Novels by Double Dee

The square explodes with whispers the moment Kaelen’s words hit the air. My blood. My heir. It’s like a curse cast over the festival; even the musicians stop playing. Kaelion clings to my leg, his little fingers digging into my skin through the fabric of my dress. He doesn’t understand what’s happening, only that everyone is staring, only that the man with the ice-blue eyes is suddenly at the center of it all.I tighten my hold on him and force my body to move, to walk—anywhere away from here. But as soon as I try to step around Kaelen, two of his enforcers appear like shadows in my path. Black uniforms, silver crests of the Shadowfang Pack glinting on their chests.“Move,” I hiss, my wolf rising, a snarl curling under my breath.They don’t.Behind me Kaelen’s voice is a whip crack. “Escort them to the Alpha House.”“No.” My voice slices through the square sharper than I intend. The crowd gasps. “You have no right—”Kaelen steps closer, towering above me. His scent slams into my sense

AriaThe air stills.It’s as though the entire festival grinds to a halt, sound bleeding away, leaving only the thunder of my heartbeat.Kaelion stares up at him with wide gray eyes, my hand slipping uselessly from his. The boy tilts his head—so innocent, so curious—and I know. I know without a doubt what Kaelen sees, what every pair of sharp wolf eyes in this crowd will see if they look too closely.The same storm-gray eyes. The same high cheekbones. The same stubborn jawline, carved as though the Moon Goddess wanted to laugh at me for believing I could hide him forever.No. No, no, no.“Kaelion,” I hiss, crouching to snatch his small hand back into mine. My voice is thin, desperate. “Stay close.”But Kaelen doesn’t move. His massive frame blocks the festival path like a wall of muscle and rage barely contained. His icy blue eyes lock onto mine, then drop again to the boy. His nostrils flare. His jaw clenches.It’s as if the world itself holds its breath.“You.” The single word scrap

The moment Kaelen’s eyes lock onto mine, my wolf shudders inside me. Four years of distance, four years of silence, and yet the mate bond still stirs faintly like a scar that never healed. I force myself to stand tall even though my knees threaten to buckle.Kaelion clings to his arm, unaware of the storm brewing between us. “Mama! He caught me before I fell!”The crowd’s whispers ripple through the square like wildfire. Aria? She’s alive? That’s the Alpha’s outcast mate…Kaelen’s jaw tightens, his gaze fixed on the boy. His massive frame radiates danger, every muscle taut with restrained fury. “Aria,” he repeats, voice like gravel and ice.I swallow hard, dragging Kaelion gently back to my side. “Thank you for catching him,” I say stiffly, my voice steady even though my pulse hammers.But Kaelen doesn’t release us. His hand remains firm on Kaelion’s small shoulder, as if claiming him already. “This boy…” His eyes narrow, flicking between the child and me. “He’s yours.”I know what he

The forest presses in on me like a cage of shadows. My lungs burn as I run, clutching the small, warm hand of the boy at my side. His legs are too short to keep pace with mine, but Kaelion doesn’t complain—he never does. His little chest heaves, but his storm-gray eyes, mirrors of my own, flash with stubborn light.“Faster, Mama,” he pants.I lift him into my arms before he stumbles, hugging him close against my chest as my wolf thrums beneath my skin. The rogues are still behind us; I can hear the crunch of their paws on leaves, smell their foul, unwashed stench. The sound makes my wolf snarl, but I grit my teeth. Shifting would risk him falling, risk me losing him in the chaos.Not him. Never him.I’ve already lost too much.Branches whip at my face. My heart hammers in rhythm with Kaelion’s soft gasps. He’s only four years old, yet I’ve dragged him across borders, hidden him in human towns, forced him into silence when danger passed. He doesn’t deserve this life. He deserves safety