Chapter 5

When I woke, the sheets were still stained with blood.

My stomach throbbed with dull, pulsing pain. I thought—again—that I had lost the baby.

The door slammed open. Several Nightfog guards stormed in, holding binding seals.

“Luna Luna Ivy,” one said coldly, “Alpha Alpha Adrian has ordered your relocation to the dungeon.”

“What did I do wrong?” My voice cracked.

No answer.

They cuffed my wrists with rune-bound chains and dragged me from the room—toward the Nightfog dungeon.

The dungeon was cold and damp. On the walls were countless photos of Omega Shirley, smiling, pregnant, radiant.

“Are these… even real?” I whispered.

“They’re not,” a young nurse murmured.

I turned sharply. “What did you say?”

She paled. “I shouldn’t have—don’t let Dr. Ryan hear me—”

Right on cue, Ryan entered with a needle and a blood-extraction charm.

“Ready?” he smiled, like always. “It’s just a bit of blood. Good for both you and the baby.”

“How much more do you need?” I gritted out. “You’ve taken it seven times already.”

“Miss Omega Shirley urgently needs the umbilical stem cells.” His tone was gentle, rehearsed. “One more time, Luna Ivy. Be brave.”

I tried to back away, but the guards held me down.

“Don’t struggle,” Ryan sighed. “You might hurt the baby.”

I froze.

The needle went in. Cold blood flowed.

“Three more months,” he said cheerfully. “Then you’ll be free.”

“And the child? You’ll give it to Omega Shirley?” I spat.

“If you cooperate,” he said, still smiling, “we’ll even give you a dignified farewell.”

They locked me in the deepest part of the dungeon. In the stone wall, I found something carved:

“Beloved Son Noah — died 0715.”

My fingers brushed the cold stone. Tears spilled before I could stop them.

This… was my first child’s so-called grave.

No body. No ashes. Just a rock, like me—stripped of meaning, left to rot.

Kneeling, I noticed the edge of the slab was loose.

With all my strength, I pried it open.

A faint glint of metal—a sealed recording crystal.

I linked it to my comm-stone and activated playback.

Omega Shirley’s voice rang out—clear and calm:

“He thinks I’m pregnant, but I’ve had no uterus for years. Every medical report? Faked by Ryan.”

Then Alpha Adrian’s voice: “You acted perfectly. Luna Ivy believed every word.”

“She cries like a dog,” Omega Shirley laughed. “Even mutters her baby’s name in her sleep.”

“Once she gives birth,” Alpha Adrian said, “we’ll send her to the Sacrifice Altar in Featherfall. They’re short one offering.”

My hands trembled, clenching the crystal until my knuckles whitened.

I didn’t know how long had passed before the dungeon door creaked open.

Alpha Adrian stepped in, Omega Shirley behind him.

“Today’s your birthday,” he said flatly. “The tribe prepared a small ceremony.”

“You remembered?” I laughed bitterly.

“Of course,” Omega Shirley smiled sweetly. “You’re carrying our ‘hope.’ You deserve a little celebration.”

I looked them both dead in the eye. “Aren’t you worried I’ll release the recording?”

Alpha Adrian snorted. “And who would believe you? You’re insane, Luna Ivy. No one listens to madwomen.”

“And besides,” Omega Shirley added gently, “you haven’t given birth yet. That crystal could… ‘accidentally’ break.”

She leaned close, whispering, “Be a good girl. Deliver the baby. Then vanish.”

They brought me to the altar stage. Dozens gathered below, smiling politely, whispering behind cupped hands.

“I heard she’s completely lost it.”

“Omega Shirley’s carrying the real heir. Luna Ivy’s just the shell.”

I stood motionless.

Let them speak.

I memorized every voice. Every face.

This was their feast. Their show of power.

But it would be their reckoning too.

That night, I reopened the encrypted message.

A new line appeared:

“Noah isn’t buried there. Your first child is alive—hidden in the Northern Grove by Featherfall.”

My nails dug into my palms. Blood dripped.

“Fine, Alpha Adrian,” I whispered. “You won’t even return my child?”