Page 16 of The Barren Luna

His eyes were wild and his hair was sticking out in all directions.

“The doctor will be out shortly. Calum, I don’t know what I’m gonna do if -,” he broke off, his eyes shifting from brown to black, his wolf trying to take over.

A pang of compassion hit my heart. I remembered Alpha Henry and Luna Ginny coming to this very hospital to bless our firstborn, Nora. I remembered holding her tiny body in my arms and being overwhelmed by love, fear, and awe.

I hadn't realized it back then, but that visit was the beginning of the end of our friendship. He started subtly distancing himself from me, and, in the thick of new fatherhood, it had taken me way too long to notice. By the time I had, a new, awkward coldness had settled in between us and we never went back to the jovial camaraderie we once shared.

How long had he secretly been carrying his pain of not being a father? How long had he been pretending to be an indestructible Alpha male? The doctor’s arrival jolted me out of these uncharacteristically emotional thoughts, and we both shot to our feet.

“Alpha, both the pup and Miss Rogers are fine. He’s a strong one,” the older male smiled kindly and we both exhaled in relief. “Miss Rogers is a bit bruised and shaken up from the incident, but she'll be fine in no time. I haven’t had a chance to tell her the good news yet, since she’s just woken up, so maybe we can go together?”

“Sounds good,” the Alpha said, blinking tears away. I wanted to give him a man-hug, to clap him on the back, to share in the happiness he must have been feeling, but I knew that wasn't who we were anymore.

The female, Hannah, looked like a porcelain doll in the big hospital bed. That peaceful image was shattered as soon as she opened her mouth and started crying hysterically.

“Oh, Henry, it was so awful, our pup! The Luna pushed me down the stairs,” she wailed and her tiny shoulders were shaking with sobs, and for the first time since I’d known her, I felt a modicum of empathy toward her.

“Hannah, don’t cry; he’s fine,” Henry sat down by her bed and took her hand, but I could see his jaw clench at the mention of his Luna. Hannah looked at him, then me, then the doctor.

“I don’t understand.”

“Miss Rogers, if I may,” the doctor cleared his throat. “Your pregnancy is intact and the pup’s heartbeat is strong and healthy. You’ve been very fortunate.”

“He’s alive,” she whispered, her eyes wide.

“Yes, we got lucky this time. I am no longer letting you out of my sight,” the Alpha was back in business mode and I readied myself for the assignment I knew was coming. “Calum, get two of your most trusted female enforcers and have them be withHannah 24/7. She is not allowed to be alone for even a second, they are to accompany her even to the bathroom.”

I nodded while Hannah looked like someone was choking her.

“Alpha, you surely can’t be serious. I mean – I - ” she spluttered.

“This is not up for debate. I am not risking my pup again.”

“But Henry, it is only the Luna who wants to harm him and I’m sure you’ve dealt with her -”

“That's none of your concern. You’ll have a security detail until you give birth, and that’s final. I now have business to attend to. Calum will stay here until the enforcers arrive.”

I stepped out with him for a moment, uneasy about the topic I was about to broach.

“What should we do about the Luna?”

“I’ll take care of it,” he said menacingly.

“Alpha,” I cleared my throat awkwardly. I was not one to challenge my superiors. “You can’t honestly believe that Luna Regina would do something like this. There has to be some other explanation -”

“Calum, you seem to be forgetting your place,” I straightened my back upon hearing that. “Your place is not to question my judgment, it is to follow my orders. And don’t presume to know my mate better than I do,” after that, I bared my neck to him slightly and, with one last mean glare at me, he left.

I sat with Hannah in silence until we heard a knock on the door. I opened it, expecting the enforcers, but it was her father, Zeke, who used to be Beta before me, and his stepson, Julius. I motioned them to come in but made no attempt to remove myself from the room. Orders were orders.

“How’s my daughter?” Zeke hugged her tightly.

“I’m fine, Daddy. Everything is fine. Everything. The pup is strong and healthy,” she told them in that sickeningly sweet voice of hers.

“Well, that is great news, sis. So, when are you getting out of here?”

“No idea. No one’s told me anything yet. Calum here is in charge of my security until my two new bodyguards show up.”

“Really?” Both males turned to me. I nodded.

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