Chapter 4: The Luna's Sacred Rite

I stopped and turned, my face a cold mask. "What is it now?"

"It's about the Rite of the Moon Spring." He opened his eyes, and those deep blue pools held an undeniable command. "I need to postpone it."

"Why." It wasn't a question.

"Seraphina's pregnancy is unstable. The healer said the pure energy of the Moon Spring would be good for her. So..."

He paused, as if searching for the right words. "I've decided it's better if she has it."

Let her have it.

He said it so casually, as if he were just rescheduling a meeting.

That was the highest honor for a Luna, to receive the pack's blessing.

It was the sacred moment we had dreamed of together.

My heart was numb.

I couldn't even feel the pain anymore.

I answered in the calmest voice I could manage. "Fine."

My calmness seemed to unnerve him. "You... don't have anything else to say?"

"No."

"...Good." A flicker of relief crossed his face, as if he'd expected a bigger fight.

He then continued, his tone all business. "I'm taking Seraphina to a private retreat in the Rockies. Handle the ceremony preparations. Don't bother me with the details unless the world is ending."

He cut the link.

I walked out to the balcony.

It used to be my herb garden, filled with rare plants I'd cultivated for the future of our pack.

I had imagined using these herbs to heal our people, to protect our home.

Damien had never set foot out here.

He said he wasn't interested in "all these flowers and weeds."

Now, they had lost their meaning, too.

I started working, one by one, uprooting the plants I had so carefully nurtured, the sharp snap of roots and the damp scent of earth filling the air.

It was a funeral for a future that was now dead and buried.

Each one represented a betrayed hope.

When the last Stardust Bloom was in its box, I took out my phone and opened the calendar.

On the date I had marked countless times for the "Rite of the Moon Spring," I drew a heavy, red X.

The countdown: twelve days.