Allison’s POV
Blinding lights seared through my eyelids as I slowly blinked awake, the sharp tang of antiseptic clinging to every breath I took. Beneath me, stiff hospital sheets rustled as I shifted, only for a jagged bolt of pain to cut through my abdomen.
"Luna Allison?" A nurse with kind eyes approached my bedside. "You're awake."
I tried to sit up, feeling a sharp stab of pain that forced me back down. "What happened?" My voice came out raspy, my throat dry.
The nurse's expression shifted to one of practiced sympathy—the kind reserved for delivering bad news. "I'm so sorry, Luna, but you've lost your pup. The hemorrhaging was severe, but we've managed to stabilize you."
Those words echoed through my mind like a haunting melody. My hand instinctively moved to my now-empty womb, the loss of my pup creating a void I wasn't sure could ever be filled.
*Ally, our pup... our little one...* Jasmine's mournful voice resonated within me, my wolf's grief mirroring my own.
"I know," I whispered aloud, "I know, Jas."
Tears slid down my temples as I lay frozen, arms locked around my waist like I could somehow hold onto what was already gone. That baby… she had been hope. Not just mine, but a lifeline—proof that maybe, just maybe, Lucian might finally see me.
Not the woman who saved his grandfather—that he might recognize me as his true Luna.
With trembling fingers, I reached for my phone on the bedside table. Lucian needed to know about our lost pup. Maybe in this moment of shared grief, we might find a real connection—maybe his wolf would finally acknowledge the bond that should exist between mates.
*He won't care,* Jasmine growled softly. *He never has. Fenrir doesn’t feel our bond. We’ve known it from the start.*
"We still have to try," I murmured, dialing his number.
One ring.
Two rings.
Three.
He picked up, but his voice was ice. “What is it, Allison?”
"Lucian, I'm in the hospital," I managed, my voice breaking. "I—"
He sighed. Not shocked. Not heartbroken. Just… annoyed.
"I'm in a meeting," he cut me off sharply. "Don't disturb me unless it's important."
"But Lucian, I lost the—"
"Handle it yourself." The line went dead.
I stared at the phone, disbelieving. My pulse roared in my ears. Two years of marriage, and this—this was the maten I’d tried to love?
*He left us alone,* Jasmine whimpered inside my mind. *Even now.*
"He never wanted me," I murmured, setting the phone aside with shaking hands. "He never wanted her either."
Three years past I've tried so hard to bridge the gap between us, but nothing works. He believes I'm the obstacle standing between him and his true destined mate—our marriage only happened because his grandfather demanded it.
The worst part? I hadn’t expected more. Not really.
I thought back to the day that had changed my life forever. Three years ago, I had been walking through Riverside Park, lost in thought after another day of being the invisible bookworm at university.
A commotion near the water had caught my attention—an elderly man collapsed on the ground, clutching his chest. Without thinking, I had rushed forward, performed CPR, and called an ambulance.
Only later did I learn I had saved Victor Storm, the legendary founder of Storm Industries and Pack Elder. His gratitude had been effusive, and within weeks, his grandson Lucian was courting me—if you could call formal dinners and business-like conversations "courting."
*You've always had a crush on him,* Jasmine reminded me gently. *Ever since high school when he stood up for you against those bullies.*
It was true. I had secretly admired Lucian Storm from afar during our school days.
When the popular girls had cornered me in the hallway, knocking my books everywhere and mocking my second-hand clothes, he'd stepped in and made them back off.
He probably didn't even remember it now, but that moment had embedded itself in my heart.
I'd been naive enough to think he'd finally noticed me, that perhaps fate had brought us together after all those years.
But on our binding ceremony day, I learned the bitter truth—Victor had essentially ordered him to take me as his mate out of gratitude for saving his life.
He never loved me？No, that's not right. It's worse than that—he resents me.
My fingers curled into the thin blanket draped over my lap. The sterile scent of antiseptic clung to the air, but it did nothing to cleanse the ache gnawing inside me.
*Goddammit, he's not in a meeting!* Jasmine's voice was a growl, pulling me from my painful memories. *He's with that bitch—Heidi!*
My heart stuttered.
My eyes drifted to the small television mounted in the corner of the hospital room. The local news was playing, the anchor's voice a dull hum against the static in my ears.
And then I saw it.
My blood turned to ice.
There, on the screen, was Lucian—my husband—standing on a pristine beach, his arm wrapped protectively around a stunning blonde woman.
Heidi Lawrence.His college sweetheart. His once-intended mate before fate intervened.
The woman whose photo I’d once found tucked inside his wallet, hidden behind a crisp hundred-dollar bill—worn at the edges, like it had been there for years.The caption underneath read: "Storm Pack Alpha hosts memorial service for beloved canine companion."
The camera zoomed in on Heidi's beautiful face, tears streaming down her perfect porcelain cheeks as she spoke about her dog. "Sirena was more than just my pet. She was my confidante, my best friend through all my darkest days abroad. I can't express how grateful I am to Lucian for arranging this beautiful ceremony for her."
Lucian—my cold, distant husband who barely spared me a glance most days—was looking at her with such tenderness it made my chest physically ache. His hand gently rubbed her shoulder as he pulled her closer to his side.
"The Storm Pack stands with you in your grief," he said solemnly, his voice carrying the weight and authority of his Alpha status. "Some bonds transcend understanding."
I felt the bile rising in my throat as the camera panned out to show the elaborate beachside memorial. White roses. Professional photographers. Pack members in formal attire. It wasn't just a small gesture—it was an event.
My mind flashed back to Jasper, my sweet little terrier who had died just last week. Jasper had been my constant companion for two years, my only friend in the enormous, lonely Storm Pack mansion where I was essentially kept as an ornamental wife.
He'd sleep beside me on the nights Lucian chose to work late
which was most nights
, and his warm little body pressed against mine was often the only comfort I knew.
Five days ago, he'd disappeared. When I frantically searched the grounds, the housekeeper had reluctantly told me that Jasper had gotten into some "poisoned treats" and died.
When I expressed my desire to at least bury him in the garden where he loved to play, Vivian, my mother-in-law, had sneered at me.
"We don't keep dead animals around, Allison," she'd said with a dismissive wave. "It's morbid and brings bad energy to the pack house. The staff has already disposed of it."
I'd cried for days, mourning alone. No ceremony. No closure. No sympathy.
The irony crashed into me with brutal force, shattering what little remained of my heart.
My body trembled, a cold sensation spreading through my chest.
Here I lay, having just lost our pup—my dog—while my husband was standing on a beach hosting an elaborate memorial for his ex-girlfriend's dog.The same man who couldn't be bothered to answer my call was comforting Heidi with gentle touches and meaningful words.
*He knew what Jasper meant to you,* Jasmine snarled, her fury rising. *Yet he gives that woman a ceremony fit for royalty while we're left to suffer alone.*
Tears streamed down my face,two years I'd spent trying to be the perfect Luna, the perfect wife, only to be treated as less than nothing.
"How could he?" I whispered, my voice breaking. "Our pup... our baby... and he can't even answer the phone. But he can stand there with her, holding her, comforting her over a dog?"
The pain in my abdomen seemed to intensify with my emotions, but it was nothing compared to the agony ripping through my soul.
*This isn't right, Ally,* Jasmine urged. *We can't keep accepting this treatment. We are not lesser wolves.*
"You're right," I whispered, wiping the tears from my face with newfound resolve. "I deserve better than this. We both do."
