Lyra’s POV

The paper trembled in my hands as I stared at the words printed across it. My heart pounded so hard against my chest that I could barely breathe.

I looked at the nurse, unable to believe what I was seeing. Then my eyes shifted to Esther, my maid. She gave me a warm smile and nodded, confirming what I had been too afraid to hope for.

After five long years as Luna, it had finally happened.

A sob broke from my lips.

My fingers tightened around the paper as tears blurred my vision. My legs gave way, and I sank to the floor, clutching the result against my chest. “I can't believe it,” I whispered through my tears. My voice broke as another sob escaped. “I’m actually pregnant.”

“Yes my lady you are and now people will stop calling you and the Alpha horrible names. And no one will have to fear that your inability to have a child will put the kingdom at risk.” Esther knelt beside me and gently placed a hand on my shoulder.

The moment her words sank in, my tears came harder. I covered my face, my shoulders shaking as everything I had tried so hard to hold back finally broke free. Everyone thought I was the patient one. That I was the one enduring all the whispers, the judgment, and the pressure.

But if I was being honest, my husband, Mason, had carried the heavier burden. He was the reason I had never truly felt the weight of my childlessness.

I still remembered the countless times he had been warned that without an heir, he was a weak Alpha. Other packs might refuse to respect him. They might turn their backs on our kingdom or refuse to form alliances with us.

They had even pressured him to take a mistress. But he never did. Not once.

Instead, he would take my hand and remind me that our marriage was never built around our duties or what others expected from us.

He had chosen me.

“Bring me my coat. I need to speak to the Alpha. I have to tell him this good news now,” I said, wiping the tears from my cheeks as I struggled to get up from the floor.

My legs trembled beneath me.

Esther quickly slipped an arm around my waist and helped me to the bed.

“My lady, remember, you can't see him right now,” Esther reminded me gently. “He and the chiefs are preparing for tonight’s Moon Goddess ritual.”

My shoulders sank as I remembered. I wouldn't be able to see him until the ritual was over. I had been so excited to tell him myself.

“But you can tell him tomorrow at the Moon Goddess Festival,” she said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “It would be even better if the news were announced to everyone at once. We’ll get to see the looks on their faces.”

She pulled an exaggerated face, and despite the tears still clinging to my lashes, a laugh escaped me.

“Perfect! They’ll all come with their fake smiles, kiss my hand, and shower my child with blessings,” I joked, and we both burst out laughing.

Esther had never been just a maid.

She was my best friend here in the court, my confidante, and the person who stayed when everyone else had something cruel to say.

Whenever the whispers became too loud and the shame felt too heavy, she was there. She would pray for me, give alms in my name, and remind me that the Moon Goddess had not forgotten me. My pain had always been hers.

Esther helped me onto the bed, pulled the covers over me, and quietly left the room with the nurse.

As soon as I was alone, I placed both hands over my still-flat stomach.

“I love you,” I whispered, a small smile tugging at my lips. “And I promise I’ll protect you with everything I have.”

I couldn't help but imagine holding my baby in my arms, cradling them close to my chest. What would the nursery look like? And Mason's reaction… Oh, Moon Goddess, I hoped he wouldn't faint from happiness.

Sunlight streamed through the curtains and fell across my face. That was when I realized I hadn't slept at all. I had spent the entire night thinking about my baby.

A smile spread across my face as my hand found my stomach.

“Good morning, little one,” I whispered with a soft giggle. I carefully climbed out of bed.

The ladies helped me bathe and dress, and when I looked at my reflection, I barely recognized the woman smiling back at me.

My heart raced with anticipation.

As I walked down the stairs, a guard announced my arrival. The murmurs in the hall immediately died down. Everyone turned toward me and bowed. I smiled and walked toward my husband, my heart fluttering with excitement.

He gave me a slight bow before taking my hand and pressing a gentle kiss against it.

Warmth rushed to my cheeks, but the moment I looked into his eyes, my smile faded. Something was different.

His usual smile, the one that always reached his eyes whenever he looked at me, was nowhere to be seen.

I searched his face, wondering what had happened. He looked tired, almost distant, but I pushed the thought aside. Maybe the ritual had simply exhausted him.

“Good morning,” I said, studying his face. “I hope the ritual went well?”

He only nodded. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips, but it didn't reach his eyes.

Still, I was sure that would change the moment I told him about the baby. I could already imagine the joy on his face.

He gently guided me to my chair, and I sat down. As I looked around the hall, my stomach tightened.

Hayley.

My sister stood among the pack members.

My brows drew together. She wasn't a member of this pack. So what was she doing here?

Before I could make sense of it, Mason walked toward the center of the hall instead of taking his seat. The room gradually fell silent.

“This year’s celebration has brought us a gift. A gift I have prayed for and waited many years to receive.”

My heart skipped a beat. Our baby. It had to be. After five long years of prayers, disappointment, and whispered wishes, the Moon Goddess had finally answered us.

My hand instinctively moved to my stomach as a warm smile spread across my face.

I looked at Mason, searching his eyes for the same joy that was already swelling inside my chest. I could almost picture the moment he would hear the news from my own lips, the way his face would light up when I told him that after all these years, we were finally going to have a child.

“The kind of gift that will finally silence the insults and humiliation we have endured from other packs.”

My smile grew. Of course. Our child would be the heir everyone had been waiting for, the one who would finally put an end to the whispers about Mason's weakness and the cruel judgment I had endured for being unable to give him a child.

Around me, the pack members exchanged confused glances, their whispers rippling through the hall, but I barely noticed. My attention remained fixed on Mason as hope filled every corner of my heart.

He knew.

Somehow, he already knew about our baby.

Perhaps the nurse had told him before I could, and now he was preparing to share our happiness with the entire pack.

For the first time in years, I felt like I could finally breathe.

I waited for him to say the words that would change our lives forever.

“I would like to introduce my woman and the mother of my soon-to-be-born child…”

A smile spread across my face as I began to rise from my chair. My heart swelled with excitement, certain that the words I had been waiting to hear were finally coming.

“…Hayley Ravencrest.”

My body went still.

For a moment, I couldn't understand what I had heard. I stared at Mason, my smile slowly fading as his words echoed in my mind.

Hayley?

My eyes shifted toward the woman standing beside him.

My sister.

The blood drained from my face as the truth slowly sank in. Hayley was carrying my husband's child.

How? When?

My lips parted, but no sound came out. I couldn't breathe, couldn't move, couldn't even blink as I stared at them, desperately searching for some explanation that would make what I was seeing impossible.

Then Mason turned toward Hayley, leaned down, and kissed her.

A sharp pain ripped through my chest.

The man I had loved for five years was standing before me, kissing my sister as though I had never existed.

Lyra’s POV.

The hall erupted in cheers and applause, and the sound crashed over me like a wave, drowning out everything else.

I pinched my arm hard, desperate to wake myself from whatever nightmare I had fallen into, but the sharp pain that shot through my skin made me wince.

I wasn't dreaming.

This was real.

Their voices surrounded me, their laughter and excitement twisting painfully inside my chest until it felt as though every person in that hall was celebrating my humiliation right alongside Hayley.

Something inside me finally snapped. Heat surged through my body, burning away the last thread of restraint I had left.

“You monster!”

I lunged toward Hayley, my hand flying through the air, but I never reached her. The guards seized me from behind and dragged me back before my fingers could touch her.

“Let me go!” I screamed, twisting desperately against their grip as tears blurred my vision.

“Lock her up,” Mason ordered.

His voice held no warmth. No hesitation. Nothing that reminded me of the man who had once held my hand and promised that I was enough.

My struggles slowly died.

I lifted my head and looked at him through my tears, searching his face for even a trace of the husband I knew.

He had Mason's face, his voice, his eyes, the same man I had loved for five years.

But the man standing before me was a stranger.

The guards dragged me away as tears finally spilled down my cheeks, while the sound of the celebration continued behind me.

I sat alone in the dark cell, my back pressed against the cold wall. My eyes were swollen from crying, but the ache in my chest was far worse.

Just last night, I had lain in bed with both hands resting over my stomach, dreaming about the life waiting for me.

Now, I was sitting in a dungeon, all because of the man who was supposed to hold me through my pregnancy, reassure me when I was afraid, and welcome our child into the world.

My hand slowly moved to my stomach.

“What am I going to do with you?” I whispered, fighting back another wave of tears. “What kind of world have I brought you into?”

My wolf had been silent since Mason's betrayal, as though she had retreated into the darkness with me. I closed my eyes, still struggling to understand how my entire life had fallen apart in less than twenty-four hours.

The cell door suddenly opened, and several guards stormed inside. Before I could react, two of them hauled me to my feet and dragged me through the corridors toward the throne room.

I was too weak to resist, and their hands dug painfully into my arms with every step.

When the massive doors swung open, one of them shoved me forward. I crashed onto the hard floor, pain shooting through my body as I lifted my head.

Hayley was sitting on my throne beside Mason, a smug smile curving her lips as she looked down at me.

I turned my gaze around the room, taking in the familiar faces of the chiefs who had never wanted me as their Luna. Their eyes followed me without a hint of sympathy.

Then I saw my father, and a rush of hope came so suddenly that I almost forgot the pain. Whatever had happened, surely my father would protect me. I dragged myself toward him, crawling across the cold floor with trembling hands.

“Dad…” My voice cracked as I reached for him. “Please, you have to…”

Before I could finish, his palm struck my cheek so hard that my head snapped to the side. A sharp ringing filled my ears, and I stared up at him in disbelief, my cheek burning from the blow.

“How could you poison your own sister?” he roared. “She was carrying the Alpha’s child, and you caused her to lose it!”

My mind went blank as his words sank in. I slowly turned toward Hayley, who sat beside Mason on my throne, one hand resting over her stomach as tears streamed down her face.

She had lost the baby.

And somehow, they were blaming me.

“I didn’t…” My voice trembled as I shook my head. “I didn't poison her. I didn't even know she had lost the baby.”

The chiefs murmured among themselves, their accusing eyes making it clear they had already decided I was guilty. No one asked what had happened or gave me a chance to defend myself.

I looked at Mason, the man I had once loved more than anything. My lips parted, but when I spoke, my voice was barely a whisper.

“Did you ever love me? Why Hayley?” I asked, keeping my eyes on Mason. “Of all people… why her?”

His expression hardened.

“You have no right to question my actions,” he said coldly. “Why did you kill my child?”

A bitter laugh slipped from my lips. His answer told me everything I needed to know. The Mason I had loved was gone, and whatever remained of him no longer cared whether I lived or died.

I swallowed the ache in my throat and held his gaze.

“No. The real question is…” I paused, my chest tightening as I forced the words out. “…did I even know you were fucking my sister?”

Silence fell over the room.

I let my gaze sweep across the stunned faces before returning to Mason. “Why would I kill her child when I'm carrying one of my own?”

Gasps rippled through the room.

Mason shot to his feet, the coldness in his eyes replaced by shock. His gaze dropped briefly to my stomach before returning to my face.

The old me would have clung to that look, desperate to believe some part of my husband still cared. But something inside me had already changed. I no longer wanted his concern, and after what he had done, I didn't want him anywhere near my child.

Beside him, Hayley's eyes darted between us. The confidence she had worn so easily moments ago vanished, replaced by unmistakable fear.

“Liar!” my father shouted from behind me. “Don't fall for her trick! She's only saying this to gain your pity.”

I lowered my gaze, my mind racing. What had my father been promised? What could he possibly gain from helping them destroy me? Why was protecting one child worth sacrificing another?

“The royal physician will examine you,” Mason finally said, his voice once again cold and distant. “Until then, I will not pass judgment. But you will remain in the dungeon until your fate has been decided.”

A bitter smile touched my lips. How foolish I had been to think that learning I was carrying his child would make him soften toward me.

I didn't wait for the guards to drag me away. I pushed myself to my feet and gave everyone in the room one last look before quietly following them.

Back in the dungeon, I couldn't stop thinking about Hayley. I had never shared a real sisterly bond with her.

She had always seen me as the sister who had everything she believed should have been hers, my luck, my love, my place beside Mason.

The door was suddenly shoved open, and a guard thrust a cup of water into my hands. I reached for it with trembling fingers. My stomach had been aching for a while, but I had tried to ignore it, hoping it was only hunger and exhaustion.

I drank it in one desperate gulp, but the moment I lowered the cup, my stomach twisted violently. I doubled over as I vomited, my body shaking with the force of it.

My breath caught when I saw streaks of blood.

My hand flew to my stomach. “My baby…”

Panic surged through me as the dungeon began to spin. I reached for the wall, but my fingers slipped against the cold stone while darkness crept into the edges of my vision.

“Moon Goddess…” I whispered, pressing a trembling hand against my stomach. “If you're still listening… please. I haven't even had the chance to meet my baby yet.”

My eyelids grew heavier as my strength drained away. “Please… don't take my baby.”

Darkness swallowed everything.

Lyra's POV

“Nooo! I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die!” I jolted awake with a scream, shooting upright in bed. My chest heaved as I dragged in one breath after another. Sweat soaked my clothes, and my hands trembled against the sheets. I stared around my room, my heart pounding against my ribs. The familiar curtains, furniture, and decorations were all exactly where they should be.

I was in my room. But how? A cold shiver ran down my spine. Was this what the afterlife looked like? Or was I dreaming?

The door flew open, and my ladies-in-waiting rushed inside with Esther right behind them. Fear flashed across their faces as they hurried toward me.

“My lady!” Esther reached me first and pulled me into her arms.

“Esther…” My voice broke as I clung to her. “Please, help me. I don’t want to die. I can’t lose my baby either.” I pressed a trembling hand against my stomach, tears spilling down my cheeks. Esther suddenly pulled back, her brows drawing together.

“Which baby, my lady?” I froze.

“My baby…” I whispered, staring at her in confusion. “Remember?” My hand remained pressed against my stomach as I searched her face for any sign that she understood. Instead, Esther's worried expression only deepened. She slowly turned toward the other women and gave them a silent signal to leave. One by one, my ladies-in-waiting hurried out.

“What’s wrong, my lady?” Esther asked softly. She took my trembling hand in hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. “You shouldn’t let your inability to have a child affect you this deeply.” I stared at her, my lips parting in disbelief.

“No.” I shook my head quickly. “You don’t understand. I’m pregnant. I am!” My voice rose with desperation. “You know about it. We went to the royal physician together. We had the test done. The nurse brought the results straight to my chamber.” The words tumbled from my mouth, faster and faster. I could barely breathe between them. “I saw the result. You saw it too. You were there!” Esther’s eyes filled with tears. She tightened her grip on my hand and shook her head slowly.

“My lady…” Her voice cracked. “No such thing happened.” I felt the blood drain from my face. “You’re not pregnant.”

Her face told me she wasn't joking. I slowly pulled my hands from hers and looked away. My eyes drifted around the room until they landed on the calendar hanging on the wall.

My breath caught as I stared at the calendar. One week until the Moon Goddess Festival.

My mind raced as I counted the days, and slowly, the truth began to sink in.

I wasn't dreaming.

I had returned to the past.

I had been given a second chance.

What was the point of being reborn at the expense of my own child? I bite my lips hard trying to hold back my tears.

Why moon goddess? Why?

A sharp ache spread through my chest. I pressed my palm against my heart, trying to calm the pain, but it only grew stronger.

I forced myself out of bed, grabbed a coat and draped it over my shoulders. I needed to clear my head.

“My lady, where are you going…”

“I'm going for a run. I just need to clear my head,” I said before Esther could finish.

“But you can't leave dressed like that. You don't look well,” she said worriedly. I gave her a small, tired smile.

“I'll be fine.” I didn't wait for her reply. I walked out of the room and headed toward the exit of the pack house.

The moment I stepped outside, I felt eyes following me. I couldn't bear their whispers, their curious looks, or the thought of facing anyone who had once watched me suffer. I needed somewhere no one could find me.

I ran deeper into the woods, the cold air cutting against my skin. But the faster I ran, the tighter the pain in my chest became. Then the memories came rushing back. My pregnancy. The kiss. Their laughter. My death. Each memory flashed through my mind like a cruel nightmare.

“Nooooooo!” I suddenly stopped and screamed, my voice echoing through the silent woods. Whatever strength I had left finally broke. Tears poured down my face as I stumbled forward and collapsed onto the cold ground. I curled into myself, pressing my hands against my chest as sobs tore through me.

I wiped my tears and clenched my fists. They had to pay for what they had done to me. There had to be a way to break them, just as they had broken me. A sudden rustle came from the trees. My head snapped toward the sound, but there was no one there. Only swaying branches. Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching me. Then my eyes caught a strange mark carved into one of the trees. My heart dropped. Fuck. I knew that mark. I was in Lycan territory.

How had I wandered this far? I had been so lost in my thoughts that I hadn't even realized I had crossed into enemy lands. I scrambled to my feet and quickly wiped the tears from my face.

I closed my eyes and reached for my wolf, expecting to feel her familiar presence.

Nothing.

No answering growl. No warmth. Not even the faintest stir of consciousness.

My heart began to race.

“Come on. Not now.”

I reached for her again, harder this time, but the silence remained.

With no time to figure out what was wrong, I decided to rely on my own strength. I turned and ran. I hadn't gone far when I heard heavy footsteps pounding behind me. Whatever had been watching me had finally revealed itself. I glanced over my shoulder.

A Lycan. My blood ran cold. There was no way I could outrun one of them.

But I refused to give up. I pushed my legs harder, forcing myself to run faster. My lungs burned, and branches scratched against my arms as I tore through the woods.

My foot landed on a slick stone and slipped out from under me.

“Ah!”

I crashed to the ground, my head striking something hard enough to send a burst of pain through my skull.

A scream tore from my throat. I grabbed the back of my head, blinking rapidly as the world spun around me. Then I felt a heavy presence above me. My breath caught.

I slowly opened my eyes, but everything was blurred. A dark figure hovered over me, blocking out the light. I could feel his warm breath against my face. A low growl rumbled through his chest.

“Mate.”