Page 84 of Luna's New Reign

The bond is faint, fraying at the edges, and it’s like a piece of my soul is being ripped away. The pain is unbearable and I clutch at my chest, gasping for breath. “What do I do?” I cry, my voice breaking. “I don’t know what to do!”

The doctor is yelling something about stabilizing me, about keeping me calm, but all I can focus on is the bond. The thread connecting me to Mateo is slipping through my fingers, and the desperation in my heart is suffocating.

And then, like a crack in the darkness, I see him.

I’m not in the packhouse anymore. I’m somewhere else entirely. The air is heavy, the darkness oppressive, but the scene before me is stark and clear. Mateo’s wolf is lying flat on his back, his chest rising and falling shallowly, his gaze focused on the sky. Blood stains his side, pooling around him as he clings to the last threads of consciousness.

“No,” I whisper, my heart breaking. “No, no, no!”

The First Alpha stands over Mateo, his form shifting, twisting, until the shadows fall away and reveal a man. A man with sharp features, piercing golden eyes, and a grin that makes my blood run cold.

Recognition hits me like a freight train and the air leaves my lungs in a rush. “It can’t be,” I murmur, my voice trembling.

The First Alpha tilts his head, his golden eyes locking onto mine as if he can see me, as if the distance between us meansnothing. His grin widens, slow and deliberate, and when he speaks, his voice is smooth and familiar.

“Remember me?"

The words send a shockwave through me, my knees buckling as I stare at the man I once knew. He was part of the Redstone pack. Locke’s friend. A boy with a sharp laugh and a rebellious streak, who vanished one day without a trace.

“Jacob,” I breathe, the name spilling from my lips like a curse.

His grin deepens and he nods slowly. “I was hoping you’d remember,” he says, his voice almost mocking. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it, Nepheline?”

The pain in my chest flares again and clutch at the bond as if I can pull Mateo back to me. “Why?” I whisper, my voice cracking. “Why are you doing this?”

Jacob—the First Alpha—laughs, the sound dark and cold. “Because I was meant for more,” he says simply. “And you? You were always meant to be mine.”

The darkness tightens around me, suffocating and cold, and for the first time, I feel truly powerless. My brother, my mates, my pack—they’re all fighting for their lives, and I’m here, trapped in this pain, helpless to stop it.

But I won’t let him win.

I won’t let him take Mateo from me.

I won’t let him takeanythingfrom me.

“Darius!” I scream, my voice cutting through the haze as I’m yanked back to reality. My eyes fly open and I’m in the packhouse again, the sharp pain in my chest lingering like a ghost.

Darius is there, his face pale and panicked, his hands gripping mine tightly. “What happened?” he asks, his voice shaking.

I suck in a ragged breath, my hands trembling as I clutch his arms. “It’s him,” I choke out. “The First Alpha. He’s not just a shadow. He’s Jacob.”

Darius freezes, his brow furrowing as he processes my words. “Jacob?” he echoes, his voice low.

I nod, tears streaming down my face. “He’s the one who’s been tormenting me,” I whisper. “He’s the one trying to take everything.” It makes sense now why I’ve always been able to hear him. Jacob was part of my first pack. Another contraction tears through me and I let out a guttural, inhuman growl that shakes the walls of the packhouse. My nails dig into the cushions of the couch as the doctor kneels between my legs, barking out orders I can barely hear.

>>> Jacob?

Locke cuts in.

>>> That fucker is hurting my sister?

His nostrils flare and it would be hilarious if my body wasn’t trying to push out a baby at the same one of my mates was dying. The bond still hums faintly, Mateo’s presence barely there, and I cling to it desperately, my heart pounding in my chest.

“You need to push, Luna!” Dr. Ellis says urgently, but I can’t focus.

Ican’tfocus.

Not when I can feel Mateo slipping away.