I never imagined I would go into early labor during the Annual Full Moon Ceremony.

The pain was unbearable, but what made it worse was the setting. I was at the center of the platform, surrounded by wolves, elders, and influencers pointing their phones at me like I was part of the entertainment.

No one stepped forward to help. They just watched, some of them even livestreaming it for their followers.

But when the baby finally let out her first cry, I felt a rush of relief. My hands trembled as I held her against my chest, tears stinging my eyes.

“It’s our daughter,” I said, looking over at Alpha Cyrus Vazquez as I cradled the newborn in my arms.

Cyrus stood several feet away on the Alpha’s platform, flanked by council elders and high-ranking warriors. His expression didn’t change. He looked at the baby in my arms with a blank stare, as if she were nothing more than a passing inconvenience.

“A girl cannot be an Alpha,” he said coldly, adjusting the gold clasp on his dark ceremonial jacket. “What I need is a boy who will grow into a man and become the next Alpha, not a weakling like this.”

My smile faltered. The warmth in my chest vanished.

“What did you say?” I asked, still catching my breath. My bloodied white silk dress clung to my body, sticky with sweat and pain, but it wasn’t nearly as uncomfortable as the silence that followed his words.

Cyrus didn’t answer. He turned his head to the side, his gaze moving past me without a hint of hesitation.

I followed his line of sight.

Someone was approaching.

Calista Doren.

The crowd reacted the moment they saw her. She was the woman everyone in the pack admired. She was gorgeous, mysterious, and recently made famous after going viral during one of Cyrus’s campaign appearances.

She used to be shy, even forgettable. But now she moved with bold confidence, her presence commanding attention like it was second nature.

She wore a tight black dress that shimmered under the lights. Her walk was deliberate, graceful. And in her arms, she carried something small, wrapped in black linen embroidered with silver thread.

Calista didn’t stop or hesitate. She headed straight for the Alpha’s platform as if it belonged to her. She didn’t spare me a glance. Not even the Elders drew her attention.

She looked only at Cyrus.

“I bring the Alpha’s blood,” she said. Her voice was calm, unshaken, as if she had rehearsed the line in front of a mirror a hundred times. “Born two nights ago.”

I stared at her, frozen, trying to process what she was saying.

Gasps rippled through the crowd. Some whispered to one another, already speculating, but I heard none of it. All I could hear was the ringing in my ears and the sound of my daughter crying in my arms.

Calista unwrapped the cloth.

Inside was a newborn, a male child who looked exactly like Cyrus. The infant was swaddled in wolfsbane-marked fabric, the kind reserved only for pureblood heirs born under the protection of the moon.

And then Cyrus stepped down from the platform.

He didn’t look at me. He didn’t ask if I was all right. He didn’t even glance at the baby I had just brought into this world.

He walked straight to Calista and gently placed his hand on the baby’s head.

“I acknowledge my heir,” he said, his voice devoid of emotion. There was no pride in his words, no shame either, just finality.

Something inside me cracked.

Because with that one sentence, he made it clear that my daughter wasn’t enough. Not in his eyes.

He recognized another woman’s child, born in secret, as his legacy.

I stood there, still holding my newborn, still bleeding, still the Luna in name. But it didn’t feel like a title anymore. It felt like a chain.

I opened my mouth, but no words came out. My chest tightened. My wolf thrashed violently inside me, furious and betrayed. The child in my arms cried louder, her small fists flailing in the air as if she felt the rejection as deeply as I did.

But all I could do was hold her, dazed, empty, and cold.

I looked at Cyrus one last time, desperate for anything, something that will show even a hint of regret, doubt, even confusion. But his face remained hard, unmoved. There was no guilt in his eyes. Only certainty.

“Calista's son will take my name. He will be rasied as my heir and my only child,” he said, as if the thought had only just crossed his mind. “And you, as my Luna, have to ensure that he will grow healthy and strong. As for others, they will be sent out.”

“What do you mean by that? Your only child?” I hugged my baby tighter to my chest, unable to believe the words coming out of Cyrus’s mouth.

But Cyrus didn’t answer.

Instead, he turned to his men and pointed at me.

“Take the child from her and send it to an orphanage,” he commanded.

“What? No!” I cried out, clutching my daughter protectively. “You can’t take her away!”

I refused to let go, but the guards who stepped forward were strong. They pulled at me roughly, nearly tearing off my dress in the process. I struggled against them, every muscle in my body screaming from the effort.

“No! You’re not taking her from me!” I shouted.

And then my wolf surged forward with a furious roar that shook the air. The men faltered, taking a cautious step back. They must have forgotten, I was still the Luna. I may have just given birth, but I remained the pack’s rightful female leader. A guide strong enough to stand beside an Alpha.

An elder stepped forward, speaking to Cyrus in a low, urgent voice.

“It is unwise to separate a newborn from its mother so soon. Doing so may cause complications... even with your son’s growth and health.”

Cyrus frowned, clearly displeased. He raised his hand, signaling his men to stop. His eyes landed on me again, bloodied, disheveled, a mess in every sense of the word, but I didn’t shrink back. I held his gaze, fierce and unflinching.

“Whatever you’re planning, Alpha,” I said through gritted teeth, “dare involve my child in it, and I will burn every bond between us to the ground.”

He showed no sign of fear, only cold indifference. And then, perhaps in what he thought was mercy, he spoke.

“My heir requires full attention from the Luna. I can’t allow any distractions. I won’t have other children become a reason for my son to be neglected.”

I sneered. “Then why not let his mother care for him? She certainly seems confident enough to parade around like this in front of the entire pack.”

Calista made a soft expression, something gentle, almost tender, that might have deceived anyone watching. She looked at me as if we were dear friends and said in a sweet voice, “You are the rightful Luna. I’m only here to serve our Alpha.”

I scoffed. “Then you do understand what that means. And you still dare to do this?”

She lowered her head as if humbled, her tone quiet, submissive. “I’m only doing what’s best for the Alpha’s bloodline. He deserves a proper heir.”

I wanted to scream, to lash out and tear her mask apart. But before I could say anything, Cyrus’s presence crashed into me like a wave. His aura was suffocating. My knees nearly buckled, and I would have fallen if not for the baby in my arms.

“I’ll give you seven days,” Cyrus said flatly. “Take care of the girl as much as you want. After that, your focus will be on my son.”

Without another word, he turned his back to me and walked away with Calista in tow. He didn’t spare me a glance. Didn’t order anyone to help me. No one in the crowd moved, all too afraid of drawing their Alpha’s ire.

So, I helped myself. I pulled my torn dress over my shoulder, staggered off the platform, and nearly collapsed. I called a cab with trembling fingers and somehow managed to get to the hospital.

By the time I arrived, I was fading. But I didn’t let myself pass out until I’d made sure my baby was in safe hands.

When I finally opened my eyes, hours had passed. My daughter lay in a crib beside me, sleeping peacefully. I stared at her, overwhelmed by a feeling I couldn’t name. There was love, yes, but also sorrow. She didn’t deserve this. I had imagined her birth would be met with warmth and welcome. But Cyrus...

Cyrus had shown me otherwise.

He paraded the son he had with Calista. A son born in secret two nights ago.

They had been cheating all along.

I reached for my phone with shaking fingers. There was only one number I could think of calling. It rang just once before a deep, familiar voice answered on the other end.

“Lyra,” he said smoothly. “As expected, you called me.”

He chuckled softly, teasing. But I wasn’t in the mood for games.

“Apollo, you said you love me, right?” My voice trembled, but not from fear. “Then prove it. Take me and my child away from here… and I’ll give you my life and body in return. Deal?”

Apollo laughed mockingly at the other end of the line.

“Are you treating me like a backup plan now?”

His voice was sharp and cold, like ice cracking under pressure. That laugh echoed in my ear, threaded with sarcasm and quiet rage.

I gripped the phone so tightly my knuckles turned white. Apollo might have been powerful, rich, and dangerous... but he wasn’t the only one I could turn to.

“If you don’t want me, then don’t,” I said, my voice clipped and even. “I’m not hard to deal with.”

The air shifted on the other end. His laughter cut off abruptly, and a tense silence followed. It was so heavy, I could hear the blood pounding in my ears.

“You think you can just walk away because you decided to?” He said at last, his tone was low and calculated. “You already sold yourself to me, Lyra. There are no takebacks.”

His words sent a chill down my spine.

“Then take me,” I snapped. “You have seven days.”

A beat passed. Then came his laugh again, softer this time, amused, as if he were genuinely intrigued. Without another word, the call ended. A moment later, my phone buzzed.

Finishing business overseas. I’ll come as fast as I can.

I stared at the message, a whirlwind of thoughts crashing through my mind.

I set the phone down and drew in a slow, trembling breath, brushing a hand through my sweat-damp hair. My limbs ached. My back throbbed. I had barely recovered from the delivery, and yet there was no time to rest. No time to process the betrayal.

Then the phone rang again. The screen lit up.

It was my father.

My heart dropped. I hesitated before answering, but I knew better than ignoring him.

“Dad—” I began, barely getting the word out.

“You shameless woman!” He thundered, cutting me off. His fury struck me like a physical blow. “You dared to give birth to a female cub?!”

I recoiled at the venom in his voice, but forced myself to respond, keeping my tone calm, though my vision blurred.

“Dad, this isn’t something I could choose,” I said, my fingers trembling as I held the phone. “I didn’t plan for—”

“Don’t tell me you didn’t know it was a girl!” he spat. “You should’ve aborted it the moment you found out!”

His words stabbed deep, sharper than any blade. But it wasn’t new. My father had always seen me as a pawn, a tool for his ambitions. He had arranged my marriage to Cyrus for power, and when it succeeded, he paraded me like a prize. I had been useful. Until another woman gave Cyrus a male heir.

I felt my throat tighten. “She’s your granddaughter,” I said hoarsely. “How could you say that?”

“What granddaughter?” he snapped. “She’s a disgrace! It would’ve been better if she’d died.”

Then the line went dead.

I sat frozen, unable to move, as the weight of his words settled over me like a suffocating fog. My whole body trembled from fury, despair, and exhaustion. All of it tangled so tightly I couldn’t separate one from the other.

Betrayed by my mate. Rejected by my father. Shamed before the entire pack. All because I gave birth to a daughter.

I turned slowly toward the crib, my heart cracking at the sight of her tiny form. Her chest rose and fell with gentle breaths, her lips forming the faintest pout as she dreamed.

Peaceful. Innocent. Unaware of the world that already hated her for existing.

I reached out and picked her up, cradling her gently against my chest. Her warmth grounded me. She didn’t cry. She didn’t resist. She simply nestled closer, trusting me with every breath she took.

“Hello, Athena,” I whispered, my voice shaking with emotion. “That’s your name now. You’ll grow up smart and brave. I’ll make sure of it.”

The name tasted right on my tongue.

Strong, noble, divine. A name fit for a warrior.

As if she understood, Athena let out a soft coo, and a small smile curved my lips. In the middle of this hell, she was my only light.

Then the door burst open.

I tensed instantly, my heart slamming in my chest as I turned—and saw Esmeralda, Cyrus’s mother.

“There she is,” she said coldly, her voice devoid of emotion. Her finger pointed directly at me as a group of men in dark uniforms stepped into the room behind her.

My instincts screamed. I held Athena tighter, my eyes darting between them.

“What are you doing here?” I demanded. “What are you trying to do?”

Esmeralda didn’t answer me. She turned instead to the men with her, speaking as though I wasn’t even in the room.

“The male heir has developed sudden heart complications. He needs a transplant. Take that child, use her heart for the operation.”