The Alpha Wants My Lunar Bone

When Alpha Xander returned from his exile in the Feral Lands, the Great Elder announced our wedding to the entire pack.

I was heading to his chambers with a bottle of his favorite vintage to celebrate.

But I stopped cold when I heard the woman he brought back from the woods ask a terrifying question.

"How do you plan on taking the Lunar Bone from the Princess?"

Xander's voice was dripping with a tenderness he had never shown me.

"Don't worry, Seraphina. On our wedding night, I'll extract it and use it to heal your internal wounds."

The woman looked at him with watery, devoted eyes.

"Why must you marry a woman you don't love for my sake? I saved your life because I wanted to, not to see you punished by the King."

Hearing those words, I felt like I had been plunged into a frozen lake.

I had loved him for a thousand years, thinking he had finally opened his heart to me.

It was all a lie.

He was wrong about one thing, though. I was the one who had saved his life in the Feral Lands.

But I didn't even want to clear the air anymore. None of it mattered.

The woman, Seraphina Moore, was a stray Xander had brought back to the pack.

She looked fragile and delicate, the kind of woman who triggered a man's instinct to protect.

Xander leaned down and pressed a soft kiss against her forehead.

"Meeting a girl as selfless as you is the greatest blessing of my life," he whispered.

Seraphina leaned into his chest, her voice trembling.

"Knowing you is enough for me. Taking that bone might kill Princess Lyra. My life isn't worth your risk."

Xander's eyes filled with an agonizing level of pity.

"I'll use the ancient elixirs to keep her alive. You don't need to worry. I need you to live so we can be together forever."

The love in his eyes spilled over, and they began to kiss with a desperate, forgotten passion.

I stood behind the silk screen, watching the man I loved worship another woman.

The bottle in my hand felt like a heavy reminder of my own stupidity.

After the kiss, Xander lifted her into his arms.

"Come. I'll take you to the Sacred Moon Pool to soak and heal."

Seraphina looked shocked. "But isn't that Lyra's private territory? What if she..."

Xander's expression turned cold and sharp.

"Why should I fear her? I am the Alpha of this pack. There is nowhere I cannot go. Besides, once she marries me, everything she owns belongs to me. And therefore, to you."

My heart felt like it was being crushed by a giant, invisible hand.

The pain was so sharp that I turned and ran, coughing up a mouthful of blood as I cleared the hall.

The man I had chased for a millennium only wanted me for my marrow.

A slow, hot anger began to replace the sorrow in my chest.

If he didn't want my love, then he wouldn't get another drop of it.

I smashed the bottle of wine on the stone floor and marched straight to the Great Elder's palace.

"Father, I'm requesting to lead the vanguard to the Southern Ridge to suppress the Rogue uprising."

My father saw the shadows under my eyes and hesitated. "Lyra, what happened? Did you and Xander have a fight?"

"If you leave now, the wedding..."

I cut him off, my voice steady. "The Rogues are slaughtering our people. The borders are in chaos."

"I should be at the front lines, not worrying about a ceremony while my people bleed."

He sighed, his eyes full of concern. "It's dangerous. If you're only doing this because of that girl Xander brought back..."

"It's not. Please, Father, trust my resolve."

After I insisted several times, he finally gave a reluctant nod.

The next day, I was in the Armory selecting a silver blade when Xander stormed in.

He looked furious. "You're being reckless! Seraphina saved me. I'm just being kind to her."

"Are you really this jealous? You're willing to go to war and cancel our wedding prep without my permission?"

I let out a cold, sharp laugh. "Why do I need your permission? This is a matter of state, not a kitchen squabble."

"Actually, Xander, there's something I should tell you now."

"When I return from the front, our engagement is over."

He froze, his eyes widening in pure disbelief. "Over? Why?"

"There's no point in staying together if there is no love," I said simply.

He opened his mouth to argue, but then he saw Seraphina approaching, leaning weakly on a maid.

Xander immediately rushed to her side, throwing a cold glare over his shoulder.

"We'll discuss this later. Stop being so petty."

He swept her into his arms and vanished from my sight.

After choosing my weapons, I went to the Sacred Moon Pool for one last soak.

As soon as I stepped inside, I saw a scene that made my stomach turn.

Seraphina was sitting in my private spring, wearing nothing but a translucent silk wrap.

Xander was kneeling at the edge, feeding her moon-berries and smiling.

To anyone else, they looked like the perfect couple.

I marched forward and kicked the tray of fruit into the water.

"This is my private sanctuary. Get out. Now."

Seraphina shrieked and submerged herself in the water, tears springing to her eyes.

"Xander, I'm scared..."

Xander snapped. He stood up and towered over me, his eyes flashing with Alpha dominance.

"Lyra, you are being a tyrant!"

"Seraphina was wounded by the Shadow Creepers while saving me. Why shouldn't she use the pool?"

I didn't back down. "Shut up. I told you the engagement is off. We are nothing to each other."

He let out a scoff of pure arrogance.

"For a thousand years, every time a woman looked at me, you threw a tantrum. I'm used to your little games, Lyra."

"But Seraphina is different. I won't allow you to disrespect her."

"If you want this marriage to happen, apologize to her right now."

The logic was so twisted it was almost funny.

"Apologize? For kicking trespassers out of my own home? I'll take this to the High Council if I have to."

"Lyra! Enough! I've already agreed to marry you. Don't make this bigger than it is."

"You want to break the engagement? Not without my consent. And I'm telling you nowDno."

He pulled Seraphina out of the water, wrapped her in his own cloak, and walked away.

Looking at his retreating back, a sense of dread settled in my gut.

I had seen a flash of something dark and desperate in his eyes.

If the wedding didn't happen, he was going to take what he wanted by force.

I couldn't wait three days. I had to leave immediately.

I spoke to my father and took a hundred elite guards toward the Southern Ridge that night.

My parents and the pack elders came to see me off at the main gate.

My mother held my hand, tears in her eyes, reluctant to let me go.

Of course, Xander had to show up to make a scene.

He blocked my path, his face a mask of fake concern. "Lyra, it's too dangerous. Wait until after the wedding, and I'll go with you."

I pulled my hand back. "I said it's over."

He talked right over me. "I know you're mad about Seraphina. But she saved my life. I have a debt to pay."

"Lyra, would you really want to marry a man who abandons his savior?"

The surrounding elders whispered. They all knew of my long obsession with Xander.

They thought I was just being a jealous, difficult princess.

"Be good, Lyra. I don't want you getting hurt. Stay home."

I let out a disgusted smirk.

It must have been hard for him to say something so sweet while feeling so much loathing.

But this time, my father spoke up, his voice booming with authority.

"The decision is made. This is not a game."

"Lyra is right. Duty comes before romance. Go, my daughter. Make me proud."

I could practically see my father rolling his eyes at Xander in his mind.

I bit my lip to keep from laughing out loud.

I thought Xander would give up, but I underestimated his desperation.

At the war camp, I met with Silas Sterling, the youngest War Chief of the North.

He greeted me with a grin so bright it rivaled the sun.

"Stop smiling," I joked. "You look like an idiot."

"I'm just happy to see you. I've wanted to fight by your side since we were pups."

Silas was only a bit older than me. We grew up training together. He was the reason I loved blades.

We didn't waste time on nostalgia. We drew up a plan to strike the Rogue stronghold.

The battle started well. Silas was a beast on the field, forcing the Rogue leaders back.

But suddenly, a masked man in black dropped from the sky.

His strikes were lethal. Within minutes, my guards were being slaughtered.

The Rogue leaders rallied around him, sensing the tide turning.

"I'll lead him away! You handle the rest!" I shouted to Silas.

I lunged at the masked man and drew him into the deep woods.

I pulled out an Alpha Mirror, a relic designed to burn anyone with Rogue energy.

I thought I had him, but then a blast of pure, blinding white light hit me.

My heart stopped. That wasn't Rogue energy. That was Pack Magic!

Before I could process it, a massive blow landed on my chest. Everything went black.

I woke up in a damp, dark cavern.

My body felt like it had been crushed by a truck. Silver-threaded ropes bound my limbs.

Through the haze, I heard voices.

"The battle drained me. Give me a moment to recover, then I'll take her Lunar Bone for you."

"Xander, it's all my fault. Seeing you this tired breaks my heart."

The man gave a soft, dark chuckle. "This is nothing compared to the pain you felt being poisoned by the Shadow Creepers for me."

Hearing that, a tear slid down my cheek.

The person who had endured the agony of that poison wasn't Seraphina. It was me.

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