Luna Unbound

In my fifth year as his Luna, I remained a virgin.

Yet after my sister, married for three years without a child, was sent back to the tribe, Phillip Elliott suddenly suggested having a pup.

My wolf always sensed his coldness. After deep thought, I decided to have a serious talk with him, but I overheard him speaking with his Beta.

"Rosalyn injured herself saving me and can never bear pups. To secure her place as Luna in that tribe, we need an heir. I can't watch her suffer. Kaitlin's womb is better suited to carry the Alpha's bloodline. Once she bears a pup for Rosalyn, I'll compensate her for life and make her the true Luna, giving her my heir."

So, I was just a womb to him.

My chest felt ripped apart.

Fine, I'd let them have their way.

I returned to my foster parents, cutting all ties with Phillip.

But why did the man who never loved me beg like a madman for my return?

...

1

Kaitlin's POV

In my fifth year as his Luna, I was still a virgin because Phillip Elliott never marked me.

During the Moon Festival, when the whole tribe celebrated, he seemed joyful. I approached him and whispered softly. "Phillip, tonight, can I be your true Luna?"

Seeing no response, I gathered my courage, hugged his arm, and leaned close, my breath warm. "Mark me. I'm yours tonight."

He pushed me away abruptly, his eyes icy. "You're saying this in front of the whole tribe? If you're so desperate, find another wolf to satisfy you."

My face paled instantly.

My wolf howled in pain, stung by his words.

With a werewolf's sharp senses, he didn't lower his voice. I felt the mocking gazes of other wolves on me.

I stood frozen, but he frowned and added, "Get up early tomorrow. We're going to a private clinic. It's time we had a pup so you stop overthinking."

I took a deep breath, pushing away the chaos in my mind, and spoke to my wolf. He wants a pup with me. Tomorrow's probably for a checkup. He's starting to accept us; he just needs time.

My wolf calmed slowly.

I looked at the empty plaza and gave a bitter smile.

I was born during the tribal wars. My grandfather, a chief healer on the battlefield, made enemies who sought revenge. I was stolen and abandoned by a rival tribe, lost for ten years.

Phillip was the Alpha of Moonstone Tribe, a mid-sized group on the southern border. Injured by silver weapons and poison during the war, he was saved by my grandfather. To repay the debt, Phillip promised to marry his granddaughter.

The one meant to marry him was my parents' foster daughter, my sister Rosalyn.

After I was found, the betrothal shifted to me.

My parents, reluctant to part with Rosalyn after raising her, declared us both their biological daughters.

I never intended to be his Luna. But Phillip did so much to win me over, even saved my life. I fell for his tenderness.

Yet my pup shouldn't be born into coldness.

I resolved to talk with Phillip no matter what. The pup could wait two more years.

With a final shred of hope, I reached his study door.

But before I could push it open, I heard his furious shout. "Rosalyn injured herself saving me and can never bear pups! To secure her place as Luna in Shadowridge Tribe, we need an heir. I can't let her suffer!"

"What's your plan?" It was his second-in-command.

After a brief silence, Phillip's voice came again. "Kaitlin's womb is better suited to carry the Alpha's bloodline. Since we're bonded, I'll care for her forever. After she bears a pup for Rosalyn, repaying her debt, I'll make her the true Luna and let her birth the tribe's heir."

"How could he!" My wolf roared in fury.

My vision blurred as tears streamed down.

It felt like a silver blade pierced my heart, my flesh torn and unable to heal.

I stumbled back to my bedroom and dialed a familiar number.

"Sweetie, I was just about to call you!" My foster mother's cautious voice came through. "Five days from now is your father's twentieth anniversary as tribe leader. We're hosting a feast for many factions. Will you bring your mate? Invite your birth parents too. I'll ensure they're treated with the highest honor. If they don't want to come... I hope you will. I miss you so much."

My foster parents and Gordon and Madeline Walton were the Alpha King and Luna Queen of the northern territory. During the tribal wars, they found me crying from hunger in a forest and took me home.

They loved me like their own flesh and blood.

But because of Phillip, I chose to stay in the south five years ago.

Not anymore.

My voice choked with emotion. "Mom, I'll be there on time."

Hearing my tears, her tone turned urgent. "Sweetie, what's wrong? Is your mate treating you badly? Come back to the north! I'll send someone to get you. They'll arrive in three days. No one bullies my northern princess!"

Kaitlin's POV

The next morning, I woke to a familiar voice calling from downstairs. "Kaitlin!"

I dressed and went down. Phillip's mother fixed me with a look of reproach and urgency. "Another month gone, and still no sign of a child? As the tribe's Luna, you must bear an heir soon. Preferably this year."

I lowered my eyes, my expression calm, pretending not to hear.

Behind me, Phillip approached, his lips pressed thin. "We do need an heir. Mother, rest assured. Kaitlin and I planned to have a child this year. This afternoon, we'll visit the clinic to ensure our bodies are in top condition."

She nodded, satisfied. "The Moon Goddess will bless you with a healthy pup soon."

I met Phillip's gaze, a faint smile curling my lips, barely noticeable.

My wolf growled low, anger surging in my chest.

I had overheard his talk with his Beta.

After all, Phillip and I only held a bonding ceremony. He never marked me.

Once, I loved him so deeply that I wanted to give him one last chance.

If he saw me as a tool, I'd leave without hesitation and marry the heir my foster parents chose.

Half an hour later, we entered the private clinic.

The chief healer awaited, bowing as I stepped in. "Luna Kaitlin, please change into the gown. We'll administer the injection at the most comfortable angle, but the process may be uncomfortable. Please bear with it."

I closed my eyes, bitterness flooding my heart.

Phillip reached for my fingertips, his voice gentle as if to soothe. "Don't be afraid. Haven't you always wanted a pup? In vitro tech is advanced now. A few ovulation shots, and it'll be quick."

My wolf snarled in my mind.

We were healthy, yet he'd rather use in vitro than mark me.

What broke my heart was his plan to deceive me into being a surrogate for Rosalyn.

I pressed my chest, trembling as I shook my head. "I refuse."

Phillip's brow furrowed. "As the tribe's Luna, you have a duty to bear an heir."

He softened, his tone guilty. "In vitro lets us choose the best genes. It's better than natural mating. You never received the tribe's Luna token, right? Once you're pregnant, I'll get it from my mother for you."

My fingers gripped my clothing, my heart aching. "I don't..."

He cut me off. "Enough. I'll go get the token from my mother now, alright? Take the Luna for her injection," he ordered before hurrying out.

The clinic belonged to the Alpha. From wolf guards to healers, everyone answered to him. Before I could escape, guards forced me back to the operating room.

Anesthetic hit, and dizziness overwhelmed me. I passed out.

When I woke, it was the next morning. A single healer stood by.

"Luna, you're awake! Thank goodness. Your body reacted strongly during the egg retrieval, but you're safe."

The healer opened a box containing six vials.

I froze.

These were...

"We can now select an embryo for implantation... Luna! What are you doing!"

Before the healer finished, I knocked the box to the floor, the vials shattering. "I won't do it."

The healer didn't know Phillip's true plan-to trick me with someone else's eggs. They'd already combined our cells.

I stared at the embryos on the floor, my heart twisting. These were my children with him.

The healer dropped to their knees, terrified. "If the Alpha finds out..."

"Then let him ask."

Once, I dreamed of being marked by him, of bearing a pup with our blood.

Now, I wanted nothing but to leave, free of ties.

...

Back home, a wolf guard rushed in, his tone grave. "Luna, border patrol found something odd. They dug up a strange stone."

My heart tightened. It could be a move by the enemy.

"I'm going now," I said firmly.

Even if I planned to leave Phillip, I still had a duty to protect this land.

I shifted into wolf form and led two guards to the border forest.

The rain-soaked earth was damp, the air heavy with an unfamiliar scent.

Following it, I spotted a small team entering the patrol zone from the northern territory-led by Phillip, with Rosalyn in his arms.

"Phillip, put me down," Rosalyn's voice was soft and sweet.

"It just rained. The ground will dirty your shoes." Phillip's expression was tender as he set her on a clean rock.

Rosalyn noticed me, her face stiffening. "Kaitlin?"

Kaitlin's POV

Phillip looked up, his brow furrowing.

I read his expression. He hadn't expected me in a place like this.

I shifted my gaze and said flatly, "I'm patrolling the border."

The young wolf guards trailing them burst into laughter.

"Patrolling?"

"Luna, you sure you can cover the whole border?"

"Don't break a leg out here. Healers don't fight."

Their laughter carried raw provocation.

After Phillip publicly rejected my plea to be marked at the feast, everyone knew I was a hollow Luna. They showed me no respect.

Phillip's knuckles tightened. "The border's dangerous. If you get hurt..."

Rosalyn chimed in softly, "Don't scold Kaitlin. She's just trying to help."

Her gentle tone only fueled more snickers.

"Can't blame folks for talking, Rosalyn. Your sister's got no skills."

"Twins, huh? She doesn't look it. Her face is too... plain."

Since my return, Rosalyn claimed credit for the healing potions I developed.

No one believed my explanations. Our parents declared Rosalyn and me twin sisters, but I was raised by a poor couple for ten years, with no formal education.

Rosalyn's expression grew tense.

I gave her a cold glance, choosing not to expose her. I was leaving soon and had no interest in verbal sparring.

I turned and headed deeper into the borderlands.

Rosalyn's soft laughter echoed behind me. "I heard there's a Silver-maned Moon Deer here. Legend says only fated mates can hunt it together. Gift it to your beloved, and you'll never part."

...

Half an hour later, the sky darkened, and heavy rain poured over the border forest.

I quickly recalled the wolf guards to retreat.

Back at the tent, I found Rosalyn and the guards in a frantic huddle-Phillip was missing.

My brow tightened. "What happened?"

Tears streamed down Rosalyn's face. "Phillip... he got separated from us!"

Sobbing, she explained that Nicolas saw a Silver-maned Moon Deer and chased it alone despite the rain. They lost him and couldn't find him.

My heart sank. "Rain brings fog to this forest, and predators come out at night. Is he insane?"

One guard sneered sharply. "What's with the shouting? You gonna sprout wings and fly to him? Other guards are searching. A patrol team arrives in two hours. You're no help."

I unfastened the seal on my wrist, a custom restraint from my foster parents, and shifted into my wolf form-twice as large as they'd seen before.

My claws sank into the wet mud, body low. "I'm going to save him."

In a flash, I became a white streak, vanishing into the fog.

The guards behind me stood stunned. "Damn! How'd her wolf get so big? That speed?"

...

I lived on the border for two years as a child and patrolled it as Phillip's Luna, so I knew the terrain well.

Saving Phillip wasn't just personal. As the tribe's Alpha, he stabilized the rear.

When I was first reclaimed by my family, Rosalyn and I were kidnapped by the Ember Tribe.

In that crisis, my parents chose Rosalyn without hesitation, leaving me to die. As a silver blade descended, Phillip broke through and shielded me.

He was wounded, the silver poison seeping into his flesh, nearly fatal.

I owed him that life.

The rain didn't stop. I raced through the forest, following his scent, and found Phillip in a silver mine pit.

Bloodied and collapsed, he clutched a fainted Silver-maned Moon Deer, murmuring, "Rosalyn... for you..."

An icy spike pierced my heart.

He'd risk his life for a hollow gesture?

I gave a cold laugh but hoisted him onto my back to carry him from the mine.

As I stepped out, dark figures emerged in the forest-patrol soldiers from the Ember Tribe!