Chapter 1
Five years into our mate bond, a rogue werewolf, backed by my mate, Alpha Callahan Ford of the Blue Moon Pack, boldly declared her pregnancy, naming him as the father.
Callahan was crushed. He silenced the whispers among the packs and crawled on his knees from the packhouse to our den, begging for mercy.
"Luna Genevieve, I was framed and drunk, leading to a careless error. I'll ensure she ends the pregnancy. Please, don't cast me aside!"
I watched as he dragged her to the healer’s den, and, clinging to ten years of affection, I decided to pardon him.
Three years later, Callahan attended a diplomatic gathering in a neighboring pack and got ensnared in a fierce clash between packs. I hurried to find him, only to witness him shielding Celeste and their twin pups amidst the turmoil, with her expecting their third child.
On the private flight back, Callahan knelt beside Celeste before me, imploring.
"Luna Genevieve, you can't bear pups, but the Blue Moon Pack’s legacy must persist! I vow these three pups will recognize only you as their mother, and Celeste will merely act as a nurse."
"Just avoid complicating matters for her, and I swear she’ll never challenge your position!"
I chuckled softly, shredding the pup test report concealed in my bag. Observing them depart together, I shakily mind-linked a name I hadn’t uttered in years.
"You owe me a life, and it’s time to settle that debt."
It was late when I exited the airport. Callahan gave me a perplexed look, cautiously guiding Celeste and the pups away from me, as though I posed a threat.
As he passed by, he kept a wary eye on me, insisting:
"Luna Genevieve, Celeste has suffered greatly during the upheaval; could you perhaps show her some leniency?"
"If you treat her and the pups kindly, the role of Luna will always remain with you!"
Lowering my gaze, I suppressed my tears. I was on the brink of telling him I no longer desired the title of Luna. Neither he nor our shared life held any value to me now.
But he was preoccupied with Celeste’s feigned weakness and proceeded to the parking lot without a backward glance.
Callahan was perpetually composed. Even when I was eight months pregnant and lost our pup trying to rescue him during a pack skirmish, he wasn’t as frantic as he appeared now.
Watching him hasten away, I laughed through my tears. A decade of love, and now I felt completely broken.
The injury on my leg from a rogue’s assault ached sharply as I hobbled towards the waiting car by the curb.
Behind me, Celeste’s meek voice called out.
"Luna Genevieve, if you despise me, do as you wish, but could you please cease quarreling with Alpha Callahan?"
"He says you're flawless in every aspect except for bearing pups. He can't endure losing you but feels obligated to care for me and the pups because only I can continue the Blue Moon Pack’s lineage!"
Her words struck deep. I paused, turning back to her with an icy stare.
"Three years ago, you pleaded for resources to leave him permanently, yet here you are, breaking that vow and luring Alpha Callahan back repeatedly."
"He brought you back, exactly what you desired, so why play the innocent now?"
Weary of her presence, I sneered and opened the car door. Celeste abruptly yanked the pups to their knees before me.
When I offered no reaction, she forced their heads towards the ground, her tears streaming as she bowed again and again.
I froze, ready to help the gasping, sobbing pups who seemed on the verge of collapse.