Chapter 1 Chapter 1 The Day I Lost My Pup

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.

An hour later, I couldn't stand lying in bed any longer. The walls of the hospital room seemed to be closing in, suffocating me with each passing minute.

Despite the nurse's warnings to stay in bed, I carefully swung my legs over the edge, grimacing at the pain that radiated through my abdomen.

"I just need to use the bathroom," I told her when she gave me a disapproving look.

Moving slowly, I made my way to the door, grateful that my room was close to the nurses' station. The hallway was quiet, with only a few staff members moving about.

The bathroom was just around the corner, and I was almost there when familiar voices drifted from the patient rooms across the hall.

"Are you sure you're feeling better now? We can get a second opinion if you're not satisfied with what the doctor said."

I froze, pressing myself against the wall near the corner. Lucian's deep voice was unmistakable.

My scentless wolf trait had always been considered a weakness in the pack hierarchy-no one could sense our presence unless they saw us.

But at this moment, it became my greatest advantage.

Cautiously, I peered around the corner.

There they stood, just outside the consultation rooms. Lucian's arm was wrapped protectively around Heidi's waist, her head resting against his shoulder.

His face was filled with concern, with gentle care that shattered something inside me.

"I'm fine, really. Thank you for coming with me, Lucian. I just got so worried when I felt those cramps."

Heidi Lawrence. His college sweetheart. His once-intended mate before fate supposedly intervened.

"I told you I'd be here for you, didn't I? Whenever you need me."

Always be there for her. The words echoed cruelly in my mind. He couldn't even listen to me for five seconds when I called to tell him about our pup. and now he was here, holding her, promising her the world.

I backed away quickly, hand clamped over my mouth to stifle the sob rising in my throat. Thanks to my scentless wolf, neither Lucian nor Heidi noticed me. Their conversation went on, oblivious to my breaking heart just feet away.

I somehow made it back to my room, collapsing onto the bed as my legs gave out.

Tears streamed down my face. Three years I'd spent trying to be the perfect Luna, the perfect mate, only to be treated as less than nothing.

"How could he?" My voice broke on a whisper. "Our baby is gone... and he couldn't even stay on the line long enough to hear me say it. But he can stand there with her-comforting her-like she's the only one who matters?"

The dull ache in my abdomen flared with every breath, but it was nothing compared to the raw, splintering pain tearing through my soul.

*This isn't right, Ally,* Jasmine urged. *We are not lesser wolves. We deserve a mate who values the bond. who values us*

"You're right," I whispered, wiping the tears from my face with newfound resolve. "I deserve better than this. We both do."