckled, his gaze following our son's line of sight. I stood at the center of the dais, reciting ancient vows, entirely invisible to my own family.

Two hours later, the courtyard echoed with the sound of a kicked metal bucket.

"I hate shift training!" Eli yelled, stomping his sneakers into the dirt.

I stepped out of the hall, finding my son crossing his arms while Sienna knelt beside him.

"Eli, pick up the bucket," I instructed.

He ignored me, burying his face in Sienna's shoulder. "I cannot do the claw shift. It hurts."

"You had shift fever at age six," I reminded him, keeping my tone steady. "I sat by your bed with ice packs for three days. You survived that, you can survive a stiff muscle."

Eli whipped his head around. "But Sienna doesn't always tell me what to do! She listens to me!"

The words struck my chest, sharp and exact. I spent years managing his health, enforcing rules, and keeping him safe. Sienna offered zero discipline and harvested all the affection.

"You are allowed to like your aunt," I said, stepping closer. "But you will not disrespect your mother."

"Stop making him choose."

Carter emerged from the shadows of the archway. He marched over and put a hand on Eli's head. "He is a child, Lena. Stop projecting our adult issues onto him."

"I am asking for basic manners," I countered.

"You are demanding obedience because you feel threatened," Carter shot back. Several pack members turned their heads, their whispers drifting across the courtyard. Our private fracture was now public entertainment.

I turned away and walked toward the coat lounge. The air inside the small room felt stifling. I reached for my jacket, but a rustling sound drew my attention.

Sienna stood by the vanity mirror. She held the square stabilizing medication patch Mira prescribed that morning. Instead of applying it to her skin, she shoved it deep into the bottom zipper compartment of her leather handbag.

"Mira gave you strict orders to use that tonight," I said.

Sienna jumped, her hand flying to her chest. "It makes me nauseous. Skipping one night is fine."

"You do not get to rewrite medical directives inside this house."

Sienna's eyes filled with sudden, glassy tears. "Are you just hoping I move out faster?"

The door swung open. Carter stepped inside. He looked at Sienna's red eyes, then glared at the medicine bag near my hand.

"I might be making Lena uncomfortable," Sienna whispered, staring at the floor. "I should pack my things tonight."

"Nobody is packing," Carter snapped. He turned his glare on me. "Apologize to her, Lena. Now."

I did not raise my voice. I pulled my phone from my pocket. I opened my messages, typed a text to Mira, and hit send.

"What are you doing?" Carter demanded.

"I just informed the pack doctor that her patient refused the evening stabilizer," I replied.

"Are you seriously gathering evidence against a sick woman?"

"I am refusing to let facts be buried by your emotions." I dropped the phone back into my pocket. "I am not apologizing. And I am sleeping in the East Wing tonight."

Carter froze. "You are moving out of our bedroom?"

"I am pausing our shared space." I walked past him and opened the door. Deputy Clara stood in the hallway, holding a clipboard.

"Clara," I instructed. "Cancel the family brunch tomorrow. Strike my name from the weekend hosting roster. I am off duty."

Clara blinked, scribbling furiously. "Yes, Luna."

Carter chased me into the corridor. "You cannot just stop running the Alpha House."

"Watch me."

"You are blowing a patient's minor slip-up out of proportion," he argued, matching my stride. "She forgot a patch, Lena. You are letting jealousy dictate your duties."

"I saw her hide it," I stated, stopping to face him. "She did not forget."

Footsteps pounded against the floorboards. Eli sprinted down the hall, throwing his arms around Sienna's waist as she emerged from the lounge.

"Aunt Sienna is already hurting," Eli cried, glaring at me.

Sienna rested a hand on his hair. "Eli, don't blame Lena--"

She stopped. Her eyes rolled back.

Sienna collapsed forward, her shoulder slamming into a side table. A crystal water pitcher shattered against the hardwood, splashing water and glass shards across my shoes.

"Sienna!" Carter yelled.

He scooped her off the floor, cradling her against his chest. He turned and sprinted toward the medical wing. Eli ran right behind him, his small hands clutching the hem of Carter's coat.

Neither of them looked back.

I stood in the empty hallway, staring at the broken glass. My phone vibrated in my pocket.

I pulled it out and answered.

"Lena," Mira said, her usual clinical calm entirely gone. "Sienna's vitals are dropping fast. We need an emergency pack-wide donor match."