Chapter 1

When I regained consciousness, the pain between my legs was excruciating. The harsh scent of wolfsbane and silver-infused antiseptic assaulted my heightened senses.

With trembling hands, I reached beneath the hospital blanket. My belly was flat. Empty. My pup - our pup - was gone. My wolf howled in anguish within me, but I couldn't even find the strength to echo her cry. Only tears flowed uncontrollably down my cheeks.

As a pup, I nearly drowned in the moonlit river during a pack hunt. The hypothermia damaged my wolf's connection to the moon - my body temperature never fully recovered, my transformations became erratic and painful during the full moons, and pack healers warned that this unstable shifting might prevent me from ever carrying a pup to term. The moonlight that should strengthen our kind now seemed to weaken my wolf instead.

But Thorne adored pups. After our mating ceremony, I began the ancient fertility rituals. For years, I never missed a session with the pack healer, choking down bitter herbs and undergoing painful treatments that made even my wolf whimper.

No matter how busy he was with pack duties, Thorne always accompanied me to the healer's den. "My mate shouldn't face this alone," he'd growl protectively. When the silver-tipped needles pierced my skin during the treatments, he'd bare his fangs at the healer, demanding they be gentler.

On nights when the herbs made me too sick to eat, he'd wrap his warm body around mine, his tears hot against my neck as our wolves grieved together. "We'll stop," he'd whisper, his voice rough with emotion. "No more treatments. I just need you."

But I persevered, dreaming of the day we'd welcome our own little pup into the pack. The night I confirmed my pregnancy, Thorne - who never touched wolfsbane wine - drank deeply in celebration. He held me close, his usual stoic Alpha demeanor replaced by joyful, almost puppy-like laughter.

I thought our pack's future had never looked brighter. Our small family would finally be complete.

Chapter 2

My eyes burned as I gazed at Thorne, slumped beside my hospital bed. Even in rest, his alpha presence was unmistakable - the sharp, noble features of both his human and wolf forms evident in his face. At just 35, he'd become one of the youngest Alpha leaders of a major pack in the Northern Territories, his exceptional ability to bridge the gap between wolf and human worlds making him legendary among our kind.

Our life together had been simple but sweet, filled with the quiet joy of mate-bonds, until Silvana joined our pack. She was different - a rare pure-blooded Arctic wolf shifter. Thorne praised her strength, her unique abilities, her potential to strengthen our bloodline. During pack gatherings and hunt ceremonies, he spoke of her often, his eyes shining with an admiration I'd never seen before.

I told myself it was just pack politics - after all, pure-blooded Arctic wolves were rare and valuable to any pack. Even when my wolf bristled with unease, I suppressed her instincts. He was our Alpha, and pack loyalty ran deeper than personal feelings.

Last night, Thorne returned home, his usual powerful aura dimmed with exhaustion. He held me close, his wolf's distress bleeding through their shared bond. Before I could offer comfort, he spoke: "My Luna, we need to wait for our pup."

My heart froze. We'd just seen the pack healer, who confirmed our pup was strong, their tiny wolf spirit already flickering within me.

His arms tightened around me as he explained: "Silvana has silver sickness. She won't survive the next moon cycle. Her son, Hunter... she fears for his future."

I knew of Hunter - a rare throwback to the ancient bloodlines. Despite my grief for Silvana, I offered: "We can raise both pups together, as pack."

"She won't accept that," his voice roughened with emotion. "She fears her son will be treated as lesser than our blood pup."

He nuzzled my neck, a wolf's gesture of comfort: "Once Hunter finds his mate and continues the bloodline, we can have our pups. Your body will be stronger then."

I recoiled, my wolf howling in protest. "This is our pup - our blood! How could you choose another's child over our own?"

Thorne's eyes flashed alpha gold, his voice turning to ice: "The pup hasn't formed its wolf spirit yet. It has no pack rights."

"Then I'll leave the pack!" I snarled. "I'll raise our pup alone!"

But I never got the chance. He used his Alpha command - something he'd sworn never to do to me - and everything went dark.

When I woke, our pup was gone.

Chapter 3

My tears fell like rain on the pristine hospital sheets, both grief and rage pulsing through my body with each heartbeat. Every whimper that escaped my throat carried the raw anguish of a mother who had lost her pup. Would our little one have felt pain? Would their tiny spirit understand that their Alpha father had rejected them, that I had failed to protect them from our own pack?

Thorne woke to my sobs. His large hand gently pulled mine away from my face, his thumb brushing away tears with a tenderness that made my wolf whimper in confusion.

"My Luna, please don't cry. Both our wolves can't bear it," he whispered, cradling me close, humming an ancient pack lullaby meant to soothe distressed pups.

Through broken sobs, I accused: "You sacrificed our pup for an outsider's bloodline!"

His lips pressed against my temple, his wolf's scent wrapping around me: "We'll have more pups, I swear by the moon. This won't happen again."

"Don't touch me!" I snarled, my wolf rising in rage. "Your hands are stained with our pup's blood!" I thrashed against him, reopening the silver-treated wounds. The burning pain made both woman and wolf cry out in agony.

"It hurts... the silver burns..." Sweat beaded on my forehead as the healing wounds seared my flesh.

Thorne's eyes flashed with panic, his Alpha authority faltering at my pain. He backed away, calling for the pack healer.

I stared at the sterile ceiling, imagining our pup's tiny wolf spirit ascending to join the Moon Goddess. My tears flowed freely. Forgive me, little one. Your mother's wolf was too weak to protect you.

The pack healer rushed in with Thorne. I recognized him - he'd guided us through years of fertility rituals, watched us desperately try to strengthen my damaged wolf spirit. He administered a calming herb infusion laced with wolfsbane to quiet both my human and wolf consciousness.

I closed my eyes, feigning sleep as the healer spoke: "She just lost her pup - her wolf is in agony. Did you forget how the mate-bond amplifies such trauma? After all these moons of trying..."

He left with a heavy sigh, his disapproval thick in the air.

Thorne brought warm water, gently washing the fever from my skin - a mate's duty I once would have treasured. After a long silence, he pressed my hand to his lips, his voice breaking.

"My Luna, why can't you understand?" His whisper carried the weight of both man and wolf's pain. "You used to know my heart better than anyone."