The Discarded Luna’s Second Chance

Chapter 25

Weston stood on his doorstep with a smile stretched too wide across his face, arms spread in welcome that made my skin crawl.

"Harper! Thank the Goddess you're home safe. I was worried sick when that bastard took you." His voice carried across the driveway, pitched for my parents to hear. "Come inside, sweetheart. Let's get you settled."

The performance was flawless—concerned fiancé, relieved mate, protective Alpha. My father's hand pressed against my lower back, guiding me forward while my mother clutched her purse with white knuckles. Celeste drifted behind us, silent for once.

Raven materialized in the doorway as we crossed the threshold, Ava sleeping against her shoulder. Relief crashed through me so hard my knees nearly buckled. My daughter. Safe. Breathing.

"She just went down," Raven said, transferring the warm weight into my arms. Her mouth barely moved as she leaned close. "The nursery's destroyed. He went through it drunk, smashing everything against the walls."

Ice flooded my veins. I held Ava tighter, her small body fitting perfectly against my chest where my heart hammered.

Weston ushered everyone toward the sitting room, playing gracious host while tension crackled beneath his polished exterior. "Please, sit. We have much to discuss about today's unfortunate events."

"Unfortunate is a generous word for kidnapping," Celeste offered, settling onto the sofa with calculated grace.

My mother shot her a look sharp enough to draw blood before addressing Weston. "We appreciate your restraint in handling this situation. Father has given his word that Harper will remain here safely while we navigate these complications."

"Of course." Weston's smile never reached his eyes. "Harper belongs here with her family. With me."

The possessive weight in those words made my wolf snarl. I backed toward the stairs, clutching Ava like a shield. "I need to feed her. She's overdue."

Nobody stopped me. I climbed quickly, each step taking me away from the false civility downstairs and toward whatever destruction waited above. The bedroom door closed behind me with a soft click that felt like a temporary sanctuary.

Ava stirred, mouth working in sleep, small fists curling. I settled into the chair by the window, lifted my shirt, and let her latch. The relief was immediate and overwhelming—milk flowing, her hunger satisfied, her tiny hand pressing against my breast with instinctive trust.

My phone vibrated in my pocket. Kieran's name blazed across the screen.

"Are you safe?" His voice came rough, urgent.

"For now." I kept my voice low, aware that werewolf hearing carried. "Ava's feeding. My parents are downstairs with Weston."

"I shouldn't have let you leave. Every instinct I have is screaming that you're in danger." The raw honesty in his admission made my chest ache. "Richard's word means nothing if Weston decides to act."

"He won't do anything with my family here. He's too smart for that." I stroked Ava's downy hair, drawing comfort from her warmth. "Tomorrow we'll figure this out. Find a way that doesn't start a war."

"Tomorrow you're coming home. To me. Where you belong." The promise carried absolute conviction. "You're my true mate, Harper. Mine. Not his."

"I know." The words came fierce, desperate. "I know exactly who I belong to."

Footsteps echoed in the hallway. Heavy. Deliberate. Wrong.

"Harper?" Weston's voice carried through the door. "Your family's leaving. Want to say goodbye?"

Kieran's growl rumbled through the phone. "Don't hang up. Keep me on the line."

The door swung open. Weston filled the frame, his expression stripped of the false warmth he'd worn downstairs. Behind him, the hallway stood empty. Silent.

"You need to leave now," Kieran demanded, his voice sharp enough to cut. "Walk out that door and drive straight to my territory. Right now, Harper."

Weston crossed the room in three strides, snatched the phone from my hand, and hurled it against the wall. The screen shattered with a sound like breaking bones. Ava jerked at the noise, her mouth releasing my nipple as she started to cry.

"There." Weston's smile turned vicious. "Now we can talk without interruptions."

I pulled my shirt down with one hand while clutching Ava with the other, her wails escalating. "My parents—"

"Are gone. Your father suggested quite reasonably that you'd be safer with your fated mate." The words dripped with mockery. "So I agreed. Told them we'd handle the transition civilly. They left a couple minutes ago, satisfied that everyone was being so mature about this disaster."

Horror replaced the blood in my veins. "You sent them away."

"I did. Because your father's an opportunistic fool who saw better alliance terms and jumped at the chance." He moved closer, predatory grace in every step. "But you're not going anywhere, Harper. Not to him. Not ever."

"Weston, listen to me—"

"No, you listen." His hand shot out, gripping my jaw hard enough to make bones grind. Ava screamed louder, her small face red with distress. "I know you feel the bond with him. I'm not stupid. But that changes nothing. You will carry my name, raise my heir, and by the end of tonight, you'll bear my mark."

The mate mark. The permanent bond that would chain me to him forever, overriding the true mate connection with Kieran through sheer forced proximity. My wolf howled in fury and terror.

"You can't mark someone against their will," I managed, trying to pull free without dropping my crying daughter.

"Can't I?" His other hand tangled in my hair, yanking my head back to expose my throat. "Who's going to stop me? Your parents are gone. Wolfhart's miles away. You're alone in my house, holding my child, and I'm done waiting for you to come to your senses."

He lunged, teeth bared, fangs descended. I twisted desperately but couldn't defend myself without releasing Ava. His breath hit my throat, hot and reeking of whiskey.

The bedroom door exploded inward.

Raven moved like violence given form, launching herself at Weston with enforcer precision. They crashed into the dresser in a tangle of snarling fury, wood splintering under their combined weight.

"Run!" Raven screamed, her claws raking across Weston's face. "Take Ava and run!"

I didn't hesitate. Clutching my wailing daughter against my chest, I bolted through the doorway and down the stairs. Behind me, furniture shattered. Growls and curses mixed with sounds of flesh hitting flesh.

The front door stood open, spilling moonlight across the foyer. My feet slapped against the pavement as I ran, Ava's cries mixing with my ragged breathing. The night air bit cold against my skin but I didn't slow, couldn't slow.

My parents' house should be blazed with light three streets over. Safety. Witnesses. Protection from what Weston had become—a man so desperate to own me that he'd force a mark, create a bond built on violence rather than fate.

The mate mark he'd attempted would have been bondage, not bonding. A chain to prevent my escape to Kieran forever.

I ran faster, my daughter pressed against my heart, and prayed Raven could hold him long enough for us to disappear into the night.