The Alpha's New Consort

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My boyfriend and I transmigrated together.

In the legends of this world, he became the bloodthirsty, tyrannical Alpha of the Shadow-Claw Pack.

I became the wicked Luna, the woman who led the pack to ruin and was destined to be torn apart by a thousand claws.

To rewrite our fate, he stayed by my side and played the part of the devoted mate.

Whenever I smiled, he granted pardons to the outcasts.

On my birthday, he opened the granaries to feed the struggling families.

When I was pregnant, he abolished all pack taxes for three whole years.

Everyone in the territory whispered that the bond between the Alpha and his Luna was the most enviable thing in existence.

Back then, he would hold my hand, his eyes full of a soul-shaking tenderness.

"In all the three realms, I love only three things," he whispered. "The sun, the moon, and you. The sun for the morning, the moon for the night, and you, my love, for every moment in between."

But after the loss of our pup, everything changed.

The promises he whispered into my ear turned into empty echoes, one by one.

I spent months searching for a way to return to our original world.

But when I finally found the key, I walked right into his chambers, only to find him entwined with his high-ranking consort on the bed.

Since he's found a new obsession, I'll just go back alone.

It wasn't long after I returned to the Luna's Wing that a warm, familiar body pressed against my back.

Killian wrapped his arms around me, his palms resting against my lower belly, rubbing it gently.

"Were you looking for me just now?" he murmured.

I didn't answer. I just stood there, staring at nothing.

He let out a heavy sigh against my neck.

"Elena, if this pack doesn't have an heir soon, the elders will drown me in their complaints."

"You don't want to be labeled as the narrow-minded Luna who doesn't understand the bigger picture, do you?"

I couldn't help but think back to the early days after we arrived here.

Back then, he had dismissed every other she-wolf in his inner circle, keeping only me.

When the pack elders protested, saying I was a fox-spirit who bewitched him, he didn't hesitate.

He exiled the loudest critic to the frozen barrens a thousand miles away.

Another elder claimed that as Luna, it was my duty to provide heirs and accept other consorts for the sake of the bloodline.

Back then, Killian told them, "My Luna gives birth only if she wants to. If not, we'll just adopt from a cadet branch."

"Whoever dares to mention this again will have their tongue ripped out."

But now?

He had chosen a way that forced me to swallow my pride and accept my own humiliation.

He took a consort, shared his bed with her, and let me watch as he spent his nights in her heat.

I gently pushed his hands away.

"It's fine. I understand."

I understood that he had turned our marriage into a political chip.

I understood that since he sat on that throne of bones, the man I once knew was gone.

I remembered when Sienna first entered the pack house. Killian wouldn't even look at her.

She started praying at the pack's shrine every morning before dawn, kneeling on the cold stone.

She wrote out scrolls of blessings, one stroke at a time, praying for the Alpha's health and the pack's prosperity.

The year the border skirmishes drained our resources, it was her family, the house of Vance, who provided the silver and food to save us.

During an assassination attempt in the forest, she threw herself in front of a silver blade for him, nearly dying.

Before her wounds had even closed, she knelt in the freezing wind all night, begging for Killian's mercy.

"Alpha... I know your heart belongs to the Luna," she had sobbed. "But my father says if I don't win your favor within a year, he will throw my childhood maid into the rogue pits."

"I'm not doing this by choice. If I had a way out, I would never dare disturb you and the Luna."

Killian felt a spark of pity that night. He summoned her to his bed for the first time.

I had always known that as a leader, he would have responsibilities that might include other women.

But that night, the last shred of hope in my heart was shattered into dust.

After that, the number of nights he spent in the Luna's Wing grew smaller and smaller. I stopped waiting for him.

A thin, cold veil fell between usDpolite, proper, and empty.

He'd ask how I was, and I'd say I was fine.

He'd mention the weather was getting cold and tell me to wear more layers.

I'd thank him for his concern, and that would be the end of it.

Eventually, we had a screaming match over the baby I lost, and I stopped seeking him out entirely.

When he came over, I avoided him.

When he didn't, I sat alone, staring at the walls, letting the days bleed into one another.

He thought I was just throwing a tantrum.

But the truth was, I was just too exhausted.

I was too tired to fight, too tired to hope, and too tired to even hate him properly.

The day of the Great Hunt was clear and crisp.

I was standing in a clearing in the woods, my mind drifting far away.

Suddenly, a sharp scream from Sienna pierced the air behind me.

"Luna! Why would you push me?"

I turned around in shock. The consort was sprawled on the grass, her hair a mess and her face deathly pale.

Killian rushed over, his face tight with worry as he helped her up.

When we first transmigrated, I used to tell Killian stories about high-society drama and the petty tricks women used to frame each other.

I thought he knew these tropes. I thought he could see through such a basic act.

But his voice was cold and demanding.

"Elena, what is the meaning of this?"

I slowly lifted my hands, showing him my palms.

"I tripped a moment ago. My hands are covered in mud. If I had pushed her, there would be marks on her white dress."

Sienna froze for a second. Then, her eyes brimmed with tears, and she lowered her head like a wounded pup.

"I'm so sorry, sister. I must have been so startled by my fall that I got confused."

Killian gently pinched her nose, his expression softening.

"You're so clumsy. I'll have to punish you properly in my chambers tonight."

I knew what that punishment meant. It meant a night of passion that would leave her unable to walk the next morning.

I watched him lead her away. Their shadows overlapped, moving in perfect sync.

A wave of nausea rolled through my stomach.

At the banquet that night, Killian sat on the high dais with Sienna leaning against him.

She wore a gown of moon-white silk, the thin fabric clinging to her curves in a way that was almost indecent.

She picked up a golden chalice and walked gracefully toward me.

"Luna, I was out of line this morning. Please, drink this toast with me, or I won't be able to sleep tonight."

I instinctively looked at Killian.

This body was deathly allergic to high-proof spirits.

When we first arrived, I had accidentally taken a sip of a strong brew and gone into anaphylactic shock immediately.

He had stayed by my bedside all night, terrified.

Back then, he swore he'd never let a drop of alcohol touch my lips again.

But now, he just gave a casual, dismissive shrug.

"Elena, just have a drink for her sake. Her rank is lower than yours. If you refuse, the servants will start looking down on her."

My throat felt bone-dry. I couldn't find the words.

Did he really not hear the gossip spreading through the pack?

Or did he just not care anymore?

I remembered the whispers I'd overheard in the gardens a few days ago.

"It doesn't matter how much the Alpha used to love the Luna. Now that Consort Sienna is here, the Luna is nothing."

"Consort Sienna is gentle and well-bred, a true lady of the Vance family. She's high-born and perfect for the Alpha."

"The Luna? Her beauty is fading, she has no family to back her up. That kind of luck never lasts."

My fingers trembled as I fought down the rising tide of emotion.

I took the chalice and drained it in one gulp.

The liquid burned like fire. My vision blurred, my skin began to itch and burn, and my lungs felt like they were shrinking.

Everything went black as I collapsed onto the floor.

When I opened my eyes again, I saw Killian's worried face.

"Elena, you could have just swapped it for tea. You didn't have to hurt yourself just to make a point."

He seemed to have forgotten that I once refused to give Sienna a painting she wanted from my room.

He didn't say anything then, but he didn't set foot in my wing for an entire month after that.

A few weeks ago, the silk merchants brought rare fabrics. Sienna wanted them.

Killian used to always protect my status as the first lady of the pack.

But that day, in front of all the servants, he barked at me.

"You are the Luna. Stop being so petty over a few bolts of cloth. It's embarrassing."

The sight of the servants bowing their heads, hiding their smirks, felt like needles stabbing into my skin.

Tears I couldn't control escaped and blurred my vision.

Killian leaned down, trying to kiss the tears away, but I turned my head.

Just then, frantic footsteps sounded outside.

Sienna's maid, Willow, burst in and knelt by the door.

"Alpha! The Consort is in terrible pain! Please, come quickly!"

Killian's body stiffened. But very quickly, he stood up and straightened his tunic.

"Rest well. I won't disturb you anymore."

He turned and left without looking back, his steps hurried and desperate.

The next morning, I forced my aching body out of bed.

My loyal maid, Maya, brought in a bowl of medicine, her face twisted with anger.

"Luna, the Alpha left for the main city with the Consort before dawn. He even took most of the elite guards with him!"

"This hunting lodge is in the middle of nowhere. People said they saw a shadow-bear in the deep woods yesterday."

"He only left ten guards behind. If we run into a beast or some rogues on the way back, what will we do?"

"The Alpha... how could he be so reckless with your safety?"

I looked down, my throat still raw from the alcohol.

A few days after returning to the mansion, news that Sienna was pregnant flooded the pack.

I didn't care. All I cared about was that Mochi was missing.

I searched every inch of the Luna's Wing, but my cat was nowhere to be found.

Mochi was my pet from the modern world.

When we arrived here, Killian had gone to great lengths to find a cat that looked exactly like her.

I ran to Killian's private study, panicked, only to find a golden cage on his desk.

Mochi was curled inside, letting out a pitiful, tiny meow when she saw me.

"Sienna is pregnant," Killian said, not looking up. "Cats can be temperamental. We're keeping it caged until the pup is born."

I spoke softly, my voice trembling.

"Let her out. Let me take her back to my wing. I'll keep a close eye on her."

"She stays here. If you miss her, you can come by whenever you want. You have total access to my study."

For the next few days, I went there before the sun was even up.

Killian's voice held a hint of playful annoyance.

"You little heartless thing. If it weren't for this cat, you'd never come to see me."

"You care more about a beast than you do about your Alpha."

I ignored him, gently petting Mochi through the bars of the cage.

Everyone knew that Sienna was his true treasure now.

Sienna was delicate and had a poor appetite, so Killian hired eight world-class chefs just for her private kitchen.

The gifts he showered on her were staggeringDdiamonds, gold, the finest fursDsent to her room like they were worth nothing.

He even had a rare twin-lotus brought from the southern marshes just to make her smile.

During the years he supposedly loved me most, the pack was rebuilding, and we had nothing.

I had to think twice before even asking for a new dress.

It turns out that when a man truly loves someone, he'll give them the world regardless of the cost.

He sighed again, his voice softening.

"Elena, when will you learn to be as gentle and sweet as Sienna? Why must you be so cold?"

I suddenly felt like Mochi, trapped in a small, square world.

Back home, I had a career. I had friends. I had a life.

Now?

I was a parasite.

I had to please him, obey him, and play the role of the perfect, silent Luna.

Like a cat, I was only thrown a scrap of affection if I acted cute and stayed in my cage.

Heavy footsteps echoed outside.

The head steward, Leo, rushed in.

"Alpha, Consort Sienna is having nightmares. She summoned a shaman, and he says..."

"He says there is a dark spirit haunting the southwest corner of the estate."

"She begs you to clear the evil so the pack can have peace."

The southwest corner.

That was where the ashes of my lost baby were buried.

"Killian, you know that's just superstition!" I yelled.

"Are you really going to let her desecrate our child's resting place?"

A dark, unreadable emotion flickered in Killian's eyes.

"Elena, just back down. If you stop fighting with Sienna and try to get along, I'll handle the situation with the child."

Back down?

How did our baby die?

Who sent that tea spiked with wolfsbane?

And what did Killian do when he found out the truth?

Back then, the Vance family held the military power. The northern borders were on the verge of war.

He needed their soldiers to secure his position.

He had knelt by my bed, holding my hand, swearing an oath.

"Elena, once my seat is secure, I will get justice for our baby. Just wait for me."

But he never got justice. Instead, the murderer was now carrying his next child.

I looked at the man in front of me and felt a wave of disgust.

"Killian, you make me sick."

"Fine. The dead can't feel anything anyway. Do whatever you want."

"Elena, we aren't destroying the remains. We're moving them to the Great Temple. The monks there will pray for the soul's peace."

He made it sound like a compromise, but the Great Temple was hundreds of miles away, through dangerous mountain passes.

As Luna, I couldn't leave the pack house without his express permission.

To go there would require a massive escort.

"You've thought of everything, Alpha. Tell me, when will I be allowed to go and light a candle for my child?"

"Your health comes first. Once you're stronger, I'll take you there myself."

"Elena, it was a child that never made it. You shouldn't let it consume you like this."

"You've been brooding in your wing too much. It's making you lose your mind."

"Next month, on the fifteenth, I'm throwing a gala for Sienna. It will lift the mood of the pack."

"I want you to organize it personally."

He was sending my baby's ashes to a distant wasteland and forcing me to plan a party for the woman who killed it!

"I won't do it."

Killian was silent for a long time.

"Mochi has been very loud lately. If I get annoyed, I can't promise I won't lose my temper."

"Be a good girl, Elena. If the gala goes well, I'll have a surprise for you."

A surprise?

Killian, I have a surprise for you, too.

"The Blood Ruby opens the path. When the moon is full, the jade shatters, and the soul returns to its origin."

Five days ago, the shaman had smuggled a message to me.

I had been searching for three years. Finally, I was going home.

The gala was held in the glass pavilion. Lights blazed like the sun, and music filled the air.

Killian and Sienna sat on the high thrones. He leaned over to feed her a piece of delicate fish, whispering something that made her blush.

Perhaps my gaze was too intense, because Sienna looked up and began toy with a string of jade beads on her wrist.

I didn't know where those beads came from, but Killian treated them like treasure.

I had once mentioned they were beautiful.

Usually, if I liked something, Killian would give it to me instantly.

But that time, he had hesitated and locked them away.

Whenever I asked about them later, he made excuses. It had always bothered me.

And now, they were wrapped around Sienna's wrist.

Halfway through the night, Sienna suddenly gripped her stomach, her face turning white.

Killian panicked. "Healer! Get over here now!"

After checking her pulse, the healer bowed low.

"The Consort's pregnancy is being disturbed. There was something in the food... the red rice cakes contain an herb that causes bleeding in pregnant wolves..."

Every eye in the room turned toward me.

Sienna suddenly stood up and threw herself at my feet.

"Luna, I know you hate me. If you have a grudge, take it out on me!"

"But this is the Alpha's only heir. I beg you, show some mercy to the child."

I stepped back. Even after years here, I hated people kneeling to me.

But my retreat looked like guilt.

Killian stood up, his eyes dark and cold. He stayed silent for a moment before speaking.

"Elena."

"I could have given you everything."

"Why would you try to kill an innocent child?"

I looked him straight in the eyes.

"Killian. Do you really not believe me?"

He didn't answer.

His silence was a blade through my heart.

Sienna let out a scream of pain.

She curled into a ball on the floor, clutching her stomach.

"So much blood... Luna, why would you do this to my baby..."

The pavilion erupted into chaos. Screams and frantic footsteps blurred together.

Amidst the noise, I slowly looked up at the moon.

The moon is full. The ruby breaks. The way opens.

I squeezed my hand shut. The sound of glass shattering echoed in my palm.

A blinding white light burst from between my fingers, drowning out the world.