From the Ashes: The Broken Luna Returns

Haven POV:

"You're pregnant."

The words hung in the air of the private clinic like thick fog. I stared at Dr. Aris, an old woman who operated outside the Pack's jurisdiction. I didn't trust the Pack doctors anymore. Not after they let Connor sleep in Gemma's room while I bled alone.

"Pregnant?" I whispered. "But... wolves have such low fertility rates. We've been trying for three years."

"It's a miracle pup, Luna," Dr. Aris said, her face grave. "But your body is under immense stress. The silver poisoning has weakened your system. Your wolf is strong, but your human form is exhausted. If you want to keep this baby, you need peace. You need the Alpha's pheromones to stabilize the pregnancy."

I walked out of the clinic into the rainy night, hand resting flat against my stomach.

A pup.

A tiny life, half me, half Connor.

Maybe this was the sign. Maybe this was the wake-up call Connor needed. A pup changed everything in a Pack. It was the future. It was hope.

I drove back to the villa—our private home, separate from the main Pack House. I sat on the couch in the dark, waiting.

It was 2:00 AM when the front door opened.

Connor walked in. He looked surprised to see me awake. And once again, the scent hit me. Vanilla and roses.

"You smell like her," I said quietly.

Connor sighed, dropping his keys on the table. "I was just checking on her, Haven. She's terrified of the dark since the kidnapping."

"She's a grown woman, Connor. Not a pup."

"She's fragile!"

"I have a condition," I said, standing up. I needed to protect the life inside me. I needed to fix this, for the baby. "I am willing to try, Connor. I am willing to forgive you for the factory. But Gemma has to go."

Connor froze. "What?"

"Send her away. Send her to the Omega sanctuary in the north. Pay for her therapy, I don't care. But she cannot be here. She cannot be in our territory, near you."

"I can't do that," Connor said immediately. "I promised her father."

"And you promised me your life and soul under the full moon!" I shouted. "Who is more important, Connor? Your wife, or the charity case?"

"You are being heartless," Connor shook his head, looking at me with disappointment. "A Luna is supposed to be a mother to the Pack. Supposed to be nurturing. You're acting like a jealous tyrant."

"Is that what I am?" My voice broke. "Jealous?"

"Yes. You're jealous because she needs me and you don't. You're too independent, Haven. You never need me."

He stepped closer, reaching out to touch my arm. He was trying to initiate the bond, to calm me down with his touch.

But as his hand neared me, I smelled the perfume on his sleeve again.

I slapped his hand away. "Don't touch me."

Connor's eyes flashed with anger. "Fine. If you want to be alone, be alone."

Suddenly, the sirens wailed across the territory. The border alarm.

Connor's head snapped up. "Rogue breach at the northern perimeter."

"Connor," I said, a desperate feeling rising in my chest. "Stay. Just for five minutes. We need to talk about..." About the baby.

"Later, Haven! The Pack is under attack!"

He turned and sprinted out the door, shifting into his massive grey wolf mid-leap as he cleared the porch railing.

I watched him go.

He didn't know. He didn't ask.

I sank back onto the couch, the silence of the empty house pressing against my ears. He called me heartless. He called me jealous.

I pulled out my phone. My hands were shaking. I dialed a number I had saved years ago, just in case.

"Cole Investigations," a gruff voice answered.

"This is Haven Jones," I said, my voice turning to steel. "I want you to look into someone. Gemma Chan. I want to know where she came from, who she talks to, and why she smells like a lie."