After Luna's Downfall, She Became His Healer

Darkness surrounded me, a void so complete I thought I might dissolve into it. Time lost all meaning as I drifted, my wolf curled into a tight ball deep within my consciousness. She had retreated so far I could barely feel her presence—a faint flicker where once burned a fierce flame.

Then, slowly, sensation returned. The antiseptic smell of disinfectant. The steady beep of monitors. The ache in my hip where the needle had extracted my marrow.

I opened my eyes to a sterile white ceiling, my throat dry and raw.

"Ah, you're awake."

A nurse appeared in my field of vision—not Maggie, but someone I didn't recognize. Her face was neutral, professional, as she checked my vitals.

"How long?" My voice was barely a whisper.

"Three days." She adjusted something on the IV dripping into my arm. "You slipped into a coma from the shock and blood loss."

Three days. Three days since they'd taken something vital from me to save someone who had never cared if I lived or died.

"The Alpha will be informed of your awakening," she said, her tone suggesting this was both a courtesy and a warning.

She checked my chart, her eyes widening slightly. "There's something else you should know."

I turned my head toward her, too weak to sit up.

"During your blood work, we discovered you're pregnant. About six weeks along."

The words hung in the air between us. Pregnant. A tiny life growing inside me—our child. Ronan's and mine.

A flicker of hope ignited in my chest, warm and bright against the cold despair that had become my constant companion. A baby. Surely this would change everything. Surely Ronan would see beyond Viviana's lies when faced with his own flesh and blood.

"Does he know?" I asked, my hand instinctively moving to my still-flat stomach.

"Not yet. I'm required to inform him immediately of any changes in your condition."

The door opened before I could respond. Ronan strode in, his presence filling the small room. The nurse immediately stepped back, bowing her head slightly.

"Leave us," he commanded.

She exited without a word, leaving us alone in the sterile silence.

"You're awake." His voice was flat, neither relieved nor concerned.

"Ronan," I whispered, tears filling my eyes. "I have something to tell you."

He approached the bed slowly, his face unreadable. "The nurse mentioned you have news."

"I'm pregnant." The words tumbled out, desperate and hopeful. "We're having a baby."

For a moment—just a moment—something flickered in his eyes. Then his expression hardened, jaw clenching.

"Viviana told me about your... activities with the rogue wolf from the northern territories."

My heart froze. "What? There was no—"

"She showed me messages. Meeting locations." His voice was ice. "Did you think I wouldn't find out?"

"No, Ronan, that's not—"

"You try to poison her, and now you think a child will regain you your position?" He stepped closer, looming over me. "Do you really think I would believe anything that comes from you now?"

I reached for him, my fingers trembling. "This is your child. Our child."

His hand shot out, gripping my wrist with bruising force. "I've ordered a paternity test once the... thing... is born."

The thing. Not our child. Not our baby. The thing.

He released my wrist and stepped back, straightening his jacket. "Rest well, Mia. You'll need your strength for what's coming."

The door closed behind him with a soft click that echoed like a gunshot in my ears.

---

Days passed in a blur of medication and silence. I lay in the sterile room, one hand always resting on my stomach, whispering promises to the life growing inside me that I would somehow find a way to protect.

The door opened one afternoon while I slept. I sensed a presence—not the brisk efficiency of nurses or the cold authority of Ronan, but something else. Something that made my wolf stir uneasily.

"She's prettier when she's asleep, don't you think?"

Viviana's voice sliced through the room. I kept my eyes closed, pretending to sleep.

"No response? How boring."

I felt her approach the bed, her perfume cloying and sweet. Then she leaned close, her breath warm against my ear.

"I know you're awake, little Luna. Or should I say, former Luna?"

My eyes flew open. Viviana stood beside me, looking radiant in a pale pink dress that emphasized her delicate frame. Gone was any trace of illness or weakness.

"You're not sick," I whispered.

She smiled, all pretense gone. "No, darling. I never was."

"The blood disorder—"

"A convenient fiction." She shrugged elegantly. "One that worked perfectly."

"Why?" My voice cracked. "Why are you doing this?"

Viviana leaned closer, her perfectly manicured nails trailing across my blanket-covered leg. "Because he doesn't love you. He loves the idea of being a savior, and right now, I'm the damsel and you're the villain." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Even if you tell him, who will he believe?"

She straightened, smoothing her dress. "Enjoy your stay here, Mia. I hear the food is terrible."

With that, she turned and glided toward the door, pausing with her hand on the knob. "Oh, and congratulations on the pregnancy. I'm sure Ronan will make a wonderful father... once he's convinced it's actually his."