Alpha's Discarded Luna (Talia) novel Chapter 82

Chapter 80

Aeson’s POV

The door clicks shut behind Dad and Mom.

But Miss. Volkov is still here, she’ll make everything better.

I stare at the door where Mom disappeared. My chest feels weird. A little bit sad, but I don’t know why.

“Aeson?” Ms. Volkov’s voice is soft, careful. “When did you wake up? What did your mom ask you?”

I shake myself out of the fog. “Just a little while ago. She asked how I got sick, and about my emergency spray. The

one I always carry.”

Ms. Volkov watches me carefully. “What did you tell her?”

“I didn’t get to answer. You came in right then.”

She breathes out–a tiny sound, but I notice. Then her face

falls, worried. “Aeson, I’m so sorry. I made you eat things you

shouldn’t have. Your mom said I almost… she said I almost

hurt you really badly. You probably shouldn’t let me give you

< Chapter 80

treats anymore.”

My stomach drops. No more treats? No more milkshakes or cakes or the good things she sneaks me when Mom isn’t watching?

“Ms. Volkov, don’t listen to Mom.” The words come out fast, desperate. “You told me before–when she was pregnant with me, she ate all kinds of bad stuff. That’s why I’m sick all the time. It’s her fault I’m not healthy, not yours!”

She sighs, looking down at her hands. “Aeson, you don’t know how scary your mom was yesterday. When you got sick, there was a doctor right there who wanted to help. But your mom stopped him. She kept yelling about that spray you carry, insisting they use it instead.”

“The spray?” I frown. “But I don’t have it anymore. I lost it a

while ago.”

“I know.” Her voice gets smaller. “But she wouldn’t listen. She kept demanding they find it.” Tears fill her eyes. “Aeson, I’m so sorry. I accidentally broke it. If your mom finds out, she’ll hate me. She might not let me see you ever again.”

My heart lurches. Not see her again? No more Ms. Volkov? 2/8

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< Chapter 80

“She doesn’t have to know.” I grab her hand. “Ms. Volkov, don’t worry. I won’t tell her. I promise.”

She smiles through her tears. “Just between us, okay?”

I nod. That means I can’t tell Dad either. Sometimes Dad

stops me from eating things too. If he found out about the treats, he might get mad at Ms. Volkov.

“Okay. Just us.”

She holds out her pinky. “Pinky swear? Whoever tells is a puppy.”

I hook my pinky around hers. “Whoever tells is a puppy.”

I remember something. “Ms. Volkov, you said Mom stopped the doctor from saving me? What happened?”

She hesitates, looking troubled. “Aeson, are you sure you want to know? It might make you sad.”

“Yes. I want to know.” I need to know why my own mom would

do that.

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< Chapter 80

She glances at the door, then back at me. “You promise not to

tell?”

“I promise.”

She pulls out her phone and plays a video. It’s short–only a minute. In it, Mom is screaming at a man, pushing him away from me. She looks crazy, wild. The man keeps trying to help, and she keeps stopping him.

By the end, my eyes are burning. Tears I didn’t know were there spill down my cheeks.

Ms. Volkov watches me, her voice barely a whisper. “Aeson, I heard your mom wants to divorce your dad. And she’s been spending all her time with that mean boy who bullies you. The one who hits you at school.” She pauses. “Do you think… maybe she doesn’t want you anymore? Maybe she’s trying to

make him her new son?”

“How could she be so horrible?” I’m shouting, but I can’t help

1. it. The tears won’t stop. “If she doesn’t want me, I don’t want

her either!”

Ms. Volkov just looks at me with those soft eyes. A small smile plays on her lips.

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< Chapter 80

“What?” I wipe my face. “Why are you smiling?”

She pinches my cheek gently. “Because you’re so cute when you’re angry. I couldn’t help it.”

I want to stay mad, but her smile makes me feel a little better. A little safer.

She always knows how to make me feel better.

Mom never does that anymore.

Talia’s POV

“You think I’ve changed?” My voice is flat. “No, Aires. You just don’t like that I’ve stopped making myself small for your convenience. That’s not change–that’s you losing the benefit of my silence.”

He opens his mouth, but I’m not finished.

“In five years of marriage, what have I gotten? A husband who runs to another woman. A son who’s ashamed to call me

mother. A mother–in–law who treats me like dirt beneath her

shoes. Tell me what exactly have I gained from this

–

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< Chapter 80

arrangement?”

His jaw tightens. “Regardless, she’s your elder. You shouldn’t

I laugh, cutting him off. “Did you enjoy those two slaps

last night? Would you like a few more? Really savor the experience?”

His eyes flash dangerously. “Eleanor!”

“What? Does it hurt when someone strikes you?” I tilt my head, genuinely curious. “Funny. You had nothing to say when your mother hit me. Not a word.”

I step closer, holding his gaze.

“Do you want to know why she treats me like this? Why she’s always been able to do it, year after year?” I don’t wait for an answer. “Because she knows you’ll never defend me. She knows she can do anything to me, and you’ll stand there in silence. Every time. That’s the message you’ve sent to her, to your friends, to your son. I’m not worth protecting.”

Something flickers in his eyes. Pain? Recognition? I don’t care

anymore.

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< Chapter 80

“I sent you the divorce papers. Sign them before Ms. Volkov’s condition worsens, the legal process takes time, and we wouldn’t want to inconvenience anyone, would we?”

I turn to leave.

His voice stops me. “Do you know why I married you?”

I pause but don’t look back. “Because I was pregnant.”

“Yes.” His voice is cold, but there’s something underneath. “Because I wanted my child to have a family. A real one.”

I turn slowly, studying his face. The Perseus family— complicated, fractured, built on secrets. I’ve gathered pieces over the years. Diana had Aires out of wedlock. No one knows who his father is- except that he was an Alpha, because only alphas can carry the Alpha bloodline forward.

He never came to claim the pup, and Diana raised him alone, facing whispers and judgment her entire life.

Even though Diana’s father was also an Alpha of the westwind pack, Aires still grew up under the shadow of those

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< Chapter 80

rumors. Her parents died under the weight of it all, leaving her to fight alone with a small pup and a struggling pack with compromised boundaries.

Aires grew up as the bastard son of an unknown Alpha. He knows what it is to be unwanted.

“And look how well that turned out.” My voice is quiet. “You gave Aeson the same childhood you had–a family full of secrets, divided loyalties, and a mother who was never

enough.”

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