The Vegetable Luna's Second Chance

Chapter 1: The Vegetable Luna Wakes Up (Seraphina's POV) After lying in a hospital bed in a vegetative state with full consciousness for five whole years, I finally woke up when my mate Aiden and his secretary Evelyn were having s*x next to me, again. "Oh, Aiden... yes, right there!" Her voice was breathless, desperate with need. "You feel so good," came the deep, familiar growl that belonged to my mate Aiden. My Alpha. The father of my children. Though this scene had repeated itself a thousand times in the past five years, I still felt a sharp pang and raging desperation inside. For five whole years, I've been trapped in my body and forced to witness all of their betrayals. My fingers twitched involuntarily. I could hardly hold back my burning tears as rage and aggrievement warred within my chest. I wanted to scream. I wanted to tear them apart. But my body remained frozen, paralyzed by five years of disuse. "Am I better than her? f**k, this is so hot doing it right next to her! " Evelyn's voice turned sultry, taunting. "Tell me I'm better than Seraphina. Tell me how much you want me." The sound of flesh against flesh grew more intense. "Of course you're better," Aiden panted, his voice thick with lust. "Seraphina was never this passionate. She's nothing but a useless shell now - let her rot in this bed forever. She's nothing but a burden now." This bastard! I had to dig my nails deep into my palms to suppress the nausea that churned violently in my stomach. The physical pain helped anchor me, keeping me from completely falling apart. Emily, my wolf, stirred within me for the first time in years. Her anguished howl echoed through my mind. "Our mate! How could that f*****g asshole do this to us? Haven't we been good enough to him? We’ve given him everything! " Yep. How could he betray and humiliate us like this? I had met Alpha Aiden when I was just twelve years old, a shy girl from the legendary Caelus healing lineage. He had been everything a young she-wolf could dream of - handsome, powerful, charming. When he marked me at twenty, I thought I was the luckiest woman in the world. I had given up everything for him. My inheritance. My position as heir to the most powerful healing bloodline in the northern territories. Even my own identity - I became nothing more than "Aiden's Luna" instead of Seraphina Caelus. I had poured all of my fortune, all of my healing ability, into strengthening his pack. I helped him become the most successful Alpha in the territory. But after giving birth to twin pups at the age of twenty-two, I suffered a massive hemorrhage and fell into a coma. All the healers predicted I would never wake up again and would remain in a vegetative state for the rest of my life. But they didn't know that I could sense everything around me. After what felt like hours, the sounds of their coupling finally ceased. "We should go," Evelyn said softly. "The Omega assistants will be here soon for her evening check." The door opened, and I heard the familiar shuffle of Omega feet. Almost simultaneously, Aiden's entire demeanor changed. He became the devoted, loving mate again. Aiden's showtime again, I mocked inwardly. Here comes the Oscar-worthy performance of the "grieving mate" who's been nothing but faithful for five long years. What a joke. He leaned over me, his breath warm against my forehead. His lips pressed gently against my skin as he nuzzled me with apparent tenderness. "Sera, my love," he whispered softly. "Please wake up soon. I'll always be waiting for you. I'll always love you. Every day without you is agony." "Oh, Alpha Aiden," Evelyn's voice was filled with false sympathy. "Don't worry. Luna will wake up one day. I just know she will. She's so strong." I had to resist the urge to laugh. These two bastards were wasting their considerable acting skills on what they believed was a vegetative she-wolf. If the situation weren't so tragic, it might have been amusing. I counted the time. After five whole minutes, their footsteps finally retreated. The door closed with a soft click, leaving me alone with the two Omega assistants. "Alpha Aiden is truly the best mate ever," one of them whispered, her voice filled with admiration. "I know, right?" the other agreed dreamily. "He's not just good-looking. He's crazily powerful and so devoted to Luna. I bet tons of girls would jump at the chance to attract him, but he's been so faithful to his vegetable Luna this whole time." "Luna Seraphina is incredibly lucky," the first continued. "The Moon Goddess has truly blessed her with a perfect mate. " Perfect mate? Do these Omegas have any idea about how cruel this "perfect mate" has been to his Luna? It was the same perfect mate who had used my healing abilities to build his pack's reputation. The same perfect mate who hoped I would never wake up again after I fell into a coma for giving birth to our twin pups. The same perfect mate who’d just had s*x with another she-wolf in front of my hospital bed. Well, not just once. How absolutely perfect indeed. When the assistants left, I opened my eyes and attempted to move. However, five years of immobility had taken its toll. My muscles had atrophied significantly. My wolf had just awakened after years of dormancy and needed time to fully reconnect with my body. So, recovery would be a slow, painful process. Fighting back against the excruciating agony that shot through every fiber of my being, I forced myself to move toward the window. Sweat beaded on my forehead as I gritted my teeth against the overwhelming pain that made every movement feel like torture. Using the windowsill for support, I pulled myself up just enough to peer outside. There, parked right below my window, was the black Bentley he had given me for my twenty-first birthday. The license plate bore the numbers of my birth date - a romantic gesture that now seemed like a cruel joke. As I watched, Evelyn stumbled, her ankle twisting as she approached the car. Aiden was beside her in an instant. His face was filled with concern as he caught her, steadying her against his strong chest. Evelyn melted into his embrace, her arms winding around his neck as she pressed her lips to his in a passionate kiss. The tenderness in his expression, the gentle way he held her, the careful attention he paid to her injured ankle - it was everything I had always wanted from him. In his eyes, I had always been the strong one. A powerful healer who never needed comfort or care. My hands clenched into fists against the windowsill. The back door of the Bentley opened, and two small figures tumbled out. My heart stopped as I recognized them instantly - Elara and Caspian, my twin pups. The children I had nearly died bringing into this world. They were beautiful. Even more beautiful than I had dreamed during those long nights. Elara had inherited my dark hair but her father's strong jaw. Caspian bore Aiden's coloring but had the intelligent eyes of the Caelus lineage. My pups. My babies. But instead of heading toward the hospital entrance where their real mother lay recovering, they ran straight into the arms of another she-wolf. "Mama!" Elara cried, throwing herself against Evelyn's legs. "Did you hurt yourself? Are you okay?" Mama. The word hit me like a physical blow. My daughter was calling another she-wolf Mama. Not just any she-wolf. But the very one who'd stolen my husband. Their father. "I'm fine, sweetheart," Evelyn cooed, running her fingers through Elara's hair with practiced ease. "Daddy caught me before I could get really hurt." Caspian approached more cautiously, but he too allowed Evelyn to pull him into a hug. The four of them formed a perfect family portrait. In five years, Aiden had brought them to visit me no more than three times. He didn't want my pups to know that I was their mother. Emily howled in anguish within me. My eyes grew cold as resolution settled over me. I wouldn't blame my pups; they'd been lied to their entire lives about who their real mother was. This wasn't their fault; it was the doing of that manipulative cheater and his scheming mistress. She had stolen not just my mate, but my role as a mother. Well, no more. Those pups were mine, and I would bring them home, no matter what it took. As if sensing my gaze, little Elara looked up toward my window. Our eyes met across the distance - her bright blue ones meeting my dark ones for the first time since her birth. I tried to smile. Tried to look like the loving mother I desperately wanted to be. I smoothed my matted hair as best I could and attempted to convey warmth and love through my expression. But my daughter's reaction was not what I had hoped for. She shrank back in obvious fear, pressing herself against Evelyn's legs and hiding her face. Her small body trembled as she pointed toward my window. Her reaction shattered what remained of my already broken heart. Before Elara could draw any more attention to my window, I ducked back down and carefully made my way toward my bed, each step still a struggle as my weakened legs threatened to give out beneath me. My hands shook as I reached for the call button beside my bed. When the Omega assistant appeared in my doorway moments later, her eyes widened in shock. "Luna!" she gasped, her voice rising to nearly a shriek. "Luna Seraphina has awakened! She's awake!" I didn’t look at her, just sitting on my bed calmly. "Please call my mate over." The assistant's hands trembled as she fumbled for her phone. "Aiden?" I said calmly when the call connected. "I’m awake." There was a moment of silence. Then the unmistakable sound of a phone clattering to the floor. I smiled coldly. Let the games begin.