Lycan Prince’s Secret Baby (Moonlit Forbidden Love #1)

Chapter 13

Leah

Daylight filtered through the grimy cabin windows, casting light over the mismatched furniture. I lay on my bed, my heart heavy despite the unexpected gift of an afternoon off.

“I wonder if the cleaning crew will finish early, too?” Mary mused from her perch, cross-legged on her own bed beside me. Her fingers deftly wove her golden hair into a braid like spun gold.

We’d been sent home early from the kitchens at the abrupt order of the Moonlight supervisors, who had closed up at the news the Moonlight Alpha had returned.

“Maybe,” I replied, the word leaving me lethargically. Even talking felt like too much effort. I was secretly dissatisfied with the time off. Slogging in the kitchens kept my mind occupied and offered respite from unrelenting thoughts—thoughts that spiraled on a loop, dissonant like a record stuck on a scratch.

Stuck on Kyle .

The aftermath of our night together weighed heavily in my chest. I couldn’t shake the taste of betrayal, edged with shame and frustration. How could he sleep with me and then turn cold, pinning everything that had happened between us on my estrus? Disgust roiled within me.

But truth clawed at my conscience. His accusation wasn’t entirely unjust. In my muddled state of preparing to see him that night, I had forgotten to take my pills. After returning from Kyle’s, three lonely pills had mocked me from the vial.

Footsteps interrupted my thoughts. Phoebe and Lucy burst into the cabin, laughter spilling over the threshold. “Yay!” Lucy shrieked. “We hoped you’d been given the afternoon off, too.”

Phoebe closed the door and made her way to the bed, excitement twinkling in her eyes. “Who knows how slack the Moonlights might get if they’re celebrating their Alpha’s return?” Her chestnut curls bounced around her as she plotted, and before long, she added, “Maybe we can sneak out into the woods later.”

Lucy grinned, her porcelain skin glinting in the sun from where she danced by the door, clearly too buzzed to be still. My heart ached. I wished I could be so carefree. How I longed to go back to before, to before this weight was lodged in my chest, dragging me down. Not even the glowing sheen of health that our extra rations had given to all of us could buoy up my sour mood.

For a moment, Phoebe’s proposal burrowed into me. Maybe she was right. Maybe the dirt beneath my paws would ease some of this tension. Sometimes, all four of us shifted into our wolf forms. But lying around our cabin and grooming each other wasn’t exactly the same as being free to run the forest paths or climb the slopes of the hills.

But then I remembered that with the way my instincts were running wild—heat flurries swirling through me—my wolf would likely run straight to Kyle’s house given the chance. I clenched my fists at the thought. “I’m tired,” I said, forcing the words out. “I think I’ll just stay in and read.”

I reached for my vial of pills, taking the second to last one. The last one was for tomorrow. I’d rationed them over the last two days.

Mary observed me with concern. “When’s Healer Maria back to give you a refill of vitamins?”

“Tomorrow, hopefully,” if her note on the infirmary door was to be believed. That meager hope was all I had to cling to—the prospect of relief from my heat cycle symptoms and the tumultuous needs of my wolf.

“Seriously, what’s wrong, Leah?” Phoebe’s brown stare locked on me, piercing and probing. “You haven’t been yourself these last couple of days. You’re not telling us everything.”

This was the umpteenth time that my friends had asked me what was eating me. I felt their eyes on me. But so far, I hadn’t been able to open up. Whether it was the news of Kyle’s father’s return or the dwindling medication, I couldn’t pinpoint the source of my anguish. But it was amplified, so much so that tears pricked my eyes at Phoebe’s words.

Mary was beside me in an instant, laying her hand on mine. “Hey, hey… You know you can tell us anything, Leah. Come on, Nuka .”

She used the moon goddess’s word for sister, and my chest filled with warmth. It was true. Sharing this small space and all of our time together had transformed us into sisters. I knew the women around me were my family and had my back. Finally, I felt ready to unburden myself.

“I didn’t tell you before. I didn’t want to worry you all, but Kyle and I are fated mates,” I confessed.

Phoebe narrowed her eyes, slipping into overprotective mode. Mary’s gentle expression encouraged me to go on, and Lucy, for once, didn’t even squeak.

The words poured out of me, each syllable releasing the weight I’d been carrying. “I thought he was different,” I explained, humiliation prickling over my skin. “But after we slept together, he told me to stay away, blaming our hook-up on my estrus symptoms.”

Rage swirled within me, ignited by a flash of memory—the light in Kyle’s passionate stare cooling to disdain.

“What a jerk!” Phoebe blurted out.

“The thing is,” I muttered, “he was right. I did forget to take my medication that day. When I went to see him to return his necklace, I thought I was in control. But I wasn’t.” I fought against the churning emotion swirling through me. More than anything, I was desperate for autonomy and for strength over the primal urges that my heat brought. “I need to find a way to take control of my body, my wolf’s urges—I can’t keep doing this!”

Mary broke the charged quiet. “When I visited the Nightwing Pack for supplies, I met a witch who said that it was within their power to sever the mate bond between two wolves.

A thrill of anticipation sparked through me. “So, it’s possible?” My heart knocked against my chest, racing with possibility.

Mary’s tales of distant towering mountains and deep valleys in far northeast Alaska danced in my mind.

“But we can’t even go out for a run in the woods,” I complained. “How do you propose I get there?”

“No, silly,” Mary said, chuckling. “That’s just where I met a witch who told me about the ritual. Any witch should be able to perform it if you really want the bond broken.”

Hope ignited within me, though it faltered slightly as my wolf growled in protest, anxious to protect the mate bond as usual.

“I want to sever it,” I affirmed fiercely, meeting Mary’s unwavering gaze. “It’s that bond that pulls me to Kyle beyond reason. I refuse to be at the mercy of my wolf’s primal needs; I want to be myself again, strong and independent. I just want to be me,” I finished, my voice steady and sincere.

“What about Naomi?” Phoebe suggested, her eyes sparkling at the thought.

“Nay?” Lucy echoed, coming to sit down on her bed. “Goddess, she was there when I first shifted. She blessed all of us that night when we shifted under the full moon. She’d be perfect.”

Naomi was a well-known local witch who had once graced our pack’s ceremonies before the war. I recalled the whispers about her from those moonlit nights, how magic had shimmered in her wake. “Didn’t she live a few valleys over?”

“Exactly. We could all sneak out this afternoon,” Phoebe said, optimism filling her voice.

“Of course!” Mary chimed in. “It’s not far—only a few miles to her valley. If the Moonlights are distracted by the Alpha’s return, we should be able to be gone and back before anyone misses us.”

“Girls’ road trip,” Lucy said happily.

I beamed at them all, warmth filling my chest. They weren’t even questioning whether or not to come with me. For the first time in ages, hope blazed brightly. Perhaps there was a way to cut this tether with Kyle after all.

But just then, heavy boots thundered outside, the door swung open, and two Moonlight soldiers marched in.

“Leah, you’re under arrest,” one of them barked, his voice fracturing the camaraderie that had filled the room just moments before.

My heart raced. I instinctively stood up from my bed, protective instincts kicking in to shield my friends, whose faces now bore shock and outrage.

“You don’t have to—” Phoebe started.

“I do,” I blurted out as the soldiers moved in on me.

But Phoebe lunged toward me.

Mary swiftly blocked her path, holding her back. Lucy helped despite her tearful expression, doing her best to assist.

I clamped my jaw, refusing to show weakness, each muscle in my body taut with silent anger. I stepped forward alongside the soldiers, my limbs trembling from shock. The soldiers’ brutal grips on my arms were strangely grounding, anchoring me to the moment as doubt clawed at my gut. With each step across the compound, I could feel my heart pounding wildly. Was it fear or adrenaline?

As I was marched across the compound, doubt clawed at my insides. Had Reginald found out I had slept with Kyle? Icy tendrils of dread swept down my spine. Was the Alpha about to make an example of me? Fears of being flogged in the Moonlight’s training ring flooded my thoughts.

But we passed the combat ring, entering the Council Chamber. Reginald, the Moonlight Alpha—Kyle’s father—sat at the center of the High Table. He was clad in a rune-marked tunic.

My heart raced as a sinking sensation enveloped me. There was no sign of Kyle. I didn’t know whether to be relieved or anxious about his absence. What if Reginald had done something to him when he’d discovered our intimacy?

As the soldiers released their grip, forcing me to stand before Reginald, discomfort prickled through me. The soldiers exited, and the double doors thudded shut, the sound echoing through the lofty chamber. Being alone with the Alpha felt far more dangerous than with the guards flanking me.

Reginald’s voice sliced through the silence, cold and heavy with authority. “Leah, you stand accused of seducing my son and stealing important documents, which you relayed to your escaped Blood Moon comrades.”

The only word that resonated was seducing , even though it belittled what had transpired between Kyle and me. Sleeping with my mate had hardly been me scheming my way into Kyle’s bed.

Reginald’s icy gaze scrutinized me, distrust radiating from his every feature. His resemblance to Kyle was undeniable. They shared the same jet-black hair and lean, angular features. But Reginald’s hair was peppered with gray. Yet, the most startling difference was where Kyle’s emerald eyes burned with passion and strength, Reginald’s pale blue glinted with cold malice.

“I haven’t stolen anything,” I asserted. I suspected the nature of the accusation—seducing his son—was the reason he’d sent the soldiers away. Unease prickled through me. Was that also why there were no other council members present? Did he want to keep this hushed up from the other Moonlights? The absence of any council members hung ominously in the air. This wasn’t a trial; after all, there was no one to oversee that things were being carried out fairly.

“What were your orders,” the Alpha continued as if I hadn’t spoken. “To get close to my son so that you could leak information to your fiancé?”

Fiancé?

Confusion rippled through me. My best friend Roman and I had been engaged once as teenagers. But we’d broken it off years ago. We’d long since had more of a sibling relationship with one another.

“Roman?” I gasped, momentarily stunned. “I haven’t seen or heard from any of the escaped Blood Moons for three years,” I answered honestly.

Just then, Kyle stepped into the Council Chamber. His presence instantly stole the air from my lungs. My heart twisted at the sight of his face, cold and unyielding. Any warmth that I had believed we shared was gone. Had he been watching this entire confrontation? The granite lines of his expression felt like a blade twisting in my gut.

Fury ignited in my veins as I grappled with this bitter reality. I had dared to believe our bond was stronger than the grim divide between our packs. Yet here we stood, invisible walls springing up between us in an instant.

“This accusation is absurd,” I snapped, my voice cutting through the thick tension. “I can assure you, Reginald, that no documents slipped into my underwear the last time Kyle and I tangled on his desk.”

Color flooded Kyle’s cheeks, and I could almost feel the heat of embarrassment radiating from him. Reginald’s face mottled with anger, too. I guessed that he hadn’t known for sure just how intimate Kyle and I had been. A sense of vindication rocked through me. I was more than happy to speak the truth.

A swell of defiance surged through me, my heart pounding a furious rhythm. With a fierce glare, I returned my focus to Reginald. “You sit there throwing your accusations when you’re nothing but a hypocrite. Your cruelty toward those in your care is far worse than anything you claim I’ve done. What about holding your pack members accountable for their cruelty? I guess the inhumane treatment the Blood Moons have faced isn’t of high priority to someone as amoral as you.”

The Alpha seethed, but I was far from done, and I plowed on.

“Or how about you expose the corruption in your council—where elders embezzle funds? Or challenge the gender discrimination your females endure?” I recalled the rumors about Kyle’s mother—the Luna who was more of an Alpha than this cruel male before me. She and the other Moonlight females had had to fight to be represented on the council. Healer Maria had alluded to their struggle with Kyle while I’d been in the infirmary.

“How dare you accuse your Alpha of crimes!” Reginald roared. The force of his fury was like a violent gale. He lunged to his feet, knocking his chair over with a loud crash that made my heartbeat skyrocket.

Each of his words struck me, sharp and biting, like the sting of a whip. I funneled all of my lingering resentment from my enslavement into my tone, “You will never be my Alpha, and I will never submit to this pack’s rule,” I roared, fists clenching into tight balls at my sides.

Reginald’s fury began to drain away, replaced by a predatory leer as he prowled around the table. “You think you’re strong, but there are ways to make you confess your crimes.”

My heartbeat ricocheted in my chest, nausea rising within me. His gaze raked over me as if contemplating which bone he would break first. I envisioned how he would dismantle me for information I didn’t have.

Suddenly, Kyle stepped between us, his wide back forming an imposing barrier against his father. My breath caught, a mixture of relief and disbelief. “Stop!” Kyle bellowed.

My heart ratcheted up again, and I felt like it was about to explode in my chest. Kyle had intervened.

The air thickened around us, charged with tension as father and son faced off. I could hardly believe what I was witnessing. Terror pounded through me as I wondered how this would end. Had Kyle just saved me from torture, or would Reginald refuse his son’s request?

The Alpha spoke. “You will be locked up until you reveal the location of the Blood Moons.” Reginald’s words sounded muffled in my ears as the thundering pulse of my heart almost drowned everything out.

But I managed to catch the Alpha’s decree through the chaos. The rage etched into his features was the last sight I saw before the guards closed in with firm hands to haul me out of the chamber.