Chapter 8 Chapter 8
“Luna Tiana,” a female voice called. “The healers are here.”
Hearing it caused my stomach to drop. It really should not be that way, considering the time notice I had gotten.
But something about healers from over a decade back, still messed with my head. The details of it were not clear but the thought of it scared me more than the actual process.
I really should have moved on from it yet it was a struggle to.
I forced myself out of bed, washed up quickly, and changed into a simple dress. When I opened the door, three figures waited in the hallway: two healers in ceremonial white robes, and Beta Ezra.
“Alpha Zane requests your presence in the treatment chamber,” Ezra said formally. “If you’ll follow us.”
They led me through the pack house to a wing I’d never been allowed in as a servant—the private Alpha quarters where only high-ranking wolves were permitted. We descended a set of stone stairs that seemed to go on forever, the air growing cooler with each step.
Finally, we reached a heavy wooden door. Beta Ezra pushed it open, revealing a room that looked like a laboratory.
It had stone walls. Equipment I didn’t recognize. A table in the center with restraints—
Restraints?
My feet stopped moving.
“Luna?” One of the healers prompted gently.
“What… what are those for?” I pointed at the leather straps attached to the table.
“Just a precaution,” the older healer said, her voice neutral. “You could experience involuntary shifting during the initial treatments. The restraints ensure you don’t hurt yourself or us.”
Shifting? My wolf had never responded violently to anything. She was as docile and beaten down as I was.
“Is there a problem?” Before I could question further, Zane’s voice came.
He stood in the corner, arms crossed, watching with that same cold assessment he’d given me since the day he’d announced our marriage.
“No, Alpha,” I said quietly, though my heart hammered against my ribs.
I forced my feet to move, to cross to the table and climb onto it. The healers moved about, trying to get everything settled then positioning my arms and legs and fastening the restraints.
This is fine, I told myself. This, according to the Alpha is necessary. And I agreed to it, maybe against my will when I signed that contract.
But my hands shook as the leather tightened around my wrists.
“The first injection will prepare your body for conception,” the older healer explained as she prepared a syringe filled with something that glowed faintly silver. “It contains a mixture of herbs blessed by the moon priestess, along with… other components designed to enhance fertility.”
Other components. That didn’t sound ominous at all.
“Will it hurt?” I asked, hating how small my voice sounded.
The healer hesitated. “There may be some discomfort.”
She wasn’t lying.
The moment the needle pierced my skin, fire exploded through my veins. I gasped, my back arching off the table as every nerve ending lit up with sensation that was somehow both burning and freezing at once.
“Breathe through it,” the healer instructed. “The pain will pass.”
But it didn’t pass. It intensified, spreading from my arm through my chest, down into my stomach where it coiled and twisted like something alive.
My wolf surged forward with a howl of distress, trying to protect me the only way she knew how—by forcing a shift.
The restraints suddenly made terrible sense.
“Hold her steady,” the older healer commanded as my body began to convulse. “The initial reaction is always the worst.”
Through the haze of pain, I was aware of hands pressing down on my shoulders and of another injection, something cool this time that dulled the worst of the agony into a manageable throb.
When I could finally breathe again, I opened my eyes to find all three healers watching me.
And beyond them, Zane stood in the same position he’d been in before. Arms crossed. Face expressionless.
He hadn’t moved or flinched. It felt like I was dying and screaming loud enough to break the binds off the stone wall and he had not shown even the slightest concern.
“The first treatment is complete,” the older healer announced, making notes on a parchment. “She’ll need to rest for at least an hour before we proceed with the second phase.”
“Second phase?” I croaked.
“Yes. There are three injections in the first round,” she explained. “Each one builds on the last, preparing your body in stages. We’ll administer the second one this afternoon, and the third tomorrow morning.”
Three. Three times of this burning pain and the terrible feeling of my body being torn apart and reassembled from the inside out.
And this was just the first round.
“How many rounds total?” I asked, though I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer.
“Six rounds over the coming weeks. Each round intensifies the potency of the last.” She softened slightly at whatever expression crossed my face. “I know it seems overwhelming, but this is the only way. The Alpha’s… condition… requires extreme measures.”
Condition. What condition?
I looked at Zane, but his face gave nothing away.
The healers released the restraints and helped me sit up slowly. My entire body felt like I’d been trampled by a stampede, every muscle aching and weak.
“Can you walk?” the younger healer asked.
I nodded, even though I wasn’t sure. Pride—stupid, pointless pride—made me slide off the table and stand on my own.
My legs wobbled and the room tilted.
Before I could fall, strong hands caught my arms and I let out a sigh of relief as I turned to see Beta Ezra supporting me with his firm grip.
“I’ll escort the Luna back to her chambers.”
“No need.” Zane’s voice broke the almost quiet. “I’ll take her.”
Everyone froze. Everyone as in, me included.
Ezra’s hands dropped from my arms immediately, and he stepped back. “Of course, Alpha.”
Zane crossed the room with that predatory grace that never failed to make my wolf whimper—though whether from fear or the maltreatment even with the bond we now shared, I could never quite tell.
He didn’t touch me gently. His hand clamped around my upper arm in a painful grip, and he hauled me toward the door with barely controlled impatience.
“The second injection is at sunset,” the older healer called after us. “Don’t be late.”
Zane didn’t respond.
He half-dragged me through the corridors, moving so fast while I stumbled trying to keep up. My body still ached from the injection, waves of residual pain pulsing through my veins with each heartbeat.
“Slower,” I gasped. “Please, I can’t—”
He stopped so abruptly and I crashed into his back.
For a moment, he stood rigid, his hand still gripping my arm. Then, with what seemed like monumental effort, he loosened his hold slightly and adjusted his pace.
We continued in silence through the pack house. Servants scattered when they saw us coming, pressing themselves against walls and averting their eyes.
When we finally reached my chambers, Zane released me so quickly, causing me to trip.
I caught myself on the doorframe, breathing hard, and turned to find him staring at me with that same unreadable expression.
“Why did you insist on bringing me back yourself when you are only going to dump me like trash?” The question escaped before I could stop it.
His jaw tightened. “Because you’re my responsibility.”
“Your responsibility,” I repeated flatly. “Like a possession. Preferably a piece of furniture.”
“If you want to think of it that way.”
The casual cruelty of it stole my breath.
I laughed—a bitter, broken sound. “You know what the worst part is? For years, I always pictured you as a god. I saw you as some kind of perfect being that should be revered.” I met his eyes, not caring anymore about the consequences. Even as I wondered where I had bought the courage from. “But you’re not that much of a god, Alpha. You’re just like every other man who got lucky to be of an Alpha lineage, and acts mercilessly like a drunkard handed so much power, will.”
Something flashed in his eyes. Was it rage? Pain? Or the realization that I had possibly spilled the truth?
“Tiana,” he growled, his voice dropping to a more dangerous tone. “I am going to assume you are on some cheap drugs from the treatment, but never, ever try to mess with me.”
I froze, my brief surge of courage evaporating as his eyes flashed gold—his wolf rising to the surface.
What had I done? What was I thinking, speaking to an Alpha like that?
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, hating how small my voice sounded. “I didn’t mean—”
“Get inside.” He didn’t shout. Somehow that was worse. “Now.”
I scrambled backward through the door, my hands shaking as I fumbled with the handle.
His eyes tracked my every movement, and I saw it clearly: I’d crossed a line. And there would be consequences.