Chapter 3 Part 3

Kylie's POV:

The days that followed seemed to crawl, and getting through each morning felt harder than the last. Almost every day, the pain in my stomach returned with greater force. My bond with Graham was slowly breaking down, like a wound that had become infected and wouldn't heal. The pull that had once drawn me to him weakened until little remained but the bitter emptiness of rejection. Although no one could see the damage, my body suffered for it. Weakness followed me everywhere, and even the smallest effort left me exhausted.

My personal maid Ana did everything she could to look after me. Each day, she brought fresh juices and carefully prepared meals, then set them before me with stubborn determination. Rather than leave once she'd served me, she stayed to make sure I ate. Her gentle insistence rarely let up until I'd swallowed a few bites, as though she feared my grief would drive me to starve myself.

Nothing could quiet the turmoil in my mind, though. Graham would come after me without hesitation if I chose to leave him. He could haul me home and throw me into the pack's dungeons, or do something worse and formally banish me. Once cast out, a Luna became an outcast who wandered without a territory or anyone's protection. Becoming a rogue would cost me everything.

That fear never gave me a moment's peace.

I needed something to keep it from consuming me, so I turned to combat training, which had always given me strength. Pushing my body had helped me feel steady before. Adrenaline and the chance to recover some control over myself made me feel alive again.

My father was an Alpha, so I'd received elite warrior training from early childhood. Somewhere along the way, however, I'd let that part of my life fall aside for far too long.

Surprise spread among the wolves when I finally walked onto the pack's training grounds.

Gamma Shir was waiting on the mats. He spotted me and bowed his head respectfully.

"Let me spar with you, Luna Kylie."

He'd belonged to the Nightbloom Pack before it merged with the Lunar Pack. Without that merger, he probably would've served as my Beta.

The hurt still ate away at me, but I felt more alive than I'd expected. His speed and strength kept me moving, yet I evaded his blows with precise movements. Several quick jabs came toward my face in succession. My forearms took the blows before I drove a hard kick into his stomach and knocked him into the dirt.

Clapping erupted from the wolves gathered around the ring.

"Show him what you've got, Luna Kylie!" Someone cheered.

A moment later, Shir was back on his feet and shifting into his wolf with a low growl. My eyes narrowed as I watched for an opening. As soon as he leaped at me, I gave Coral control.

She snarled fiercely and sprang to meet him in the air, then drove him hard into the ground. Her jaws closed around his throat, but she kept her fangs against his skin without drawing blood.

He immediately exposed his neck in surrender, so she released him and stepped away.

Cheers rose from the spectators as I returned to human form. Shir shifted back too, then got to his feet with a grin.

"You certainly haven't lost your touch, Luna Kylie."

A breathless laugh escaped me as relief washed over me. I hadn't felt so light in far too long.

"From now on, I'll be training regularly again," I remarked.

"Excuse me, Luna Kylie..."

Hearing that timid voice behind me was enough to wipe away my smile.

My teeth clenched.

"Even though you have an Alpha wolf, I was hoping you'd let me train with you," Zoe replied as she shyly clasped her hands against her chest.

"I'd rather not," I responded curtly as I took a robe from an omega attendant.

An audible sniffle came from her, clearly meant to reach everyone nearby.

"Please don't be upset with me, Luna Kylie. Alpha Graham told me to come. He said no one could teach me better than you could, and I'm only trying to follow his wishes."

One eyebrow rose as I became acutely aware of the tense hush that had fallen over the grounds.

"This was Graham's idea?"

"That's right," she answered as she gazed at me with wide, overly innocent eyes.

"Your father's a Beta. Surely you've already been taught to fight."

Her gaze dropped to the ground.

"It's been a long time since I trained. Alpha Liam beat me, and he wouldn't let me practice."

Not a word of her story convinced me. Surely Graham should've checked whether any of it was true. As far as I'd seen, she'd never had a scar or bruise that supported her claims.

"I'm begging you, Luna Kylie," she pleaded as she twisted her hands together. "Someone like me doesn't matter, but I still have to obey the Alpha."

I clenched my jaw before reluctantly giving her a stiff nod. An outright refusal would challenge Graham's authority if he'd specifically told her to train with me.

Once we faced each other on the mat, she settled into a steady, assured stance. Nothing about the way she held herself suggested a lack of experience.

Slowly, we circled each other. She never took her eyes off me, and the fierce determination in them made me uneasy.

Then she charged.

Before I could react, her foot struck me hard in the stomach. The unexpected blow sent me stumbling back. Another attack followed immediately, denying me a chance to regain my balance. Raising my forearm, I blocked the strike and answered with a quick kick to her knee. Her leg gave way, and she cried out as she fell onto the mat. Almost immediately, she was moving again.

She snarled viciously and launched herself at me with her fist drawn back.

Whatever this had started as, it was no longer a sparring match.

The way she came at me, she seemed determined to kill me.

I twisted aside just in time, but her fist struck my shoulder hard enough to make me wince. Her lips curved into a cruel smile.

Then she spun and aimed a high kick at my head. I ducked, and the force of the missed kick sent her off balance. Seeing my chance, I turned to catch her with a warning blow from my elbow, but she moved her head at the very last moment.

The blow landed directly on her nose.

Blood poured down her face as she screamed.

Just then, the training hall doors flew open.

"Zoe! Where's Zoe?"

Graham rushed inside.

At once, tears filled her eyes.

"Look what she did, Graham..." she cried out as she held her bleeding face. "She made me fight her... so she could hurt me... and our baby..."

For a moment, I couldn't move.

Had she just said they were having a baby?

Was she pregnant?

Yet she stood there telling shameless lies about what had happened.

"What the hell have you done?" Graham shouted. His hand closed around my throat before I could react.

My nails scraped his wrist as I fought to pull his fingers away, but his grip only tightened.

Each desperate gasp brought barely any air into my lungs.

"Please, Graham..." I begged.

He flung me hard onto the ground.

"You don't go near her again, Kylie," he warned. "I'm warning you for the last time. That's my heir she's carrying!" Then he turned away without another glance.

Within seconds, he'd lifted Zoe into his arms and carried her from the room.

I remained on the floor and pressed a shaking hand to my bruised throat.

I'd spent two years praying for a child with my mate, but those prayers had gone unanswered.

Somehow, she'd conceived his child within days.

When I finally managed to leave the training grounds, the pack's stares followed me. By nightfall, everyone would be talking about it. She was pregnant with the Alpha's heir, and that fact alone would put her far above me in their eyes.

My whole life was falling apart. I was losing my Alpha, my place in the pack, my role, and the respect I'd once had.

How I made it back to my room, I couldn't remember. Barely a moment after I fell onto the bed, my phone began buzzing insistently.

"Kylie, it's me!"

Katy was calling.

For the first time in a while, a little warmth stirred in my chest at the sound of her voice.

An apology came first, followed by an explanation that she'd just returned from an expedition in the Andes. Despite the pain in my throat, her cheerful excitement coaxed a smile from me.

Still, I couldn't summon the energy to ease into what I needed to ask.

"There's something I really need your help with, Katy."

Part of me wanted to tell her everything and let it all come pouring out. But she'd come straight over if I did, and her arrival would only turn the situation into an even bigger scandal.

A brief silence followed before she replied, "Tell me what you need."

"Could you arrange for me to see Alpha Logan? I need to speak with him as soon as I can."

Surprise entered her voice.

"You want to see my brother?"

"That's right... please, Katy."

My breath caught as I waited for her answer.

"Let me speak to him. But are you certain you don't want to tell me what's happened?"

Her concern touched me deeply, even after so much time apart.

"I can't..."

"Please look after yourself, Kylie."

Then we hung up.

Holding the phone against my chest, I gazed at the ceiling and prayed to the Moon Goddess that Logan wouldn't keep me waiting.

That night, I quietly made my way into the forest so Coral could run. For a little while, I wanted to escape everything and let my wolf have the space she needed to breathe and recover.

"You can take over now, Coral," I murmured through our link.

No answer came.

"Are you there, Coral?"

Again, there was no response.

Fear rose in my chest, and I broke into a run through the trees.

"Please answer me, Coral! Don't shut me out! Where have you gone?"

Somewhere beneath the panic, I knew what had happened.

The betrayal by our mate had broken her. Learning that Zoe carried his child had been more than she could bear.

She'd withdrawn into the deepest part of my mind, beyond my reach, and I was alone.

Nothing remained but emptiness.

A terrible thought took hold as I made my way back to the packhouse.

How much longer could I survive like this?

After stepping inside, I sank to the floor and curled up tightly. I couldn't even find the strength to cry.

The sudden ringing of my phone broke the silence.

Without thinking, I picked up.

"Yes?"

"I've spoken to him, Kylie!" Katy exclaimed breathlessly. "Alpha Logan will meet with you the day after tomorrow. He's coming to the Lunar Pack to visit Alpha Graham."