Rejected Luna Finds New Life
Chapter 1
Pain seared through my body like liquid fire. I gripped the edges of the birthing table, my knuckles white as bone. The contractions were coming faster now, each one more brutal than the last.
"Push, Luna Jessica! The pup is crowning," urged Elder Willow, her ancient hands steady despite the urgency in her voice.
Midnight had fallen over the Crescent Moon Pack, and the healing chamber glowed with silver light as our pack's healers channeled their energy toward me. My own healing abilities were useless now—I couldn't focus through the agony to help myself.
"Something's wrong," I gasped, feeling a sharp, tearing sensation deep inside. "The pup—"
Blood pooled beneath me, too much blood. The metallic scent filled the room, and I saw fear flash in the eyes of the younger healers.
"Her pressure is dropping," someone said, voice tight with concern.
My vision blurred at the edges. Where was Michael? My mate, my Alpha, should be here. I reached out through our bond, searching for his strength, but felt only a distant, cold acknowledgment.
"Luna Jessica is hemorrhaging!" Elder Willow's voice cut through my haze. "All healers, focus your energy now!"
Their hands lit up with silver healing light, pressing against my abdomen, my forehead, my heart. I felt the warmth of their magic seeping into my failing body, trying to anchor me to this world as darkness threatened to pull me under.
The door burst open, and for one blessed moment, I thought Michael had come. But it was Charlotte who stumbled in, her face contorted in pain, one hand clutching her swollen belly.
"Help me!" she cried out. "The baby—something's happening!"
Behind her, Michael finally appeared, his face ashen as he took in the scene—me, his Luna, bleeding out on the table, and Charlotte doubled over in pain.
I reached for him weakly. "Michael..."
His eyes met mine for just a moment before sliding away, focusing entirely on Charlotte. And then, in a voice that froze the room, he issued the command that would shatter my world.
"Leave Jessica," he ordered, his Alpha tone vibrating with power that made the healers' hands falter above me. "Save Charlotte."
The room went still. Even through my pain, I felt the shock ripple through every person present. Elder Willow's hands trembled against my skin.
"Alpha, your mate and pup will die if we—" she began.
"That was an order!" Michael roared, his Alpha aura flaring violently. "Charlotte carries my heir. Save her now!"
My heart splintered in my chest, a pain far worse than childbirth. My wolf howled in anguish, thrashing against the betrayal. As the healers hesitated, torn between their Alpha's command and their duty to their Luna, I felt myself slipping further away.
Through dimming vision, I saw Beta Anderson step forward, his jaw set in defiance. He didn't speak—he didn't need to. With a single, decisive gesture, he directed half the healers back to my side while nodding for the others to attend to Charlotte.
"Defy me, and you'll be banished," Michael threatened, but Anderson didn't flinch.
"Then banish me, Alpha," he replied quietly, "but I will not watch our Luna die."
The silver light intensified around me as the healers worked with renewed determination. I felt my wolf fighting alongside them, clinging to life not for myself, but for the innocent pup who deserved a chance to live.
Hours later, I awoke to the soft whimpering of my newborn son. We had survived, thanks to Anderson and the healers who had risked everything to save us. My body was weak, but healing. My heart was another matter entirely.
As I nursed my pup in the quiet aftermath, voices drifted in from the corridor outside. Michael's voice, smooth and proud, introducing someone to what sounded like visiting Alphas from neighboring packs.
"...my Luna, Charlotte. We're expecting our first pup soon."
My breath caught. My wolf went utterly still within me. In those few words, Michael had erased me—erased us—completely. The mate bond between us vibrated with a sickening wrongness, stretched to breaking.
I looked down at my son, his tiny face peaceful in sleep, unaware that his father had just denied his existence. Something cold and resolute settled in my chest where love had once lived.
"We don't need him," I whispered to my pup, a promise and a vow. "We never did."
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