Page 40 of The Alpha's Lunar Crown

****The annulment of our marriage was a lot easier than the marriage process itself. Apparently, apart from the consent of both parties and the elders' approval, there's nothing more to it.But now, as I stand here, my position in my pack under scrutiny, I wonder if I made a mistake by letting Selene go.It's a law that if the alpha isn't seen fit to rule, anyone can challenge him to a fight. I have been challenged to fight for what is mine, the greatest insult, as my father would say. I can already imagine him wincing with disapproval wherever he is.But without a strong mate and the loss of my wolf, coupled with my inability to heal, I've always known this would happen.

As I stand there in an open yard, my legs digging into the sand, I hear the loud cheer of the selected crowd.I stare at my challenger, a well-built man with heavy-looking biceps and broad shoulders. His expression is stony, and there's an unmistakable hunger in his eyes. Intense fiery orbs size me up, probably fantasizing of the life he'll have once he's done with me.

An alpha getting challenged to prove his competence is an event that has not happened in a while. We alphas are typically the largest and strongest wolves in the pack and to challenge one is a death sentence. I guess that's for alpha's with their wolves in tack."This is going to be so fun," he snickers, cracking his knuckles. "You used to walk around like you were the shit and had all the girls throwing themselves at you. I can't wait to get a taste of all that good life."

"Seen a healer yet? I hear shit that comes from the mouth is as deadly as the one that comes from your ass. Won't want you dying of verbal diarrhea before I get the chance to bury you."

"Bury me?" he let out a humorless laughter. "I don't know if you've been paying attention, but only one of us is lacking a wolf. I'll seal your tombstone, alpha," he says my title like he's spitting a dirty word, his eyes burning with hatred.I can't deny the growing tension in my muscles. I can hide it, but I can't deny it. For all the rubbish he's been spitting and his arrogance, my contender is well-built and appears very strong. I have no doubt his wolf will be a large one.

I can only rely on my human speed to keep tackling and not give him a moment to change. The injury in my thigh chooses the moment to tingle, reminding me of my predicament, and a string of curses tumble from my lips. I am at a disadvantage as both a human and a wolf."You must've been dreaming of the title for so long, too bad you'll only be remembered as the fool who dared to challenge his alpha."His lips narrow to a straight line, and I know I've hit a nerve. I quickly harness the opportunity. "What's the problem? Daddy didn't leave anything to your name, and now you're stuck fighting others for what your father couldn't give you?" An emotional and angry fighter is hardly calculated and tends to make a lot of blind mistakes. I'm hoping he bites.

"You don't know anything about me." he seethes, taking a menacing step in my direction."Exactly my point." My response is automatic, with a light chuckle and an eye roll in tow. "A nobody, trying desperately to be seen. Tell me, is there a woman in the crowd you've promised to make Luna? I'll advise to take your words back when you still have the time."I take my stance, rage blurring my vision. "I'll love to see you try."

With that, he charges toward me, and I duck. A timely save that sends him flying into a corner. That only seems to infuriate him.

He grunts, beating his chest wildly as he charges again. This time, I am not quick to dodge his open palm, and as I feel it slam across my shoulder, I stifle a scream.

The crowd cheers, everyone eager to watch. I shake off the noise, my eyes on him like a predator.A few more kicks of his connect with my midsection, causing me to double over momentarily.I straighten, despite the biting pain in my stomach, and ball my fists as I take a defensive stance. If I'm going to go down, then I'm looking to put up a fight. This is not about to be easy for him.I get a few punches myself, but not before his elbow connects with my jaw, forcing me to stagger backward and lose my balance, collapsing into the dirt. He doesn't rush at me. Instead, he takes his time to bask in the euphoria of this moment.

I can taste the blood in my mouth as I struggle to my feet, a wave of fatigue overwhelming me as the sores from my previous injuries seem to send waves of pain around my being.I kneel in the dirt, letting the noise fade lightly. Maybe this is it. Maybe I'm not fit to rule. Just then, I catch the glint of someone out of the corner of my eye, and I turn, blinking rapidly to rid my eye of the blurriness.Standing in a far corner of our gathering is Aurora and a child I know to be Ronan, sitting firmly in her grip.

A wave of panic shoots through me as I wonder why she's here. Her hair is a caricature of what it usually is. She's always so put together, but right now, there's nothing put together about the woman staring at me.Whatever the case may be, I can't stand for her to see me like this, a shadow of the man he used to be, weak and easily defeated.Through the fog of my emotions, I miss the fist flying to my face, and my neck twists in the most painful manner, the force of the blow knocking me to the ground.Somehow, amidst the cheer from the crowd, I make out a sharp gasp, and my eyes crack open to find Aurora wide-eyed, pulling Ronan to her side and shielding his eyes from the brutality in front of him.

Maybe it was the shame, maybe it was the anger from all the disrespect I've been put through, but a surge of rage engulfs me, dulling out the audience and the noise around me.My opponent charges at me again, but this time, I'm quick to dodge his attack, rolling to the other side to give myself time to recover.

I stand, my eyes barely leaving her as I charge towards my opponent, ducking two punches of his and landing him one of my own.That seems to do it as he falls, face first, like a bag of grain into the dirt. The crowd erupts in applause, but my attention is somewhere else.But aside from Aurora, there's something else, a feeling I cannot easily shake off. It takes a moment to figure out what it is, but eventually, I do, and my eyes dart to her son.Besides the abnormal nature of her visit, something doesn't feel right. The boy doesn't look right, and for some reason, panic sinks into my bones, and an urgent need to protect him overrides the rage from earlier.It's a weird feeling, seeing as the protective instinct is something usually reserved for parents, but he turns around and looks right at me. A look crosses his eyes, and I can almost swear I see the spirit of his wolf ghost through his eyes.My eyes widen as I realize what is going on. I push past everyone in my way and charge toward Rora. I have a lot of questions.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Aurora

I can feel the intensity of his stare digging holes at the back of my neck, but still, I choose to ignore it, not flinching as he leads us into the pack house.

"Take him to my personal healer and instruct her to enlist every measure within and above her powers to make sure he gets better." I hear him say, and this time, I turn, matching his gaze as best I can. He knows I can tell from the way his eyes dart between Ronan and myself.I watch the maid take Ronan away, my eyes never leaving his tired, sunken ones until the door closes softly behind her. I draw in a deep breath, mentally preparing myself for this long-overdue conversation.An uncomfortable silence lingers in the air for what feels like forever before he finally speaks, bringing the suffocating silence to a timely end."Now, Aurora." His voice is calm like he isn't mad at me, "I'm going to ask one more time. Don't lie to me," he says, closing the gap between us.

I can feel his breath on my face now, hot and humid. "Is Ronan my son?" he barks, the suddenness of his tone causing me to jerk away involuntarily, making me stumble a little before regaining my balance.Drawing in a deep breath, I lace my fingers together, comporting myself before I try to form a reply. Just like it is with mates, shifters get a pull on their kids. It's never as strong as the bond between mates, but in the event of danger, the feeling can intensify, almost like the child is sending out a signal to their protector. I have no doubt it's what Lucien felt. I feared this would happen, but I wasn't going to let my stubbornness and personal issues cost me my son's life.

I blink back tears, my chin rising in defiance, "Yes, he is," I say simply, not averting my gaze. I bite back the need to say more. There's no need to explain myself, not when he hasn't asked me to.

He scoffs lightly, the hurt in his eyes as clear as day. "How could you keep this away from me for five years? Five whole years, Aurora?"As he speaks, he's shaking his head. He sounds angry and betrayed, but I don't blame him for that. But one thing I will not allow is him making this entirely my fault."I asked, and you lied. You said it was some unmemorable one-night stand. Why didn't you come clean then?"

My lip trembles, and I fight back the urge to wipe the wetness from my cheeks. I can feel the tears roll down of their own accord, but I do nothing to stop them. I take in a deep breath, trying to quell the panic that starts to bubble inside of me.

"I wasn't ready to tell you then."He's watching me, his eyes tugging at the mask of bravery I'm wearing."So, I missed out on five years of his life just because you weren't ready?" There's a hint of accusation in his tone.

"You made it all too obvious that I had no place in your life," I retort almost immediately.

"I was young!"

I let out a small, sarcastic laugh. "Yeah, right. Same excuse as always."

"For Goddess's sake, you're not entirely blameless yourself, Aurora!"

"I did what I thought was best for my son. You can't fault me for that," I say, keeping my tone calm despite my quivering lips."Our son," he corrects. "You decided without even letting me know!"A low chuckle escapes me, "Your father threatened me, in case you forgot. I left the pack long before I realized I had a child growing inside of me!"

I run my fingers through my already disheveled hair, "I didn't decide to do anything. You made your choice. You wanted nothing to do with me. What was I supposed to do? Stay back and have your child while you gallivant with your mate, and he is known as the bastard son of the half-blood?"He's silent now. His mouth is hanging open, but nothing is coming out of it. So, I continue. "I struggled with him for years as it was just the two of us, and the one time I gave you an opportunity to make it up to us, you mess it up." I'm crying now. Hot tears spill down my face, and I sniff uncontrollably.

"I didn't mess it up intentionally," he says, reaching out to offer me comfort, but I shrug him off.

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