LOGINFor several seconds, neither of them moved. Rowan stood beneath the moonlight, staring at Elara as though he was afraid to blink. Elara was crying silently. I had never seen her look so vulnerable. Not when she had been sick. Not when Lucian had confronted her. Not even when she had told me she was pregnant. This was different. This was the man she loved standing in front of her after believing she might never see him again. Rowan took one slow step forward. “Elara.” Her lips trembled. “Rowan.” That was all it took. She ran to him. He caught her immediately, wrapping his arms around her as though he had been waiting months for this exact moment. Elara buried her face against his chest and broke down. Rowan held her tightly. His eyes closed as he pressed his cheek against the top of her head. “I thought I would never get to see you again” he whispered. Elara cried harder. “Me too.” “They said you were sick. They said you collapsed.” She nodded weakly
We moved quickly through the darkness. Alma led the way, keeping to the narrow path that ran behind the fortress walls. Elara stayed between us, her hood pulled low over her face. Every few steps, I glanced back. I couldn’t stop thinking about Lucian. About the look in his eyes when he had left. He was angry and Confused. And now he was searching for a man whose name he didn’t even know. The thought made my stomach twist. If Lucian found Rowan first, I didn’t know what would happen. I knew Lucian. I knew his heart. But I also knew his instincts. He was an Alpha King. And Rowan was a slave, a son of a murderer who had somehow become his sister’s mate and the father of her unborn child. That was a secret powerful enough to destroy everything if it landed in the wrong hands. “Are we close?” Elara whispered. “Almost,” Alma replied. I glanced at her “How are you feeling?” “I’m fine.” “That’s not what I asked.” I said Shegave me a weak smile. “I’m nerv
Cressida’s POV The door had barely closed behind Lucian before the room fell into a crushing silence. None of us spoke. I watched Elara sink slowly onto the edge of the bed, her hands trembling so badly she could hardly keep them folded in her lap. Tears still clung to her lashes, though she seemed too exhausted to wipe them away. Alma let out a long breath she had clearly been holding. “I thought…” she whispered, placing a hand over her chest. “I truly thought he already knew everything.” “So did I,” I admitted quietly. No one spoke again for several moments. Outside the window, the last light of evening disappeared behind Blackstone’s towers, leaving the room bathed in the warm glow of oil lamps. Finally, Elara broke the silence. “He hates me.” Her voice was so small it barely sounded like her. I crossed the room immediately and knelt in front of her. “Don’t say that El. He doesn’t hate you” “Maybe he doesn’t right now. But once he finds out….once he fin
“…Who is the father?” I asked for the second time. No one answered. The silence stretched between us until it became unbearable. My eyes moved slowly across the room. They all knew who he was. Every single one of them except me. I let out a low humorless laugh. “So…” “My own sister is carrying a child, My future Luna knows. And somehow…” “I’m the last person in my own fortress to find out.” “My King…” Alma began softly. I casted her a glare and my aura shut her up almost immediately. “I won’t ask again…” My eyes settled on Elara again. “Who is the father?” She squeezed her eyes shut. “I can’t tell you.” My brows drew together. “You… can’t or you won’t” Her voice trembled. “I can’t.” I took another step toward her. “I didn’t ask whether you wanted to.” “I asked who he is.” Tears spilled over her cheeks. “I know what you asked….but I…. I still can’t tell you.” Confusion slowly gave way to frustration. Why? Why would she protect him? Unless… Unless he was he
I pictured her smile. The way she’d laughed on the western wall. The way she’d insisted on becoming worthy of being my Luna. A quiet chuckle escaped me. She still didn’t understand. She had never needed to earn that place. She already owned it. And my wolf seemed to agree. He always grew calmer whenever she was near. It was… comforting. I hadn’t seen her our conversation was interrupted earlier today. The realization surprised me. Normally I knew exactly where she was. Today had stolen every spare moment. Politics had a way of doing that. Enough. I pushed away from the balcony and headed straight to the fortress. Another other thing could wait but Cressida couldn’t. Or perhaps… I simply didn’t want her to. On getting to the fortress, I went straight to our bed chambers but she wasn’t there. I checked the western gardens next. Nothing A pair of servants immediately bowed when they saw me. “My King.” A servant greeted almost hitting her head on the co
This was no longer their visit. It was mine.Captain Aldren stepped forward.“My King.”“Escort our guests,” I ordered.“The royal guest tents outside the palace walls have already been prepared.”“They are to receive every courtesy Blackthorn offers.”I looked toward the guards.“And every watch Blackthorn possesses.”Captain Aldren bowed once.“It will be done.”The delegations slowly began leaving the throne room.I watched every one of them.The western representative looked relieved.The southern Alpha leaned toward one of his advisers, whispering urgently.A young noble from the eastern territories couldn’t stop staring at me.Outside the throne room, the delegations were escorted toward the luxurious guest tents Blackthorn had prepared beyond the palace walls. My soldiers surrounded them at a respectful distance, alert but disciplined. No one would mistake our hospitality for weakness.The oldest Alpha stopped before entering his tent.He looked back toward the fortress.A you
Cressida’s POV I lay on my narrow bed staring at the stone ceiling. Two whole nights had passed and Lucian had not sent for me. The silence felt heavy and suffocating. My wolf paced inside my chest, restless and jealous. What was he doing? Was he with another woman? The thought made my stomach
Lucian’ POV The door slammed behind Cressida with a finality that echoed through my chambers longer than it should have. How dare she? The words still burned on my tongue. She had slept in my bed, curled against me like she belonged there, and the very next morning she asked for a favor as if
The days began to blur inside the stone fortress. After the first brutal night, the routine shifted in small, almost imperceptible ways. The guards no longer dragged me through the halls like a prisoner. Instead, they escorted me with detached politeness. My meals improved. I started eating more
Before I could utter a single word, the stranger turned and gave a sharp nod. “Take her.” Rough hands dragged me forward. I twisted and struggled, but it was useless against their iron grips. “No—please! Let me go!” I was completely ignored and dragged through the dark woods back toward my pack.







