Chapter 6
Kane’s POV
Kane didn’t sleep that night.
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He sat in the bedroom, reaching for the silent mate bond again and again. No response. He told himself over and over that Evelyn was just using the Moon Temple to pressure him. If he didn’t give in, she’d come back eventually.
At dawn, Kane went to the council hall as usual. But the moment he stepped onto the stone steps, he sensed something off.
The announcement board was surrounded by pack members. When they saw him, the murmuring stopped abruptly. Their eyes carried none of the usual reverence, only complicated evasiveness.
Kane walked closer, frowning.
On the board was the commendation Evelyn had written before she left. The one he’d asked her to write. The words looked like they’d been penned in blood, each one a dark red.
“Praise to Beta Selena for upholding protocol, repeatedly rejecting the Luna’s application to soak in the Moonspring due to an unstable fetal heartbeat. First rejection: the Luna’s Moonspring application did not specify the expected duration of use. Second rejection: the healer’s stamp on the documents was the wrong color. Third rejection: the reason for application was to protect the unborn pup, but the pup had no registry number in the pup roll. Praise to Selena for her fairness. Her deeds are worthy of remembrance by every mother. Praise also to Alpha Kane, who authorized her to manage the Luna’s authority.”
Every word was a claw, tearing open the composure Kane had forced himself to hold through the night.
“How could an unborn pup have a registry number?” a she-wolf whispered. “That excuse was deliberate stalling.”
“A unstable heartbeat can’t wait.” The pack healer’s face was grim. “I stamped emergency three times on that application. It didn’t matter.”
Kane whipped around. “What did you say?”
The healer lowered his head. “The Luna was already bleeding. I begged Beta to let her into the Moonspring first.” He paused, his voice rough. “But Beta said you’d given direct orders. No one could break protocol.”
A loud crack went off in Kane’s head.
He saw Evelyn’s pale face. He saw the Moonspring pass he’d tossed in front of her. He hadn’t even asked why she didn’t take it. He’d just blamed her for not knowing the rules.
Kane’s eyes went back to the announcement.
“Worthy of remembrance by every mother.”
Only now did he truly understand what those words meant.
It wasn’t a grievance Evelyn had written out of spite.
It was their pup. Dead at the Moonspring gates.
Selena rushed over. She glanced at the notice, panic flashing in her eyes, but still forced an explanation.
“This announcement deliberately omits the procedural issues. The Luna was just—”
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Chapte
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Kane grabbed her wrist. “She miscarried?”
Selena’s face went white.
That brief silence told him everything.
“I was only following your orders!” she said quickly. “You approved the suspension of special access. How was I supposed to know she’d actually lose the pup? Besides, she never completed the paperwork-”
“You saw the healer’s emergency stamp.”
Kane’s voice was dangerously quiet.
Then it hit him. Evelyn’s calm. That wasn’t her behaving. That was the coldness of someone who’d given up completely. The cold ash left after every last ember had burned out.
Kane reached for the mate bond again.
Still dead silent.
His vision swam. His grip on Selena’s wrist tightened.
“Ah!” Selena cried out. “Alpha, you’re hurting me!”
But Kane didn’t hear her. He turned and roared at the guards. “Get the carriage. I’m going to the Moon Temple. Now!”
Selena scrambled to block him. “You can’t go! The Luna is trying to force you to—”
“Shut up.”
Kane dragged her down the steps, his voice cold enough to kill.
“You said you were just following procedure, didn’t you? Then you’re coming with me to the Moon Temple. In front of Evelyn. You can explain it all at once.”
