My Luna, My Child, My Curse

When I forced my eyes open again, the entire room tilted around me. Pain pounded through my skull, and I instantly cursed every drink I'd touched the night before. Panic crept into my chest when I realized I didn't recognize anything around me. The walls looked unfamiliar. The bed wasn't mine. Harsh sunlight slipped through the window and stabbed straight into my aching head.

I blinked several times, trying to gather my thoughts and remember how I'd ended up there. The last thing I could clearly remember was the grand reception hosted by the Alphas. My entire family had attended the masquerade celebration. Dad had spent the whole evening reminding me to act flawlessly because I was the future Alpha. Once I turned eighteen at the end of the year, the pack would officially become mine.

At some point during the party, my sister and I had slipped away from the main ballroom to meet the other heirs.

After that, everything went blank.

Nothing.

Not a single memory of this room remained in my head.

A groan escaped me as I dragged a hand down my face, hoping this nightmare wasn't real. My stomach twisted painfully from all the alcohol I'd consumed. The moment I shifted beneath the sheets, I suddenly felt an arm wrapped heavily around my waist.

My heart nearly stopped.

I turned so fast my head spun again.

The person beside me wasn't Anna.

A man lay next to me completely naked.

Cold fear shot through my entire body the second I recognized him. Alpha Valentin. The ruthless Alpha who ruled the most feared pack in the city. The leader of the Black Blood Pack. My father's greatest enemy.

If my father ever discovered this, he'd kill me.

A curse escaped under my breath. The second I looked down at myself, my stomach dropped. I wasn't wearing any clothes either. The soreness between my thighs told me everything I needed to know. I had lost my virginity.

And I couldn't remember any of it.

The moment that should've stayed in my memory forever had vanished completely. Not even a single fragment remained. A bitter thought crossed my mind for a second. If he'd left me unable to remember anything, then maybe it hadn't been worth remembering in the first place. But the sarcasm did nothing to calm me down.

Out of everyone in this city, it had to be him.

My phone suddenly vibrated somewhere near the floor.

I quickly leaned over the side of the bed and grabbed it. Anna's name flashed across the screen. I answered immediately, keeping my voice low.

"Hello?"

"Where the hell are you? Dad's furious right now! I told him you stayed with me, but he's demanding we both get home immediately!" she yelled through the phone.

My chest tightened. I lifted my eyes and scanned the unfamiliar room again before glancing toward the window. Everything became worse the moment I recognized the view outside.

Damn it.

I was still at the hotel where the gathering had been held.

"I'm still at the Bank Hotel," I whispered.

Silence filled the line for a second.

"Please tell me you didn't sleep with that idiot Alpha," she whispered nervously. "You know Dad would lose his mind if he found out."

My eyes drifted toward Valentin. He was still stretched across the bed without moving, completely passed out. His mouth hung slightly open, and he looked almost unreal lying there so peacefully. For one brief second, I imagined the expression he'd make once he woke up and realized I was gone.

Then another thought hit me even harder. What if he decided to hand me over to my father himself?

"Of course not," I lied quickly. "I just passed out alone in one of the rooms."

I desperately hoped she'd accept that answer. Anna was terrible at lying, and the last thing I wanted was for her to get dragged into this mess with me.

"Fine. Tell Dad you stayed with Amber and me. Amber's coming to pick you up, and I'll be there in five minutes."

The call ended.

I immediately climbed off the bed and gathered the clothes scattered across the floor before slipping back into my tight dress. The fairy wings strapped to my back were completely ruined, so I ripped them off and tossed them straight into the bathroom trash bin.

Standing in front of the mirror, I tried fixing what remained of my makeup. Glitter covered almost every inch of my skin, and the design Anna had painted around my eyes still hid half my face.

Despite everything, a laugh nearly escaped me. Valentin was definitely going to wake up looking like a glitter-covered Christmas decoration.

Bits and pieces from the night slowly came back to me. I remembered talking to him. I remembered feeling drawn to him in a way that made no sense. But Valentin had looked just as drunk and disoriented as I was.

At that point, I honestly couldn't tell who had taken advantage of who.

I grabbed my heels and purse from the floor, spared the bed one final glance, then rushed toward the door.

The second I stepped outside, I slammed directly into someone solid. His Beta.

Recognition hit me immediately. He'd been introduced during the reception the night before. Luckily, I'd been standing far from the stage when it happened. Otherwise, he might've recognized me instantly.

I stumbled against his chest, and he stepped back with a surprised look before his eyes traveled over me.

Glitter still clung to my skin and hair. Paint shimmered across my face. Thank God for that. Without the makeup hiding half my features, he might've realized I was the daughter of the Shadow Moon Alpha. And that would've destroyed everything.

A grin slowly spread across his face.

"My Alpha's in there?" he asked casually.

Keeping my head lowered, I gave a quick nod.

"Everything alright, or do you want me to walk you out?" he offered.

"Do you offer that service to all of your Alpha's one-night stands?" I let out a nervous laugh.

"Only the attractive ones," he replied without hesitation.

I rolled my eyes at him and waved him off before hurrying away down the hallway. I needed to find my sister fast.

If I didn't get home soon, Dad was going to tear the entire city apart searching for me.

Three weeks later

One reckless night had been enough to ruin my entire life.

My body had felt wrong ever since that morning at the hotel. Weakness clung to me every day, and for a werewolf, that wasn't normal. Our kind rarely got sick. After watching my condition worsen for over a week, Dad finally dragged me to the pack healer.

Mountainview City belonged entirely to werewolves. Four packs ruled different parts of the city, and the Shadow Moon Pack stood as the second strongest among them. Dad had always prepared me to inherit everything one day. I was his eldest child, and with only two younger sisters behind me, becoming the next Alpha had always been my future.

Or at least, it had been.

Doctor Daniel stepped back into the office holding the results in his hand.

The moment Dad looked at him, something inside me twisted painfully.

Then the doctor spoke. "She's pregnant."

The words crushed the air inside the room. I stayed frozen in the green chair across from his desk, unable to move or breathe properly. My mind refused to accept what I'd just heard.

That couldn't happen.

Not after one drunken night. Not after one mistake I couldn't even remember clearly.

How could a single night destroy everything so completely?

Dad didn't say a word. He only stared at Doctor Daniel, and the disappointment in his eyes hit harder than any punishment ever could.

"Run the test again. She hasn't even found her destined mate yet. This doesn't make any sense."

My body folded in on itself as his words filled the room. Ever since I was little, I'd been taught the same thing every she-wolf learned. We were supposed to save ourselves for our destined mates. And for someone in my position, the future Alpha of the pack, the expectation had always been harsher.

A child outside the sacred bond would've been considered a humiliation.

"I already checked twice, Alpha," Doctor Daniel answered carefully.

Dad immediately shook his head.

"No. My daughter wouldn't do something that careless."

I lowered my eyes and stayed silent while shame crawled through my chest. In our world, an unmated pregnant woman carried a stain that never disappeared. Some werewolf cities banished women like that beyond their borders. Those exiles eventually lost their minds wandering outside the protection of a pack. Mountainview wasn't that cruel, but the punishment still destroyed lives. Women like that lost the pack's protection, respect, and place among their own people.

I used to look down on them.

Now I was terrified I was about to become one of them.

"Do the test again," Dad demanded coldly.

Doctor Daniel gave a hesitant nod before leaving the office. The second the door closed, Dad began pacing across the room. Heavy tension filled the space with every step he took. After a moment, he stopped directly in front of me.

"He's mistaken," he said firmly. "You wouldn't do something like this to me, would you?"

The question crushed me. I couldn't answer him.

A few minutes later, the doctor walked back in carrying the new results. One look at his face was enough to destroy the last bit of hope left inside me.

"The results haven't changed, Alpha."

My eyes dropped straight to the floor.

Pregnancy changed everything for a she-wolf. As long as the baby remained inside me, my wolf wouldn't awaken completely. I wouldn't be able to shift. I wouldn't even recognize my destined mate if I crossed paths with him.

Dad let out a low growl while his fists tightened at his sides.

"How long has she been pregnant?"

"We'll know more after an ultrasound next week. That should give us a clearer estimate," Doctor Daniel explained.

Dad's expression darkened immediately. "No. Do it now." His voice turned cold and sharp. "This has to disappear before anyone learns about it."

Fear slammed into me so hard my chest tightened painfully. I lifted my head at once, horrified by what he was implying. Ending a pregnancy was considered a direct offense against the Moon Goddess herself.

"Wait!" I cried out.

"Wait for what?" he snapped harshly. "You're not having this child. We'll erase this mistake, and everything will go back to normal."

"Please, Dad..." My voice trembled. "At least let me speak to Mom first..."

"No." He didn't even hesitate. Then he looked toward Doctor Daniel. "Doctor, prepare the procedure."

Tears filled my eyes so quickly I could barely see.

I didn't want this pregnancy. I didn't even know how to process any of it. But no matter how terrified I felt, I couldn't force myself to agree to killing the child growing inside me.

Doctor Daniel looked uncomfortable standing between us. "Alpha, I can't do anything without her consent," he reminded him carefully.

Dad slowly turned toward me.

"You agree to it, don't you, Emely?"

For a moment, the entire room went silent. I lifted my head and looked directly into his eyes.

"No."

The slap hit my face so hard my head snapped sideways. The sound echoed through the room.

Pain burned across my cheek, and for a second, I couldn't even breathe properly.

Dad stared down at me with cold fury. "Then from this moment on," he declared. "You're no longer my daughter."