CHAPTER 5: The Treaty Meeting - Truth Explodes

Alpha Nolan's POV

"Section three, subsection B clearly states that trade routes will remain open during winter months..."

I wasn't listening.

I sat at the massive conference table in Crescent Moon Pack's estate with my Beta beside me, advisors scattered around and Alpha Kieran directly across from me, reviewing treaty documents like this was just another diplomatic meeting.

But my wolf... my wolf was losing his mind.

She's here. MATE IS HERE.

"Shut up," I muttered under my breath.

Alpha Kieran glanced up.

"I'm sorry?"

"Nothing." I forced myself to focus on the papers. "Continue."

He studied me for a moment and then nodded.

"As I was saying, the trade agreements will benefit both packs. Crescent Moon provides metals and fabrics, Silvermoon provides..."

And then it hit me.

A scent. Faint at first but growing stronger with every second.

Vanilla. Wildflowers. Something soft and sweet and... different. Richer. More powerful than before.

And underneath it... something else.

My wolf slammed into my consciousness so hard I gasped.

CUB. OUR CUB.

No.

No, that's impossible.

"Alpha Nolan?" Kieran's voice sounded distant. "Are you alright?"

I couldn't answer. My hands gripped the edge of the table so hard the wood cracked.

The scent was everywhere now. Consuming me. Drowning me.

Isabella.

And... a child.

My child.

"Where is she?" The words came out as a growl.

Kieran frowned.

"Excuse me?"

I stood abruptly and my chair crashed backward.

"WHERE IS SHE?!"

My eyes flashed gold and I felt my claws extend. Every wolf in the room tensed.

"Alpha Nolan," my Beta said carefully, "maybe we should..."

I didn't hear the rest.

I was already moving.

I followed the scent like a man possessed, storming out of the conference room and into the hallway. My wolf was feral now, completely in control.

Find her. Protect her. CLAIM HER.

"Nolan, wait!" Kieran's voice called behind me.

I didn't stop.

I kicked open the first door. Empty.

Second door. Storage room.

Third door...

I slammed it open so hard it flew off its hinges.

And there she was.

Isabella.

Standing by the window in a simple cream-colored dress with her hand pressed to her swollen belly. Her dark hair was longer now, falling in soft waves around her face. Her eyes... those beautiful eyes... were wide with shock.

And terror.

"I CAN SMELL MY CUB!" I roared.

She stumbled backward.

"Nolan..."

The mate bond exploded between us. Stronger than before. So strong it brought me to my knees for half a second before I forced myself back up.

I crossed the room in three strides.

"You're pregnant." My voice was raw. "With my child."

She pressed herself against the wall with her hand protectively over her belly.

"Stay away from me."

"How long?" I demanded. "How long have you been carrying my child?"

"That's none of your business."

"NONE OF MY BUSINESS?!" I grabbed her shoulders. "That's my cub!"

"Don't touch her!"

A massive force slammed into me from the side, throwing me across the room. I hit the wall hard and when I looked up, Alpha Kieran stood between me and Isabella.

His eyes were pure gold. His claws fully extended.

And the fury radiating off him was... protective. Possessive.

Like family.

"You don't get to touch her," Kieran growled. "Not after what you did."

I pushed to my feet.

"She's my mate."

"Your REJECTED mate," Kieran snarled. "Or did you forget that part?"

He grabbed my collar and slammed me against the wall.

"Don't you DARE touch my sister!"

Everything stopped.

Sister?

"What... what did you just say?"

Kieran's smile was cold.

"You heard me. Isabella is my sister."

I looked at Isabella. She wouldn't meet my eyes.

"That's impossible," I said. "She's a werewolf. A breeder..."

"She's a LYCAN!" Kieran roared. "My younger sister. Stolen from our family when she was an infant during an assassination attempt on our parents."

My mind reeled.

Lycan. Isabella was a lycan.

"Three months ago," Kael continued, "I found her and gave her a job at the pack's café. The moment I saw her, I felt it... the sibling bond. Faint but unmistakable."

He released me and stepped back.

"I had her blood tested. DNA confirmed. She's lycan royalty. My sister. And you..." He looked at me with disgust. "You treated her like garbage."

"I didn't know..."

"You didn't CARE!" Kieran shouted. "You bought her like property. Used her. Humiliated her. Rejected her in front of your mistress. And then you wonder why she ran?"

I looked at Isabella again.

"You're... you're really lycan?"

She finally met my eyes and when she spoke, her voice was steady.

"My wolf woke up when I got pregnant. She told me everything. Who I am. Where I came from. Why I could never shift before." She touched her belly. "Your child triggered my lycan genes."

"And her wolf," Kieran added with a slight smile, "is pink."

Pink. A pink wolf.

Rarer than any other color. A sign of immense power and royal bloodlines.

"Isabella," I stepped forward, "I didn't know. If I had known..."

"It wouldn't have mattered," she said quietly. "You loved Giselle. You chose her. The color of my wolf wouldn't have changed that."

"That's not true..."

"ISN'T IT?!" Her voice cracked. "You rejected me, Nolan! You threw money at me like I was a prostitute! You told me I was NOTHING!"

Tears streamed down her face.

"And now you want to claim me because I'm pregnant? Because I'm royalty? Well, it's too late."

Kieran moved beside her and put a protective hand on her shoulder.

"She's right. You had your chance." He looked at me coldly. "And you threw it away."

He walked to the conference table and grabbed the treaty documents. Then, with deliberate slowness, he ripped them in half.

"I will NOT make peace with a man who treated my sister like garbage."

"Kieran, wait..."

"No." He tossed the shredded papers at my feet. "You rejected her. You chose your Luna. Now live with it."

He turned to Isabella and his expression softened.

"Sister, I've been looking for your true match. Your rightful lycan mate. His name is Dante, and he's..."

"I don't care about another mate!" Isabella's voice broke.

She looked at me with her hand pressed to her belly and tears streaming down her face.

"The bond is still there. I can feel it. Even after the rejection... it's still there. Why can't you just..." She stopped.

Something inside me shattered.

For the first time in three months... for the first time since I rejected her... I let myself feel it.

The bond. The pull. The absolute certainty that she was mine.

"Isabella," I stepped forward, "I..."

"NO!" Kieran blocked me. "You made your choice. You have Giselle. My sister deserves better than a man who would throw her away."

Thunder rumbled outside.

***

Giselle's POV

Pregnant. The little breeder was pregnant with Nolan's child.

And lycan royalty. Of course. OF COURSE she was special.

My hands clenched into fists.

I'd worked too hard. Sacrificed too much. I wouldn't lose him now.

I pulled out the small vial from my pocket... dark liquid that shimmered red in the dim light. A gift from my vampire allies.

Poison. Slow-acting. Painful.

If I couldn't have Nolan...

No one would.

My eyes flashed red for just a moment before returning to their normal green.

I smiled and whispered into the darkness.

"If I can't have him, no one will.”