The Luna's Forgotten Vow

Arya’s POV

It was Alpha Ryker’s twenty-fourth birthday.

As his personal doctor, there was one duty I had never failed to perform every morning: checking his health before leaving for the pack clinic, where I served as the medical director.

Before leaving my quarters, I picked up the small box wrapped in a crimson ribbon, a birthday gift I had ordered from human territory just yesterday.

Since Ryker became the Alpha of the Golden Lake Pack two years ago, he had never cared about expensive things. His life revolved around wars, patrols, training, and protecting the pack. He rarely bought anything for himself, let alone celebrated his birthday.

Still, I wanted today to be different.

Before he became Alpha, Ryker had been my best friend. We grew up together, laughed together, and shared a bond I believed nothing could ever break.

Then, the day he inherited the Alpha title, he slowly began keeping his distance. I never questioned him. I kept telling myself he was only overwhelmed by his new responsibilities and that, one day, things would return to the way they used to be.

Even if he no longer smiled at me the way he once did, I still wanted him to know that someone was still waiting for him.

I picked up the gift with one hand and my medical bag with the other before hurrying out of my room.

As I approached the doors to his chamber, the guards standing watch stepped forward, crossing their spears. I came to an abrupt halt, a frown forming on my face.

That had never happened before.

They all knew I was his personal doctor. They knew my footsteps.

"I need to check on the Alpha," I said, keeping my voice professional.

"No, ma'am. You can't. He is busy right now," Kane, Alpha Ryker's Beta, replied.

“Let her through,” a voice commanded from behind me.

I turned around and saw Warlord Aerion, the Alpha’s younger brother and my birthday twin, staring at me with his usual one eyed look. I had known him for years, yet I had never understood that expression. It always felt as though he was watching me, waiting for me to react to something only he knew.

The guards immediately bowed and moved out of the way.

“Thank you, Aerion,” I said before turning to continue on my way. But before I could take another step, Aerion grabbed my upper arm and pulled me violently against his bare chest. His grip was painfully strong, and I struggled to break free.

Then he pulled a paper from his side pocket and held it up to my face.

I quickly pushed him away and stumbled backward.

My eyes widened when I saw the symbol on the paper.

That same symbol was on my private part. I had been born with it. Neither my mother nor my late father had ever known what it meant.

I had searched everywhere for answers. I had gone through old libraries and studied books filled with strange and ancient symbols, hoping to find the same mark. But no matter how much I searched, I had never discovered what it meant.

Only Alpha Ryker and my parents knew I had the strange symbol on my private part.

Alpha Ryker is a discreet and honorable person. Even though things between us have changed lately, I still believe he would respect my privacy. I am certain he would never tell his brother about what he saw on my private part.

Aerion’s eyes narrowed as he took a slow, dangerous step toward me.

“Arya, are you sure you haven’t seen this symbol anywhere?” he asked in a low tone.

“Aerion, this is the third time you’ve asked me about this symbol, and I’ve already told you I haven’t seen it anywhere,” I lied.

His eyes narrowed again, but I didn’t wait for his next question. I quickly turned and walked away. I needed to speak with his brother about the symbol. Maybe Alpha Ryker could finally put an end to Aerion’s questions once and for all.

I slowly pushed the door open and stepped into the Alpha’s bedroom.

Someone was sprawled casually across the Alpha's massive bed.

It was Malia, the former Alpha's daughter.

From where I stood, the muffled sound of running water echoed from the ensuite bathroom. Then, abruptly, the water stopped, a clear sign the Alpha had sensed my presence.

A second later, the water started again.

The sight of someone else in the Alpha's sacred space made my stomach churn, but I forced my face into a mask of professional indifference, hiding the raw agony bleeding through our bond.

I walked to the mahogany table and set down the ribbon-wrapped box and my medical equipment with trembling hands. I exhaled slowly.

"Good morning, Malia," I said.

Malia did not answer. She merely leaned back on her elbows, fixing me with a sharp, predatory gaze. She studied my expression, searching for a crack, a tear, a single sign that her presence was tearing my soul apart.

Just then, the bathroom door opened. Alpha Ryker stepped out. A towel was wrapped around his waist, and beads of water still clung to his skin from his shower.

The scent of his rut filled the air. He smelled of rain, cedarwood, and the terrifyingly intoxicating musk of a dominant Alpha in his prime.

He hadn't slept with Malia yet. If he had, he wouldn't still be trapped in his rut, I told myself. However, I wasn't sure.

Looking at him, my mind treacherously dragged me back to the night of our first mating. The memory of that same golden body pressed against mine and his hard manhood sinking deeper into my wet body, flared behind my eyelids.

Ryker’s amber eyes met mine. The powerful Alpha standing before me looked vulnerable in a way I had never seen before, and my heart ached at the sight. He was seriously in rut, and his body was desperately craving the one person who could ease his struggle, me, his mate.

But I was entirely dumbfounded. I knew if I opened my mouth, my voice would betray the torment raging inside me. I was a breath away from breaking down into sobbing tears.

"I guess... I should come back when you are free," I murmured.

“Okay,” he said.

I turned on my heel, leaving the gift and my medical bag on the table.

"Doctor Arya, wait," Malia called out. She slid off the bed and stood between me and the exit. She folded her arms and fixed her eyes on me.

"Tell me, Doctor Arya, is bringing gifts part of your duties now? Or have you been hoping to become something more than the Alpha's personal doctor?"

I glanced over my shoulder. The Alpha was no longer in the room. He had probably gone to get dressed. I turned back to face Malia.

"Are you doing more than your daily medical assessment now?” she asked again.

Why would she even ask me that when she already knew the truth? Ryker was my mate, and we had shared an unbreakable friendship long before he became the alpha.

Without answering her question, I stepped around her toward the door.

Malia's hand shot out, grabbing my wrist with a firm, wolfish grip.

"Hasn't he told you yet?” Malia asked.

“Told me what?” I asked.

“Malia stop!” Alpha Ryker said. Malia stepped out of the way and I rushed out of the room.

"Tell her the truth, alpha.”

"The truth will destroy her," Alpha Ryker whispered, but I still heard him.

“I lost my dad! She needs to know the truth!” Malia shouted. That was the last thing that entered my ear.

By the time I reached the Pack Clinic that morning, my mind was a chaotic storm. I moved through the white corridors like a zombie, barely registering the nurses greeting me.

Alpha Ryker was my soul. Long before the Moon Goddess revealed he was my mate, I had loved him. My love for him was the sole reason I had refused to go with my human mother when she abandoned the pack years ago. Now, that choice felt like a self-inflicted curse.

As I scrubbed my hands for the morning ward rounds, my mother's third, desperate warning echoed in my chest like an old, infected wound: "Whatever you do, Arya, don't ever fall in love with a werewolf. They are beasts ruled by instinct, duty, and pride. They will break your human heart and never look back."

To understand my despair, you must understand who I am. My name is Arya Grayson. I am twenty-one years old, and I am a half-wolf.

I don't even know the name of my original pack; my father was brutally banished before my birth