Rue’s POV

The doctor’s words hit harder than any slap.

“Her condition has worsened.”

Soft-spoken and sympathetic a bit rehearsed. But it didn’t matter how gently he said it, it still felt like the floor was ripped out from under me.

I blinked at him, but my legs buckled before I could find my voice.

I caught the cold edge of the plastic armrest and sank into the chair, holding it like it could anchor me.

No. Not today. Not Iris.

She was only three. She hadn’t even blown out her birthday candle.

I fumbled for my phone, numb fingers trembling so badly I nearly dropped it twice before managing to dial Aiden’s number.

One ring.

Two.

Voicemail.

I tried again. And again.

Each unanswered call scraped at my nerves like claws. My heartbeat was thundering in my ears. The walls of the hospital felt too tight, too close. I was suffocating.

Fifth try. The line clicked.

Relief surged, but it vanished just as fast.

“Mommy! You said I could get the red panda and the pink one!”

The child’s voice, high-pitched and laughing, punched the breath out of me.

Then her voice followed. Haven.

Soft. Sweet. Too sweet.

“You can’t have both, baby.”

Aiden didn’t speak, but he didn’t need to. His absence was loud enough. I didn’t hear concern. I didn’t hear panic. I didn’t hear him.

I heard laughter. Giggles. Joy. The warmth of another life.

A life he’d chosen.

I hung up.

My hand shook violently, and the phone slipped from my grip, clattering onto the hospital floor.

The sterile hallway spun. My breath caught in my throat as I stared ahead, unblinking. The lights overhead buzzed.

I pressed my hand over my mouth, trying to hold in the sob, but my chest was breaking apart from the inside out.

He wasn’t coming.

He had chosen them.

Even now, when Iris might not survive the night.

Then came the sound of fast, purposeful heels on tile. Sharp. Angry.

Veronica.

Aiden’s mother swept down the corridor like a storm, her expensive heels tapping a warning against the linoleum. Her eyes locked on me, furious.

Sora trailed behind her, sleek and smug as ever. Perfectly curled hair. Bold lipstick. Arms folded with that familiar sneer on her lips.

“There you are,” Veronica snapped, her voice echoing across the hallway. “What the hell did you do to my granddaughter?”

I rose unsteadily, stunned. “What?”

“Are you so incompetent,” she hissed, stepping closer, “that you couldn’t even keep your own child safe?”

Before I could speak, Sora surged forward. Her palm slapped across my cheek, loud and stinging.

“You irresponsible little mutt!” she spat.

I gasped at the shock of it, one hand flying to my face.

It wasn’t the pain that hurt most.

It was the shame. The fury. The cruelty.

“You never should’ve had her,” Sora continued, voice full of venom. “You’re just an omega clinging to Aiden like a leech. You think being his mate gave you value?”

Tears pricked the corners of my eyes, not from weakness, but from restraint. My wolf pushed against my skin, snarling. Ready to fight, to bite and defend.

But I held her back.

Barely.

“I raised her alone,” I said, voice low but steady. “While Aiden was out living his charmed life, I was the one wiping her tears, holding her through her fevers, comforting her when she cried for a father who never came.”

Sora scoffed. “Save the speech. If you’d spent more time focused on Aiden, maybe he wouldn’t have slipped away.”

I took a step forward, eyes locked on hers. “Aiden wouldn’t even be where he is without me. I stood behind him when no one else would.

I handled negotiations. Helped him clean up his political mistakes. Whispered strategy when others praised his strength.”

Veronica laughed, the sound sharp and mocking. “You really think you mattered? That you had influence? Aiden was always destined for greatness. You were just conveniently there.”

She kept going.

“And now? You’ve proven just how irrelevant you are. Haven is everything a Luna should be. She’s smart. Powerful. Proper lineage. With her, our pack has a real future.”

I didn’t respond. I couldn’t.

“Compared to her, you’re nothing,” Veronica added with a cruel smile. “And Iris? She was weak from birth. She never stood a chance.”

My heart dropped.

What?

“Iris deserved to die,” she said coldly. “She was always sick. Always draining resources. Honestly, it should’ve happened sooner.”

The world slowed.

“You disgusting…” I stepped forward, fury boiling over, “…Don’t you dare speak about my daughter like that.”

“Oh please,” she said. “She was a jinx from the start.”

“You’re not worthy of judging her,” I growled, my voice trembling with rage. “You never lifted a finger to help her. Never even asked about her. And now you act like her life didn’t matter?”

My wolf was pacing, snarling. If they said one more thing, but then the air shifted.

Footsteps, firm, fast and heavy.

A scent I knew, it was Aiden.

Haven’s POV

The moment Aiden’s phone buzzed, I knew. His entire body went still.

I didn’t have to guess who it was.

“It’s Rue,” he muttered, voice tense. “Something’s wrong with Iris.”

His hand reached for his keys, already stepping toward the door.

“Wait,” I said quickly. “Aiden, don’t go yet. Just stay for a few minutes.”

But his mind was already at the hospital.

He didn’t even see me anymore.

I turned toward my daughter, quietly playing by the fire. My thoughts raced. Fear didn’t grip me. No, rage did.

I had fought so hard for Aiden. For this future. And that woman, that omega was still in the way.

I acted without thinking.

I let the vase beside me fall.

It shattered on the floor. Sharp, loud, perfect.

“Aiden!” I cried, clutching my arm and pulling my daughter to my chest. “She fell, she’s bleeding!”

He spun back, eyes wide.

He moved toward us, crouching beside her. But even as he checked for injuries, his gaze was distant.

“She’s fine,” he muttered. “I’ll call the medic to look at her. I have to go.”

Then he turned toward the door, again.

Just as he reached it, a wild blur of movement came out of nowhere.

A rogue wolf.

It lunged, claws raking across his shoulder, jaws snapping inches from his throat. Aiden roared, throwing the beast off with brute force.

Blood soaked through his shirt, but he didn’t stop.

For nearly thirty minutes, he fought it back, wounded but relentless. Even as his arm bled freely, even as he staggered, he kept moving toward the car.

“You can’t drive like this!” I pleaded, running to his side. “You need medical help, please, let me come with you.”

He hesitated, then nodded once.

So I followed him. Not because I cared about Iris. But because I needed to be there. I needed Rue to see me walk in beside him.

I needed Aiden to remember who he belonged to.

Because no matter how hard she fought, I would be Luna.

That title was mine by birth. And I’d take it backat any cost.

When we reached the hospital, it was chaos. The scent of blood. The noise. The tension. Nurses rushing back and forth.

Just in time, Aiden walked in right as Veronica raised her hand again.

He stepped between them.

“Enough,” he growled, catching her wrist mid-air.

Everyone froze.

But his eyes, furious, blazing weren’t on Veronica.

They were on Rue.