"Luna, we need to leave. It's not safe here," one of the warriors said softly, placing a hand on my shoulder.
But I couldn't move. My soul was shattered, and all I could do was hold my daughter's lifeless body, my cries echoing through the silent forest—a mother mourning the unbearable loss of her child.
And there, I could feel my wolf howling at her grief.
While I mourned my daughter, Alpha Orion’s first love, Lilith, posted on her social media, “You always appear just when I need you. Grateful to have you around!” Accompanying her post was a photo of the two of them, looking content and intimately close.
My hands trembled as I took a screenshot and sent it to Orion, my mate. My message was laced with the anguish and betrayal I felt, "Is this why you didn’t bother to meet us at the border, despite knowing we were in danger?"
Days passed in a haze of grief. It wasn’t until after Lyra's cremation and burial that Orion finally responded. His words were a cruel knife to my already shattered heart. "You and Lyra can manage yourselves, but Lilith can't be without me!"
I couldn’t believe what I was reading. My mind swirled with disbelief and sorrow, but clarity pierced through my pain. "Alpha Orion, let’s break our mateship," I replied, my fingers trembling as I typed the words that would sever the bond I had cherished for so long. After sending that final message, I blocked him.
Orion had been my guiding light for so many years. We had grown up together since I was eighteen, fresh from leaving my previous pack. He had been my best friend, my confidant, and eventually, my love. From the beginning, everyone knew that I would always follow him, no matter where he led.
I stayed by his side through everything—supporting his pursuits, witnessing his heartbreaks when Lilith left to be with her true mate, and standing by as his faithful friend. During his relationship with Lilith, I silently endured the agony of unrequited love. I don’t remember when I started developing feelings for him, but I knew they deepened during his darkest times. When Lilith left, he was devastated, and it was then that I finally confessed my feelings. We decided to choose each other as mates, and for a while, it seemed like we had a future together.