Page 28 of The Barren Luna

“At the beginning of May last year, the late Alpha Henry Giles called a meeting with the Council of Elders to discuss taking an unmated pack female as his breeder since he and Luna Reginahad repeatedly failed to produce an heir in the four years that they’d been mated,” Calum stated calmly and I saw many Lunas and some of the Alphas frowning at the idea.

“The council approved the taking of a concubine, who was to be chosen from among volunteering unmated pack females, and signed off on breeding her for three heat cycles. Two days later, we interviewed the two volunteers and chose the late Miss Hannah Rogers.”

The late Hannah? What the fuck? When did she die? In labor? Oh my God, I was going to be sick.

“Why was the other volunteer rejected?” David asked.

“She seemed eager to become a mother and was thus unfit to be a breeder. The whole idea was that the pup would be given to the Alpha couple to raise as their own.”

“I see. And what did the Luna have to say about all that?”

“She wasn’t informed beforehand,” Calum admitted, looking uncomfortable, together with all the female faces I was able to see from where I was sitting. “The Alpha informed her of the decision when everything was already settled.”

“What events related to this transpired over the next few months that you personally witnessed?”

“At the beginning of August, the Alpha announced that Miss Rogers was pregnant.”

“What was the pack’s reaction to all of this?”

“Most of them celebrated the taking of the concubine, as well as the pregnancy. The pack members have been restless without an heir. They saw it as a weakness.”

“And why did no one consult the Crown before resorting to such unusual measures?”

“The Elders informed us that there was documented legal precedent for unmated Alphas over the age of 25 taking breedersto ensure the future of a pack’s Alpha line, and they made it seem like this was all completely legal.”

“Alright. What happened after Miss Rogers conceived, was there anything untoward that you yourself witnessed?”

Calum hesitated for a moment.

“I personally haven’t witnessed anything inappropriate. She was annoying, that’s for sure. Always coming to the Alpha’s office, complaining about pregnancy-related issues, wanting his attention, stuff like that.”

“What happened on September 10, Beta Phillips?”

“I was in my office when I heard Miss Rogers yelling, "No! Let go of me, Luna, no!” and I rushed out at the same time as the Alpha, only to find the Luna standing on top of the stairs and Miss Rogers lying at the bottom, unconscious. The Alpha then ordered Luna Regina to be locked in the dungeons while he took Miss Rogers to the hospital. Luckily, both the pup and Miss Rogers were fine, and the Alpha assigned her a permanent guard and ordered them not to leave her alone for even a second, not even in the bathroom, until she gave birth. The next day, I was informed - ” he continued but David interrupted him.

“Please, only discuss events that you yourself have witnessed,” he warned and Calum nodded.

“Of course, I apologize.”

“Now, how long did your Luna remain in the dungeon?” David growled at him.

“Three months,” Calum said, looking ashamed.

“Did you do anything to help her during that time?”

“My mate visited her once, when the Alpha went to the Palace when you took over as King. And our Gamma and I filed a formal complaint at the beginning of November but never heard back from anyone from the Court.”

“So he sat here with all of us while his mate was rotting in the dungeon,” David shook his head in disgust, before adding, “As for those responsible for the delay with the complaint, they have been dealt with, don’t worry. You were present when Miss Rogers gave birth?”

“Yes.”

“Can you please tell the Court what happened on that day?”

I leaned forward in my seat. I’d never heard what happened while I was in the dungeon.

“On Christmas Eve, I was informed that Miss Rogers was in labor and went to the hospital to provide support for the Alpha -”

“Even after everything he did?” David sneered.

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