Daughter Lost, New Love Found

The hospital room was silent except for the steady beep of monitors. I stared at the ceiling, counting the tiles as tears slid silently down my temples into my hair. My body ached from the surgery, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the hollow emptiness in my chest.

"Mae?" I whispered again, though I knew there would be no answer.

The door opened, and a nurse entered—not to check on me, but to collect more of my belongings. Her eyes wouldn't meet mine.

"Where's my daughter?" I asked, my voice cracking.

She busied herself with gathering my robe. "I'm just following orders, Luna."

"Where is she?" I demanded, forcing myself to sit up despite the stabbing pain in my side.

The nurse finally looked at me, her expression a mixture of pity and judgment. "The pup didn't make it through the night. I'm sorry."

Didn't make it. Such clinical words for something so devastating.

"When?" I whispered.

"Several hours ago. Alpha Robert has been... comforted by Melanie's recovery."

The way she said it—like Melanie's survival somehow balanced out Mae's death—made my wolf snarl within me.

"Get out," I said quietly.

She hurried from the room, leaving me alone with my grief.

---

Three days later, I was released from the hospital. No one came to fetch me—not Robert, not even a pack driver. I made my way back to the pack house alone, each step sending pain through my still-healing incision.

As I approached the main entrance, I heard laughter from inside—warm, genuine laughter that made my skin crawl. I pushed open the door to find Robert and Melanie seated in the living room, surrounded by get-well gifts. Pack members hovered around them like orbiting planets.

"Siena," Robert said, noticing me. His voice held none of the warmth it once did. "You should be resting."

I stood frozen in the doorway, taking in the scene. Melanie sat in my usual chair, wearing one of my shawls around her shoulders. Her hand rested on Robert's arm as she smiled up at him.

"Where is Mae?" I asked, my voice loud enough to cut through their conversation.

The room fell silent.

"Everyone out," Robert commanded, and the pack members filed past me, their eyes averted.

When we were alone, Robert stood. "You know where she is."

"I want her ashes," I said, stepping forward. "Now."

Robert's eyes narrowed. "That's not how we do things in this pack. The Alpha decides—"

"I don't care what you decide anymore," I cut him off, my voice surprisingly steady despite the storm raging inside me. "I am taking my daughter's remains, and then I am rejecting you as my mate."

The words hung in the air between us. Robert's face paled.

"You can't—"

"I can," I said, feeling Sera rise within me, lending me strength. "I, Siena Carroll, reject you, Robert Tucker, as my mate."

Melanie gasped from her chair. "You can't do that!"

I turned to her, seeing for the first time the calculation behind her concern. "Watch me."

Robert's alpha aura flared, filling the room with pressure that made my knees weak. But I stood firm.

"Get out of my sight," he growled.

"This was my home first," I reminded him. "And I want Mae's ashes. Now."

---

I waited in the pack cemetery as the sun set. Elena Martinez approached, her hands trembling as she clutched a small urn.

"Luna Siena," she whispered, her eyes darting around as if expecting to be caught. "I shouldn't be here."

"You're the only one who's shown me any kindness," I said softly, reaching for the urn.

Elena hesitated before placing it in my hands. "There's something you should know."

I looked up at her, waiting.

"Your daughter..." Elena's voice broke. "Her death wasn't from surgical complications."

My fingers tightened around the urn. "What do you mean?"

"Melanie ordered me to leave the wound unsealed." Elena's eyes filled with tears. "She said... she said the child was in the way."

The world seemed to stop. "What?"

"During the surgery, she made me leave Mae's wound partially open." Elena's hands shook violently now. "I tried to fix it afterward, but it was too late."

I stared at her, unable to process what she was telling me.

"She's been selling organs to rogue networks," Elena continued, her voice barely audible. "Yours and Mae's kidneys were never meant for her."

My wolf howled within me, a sound of pure rage and grief that threatened to tear through my human form.

"Why are you telling me this now?" I asked, my voice deadly calm despite the storm inside me.

Elena's eyes met mine, filled with guilt and fear. "Because a healer should never cause harm. And because no one deserves what happened to your daughter."

As she walked away, leaving me alone with Mae's ashes and the truth of her murder, I felt something shift inside me—a resolve hardening like steel in fire.

Melanie had taken everything from me. But she had forgotten one thing: a grieving mother is the most dangerous creature of all.