CHAPTER 4: Aftermath & Revelation

Isabella's POV

I woke up to softness.

That was the first thing I noticed. Soft sheets. Soft pillows. Soft mattress that didn't feel like sleeping on a bag of rocks.

The second thing I noticed was the smell. Clean. Floral. Nothing like the damp, musty breeder quarters I'd gotten used to.

I opened my eyes slowly.

The room was... beautiful. Cream-colored walls, elegant furniture, sunlight streaming through gauzy curtains. A vase of fresh flowers sat on the nightstand.

Where the hell was I?

I tried to sit up and immediately regretted it. Pain shot through my ribs and I gasped, falling back against the pillows.

"Easy now," a calm voice said.

I turned my head.

A woman in healer's robes sat beside the bed with a kind face and graying hair pulled back in a neat bun. She smiled gently.

"You're safe. Try not to move too quickly."

"Where...?" My voice came out raspy. "Where am I?"

"Crescent Moon Pack. Alpha Kieran's territory."

Crescent Moon Pack. I'd heard of it... powerful, respected, but I'd never been anywhere near their lands.

"How did I...?"

"Our patrol found you in the forest," the healer explained. "You were being attacked by rogues. You're lucky they got to you in time."

Images flashed through my mind. Running. Pain. Rogues circling me. And then... wolves I didn't recognize.

"The rogues...?"

"Dead." She adjusted the blanket over me. "Now, I need to examine you. You've been unconscious for two days."

Two days?

She pressed gentle fingers against my ribs and I winced.

"Bruised but not broken," she murmured. "You're healing remarkably fast, actually."

She moved to check my pulse and then paused. Her eyes widened slightly.

"What?" I asked. "What's wrong?"

She didn't answer. Instead, she pulled out a small vial and pricked my finger, collecting a drop of blood.

I watched as she added something to it... and the blood turned faintly pink.

The healer's hand trembled.

"Impossible," she whispered.

"What? What's impossible?"

She looked at me with shock written all over her face.

"You're... you're pregnant."

My heart stopped.

"That's... that's not possible. I can't be..."

"The test doesn't lie." She set the vial down carefully. "But that's not all. Your bloodwork... it shows lycan markers."

I blinked.

"Lycan? No. I'm a werewolf. A defective one but still..."

"You're lycan," she said firmly. "The markers are clear. And that explains why you're healing so fast. Why you survived the rejection bond."

"How do you know about...?"

"We can sense these things." She squeezed my hand. "Whoever rejected you... the bond should have killed you. Or at least broken you completely. But you're here. Alive. Because you're not fully werewolf."

My mind spun.

Pregnant. Lycan. None of this made sense.

"I don't understand," I whispered. "How can I be pregnant? We only... a few times..."

"Lycan pregnancies develop faster than werewolf ones," the healer explained gently. "Especially in the early stages."

Pregnant? From just a few encounters with Alpha Nolan.

Goddess help me.

"Does anyone else know?" I asked.

"Only me. And I'll tell Alpha Kieran when he arrives."

"No!" I grabbed her wrist. "Please. Don't tell anyone about the baby. Not yet."

She studied me.

"Why?"

"Because..." I swallowed hard. "Because the father doesn't want me. He rejected me. If he finds out about this..."

"He rejected his own mate?" Her expression hardened. "What kind of Alpha does that?"

"The kind who's in love with someone else."

She sighed but nodded.

"I'll keep your secret. For now. But Alpha Kieran will need to know about the lycan markers. He'll want to understand how you ended up in his territory."

Before I could respond, the door opened.

A man stepped inside and... Goddess.

He was massive. Tall, broad-shouldered, with dark hair and sharp features. But his eyes... his eyes were warm. Kind. The complete opposite of Alpha Nolan's cold stare.

"You're awake," he said with a slight smile. "Good. I was starting to worry."

The healer stood and bowed.

"Alpha Kieran."

He nodded to her and then turned his attention to me.

"I'm Kieran. Alpha of Crescent Moon Pack. And you are...?"

"Isabella," I said quietly.

"Isabella." He tested the name. "Where are you from?"

I hesitated.

"Silvermoon Pack."

His eyebrows rose.

"That's Alpha Nolan's territory. Long way from here. What brought you into rogue-infested forest alone?"

"I was... running."

"From what?"

I looked down at my hands.

"From everything."

He studied me for a long moment and then pulled up a chair and sat beside the bed.

"Isabella, I'm not going to force you to tell me anything. But I will tell you this... you're safe here. Whatever you were running from, it can't touch you in Crescent Moon."

Something about the way he said it... the certainty, the warmth... made tears prick my eyes.

"Thank you," I whispered.

He smiled.

"Rest. Heal. And when you're ready... we have a small café in the pack square. We're always looking for help if you're interested."

"You're... offering me a job?"

"Why not? You need sanctuary. I can provide that. In exchange, you work. Fair trade."

I stared at him.

No one had been this kind to me in... ever.

"I don't know what to say."

"Say yes." He stood. "And Isabella? Whatever happened to you before... it's over now. You're one of us."

He left and I sat there in stunned silence.

For the first time in weeks... I felt something other than pain.

I felt hope.

***

Alpha Nolan's POV

"She's gone."

I stared at the Beta standing in my office.

"What do you mean she's gone?"

"The breeder... Isabella. She disappeared last night. No one's seen her since..."

Since I rejected her.

My wolf snarled inside me.

'Find mate. Bring her back.'

"Shut up," I muttered.

The Beta blinked.

"Alpha?"

"Not you." I ran a hand through my hair. "Have you searched the grounds?"

"Everywhere. She's not here."

She ran. She actually ran.

And the bond... Goddess, the bond was still there. Faint, weak, but there. Like a thread I couldn't cut no matter how hard I tried.

"Keep searching," I ordered. "Expand to the forest. She couldn't have gotten far."

"Yes, Alpha."

He left and I sat there with my wolf clawing at me.

The door opened again and Giselle walked in with a satisfied smile on her face.

"Good morning, my love."

I didn't respond.

She circled behind me and draped her arms over my shoulders.

"I heard the breeder ran away. What a relief. Now we can finally focus on us."

"Giselle..."

"I was thinking we could move up the wedding. Maybe next month? I've already started planning..."

"Giselle, stop."

She pulled back.

"What's wrong?"

"Something doesn't feel right."

"What do you mean?"

I stood and paced.

"Isabella. She just... vanished. In the middle of the night. After what happened."

"So? Good riddance."

I turned to look at her.

"You don't find that strange?"

Giselle's expression didn't change.

"Not really. She was humiliated. Rejected. Why would she stay?"

Before I could answer, my Beta burst back into the room.

"Alpha! We have a problem."

"What now?"

"There's been disappearances. Multiple omegas and rogues... all from last night. Same time the breeder went missing."

My blood ran cold.

"How many?"

"At least seven that we know of. Maybe more."

"Any tracks? Any signs of where they went?"

"Nothing. It's like they vanished into thin air."

I looked at Giselle. Her face was carefully neutral.

Too neutral.

"Giselle," I said slowly. "Do you know anything about this?"

"Me?" She laughed. "Why would I know anything?"

"Because you always know everything that happens in this pack."

Her smile tightened.

"Are you accusing me of something?"

"I'm asking a question."

She stepped closer with her eyes flashing.

"I don't appreciate being interrogated, Nolan. Especially not over some missing omegas and a runaway breeder."

"Seven wolves don't just disappear."

"Maybe they ran. Like Isabella."

I held her gaze.

"Find them," I told my Beta without looking away from Giselle. "I want answers by sundown."

"Yes, Alpha."

He left and Giselle turned away.

"I should go. I have wedding plans to finalize."

She walked out and I stood there with my instincts screaming.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

***

Three Months Later

Isabella's POV

"Table five wants another latte!"

I smiled and grabbed the coffee pot.

"On it!"

Working at the café was... nice. Simple. Normal.

I served drinks, cleaned tables and chatted with pack members who actually treated me like a person instead of dirt on their shoes.

And my belly... Goddess, my belly was showing now.

I wore loose dresses to hide it but I knew it was only a matter of time before someone noticed.

The healer had been right. Lycan pregnancies moved fast. I was only three months along but I looked closer to five or six months in werewolf terms.

I set down the latte and turned to wipe down the counter...

...and froze.

A voice.

Clear. Strong. Female.

Inside my head.

Hello, Isabella.

I dropped the rag.

"What...?"

"Don't panic. It's me. Your wolf."

My wolf. My actual wolf was talking to me.

"We need to talk," she continued. About who you really are"

"I'm working," I whispered. "Can this wait?"

"No. Because you need to know the truth before he finds you."

"Before who finds me?"

'"Your mate. He's coming."

My heart stopped.

"Nolan?"

"Yes. And when he arrives... everything will change."

***

Alpha Nolan's POV

I stared at the letter on my desk.

Crescent Moon Pack seal. Formal invitation.

"Alpha Nolan, we request your presence for a treaty renewal. Alpha Kieran awaits."

My wolf stirred.

"She's there. Mate is there."

"How do you know?"

"I can feel her. Faint. But she's there."

I looked at the letter again.

After three months of searching... three months of that damn bond pulling at me... three months of Giselle planning a wedding I didn't want...

I finally had a lead.

I grabbed my coat.

"Prepare the car," I told my Beta. "We're going to Crescent Moon.”