Shattered

Moira's POV

I heard hard footsteps just in front of my door.

They slammed it open.

Heavy boots stormed across the cold floor and before I could even sit up fully, rough hands grabbed my arms.

"Up. The Elders want you."

My legs buckled beneath me. Sleep hadn’t eased the ache, hadn’t dulled the agony inside me. Everything still burned my muscles, my heart, my pride.

I tried to speak, to ask why, but my lips were cracked, my voice caught somewhere in my throat. This was the revered Council of Elders.

I was dragged before them and pushed to my knees.

I didn’t look at anyone. I kept my head bowed.

"You fainted and ran off like a coward," Elder Andrew spat, his voice sharp as a whip. "You have disgraced yourself and this pack."

"She has no wolf," said Elder Naren, one of the younger ones. "No strength. No shift. How could she ever be Luna? We need power and dignity to lead this pack."

My lip trembled. I tried not to cry, but the sobs broke through, shaking my shoulders.

"Look at her," another muttered, not even hiding his disgust. "Still weak. Still useless."

"And yet," Elder Remi, one of the older women, said coldly, "we remember who her parents were. Heroes of the last war. Beta Orion and his mate, Sunna."

"It is only because of them," Elder Naren added, "that we will not banish you, throw you out to the rogue lands."

"You’re a curse on this pack," Elder Andrew snarled. "But we’ll tolerate your presence. For now, only if it is hidden. Forgotten."

I couldn’t lift my head. I couldn’t move. I barely even breathed. They were sentencing me to live like a ghost.

"That is all," Elder Remi concluded. "Take her away."

I dared a glance.

Rosa Asher stood to the side, arms folded, her smirk gleaming like the moonlight on a blade.

And beside her… Kaleb.

He didn’t look at me. Not once.

His face was carved from stone, but his eyes were cold like ice. He had once proclaimed love to me and now… now he watched me be discarded.

My soul cracked.

The guards pulled me to my feet again, dragging me down another hallway, away from the main house, away from the Luna quarters, away from the life that had once been mine.

They shoved me into a small room.

A narrow bed. A small cracked mirror. Bare grey walls. The servants’ quarters.

They didn’t say anything as they shut the door.

I didn’t know how much time had passed when I heard the door creak again.

It wasn’t a guard this time.

It was Elder Lyra. The only one who hadn’t spoken during the tribunal.

"You’re pregnant, girl."

I blinked, stunned. I shook my head, confused. "I… what?"

"Your scent. It’s subtle, but I’m not blind. Who is the father?"

My breath stopped.

I remembered.

The night of the full moon, during Kaleb’s rut. His eyes filled with endless lust for me. The way he lost control. The way I did, too. The kiss we shouldn’t have shared. The night I gave myself up to a mate that would one day throw me aside like I meant nothing.

I hadn’t known. I hadn’t even suspected. I pressed a hand to my abdomen.

"Kaleb," I whispered.

Elder Lyra’s expression didn’t change.

"Then the council must know."

But I closed my eyes, the weight of the decision slamming into me. I was pregnant. Oh moon goddess why?

My baby. A child, half mine, half his. Born into a pack that hated me.

What if the child couldn’t shift?

What if they mocked it?

What if they broke it, like they had broken me?

I looked up at Elder Lyra, voice cracking. "Don’t tell anyone. Please. I will. I’ll tell them myself. When I’m ready."

Her gaze lingered on me for a long moment. Then, she nodded once. She left the room without another word.

That night, I couldn’t sleep.

The walls felt like they were closing in, choking me.

I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t bring a child into this hate.

I rose on trembling legs. With no plan, no belongings, I left the room. No one stopped me.

No one noticed me slip into the trees.

Thank the goddess for me having a subtle scent and with my knowledge of how the watchers were usually stationed, I was able to slip past the patrol.

The forest was dark. The sky threatened rain. The wind whipped through my torn dress.

I walked until my legs gave out, then I crawled. I didn’t care where I went, only that it was far, far from this wretched pack. I cursed when the rain started.

Rain came in sheets. The ground turned to mud.

Thorns tore my skin. I bled. I shook. My vision blurred.

Then I heard a growl, very close to me. I stiffened, stopping every hint of motion.

I turned slowly. A wild wolf, gray and massive, stood just feet away, teeth bared.

My heart thundered. It lunged at me.

I stood and with a small scream slicing the air I ran. It caught me in seconds, slamming me into the ground. Its jaws opened above me. The foul smell of its breath made me shudder.

I was going to die.

My baby. My child. I hadn’t even had the chance to see them, I had killed my baby.

I gasped, lungs burning.

Everything went black.