His Abandoned Luna Chapter 177

|| Lilac’s POV ||

I reached out, tracing the sinister patterns. My heart broke as I spoke, "then we find your true mate. We break the curse—"

"No." He caught my wrist.

"You are a Nightshade. The true heir to the throne." I tried to pursue him.

The Goddess’s vision came to my mind again. I was supposed to help him to redeem the Nightshades. Maybe I was supposed to help him find his mate. But even the idea brought sadness in my heart. How could I ever see him with another woman! Oh Goddess! Was this what you wanted!

"I won't spend my life chasing some phantom when the woman I want is right here." his voice was final.

"Even if it kills you? You yourself said those markings had darkened. It couldn't be right,” I argued.

His laugh was bitter. "My mother ruled for eleven months. I'd take eleven days with you as my luna over a lifetime with anyone else."

The confession hung between us, terrible and beautiful. Outside, the wind howled like the witch who started it all. And my heart cried out the same song.

"There has to be another way," I insisted.

Alaric just pressed his forehead to mine, our breaths mingling.

"Some curses," he whispered, "are meant to be carried, not broken."

I kept staring at the markings with horror.

"I can live a long and happy life with my Luna by my side. I can bear the pain if you are there, Dove. It's nothing," he tried to smooth the situation but deep in my heart I knew the truth. He was suffering and it was because of me.

Why couldn't I be the one he was looking for?

The world tilted on its axis as Alaric's words settled into my bones. A curse. A death sentence. A throne he couldn't claim. My fingers dug into the armrests of my chair, the carved wood biting into my palms as I fought to steady my breathing.

"Are you okay, dove?" Alaric's voice sounded distant, his warm hand coming to rest on my shoulder.

I forced a smile, though my vision swam at the edges. "Yeah, just a little nauseous. Tough days. Just found out the man I love is Nightshade."

His storm-grey eyes darkened with concern. "I'm sorry, dove. Let me take you to Endora."

"No need." I stood abruptly, my legs only trembling slightly. "You have pack matters. I'll go myself."

The moment I stepped into the crisp forest air, my thoughts raced. I've been living among Nightshades this whole time. Endora's cryptic words about curses took on new meaning— had she been guiding me toward this truth all along?

I burst through the hut's door without knocking, sending dried herbs swaying from the ceiling. "Endora—"

The healer and a pregnant woman both startled, their conversation cutting off abruptly.

"I'm sorry," I stammered, heat rushing to my cheeks. "I'll wait outside."

"No need, Luna." The woman stood gracefully, one hand resting on her rounded belly. "We're finished."

"Congratulations," I managed, noting how her free hand instinctively cradled her stomach— a gesture that suddenly made my own abdomen feel strangely hollow.

She smiled warmly before slipping past me into the sunlight.

Endora's sharp eyes assessed me. "What happened, Lilac?"

"I know this is Nightshade land." The words tumbled out. "Alaric told me about the—"

A wave of dizziness crashed over me. My knees buckled.

Endora moved faster than her age suggested possible, catching my elbow and guiding me to a chair. "Are you alright?"

"Just dizzy," I muttered, pressing a hand to my forehead. "Everything's been... a lot."

Her wrinkled fingers found my wrist, her touch surprisingly gentle. "Has this happened often?"

"Didn't really notice. Too much going on." I mumbled.

Her fingers stilled on my pulse point. Then, with deliberate slowness, she pressed her other hand low on my abdomen. Her eyes looked for something I couldn't exactly name.

"Were you in heat recently?" She asked with a frown.

"No." The word came out too sharp. Why was she asking?

Endora's lips curved into a knowing smile. "This is a miracle. You're pregnant."

"I am what!" my eyes widened. Every werewolf knew— conception only happened during the annual heat cycle. I haven't been on heat since I came back. Then how?

"You are expecting," Endora chuckled, the sound like dry leaves rustling.

"But that's impossible! I wasn't even in my heat… Then how can I..." I trailed off. My heart pounded in my chest as my palm instinctively found its way to caress my belly.

"You can conceive outside heat," she interrupted, "if you're with your soul mate."

Alaric.

His name lodged in my throat like a stone. My hand flew to my stomach, where beneath my palm, something tiny and miraculous might be growing.

"He's always been the one," I whispered, the realization crashing over me like a tidal wave.

"Yes. The pull felt was the true bond," she smiled again.

The world tilted a little. I inhaled sharply. My vision blurred for a second.

“Calm down,” Endora rubbed my back in a soothing motion. Then she handed me a cup, “here. It will help.”

I took the cup and sipped the liquid. It did help. My nerves came down and my vision returned. I inhaled again.

"Did you know it beforehand?" I asked.

Endora nodded, pouring another cup of herbal tea that smelled faintly of ginger.

"I've known that boy since he was knee-high. You think he would bring home just any woman and declare her Luna?" She pushed the cup toward me. "He is a Nightshade. His wolf knew. Even if the curse kept him from saying it."

Runa. My missing wolf. Had she gone silent because I'd rejected our true bond? Because I'd tried to claim Elias instead?

"Why didn't you tell me? This changes everything!" My fingers tightened around the warm cup.

Endora's smile turned sad. "The curse isn't just on him, child. It's a test for you too. Some paths must be walked blind. I cannot mingle in your destiny. "

A new thought struck me. "Why hasn't anyone smelled it? Pregnant wolves—"

"—reek of impending motherhood," Endora finished. "But not Nightshade mates. The Goddess cloaks their scent to protect the heir." She tapped my nose. "Smart, isn't she?"

The pieces fell into place with terrifying clarity.

This was why the Goddess wanted me on the throne... she sent me back, gave me another chance so that I could redeem them. Not for me— but for him. For the king who'd spent his life believing he was cursed to never rule. For the man I loved with my everything.

Endora's voice softened. "That pup inside you breaking three hundred years of darkness."

I looked down at my still flat stomach, where beneath layers of muscle and skin, a future king or queen might be growing. A child who would never know the weight of thorns around their father's heart.

“But then his tattoos…. why are they darkening?” I asked.

“Because they are trying to bind his wolf further and further to erase the bond. More he tries to be close with you, the more the marks will make him suffer. But once you are marked, it will be broken,” Endora said.

Alaric's words echoed in my mind: Some curses are meant to be carried, not broken.

But he was wrong.

This one?

This one was meant for me to shatter. This time, I was the one to save my prince charming, my alpha. My MATE!