A MATE FOR A CURSED LYCAN

Lyra’s POV

The paper trembled in my hands as I stared at the words printed across it. My heart pounded so hard against my chest that I could barely breathe.

I looked at the nurse, unable to believe what I was seeing. Then my eyes shifted to Esther, my maid. She gave me a warm smile and nodded, confirming what I had been too afraid to hope for.

After five long years as Luna, it had finally happened.

A sob broke from my lips.

My fingers tightened around the paper as tears blurred my vision. My legs gave way, and I sank to the floor, clutching the result against my chest. “I can't believe it,” I whispered through my tears. My voice broke as another sob escaped. “I’m actually pregnant.”

“Yes my lady you are and now people will stop calling you and the Alpha horrible names. And no one will have to fear that your inability to have a child will put the kingdom at risk.” Esther knelt beside me and gently placed a hand on my shoulder.

The moment her words sank in, my tears came harder. I covered my face, my shoulders shaking as everything I had tried so hard to hold back finally broke free. Everyone thought I was the patient one. That I was the one enduring all the whispers, the judgment, and the pressure.

But if I was being honest, my husband, Mason, had carried the heavier burden. He was the reason I had never truly felt the weight of my childlessness.

I still remembered the countless times he had been warned that without an heir, he was a weak Alpha. Other packs might refuse to respect him. They might turn their backs on our kingdom or refuse to form alliances with us.

They had even pressured him to take a mistress. But he never did. Not once.

Instead, he would take my hand and remind me that our marriage was never built around our duties or what others expected from us.

He had chosen me.

“Bring me my coat. I need to speak to the Alpha. I have to tell him this good news now,” I said, wiping the tears from my cheeks as I struggled to get up from the floor.

My legs trembled beneath me.

Esther quickly slipped an arm around my waist and helped me to the bed.

“My lady, remember, you can't see him right now,” Esther reminded me gently. “He and the chiefs are preparing for tonight’s Moon Goddess ritual.”

My shoulders sank as I remembered. I wouldn't be able to see him until the ritual was over. I had been so excited to tell him myself.

“But you can tell him tomorrow at the Moon Goddess Festival,” she said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “It would be even better if the news were announced to everyone at once. We’ll get to see the looks on their faces.”

She pulled an exaggerated face, and despite the tears still clinging to my lashes, a laugh escaped me.

“Perfect! They’ll all come with their fake smiles, kiss my hand, and shower my child with blessings,” I joked, and we both burst out laughing.

Esther had never been just a maid.

She was my best friend here in the court, my confidante, and the person who stayed when everyone else had something cruel to say.

Whenever the whispers became too loud and the shame felt too heavy, she was there. She would pray for me, give alms in my name, and remind me that the Moon Goddess had not forgotten me. My pain had always been hers.

Esther helped me onto the bed, pulled the covers over me, and quietly left the room with the nurse.

As soon as I was alone, I placed both hands over my still-flat stomach.

“I love you,” I whispered, a small smile tugging at my lips. “And I promise I’ll protect you with everything I have.”

I couldn't help but imagine holding my baby in my arms, cradling them close to my chest. What would the nursery look like? And Mason's reaction… Oh, Moon Goddess, I hoped he wouldn't faint from happiness.

Sunlight streamed through the curtains and fell across my face. That was when I realized I hadn't slept at all. I had spent the entire night thinking about my baby.

A smile spread across my face as my hand found my stomach.

“Good morning, little one,” I whispered with a soft giggle. I carefully climbed out of bed.

The ladies helped me bathe and dress, and when I looked at my reflection, I barely recognized the woman smiling back at me.

My heart raced with anticipation.

As I walked down the stairs, a guard announced my arrival. The murmurs in the hall immediately died down. Everyone turned toward me and bowed. I smiled and walked toward my husband, my heart fluttering with excitement.

He gave me a slight bow before taking my hand and pressing a gentle kiss against it.

Warmth rushed to my cheeks, but the moment I looked into his eyes, my smile faded. Something was different.

His usual smile, the one that always reached his eyes whenever he looked at me, was nowhere to be seen.

I searched his face, wondering what had happened. He looked tired, almost distant, but I pushed the thought aside. Maybe the ritual had simply exhausted him.

“Good morning,” I said, studying his face. “I hope the ritual went well?”

He only nodded. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips, but it didn't reach his eyes.

Still, I was sure that would change the moment I told him about the baby. I could already imagine the joy on his face.

He gently guided me to my chair, and I sat down. As I looked around the hall, my stomach tightened.

Hayley.

My sister stood among the pack members.

My brows drew together. She wasn't a member of this pack. So what was she doing here?

Before I could make sense of it, Mason walked toward the center of the hall instead of taking his seat. The room gradually fell silent.

“This year’s celebration has brought us a gift. A gift I have prayed for and waited many years to receive.”

My heart skipped a beat. Our baby. It had to be. After five long years of prayers, disappointment, and whispered wishes, the Moon Goddess had finally answered us.

My hand instinctively moved to my stomach as a warm smile spread across my face.

I looked at Mason, searching his eyes for the same joy that was already swelling inside my chest. I could almost picture the moment he would hear the news from my own lips, the way his face would light up when I told him that after all these years, we were finally going to have a child.

“The kind of gift that will finally silence the insults and humiliation we have endured from other packs.”

My smile grew. Of course. Our child would be the heir everyone had been waiting for, the one who would finally put an end to the whispers about Mason's weakness and the cruel judgment I had endured for being unable to give him a child.

Around me, the pack members exchanged confused glances, their whispers rippling through the hall, but I barely noticed. My attention remained fixed on Mason as hope filled every corner of my heart.

He knew.

Somehow, he already knew about our baby.

Perhaps the nurse had told him before I could, and now he was preparing to share our happiness with the entire pack.

For the first time in years, I felt like I could finally breathe.

I waited for him to say the words that would change our lives forever.

“I would like to introduce my woman and the mother of my soon-to-be-born child…”

A smile spread across my face as I began to rise from my chair. My heart swelled with excitement, certain that the words I had been waiting to hear were finally coming.

“…Hayley Ravencrest.”

My body went still.

For a moment, I couldn't understand what I had heard. I stared at Mason, my smile slowly fading as his words echoed in my mind.

Hayley?

My eyes shifted toward the woman standing beside him.

My sister.

The blood drained from my face as the truth slowly sank in. Hayley was carrying my husband's child.

How? When?

My lips parted, but no sound came out. I couldn't breathe, couldn't move, couldn't even blink as I stared at them, desperately searching for some explanation that would make what I was seeing impossible.

Then Mason turned toward Hayley, leaned down, and kissed her.

A sharp pain ripped through my chest.

The man I had loved for five years was standing before me, kissing my sister as though I had never existed.