After His Luna Murdered Our Daughter, I Escaped

The window latch gave way under my trembling fingers. I'd forgotten how easily I could manipulate locks—a skill from my days as a boat captain when every mechanism needed to be understood. The metal pin bent just enough to create an opening.

"It's working," I whispered to Silver, my wolf stirring anxiously inside me.

*Be careful,* she warned. *If they catch us—*

"They won't," I promised, easing the window open.

Rain lashed my face as I squeezed through the narrow opening, my bare feet instantly soaked against the cold stone ledge. The storm had intensified, thunder cracking overhead as lightning illuminated the manicured grounds below. Three stories up, but there was a trellis...

I climbed carefully, my nightgown billowing in the wind as rain plastered my hair to my face. The ocean scent was stronger here, mixing with the storm's fury. Freedom was just beyond those gates.

*Elena,* I thought, her absence a hollow ache in my chest. *I'll find out what really happened to you.*

The ground was farther than it looked. I landed awkwardly, twisting my ankle on impact. Pain shot up my leg, but I forced myself forward, limping across the soggy grass toward the tree line.

"Stop her!"

The shout came from behind—deep, male voices cutting through the storm. I ran faster, my nightgown heavy with rainwater, branches whipping my face as I plunged into the woods.

They caught me at the estate gates. Rough hands seized my arms, yanking me backward.

"Look what we have here," sneered a guard with Sofia's insignia on his jacket. "The Alpha's little pet trying to run away."

"Let me go!" I struggled against his grip, but his fingers dug deeper.

"Boss says to bring her back," another guard said, grabbing a fistful of my hair. "Alive."

They dragged me through the mud, my bare feet scraping against rocks and roots. I bit the first guard's arm when he tightened his grip, earning a backhanded slap that split my lip.

---

"Disgraceful," Sofia declared, standing under the covered entrance as the guards shoved me forward. "Running away like a common rogue."

Lucien stood beside her, his face unreadable as rain dripped from his hair. "What were you thinking?" he demanded.

"I needed to see..." My voice broke as I swayed on my feet. "The warehouse. The bodies—"

"There are no bodies!" Sofia snapped. "They were cremated as traitors."

Lucien's jaw tightened. "Sofia's right. You endangered the pack by running."

"I want to see for myself," I insisted, meeting his gaze.

Sofia's laugh was like ice. "Senator Perez is on his way to discuss this... incident."

Lucien's eyes widened slightly. "Harper, you've gone too far."

"He needs to see you're in control," Sofia said, her voice honeyed with false concern. "A strong Alpha can't have his mate running wild."

---

The gravel cut into my knees as I knelt in the driveway. Each raindrop felt like another accusation pounding against my skin.

"Submit," Lucien commanded, his Alpha tone vibrating through my bones.

I fought against it, tears mixing with rain on my cheeks. "I just wanted the truth."

"Submit!" His voice cracked like thunder.

My body betrayed me, folding forward until my forehead pressed against the sharp stones. Pain lanced through my abdomen—different from the gravel's bite.

"Lucien," Sofia called from the covered walkway, "the Senator's car is approaching."

I felt his hand on my shoulder, heavy and insistent. "Stay there until I return."

Footsteps receded as he went to greet the Senator. Rain poured harder, soaking my hair and running down my neck in cold rivulets.

"Mama," I whispered to the storm, thinking of my mother who'd taught me to navigate by stars. "What would you do?"

A warm presence appeared beside me—Della, her healer's hands gentle as they touched my shoulder.

"Harper," she whispered urgently. "You're bleeding."

I looked down to see crimson mixing with rainwater on the gravel beneath me. Not just rain—blood.

"The pup," Della said, her voice tight with fear. "You're losing the pup."

---

I stared out the window at the endless ocean beyond the estate walls. My hand rested on my stomach, feeling the slight swell that had become my secret companion over the past weeks.

"Drink this," Della said softly, offering a cup of herbal tea. "It will strengthen the bond."

I took it without speaking. Lucien had visited twice since that night, but I'd turned away each time, watching the waves instead of his pleading eyes.

"He's worried about you," Della said, her voice carefully neutral.

I said nothing. What was there to say? The man who'd promised me the world had forced me to kneel in gravel while our child bled away.

"Harper," Della ventured, "you mustn't let Sofia near you. She knows about the pregnancy now."

Finally, I spoke, my voice barely above a whisper. "Will you protect us?"

Della's hand covered mine, warm and steady. "With my life."

Outside, a ship's horn sounded in the distance—a lonely call that echoed my own longing for freedom. I pressed my palm against the glass, imagining the open sea beyond these walls.

*Soon,* Silver promised inside me. *We will be free.*