My Alpha Died Protecting Our Daughter

The splash hit my ears before I registered what was happening. One moment Scarlet was weaving through the crowd toward the punch bowl, the next—a sickening splash and panicked cries from the pool area.

"Scarlet!" I screamed, my Luna composure shattering as I sprinted across the garden.

The crowd parted before me, faces blurring as I ran. My daughter's terrified thrashing in the deep end of the pool came into focus—she was struggling, her head bobbing under the water.

Without hesitation, I dove in. The cold shock of chlorinated water engulfed me as I powered toward Scarlet. My clothes dragged in the water, but adrenaline fueled my strokes.

"Mom!" Scarlet choked out when I reached her, her small body trembling against mine.

"I've got you," I murmured, turning her toward the edge of the pool. "Just hold on."

As I pulled her to the concrete edge, Marcus appeared, reaching down to lift her out. I heaved myself up beside them, water streaming from my hair and clothes.

"What happened?" I demanded, wrapping my arms around Scarlet's shaking shoulders.

"Someone pushed me," she hiccupped, her eyes wide with fright. "I was walking past the pool, and then—"

A commotion erupted behind us. Emma's voice cut through the murmurs, high-pitched and trembling.

"Oh God! Oh God!" She collapsed to her knees, dramatically covering her face with her hands. "I tried to save her! She slipped, and I tried to grab her!"

I turned slowly, disbelieving. Emma was on her knees, tears streaming down her perfectly made-up face, her body shaking with what appeared to be shock.

"I was right behind her," Emma sobbed, looking up at the gathering crowd with wide, innocent eyes. "I saw her slip, and I lunged forward, but I couldn't reach her in time!"

Scarlet's hand tightened in mine. "That's not true," she whispered. "She pushed me."

I felt Robert's presence before I saw him—the mate bond flaring with his approach. He appeared at the edge of the gathering, his eyes darting between Emma's theatrical display and our soaked forms.

"Robert," I said quietly, reaching for our bond. "She's lying. Emma pushed Scarlet into the pool."

Through our mind-link, I projected the truth with all the clarity of a Luna—the image of Emma deliberately shoving Scarlet, the calculated look on her face.

Robert's expression flickered with conflict. For one heartbreaking moment, I thought he would see through Emma's act.

Instead, he moved toward Emma.

"Emma," he said softly, kneeling beside her trembling form. "It's okay. You tried to help."

The betrayal hit me like a physical blow. I watched as Robert's hands hovered uncertainly over Emma's shoulders before settling there in comfort.

"She's traumatized," he announced to the crowd. "She tried to save Scarlet."

Scarlet's small body stiffened against mine. "Dad," she whispered, confusion and hurt in her voice.

I couldn't bear it anymore. The pain in my chest where our mate bond was tearing apart was nothing compared to the ice forming around my heart.

"Come, Scarlet," I said, rising to my feet with what dignity I could muster. "We're leaving."

"Fiona," Robert called after me, finally noticing our departure. "Wait—"

"No." I turned to face him, my voice carrying the full weight of my Luna authority. "You've made your choice."

I took Scarlet's hand and walked away, feeling the mate bond strain with each step. Behind us, Emma's sobs had mysteriously subsided.

---

Back in our quarters, I locked the door with trembling hands. The physical pain of the deteriorating mate bond was becoming unbearable—sharp, tearing sensations that radiated from my chest.

"Mom?" Scarlet looked up at me with concern beyond her years. "Are you okay?"

"I will be," I promised, though I wasn't sure if I believed it.

I moved to the ornate dresser that had been Robert's grandmother's, pulling out the small silver key hidden in its bottom drawer. With steady hands, I crossed to the door that connected our quarters to Robert's and unlocked it.

Scarlet watched silently as I reached into the room and removed something from the wall—the mate bond crystal that had been placed there during our ceremony.

I set it on the floor between us, watching as it pulsed with diminishing light.

"Do you understand what this means?" I asked softly.

Scarlet nodded solemnly. "You're locking him out."

"Yes," I whispered, turning the key in the lock. The click echoed in the quiet room. "Not just from our quarters, but from us."

The mate bond crystal dimmed further as I placed it in a drawer. The physical pain intensified—a burning sensation that made me gasp.

"Dad will be hurt," Scarlet observed.

"Yes," I agreed, sitting beside her on the edge of the bed. "But he chose someone else over us today."

---

The nights that followed were agony. I lay awake in our bed, listening to the familiar sound of pacing in the hallway outside—Robert in his wolf form, unable to settle.

The mate bond was deteriorating rapidly now. Each day brought new weakness—my Luna aura flickered unpredictably, and Robert's Alpha commands had begun to lack their former strength.

I touched my Luna pendant as I watched him through the window one night, his massive black wolf form stalking the moonlit hallways. His movements were erratic, his coat dull where it had once gleamed.

"He can't sleep," Scarlet murmured beside me.

"No," I agreed. "He's caught between what he thinks he wants and what he knows he needs."

"Which is us," Scarlet said with simple certainty.

I pulled her close, my heart aching with love for her and ice for the man who had betrayed us both.

The mate bond pulsed painfully in my chest—a dying thing that once had been my greatest joy.