The Betrayed Luna Chapter 01
Late at night, a Mind Link came through from the Omega I’d rescued:
“Luna, I’m pregnant… what do I do?” Viola’s voice trembled——impossible to tell if it was terror or joy.
【Viola, you haven’t been marked yet. An unmarked pup will be considered ill-omened by the Pack. You can still have other pups in the future.
Your ranking trial is next month. I’ll petition Alpha to grant you Gamma status, and then—】
Before I could finish, she blocked me.
Three days later, my sister Tessa accompanied me on an inspection visit to Frostvale Pack’s hospital.
She pointed at a young couple outside the maternity ward and sighed wistfully:
“If Alpha were here, he’d dote on you just like that. Honestly, I think he’s lost his mind—what kind of Alpha signs up for a three-year border patrol?”
I didn’t look up. Answered absently:
“He’s doing it for the Pack’s future. I don’t blame him. As long as I’m in his heart, that’s enough.”
As we turned to leave, I nearly collided with that same young couple. The man was cooing over the girl in his arms with exquisite tenderness:
“Viola, sweetheart, once this checkup’s done, I’ll buy you that limited-edition bag.”
Every drop of blood in my body froze. My feet became rooted to the floor.
Because the man standing before me was Alden Blackridge—my Alpha mate, who was supposed to be patrolling the border.
And the woman in his arms was the she-wolf I’d personally rescued from a Rogue internment camp.
…
“Alden?” My mouth opened. My voice came out so hoarse even I didn’t recognize it.
The man who’d been all tender affection one second ago went rigid at the sound.
Alden turned. The instant our eyes collided, the pain from the Mate Bond nearly tore my heart apart.
Shock and panic flashed through his gaze—but he crushed both down almost immediately. Instinctively, he pulled Viola closer.
Viola peeked out from his embrace. That innocent, harmless face arranged itself into surprise as she called out timidly:
“Luna… what are you doing here?”
The files in Tessa’s hands hit the floor with a slap. She jabbed a finger at Alden and exploded:
“Alden! Aren’t you supposed to be on goddamn border patrol? Who the hell is this pregnant woman?!”
Alden ignored Tessa entirely. His flat, unruffled gaze swept to me, tone detached:
“Heidi, don’t make a scene at the Pack hospital.”
Incredible. Even in a situation like this, he could still sound so calm—so self-righteous.
Just three days ago on our video call, he’d been standing in the frozen wastelands of the border, complaining about the lack of sun up north, saying he missed my roasted lamb chops.
I’d cried from worry. Stayed up all night at the hunting grounds to catch foxes for a fur-lined cloak, then roasted the lamb chops and had a Gamma courier them to him.
And now—this Alpha who was supposed to be suffering thousands of miles away for the Pack’s safety—stood before me in pristine clothes, arms wrapped around the Omega I’d spent three years rehabilitating.
“What about the border assignment?” Tears burned behind my eyes. I forced them back.
Alden frowned slightly, visibly annoyed by my persistence:
“Beta’s handling it. I came back last month.”
“Viola’s here alone, pregnant, with no one to rely on. As Alpha, what’s wrong with me looking after her?”
“As Alpha?” I laughed—the bitter laugh of rage pushed past its limit. I pointed at Viola’s slightly rounded belly. “Looking after her all the way into your bed? Looking after her until she’s carrying your pup?!”
Viola’s eyes immediately reddened. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she clutched Alden’s sleeve:
“Luna, please don’t blame Alpha… it’s my fault. I couldn’t help myself.”
“But the pup is innocent. I grew up without a father—I don’t want my pup to grow up without one too…”
Seeing her cry, Alden’s eyes filled with heartache as he wiped her tears.
When he turned to me, his gaze was ice:
“Heidi Thornton, watch your attitude. Viola isn’t like you—she’s pure and kind. She doesn’t know any better.”
“I initiated this. If you’ve got a problem, take it out on me.”
In that moment, a bone-deep exhaustion washed over me.
Ever since Alden recognized me as his fated mate, he’d brought me back to Frostvale Pack.
To support him, I’d resigned my position as lead designer at a publicly traded company in New York. I managed his Pack, even begged my father—Alpha of Blackthorn Pack—to invest in us.
I’d miscarried because of the overwhelming Pack workload. Now conceiving again was nearly impossible.
He’d knelt at my hospital bedside and sworn—even without pups, he would love only me for the rest of his life.
When the Pack finally thrived, he said the border was under Rogue attack—that for the Pack’s stability, he needed to join the Gammas on a three-year patrol.
I stayed behind at Frostvale Pack alone. Handling Pack affairs. Caring for his ailing mother.
And in the end, those vows—I was the only fool who believed them, year after year.
“Alden.” I drew a deep breath, forcing down the tremors wracking my body.
“Let’s dissolve the Mate Bond.”