POV Kali
Three days felt like three years. I sat in my chambers, staring at the elegant gown my mother had chosen for the royal ball. The deep blue silk made my amber eyes look brighter, but I felt like I was dressing for my own funeral.
My lady's maid, Elena, worked quietly behind me, weaving pearls through my dark brown hair. My mother had arrived that morning and immediately taken control of everything. Lady Catherine Silverwood moved around my chambers with practiced efficiency, directing servants and examining every detail of my appearance with sharp eyes.
"Sit up straighter, Kali," she commanded, adjusting the neckline of my gown to better show off the Silverwood family diamonds. "You're representing our entire bloodline tonight."
I looked at myself in the mirror. The woman staring back had the same heart-shaped face and full lips that Kastian once loved to kiss. My pale skin looked even whiter than usual, and dark circles shadowed my eyes - the same golden color as my wolf's.
"Elena, leave us," my mother said suddenly. "I need to speak with my daughter alone."
Once we were alone, I could sense my mother's mood shift. Her scent carried disappointment mixed with barely controlled rage.
"Mother," I began, my voice barely a whisper, "there's something I need to tell you."
She was still fussing with my jewelry, but I saw her stiffen. "Oh? And what might that be?"
I took a shaky breath. "Kastian is planning to take a second mate."
The words hung in the air like a death sentence. My mother's hands froze on the diamond necklace, her reflection in the mirror showing shock that quickly changed into something much worse. I caught a glimpse of golden eyes as her wolf briefly surfaced.
"What did you just say?" she asked, her voice dangerously quiet.
"He told me three nights ago," I whispered. "He says the pack needs an heir, and I... I can't give him one."
My mother whirled around to face me, her elegant composure cracking like thin ice. "Eight years," she hissed, moving toward me like a predator. "Eight years I've waited for you to do the one thing that matters - give that Alpha an heir."
"Mother, I've tried everything—"
"Have you?" She cut me off with sharp authority. "Because it seems to me you've done nothing but embarrass this family with your spectacular failure as a mate."
Her words cut deep, but I tried to defend myself. "I never wanted this marriage to fail. I've seen every healer, tried every herb—"
"Eight years of making excuses to the other noble families," she continued, her voice rising with each word. "Eight years of enduring their pitying looks and whispered comments about my barren daughter. Do you have any idea what that's been like for me?"
"I've suffered too," I said desperately. "I've wanted a child more than anything—"
"You want to talk about suffering?" Mother laughed. "Try watching your daughter destroy everything your ancestors built with her weakness and infertility."
She moved to the window, staring out at the Crescent Moon Pack grounds where I'd lived as Luna for eight years. "Your grandmother bore seven children. Your great-grandmother bore nine. Every Silverwood woman for five generations has fulfilled her duty, and you..." She turned back to me, her eyes flashing with anger. "You can't even manage one."
Tears threatened to spill over, but I forced them back. "Maybe the fault isn't mine alone. Maybe Kastian—"
"Don't you dare try to blame this on him," Mother snapped. "That man is an Alpha in his prime. If he can't get you pregnant, it's because you're defective."
The words felt like claws ripping through my chest. This was my mother, the woman who was supposed to love me unconditionally, and she was tearing me apart.
"What do you expect me to do?" I whispered.
Mother approached me, gripping my shoulders hard enough to bruise. "You'll attend this ball with your head held high, and you'll smile, and you'll pretend everything is perfect. You will not embarrass this family further by making a scene or showing any sign of weakness. Do you understand me?"
I nodded, but she wasn't finished.
"Listen to me very carefully, Kali. Every eligible Alpha and noble family in the kingdom will be watching tonight. If word gets out about Kastian's plans, if anyone suspects that you're about to be discarded, it will ruin not just you, but all of us."
Her grip tightened. "Your father's alliances, your brother's marriage prospects, our family's entire future - all of it depends on you acting like the Luna you're supposed to be."
"I understand," I managed.
"I hope so." She released me and stepped back. "Because we've already sacrificed too much for your failure. Your father gave Kastian lands that had been in our family for centuries. We paid a dowry that could have bought a smaller pack. And for what? So you could spend eight years proving you're not worthy of the Silverwood name?"
Each word was another wound to my already broken heart. I felt smaller and smaller, like I was disappearing entirely.
"I'll do whatever you want," I said numbly.
"You'll smile at that ball tonight," she said, smoothing her skirts. "You'll be the perfect Luna, and you'll pray to the Moon Goddess that somehow, someway, you can salvage this disaster before it destroys us all."
As she moved toward the door, she paused and looked back at me with cold eyes that held no maternal warmth.
"Don't you dare put this family in an even more awkward position than you already have, Kali. We've sacrificed too much for your failure already."
The door closed behind her with finality, leaving me alone with my reflection and the crushing weight of everything I'd lost.