I won’t take the pills

She pulled a porcelain bottle from a drawer and set it heavily on the desk. “This is the highly effective medicine made from red evening primrose that promotes ovulation in female wolves. Starting today, you’ll drink it daily and sleep with Ferris until you conceive.”

In the past, I would have submissively accepted it.

But this time, I swear to the Moon Goddess, in the less than thirty days remaining, I will no longer be the obedient girl who always says “Okay.”

I looked up, stared into her eyes, and spoke calmly and firmly. “I’m sorry, but I won’t take this medicine.”

Victoria’s pupils contracted. “What did you say?”

“I wanted you to take this medicine three years ago, but considering you’d just donated bone marrow to Ferris, I allowed you to recover your health first so you could bear healthy wolf pups.”

“And now you dare defy me? A bastard child actually thinks she’s Silver Moon’s Luna?”

When she said “bastard child,” a dull pain shot through my heart.

I bit my lip stubbornly. “I won’t take this medicine. Ferris doesn’t want children right now, and I respect his decision.”

All these years, Ferris had always used protection during intimacy.

Even on the rare occasions when passion overcame control, he would immediately watch me take morning after pills.

I had naively thought he just wasn’t ready for children yet.

Now I understood. He had never intended to have children with me.

Since I had decided to leave, I certainly wouldn’t let myself become pregnant with his child and create more complications.

“What did you say?” Victoria’s voice rose sharply.

“I won’t take it,” I repeated.

“You’ve gone too far.” Victoria trembled with rage. “As Luna of the Silver Moon Pack, you can’t even provide the pack with an heir.”

She immediately took the thorn whip used to punish werewolves from the servant’s hands and struck me hard with it.

My whole body trembled with pain, but I still refused to give in.

Giving birth to an heir was indeed one of Luna’s duties.

But I would soon no longer be Luna.

I clenched my teeth and endured the pain silently until the world before my eyes slowly turned black.

Before losing consciousness, I seemed to see Ferris rushing in anxiously.

Then I fell into an embrace filled with the scent of pine and sage.

“If that’s how it is, I’ll beat you until you understand Luna’s duties.”

When I woke, I found myself in a hospital bed.

I heard the chief werewolf therapist’s respectful voice. “Alpha, Luna's whip wounds are very deep. Some areas have damaged the dermis layer.”

“Use the best medicine. Assign the best doctors,” Ferris’s voice was low and cold. “Don’t let her scar.”

“Yes. We’ll do everything possible.”

Ferris sat beside the bed, looking at me with complex emotions. “Why didn’t you call for me when Mother was giving you trouble?”

I remembered his focused conversation with Ashley and smiled bitterly. “I saw you were busy.”

I paused, then asked softly, “If I had called, would you really have come immediately?”

“Of course,” Ferris answered without hesitation.

I was stunned.

This answer was completely different from what I had expected.

“I’ve handled things with the family,” he continued. “No one will trouble you about children again.”

“I understand.” I lowered my eyes. “You should go handle your business.”

“Why do you keep trying to send me away?” Ferris frowned.

I was somewhat bewildered. “Aren’t you very busy?”

Busy with pack affairs. Busy accompanying Ashley.

“I’m not busy lately.” He reached over to tuck my blanket. “I can take care of you these next few days.”

This was completely unexpected.

Over the following days, Ferris actually stayed at the hospital to care for me.

He adjusted my bed, fed me meals, and even personally changed my bandages.

One night when pain kept me awake, Ferris sat beside the bed, gently patting my back like he was comforting a child until I fell into deep sleep.

This tenderness made me feel like I had returned to our most intimate period.

But I wouldn’t let myself get lost in it again.

I had already decided to leave and wouldn’t look back.

A week later, the whip marks on my back had faded considerably.

That day, as Ferris was applying medicine, I accidentally let out a soft sound.

His movements suddenly stopped.

I looked back questioningly and saw his gaze had grown intense, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he seemed to be suppressing something with great effort.

The unmistakable reaction beneath him made my expression change instantly.

The air seemed to freeze in that moment.

Ferris slowly leaned closer like a predator approaching prey, his breathing becoming heavy and burning with overwhelming pressure.

“Ferris,” I called his name softly, but my voice was lighter and more tremulous than I had intended.

His hands gently cupped my face, fingertips burning hot. His lips were barely an inch from mine, his scorching breath falling on my lips as if he would kiss me the next second.

Just as his lips were about to descend.

Crash.

A sharp sound shattered the intimate atmosphere in the hospital room.

We both turned to see Ashley standing in the doorway, a fruit basket she had been carrying now on the floor with fruit scattered everywhere.

Her eyes were red rimmed, her voice trembling. “Did I interrupt something?”

Ferris abruptly pushed me away. “Ashley, it’s not what you think.”

His movement was too sudden.

Caught off guard, I fell backward off the hospital bed.

With a dull thud, the back of my head struck hard against the sharp corner of the bedside table, and blood immediately began flowing.