Chapter 3

This was Healer Laurent's second invitation.

The first had arrived three months ago. Back then, I was still lying to myself — telling myself Cain was just having trouble letting go of his childhood bond with Serena. That he'd come to his senses.

Not anymore.

After mailing back the response, I went home to pack.

Four years as Luna, and the things that were actually mine were pitiful — a few old clothes, two herb journals, a mortar ground down to nothing. One old backpack held it all.

In the back of the bedside drawer was a leather cord necklace with a wolf fang strung on it.

Cain had tied it around my neck himself the night he marked me. He said the fang was from the first rogue he'd ever killed. Only for his mate.

I put the necklace back in the drawer and closed it.

For the next two weeks, I practically lived in the herb garden. Inventory during the day, handover notes at night.

One evening I was crouched in the stockroom, bagging and sealing herb seeds, when the door opened.

Cain stood in the doorway.

He leaned against the frame, surveying the walls lined with jars and the dried herb bundles hanging from the drying racks. "You haven't been home in days."

"Stockroom needs inventory." I didn't look up.

He was quiet for a few seconds. "Serena told me her staying at the manor has been making you uncomfortable. She's moving back to Ashford next week. Says it's not appropriate for her to keep staying."

I sealed a bag of evening primrose seeds and stacked it in the crate. "Tell her not to worry about it. I don't care."

Cain's hand tightened on the doorframe. I caught his knuckles going white in my peripheral vision.

He stood there. His mouth opened, then closed.

I kept my head down, sealing bags. I didn't give him an opening.

He left.

Ten days until departure.

My stomach had been off lately. Couldn't keep anything down, and the smell of raw meat made me nauseous. At first I chalked it up to exhaustion and too much exposure to herb dust. But the symptoms kept getting worse.

I went to a small clinic outside town.

The old healer pressed her palm flat against my belly, closed her eyes for half a minute, then looked up.

"Congratulations. About three months along."

I sat in that clinic in a daze for an hour.

I had to tell Cain. Regardless of everything, this was his child.

When I rushed back to the manor, the guard at the door told me the Alpha had gone out. "Miss Serena wasn't feeling well. The Alpha went with her to see the healer personally."

I went upstairs to my room and waited.

Until my phone screen lit up.

Serena had posted something new. The photo showed Cain in profile, his expression so tender he looked like a different person, one hand resting on Serena's belly.

Next to it was a prenatal scan — a black-and-white ultrasound image. The caption was a single line:

"My Alpha says this is the future heir of the Blackwood Pack."

I stared at the screen as the feeling slowly drained from my fingers.

Ten minutes later, I heard a car door slam downstairs. Through the window, I watched Cain circle from the driver's side, open the passenger door, and help Serena out.

His hand cradled her waist, every movement careful, like he was holding something that might shatter.

Then his voice drifted up from the study below — the door wasn't fully closed. He was on the phone with the pack's healer.

"She's already three months along. Get me the best supplements there are. Weekly checkups — I'll go with her personally. Whatever she needs, make it happen."

I looked down at the prenatal report in my own hand. The one from the small clinic.

I tore it in half and shoved it into the deepest part of my pocket.

I grabbed my backpack and headed downstairs, planning to sleep in the herb workshop.

At the staircase landing, I ran into Cain.

His eyes went to my backpack first, then to my pale face.

His expression changed. He reached for me. "What's wrong?"

I stepped back. "A new shipment of raw materials came into the workshop. I need to process them tonight."

Cain stepped forward. His hand hung in the air, like he wanted to grab my arm.

Serena came walking from the direction of the living room, one hand on her belly. When she saw me, she put on a look of concern.

"Ivy, you look awful. Want me to have the healer check on you? Pregnant women really need to take care of themselves —" She paused, then covered her mouth with a little laugh. "Oh, sorry — I'm talking about myself."

I looked at Cain.

A flash of panic crossed his face. "That's not—"

Serena suddenly sucked in a sharp breath and doubled over, clutching her stomach. "Oh — it hurts — the baby's kicking me —"

Cain's attention snapped to her instantly. He stepped forward, gripping Serena's shoulders with one hand, the other covering her belly, head bent, asking where it hurt.

I walked past them, down the stairs, and out the back door.

The night air hit me, and I realized I was trembling.

The moon was almost full. Less than ten days.

Ten days until the bond broke, and I'd be taking the child inside me to a pack I'd never set foot in, working for a healer I'd met twice.

I stood on the back steps, and for the first time, I felt lost.