The Heartless Alpha’s Beloved Luna

"Avery!" I shouted. My voice echoed across the water. "AVERY!" Nothing but a silent forest answered me. I collapsed to my knees. She was gone. And judging by the blood, the severed finger, the death... She might not even be alive. 639 Avery's POV The boat ride took two days. My mother and I huddled in the bottom of the boat, taking turns rowing. The current did most of the work, but we had to steer around rocks and fallen trees. By the time we reached the human lands, my hands were blistered and raw, but we'd made it.

The town we found ourselves in was small and unremarkable: a fishing village with weathered buildings and dirt roads. The people who lived there didn't ask questions. They took one look at us and pointed us toward a boarding house. The landlady didn't ask why we were there, which I appreciated. She just showed us to a tiny room on the second floor and told us the rent was due at the end of the week. The room was barely big enough for a bed and a small table. The wallpaper was peeling, and the floorboards creaked. But it was ours. My mother collapsed onto the bed as soon as the landlady left.

My mother couldn't work much, but the landlady let her work the front desk for free dinners. A week after we arrived, I went to see a doctor. He was

me the moment I heard those words. As long as my baby was okay, that was all that mattered. When I got back to the room, my mother was sitting at the table. She looked up when I entered. "How did it go?" she asked. "The baby's fine." I sat down across from her and smiled. "Healthy." "That's good." We sat in silence for a moment. Then she said,

the baby. Not for me.' "You don't know that for certain." "He said it himself, Mom. He doesn't want me. He just wants an heir." I stood and walked to the window, staring out at the street