I remember Aia too well. At eighteen, she mocked me for being untouched at twenty-eight. At thirty-two, I saw her again—as Gio’s fiancée. My parents wanted him to lead the town, but only if he married me.

I fell for him instantly. After years of feeling nothing for men, I finally wanted someone—I wanted him. So when Aia fell ill and was declared dead, I won’t lie—I felt relieved. Nothing stood in my way anymore.

Except for one thing: my age.

He was twenty-five, I was forty—almost twice his age. But he said he’d try, that he’d risk everything for me. And I believed him. For five years, I thought he had learned to love me.

But now... Aia was back. Alive. Her parents called it a miracle. And worse—my husband acted as if he hadn’t known, as if he wasn’t part of this twisted game.

My hands clenched as he returned from the town meeting, his eyes fixed on Aia as if she were all that mattered. He didn’t look for me. Didn’t check on me—despite knowing I was set to give birth tonight.

As the town’s strongest witch, I had used my powers to prolong my pregnancy, ensuring my baby’s survival. But after what I overheard last night—after this—did it even matter?

“Babe, are you feeling okay? Your body’s trembling.”

Whispers sent chills down my spine. Silence filled the room as all eyes turned to me. The town’s most powerful people watched, waiting. They knew I was Gio’s wife—but they also knew Aia was the woman he was meant to marry before her supposed death.

“Missus, are you all right?” my apprentice asked.

I turned away, tears brimming in my eyes, but I couldn’t stop the sob that escaped when I heard what Gio said next—words he didn’t even bother hiding beneath the chatter of the guests.

“I missed you, babe. I’m so happy you’re alive… and back on your feet.”

“Oh, I missed you too,” Aia purred. “I just didn’t know you’d marry someone else.”

I sucked in a sharp breath, stepping back. I wanted to leave, but a voice stopped me.

“Mrs. Sotto, congratulations! You’re finally having a healthy baby!”

I turned to see my father’s old ward, a woman who had always been envious of me. She held the hand of a young child, no older than seven—her son.

“Finally, you’ll have one to catch up with mine,” she sneered.

I tried to walk away, but she grabbed my arm, making my stomach twist in pain.

“Come on,” she whispered, motioning toward the scene behind us. “Look at him. Your husband, holding another woman like she’s a rare jewel. And you? He didn’t even spare you a glance.”

“Let me go,” I muttered, barely able to breathe through the ache in my chest.

“Why?” she taunted, then suddenly shouted, “Gio! Kathleen’s jealous! Don’t do this to her!”

Laughter rippled through the crowd. I felt like I was suffocating.

I looked at Gio, and for the first time, I saw a flicker of guilt in his eyes. He let go of Aia, murmuring something to her. She rolled her eyes but smirked, satisfied.

He sighed as if he were being inconvenienced, then walked toward me, putting on that fake, practiced smile.

“Love…” he called softly.

I swallowed back the pain.

“Don’t worry,” he whispered, his voice low enough for only me to hear. “I’m just happy she’s alive. That’s it. You’re the one I love.”

Liar.

He pulled me away from the crowd and into a quieter space.

“Love, don’t be upset,” he said, wiping my tears away. He looked perfect—his eyes shining, his posture confident. But I knew better. He had only dressed up like this for Aia’s return. As if he hadn’t known all along that she was alive.

“Our baby will be here tonight, right? Healthy and strong. Don’t let your emotions ruin this.”

I bit my lip, shaking my head. I wanted to tell him my plan—to lie and say our baby had died before birth. But I knew better. If he thought the baby was gone, he’d offer me to the monster right away. I needed time. I needed a chance to make my own deal.

“I won’t cry anymore,” I whispered. “But I’m hurting.”

He pulled me into his arms, humming softly.

“Don’t be, love. You’re my wife. You’re the mother of my child. You’re the only beautiful woman I know.”

It burned. Every word was a lie.

“Let’s go inside. You need to rest.”

He led me to our room, but when he left, I followed him. Quiet. Careful.

He entered his secret chamber, the one I was never allowed inside. I held my breath and peered through the gap in the door.

And I saw him kneel before Aia.

He kissed her bare knee, his fingers trailing up her exposed skin. One by one, he unbuttoned his shirt, discarding it like a burden. Like a man about to worship the only woman he truly loved.

“She’s dying tonight, right?” Aia asked, her voice a seductive whisper.

“Mmm… for sure,” Gio murmured. “And the baby too.”

Aia giggled. “Then let’s make our own babies while we wait.”

I couldn’t breathe. I pressed my fingers into my palm, pinching my cheek to keep myself from breaking down.

I had married a traitor. A monster in disguise.

But I wouldn’t let him win.

I wouldn’t die. And neither would my baby.

“All the entities, all the souls I saved and lost, save me and my child from demise," I whispered in desperation.

I brewed a potion to make me stay strong. Five hours had passed, and the childbirth ceremony was about to begin.

As before, I would give birth under the moonlight, where my powers were strongest. But now, I saw the truth—Gio and his mother had deceived me, making me believe my babies were stillborn, only to offer them afterward.

"I'm sorry, Father, Mother," I whispered. "The town you gave your lives to has betrayed me. Now, they'll feel my pain."

I poured the potion onto my necklace and drank the last drops—to keep myself sane. One thing was clear—The monster didn’t devour the dead, meaning my children were alive before Gio sacrificed them.

The clock struck seven. Gio took me.

"Careful, love. We wouldn’t want anything to happen to our baby," he murmured, pressing a kiss to my forehead.

My lips trembled. Oh, how I wanted to smash his face and expose him for the liar he was.

"Lie down, Kathleen," his mother instructed, guiding me to the ceremonial bed.

Clad in a thin white cloth, I lay beneath the open sky, surrounded by water, oil, and blood—traditional wards against evil. Yet, those who harmed me most were the ones I trusted.

A blindfold covered my eyes. My heartbeat thundered in my ears. Chanting filled the air as warm liquid smeared across my swollen belly. Gio’s grip tightened around my wrist.

Then—a sharp prick at my neck. A small sting. A needle, perhaps. Now I understand why childbirth always left me weak and disoriented. Each time, they drugged me into unconsciousness, only for me to wake to the same lie—my baby hadn’t survived.

Not this time.

Minutes passed. The potion took effect. Then, footsteps—distant but approaching. The monster. I had never seen him. Only my father and Gio had. All I knew was that he was massive, ruthless, and powerful.

I slowly opened my eyes.

The crowd was gone. Gio’s mother had disappeared.

Only he and I remained. And my baby.

Pain wracked my body as I brought my child into the world. A sharp cry pierced the air. My vision blurred, but I saw it—something large, something covered in fur... and then it shifted.

Into a man.

The monster... is a man—a lycan?

"What do you offer for the flower you seek?" The monster spoke, his voice deep and commanding.

"My wife," Gio answered without hesitation. "She carries the bloodline of those who destroyed your pack years ago."

What is he talking about?

"The baby is yours, as is the woman. In return, you will give me the flower that will bring my beloved back to life. That was the deal, correct?"

I swallowed the bile rising in my throat as I watched Gio kneel before the monster.

"The whole town knows of this. No one will come for her. She is yours. Nothing will go wrong, as promised."

Wrong. I would return. I would make my own deal.

Darkness clawed at my consciousness. My body swayed, weak from childbirth, but my mind remained sharp. I was lifted onto something soft. I heard my baby crying.

I forced my eyes open.

Slowly, I reached for the small silver dagger tucked against my body.

"S-stop..." I rasped.

The movement around me slowed.

"What the?!" The monster growled.

Suddenly, his massive form shrank, shifting into something smaller—more human. He dropped me, and pain jolted through my body as my weakened bones struggled against the impact.

I cradled my baby, my breath hitching. The monster—now a man—was bleeding. Profusely.

"W-what happened to you?" I asked, unable to suppress my concern.

He was young, strong, and devastatingly handsome—but gravely wounded.

"None of your business. You're mine now. I own you. You will do as I say."

Yet, as he spoke, his body trembled, his strength waning. Then, I caught the scent—wolfsbane and poison.

"You're dying," I murmured.

"Oh yeah? And so are you—"

"Let me offer my life to you." I negotiated. "My baby and I were betrayed by my town. Let me pledge my life and loyalty. Not only will you have me, but you’ll have the town that destroyed your pack. You want revenge? So do I."

He scoffed, stepping closer—barely clothed, barely standing. "And why should I trust you, old woman?"

"Bite me. My blood is laced with power, with honesty, with loyalty. If I betray you, I will die."

His brow furrowed. "And the baby?"

"Not my baby. Just me. Bite me, and you'll see. Your wounds will heal."

I expected hesitation, but in an instant, he was behind me, his claws grazing my skin as his canines sank into my shoulder. He wasn’t feasting on my blood—he was stealing my power.

Darkness swallowed me as I collapsed, drained. Only my baby’s steady breath assured me he was still safe.

A breath ghosted against my ear. "Did you trick me?"

I shook my head weakly.

"Then explain this," he demanded, stepping back.

I forced my eyes open, struggling to see him clearly. But it wasn’t him that caught my attention—it was my own reflection in his piercing blue eyes.

Not old. Not wrinkled. Not broken.

I looked young again. As if the past twenty years had vanished.

I gasped. "I... I became young again!"

His lips curled into a smirk. "Maybe because you're now fated to me, woman."

“This is my world,” he muttered in my ear as he opened the glass door.

Everything here seemed magically dark. When I woke up in an unfamiliar bed with my son beside me, I didn’t know if everything had really happened. I thought it was some sort of bad dream. But instead of my husband, it was this magnificent man who greeted me.

A powerful man—Ronin Specter, the alpha of a wolf pack.

My father said beings exist beyond ordinary sight. As a powerful witch, I thought I'd seen it all—until he and his kind proved me wrong.

Now, as I stepped out of what seemed like a palace, I was met with the sight of what looked like a kingdom.

“I don’t know what to say…” I uttered helplessly.

As much as I was amazed to know there were many of them, a shiver ran down my spine at the thought that what he was, so were the others surrounding me.

Yes, they were living beings, but… Ronin had killed and eaten my babies before. That meant he could do it again, and his people could do the same.

“What’s bothering your mind?” he asked.

I faced him and heaved a sigh.

“You know what happened to me,” I said.

“I do—”

“And was that enough to tell us and the sect that you’re losing your mind, Ronin?” Someone interrupted our conversation.

We both turned to see who it was. I faced the woman, clad in bright red clothing with a tobacco in her hand.

Her eyes flew to my son in my arms.

“And here I thought you were insane for bringing a human here. Instead, you took her baggage too!”

“Matilde, leave us alone,” he dismissed the woman.

She gave a sly smirk.

“You know what it means to bring a woman here. If she’s oblivious to it, we don’t care. The sect wants to see you.” Then she turned her back on us.

Ronin cursed under his breath, running a hand through his hair as if he was exhausted and had no choice.

“What is it? Are they killing us?” I asked, my heart pounding for my son.

He looked at me coldly.

He took a step forward, making me tremble slightly.

“Remember what you told me?”

“Yes…” I swallowed hard.

“You wanted revenge. Your power was lost. You gave your town to me.”

“As I should,” I gritted out.

He nodded, a glint of a murderous smirk crossing his lips.

“Now that you’re here, all you have to do is agree. If not…” he trailed off, his eyes landing on my baby. “You and he will die here.”

The truth was, I didn’t know why he had to threaten me with those words. I was already risking everything by being here with my son. That meant I had accepted everything.

Or so I thought. Because this was an entirely different matter, standing before men who were clearly powerful and held high positions.

“That woman will endanger us if you don’t make her do the unbreakable vow,” said a bearded man.

“The unbreakable vow, and what is he supposed to bring us here instead of her?”

I looked at Ronin, who merely twirled a pen between his fingers, staring at it as if this entire discussion was beneath him. Yet I was the one on trial here.

“My town people offered me to him, which means I’m offered to you as well. And please don’t act as if being here is a crime when you… all killed my children every damn time I gave birth to them!”

Silence fell over the room. They exchanged glances. Even Ronin looked at me.

“What the hell is she saying? She’s out of her mind. You think we’re some bad people here?” the woman from earlier spat.

She stood up and approached me slowly.

Her eyes were stone cold. She pointed her finger at me.

“Your people killed our ancestors! They killed my parents, my sister! They betrayed us! Now, we didn’t do anything to you nor your people because having you as slaves is what we dreamed of.”

“Liar!” I spat, my eyes brimming with tears as I remembered my babies. “You all killed my baby. He…” I pointed at Ronin. “...ate my babies!”

That’s when he looked at me with anger. “I am no monster! Stop with your accusations. Remember that I saved you.”

“Really?” I cackled, a sarcastic laugh escaping me.

“Why would you bring me here if I hadn’t begged you for my life? For my son’s life? If I didn’t offer a deal, huh? You’d kill me!” I hurled at him.

I was about to approach him when he signaled the woman, and she immediately took hold of me.

“Wrong,” Ronin said. “I have other plans.”

“Please tell me it’s not the original plan. This woman is not fit,” Matilde, the woman beside me, spoke up.

Ronin turned to the sect members. They spoke in hushed tones, their words indecipherable to me. The woman let go of me and ran toward Ronin.

“Please, enough with this,” she begged.

Ronin looked at me. They all did, except for Matilde, whose eyes were now filled with tears.

“I, the alpha of Zaas, officially present to you the woman I will marry.”

My lips parted in shock. I was confused.

“What?”

Ronin smiled, void of emotion.

“The Luna, Kathleen.”

But I’m married! How could he?!