LOGINI woke to silk sheets and morning sunlight streaming through floor-to-ceiling windows. For a moment, I forgot where I was. Then it all came rushing back. The treaty meeting. Nolan's roar. Kieran's revelation. Sister. I pressed my hand to my swollen belly, feeling the gentle flutter of movement inside. My baby. Nolan's baby. No... not just Nolan's. My baby. Mine. A soft knock at the door made me jump. "Princess Isabella?" A feminine voice called. "May we enter? Alpha Kieran has requested we prepare you for the welcome ceremony." Princess. The word still felt foreign on my tongue. "Come in," I said quietly. The door opened and three women entered. They wore elegant grey dresses with the Crescent Moon pack symbol embroidered on their chests—a silver crescent surrounded by stars. "Good morning, Princess." The eldest woman bowed. "I'm Matilda, head of the royal household. These are my assistants, Clara and Beth. We're here to help you prepare for today's ceremony." I sat up
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... so
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... p
Isabella's POV Three days. Three days since I overheard Giselle talking about vampires and offerings. Three days since Alpha Nolan shoved me out of his study. Three days of scrubbing floors, dodging whispers and pretending I didn't feel the mate bond eating me alive from the inside. I was in the kitchens washing dishes when the summons came. "Isabella." The head servant stood in the doorway. "Alpha Nolan wants you in his chambers. Now." Every head in the kitchen turned toward me. My stomach dropped. "Why?" She shrugged. "I don't ask questions. Neither should you." The other servants exchanged looks... knowing looks. Pitying looks. I dried my hands and followed her out with my heart hammering. This was bad. Alpha Nolan never summoned me. He avoided me like I was a disease. We reached his door and the servant knocked twice. "Enter," his voice called from inside. She opened the door, shoved me in and closed it behind me. I stood there awkwardly. Alpha No
Isabella's POV Morning came with a sharp knock on my door and a sharper voice. "Get up, breeder! You have work to do!" I groaned and peeled myself off the thin mattress. Everything hurt. My thighs, my back, places I didn't even know could hurt. Courtesy of Alpha Nolan's "nothing means anything" session last night. I splashed cold water on my face, pulled on the gray servant dress they'd given me and tied my hair back. The mirror on the wall showed exactly what I felt like... a mess. "Perfect," I muttered. "Just the look every girl dreams of." The breeder handler was already gone by the time I stepped into the hallway, so I followed the sound of voices and clinking dishes toward the main areas of the pack house. Silvermoon Pack's estate was massive. Stone walls, high ceilings and tapestries. Everything screamed wealth and power and "you don't belong here." I kept my head down as I walked and that's when I noticed them. Pack members. Everywhere. Some whispered behind t
Isabella's POV "You're trembling." The breeder handler's voice cut through the fog in my head and I realized my hands were shaking. Actually... my entire body was shaking. "I'm fine," I lied. She snorted. "Sure you are. Every girl says that before her first night with the Alpha." I swallowed hard and stared at the massive oak door in front of me. Alpha Nolan's bedroom. The place where I was supposed to... serve him. Goddess, I hated that word. Serve. Like I was a meal on a silver platter. "Remember," the handler said, gripping my shoulder, "you do exactly what he wants. No complaints. No tears. You're a breeder, Isabella. This is what you were sold for." Right. Sold. Because apparently, I was worth three hundred coins and a promise of protection for my dying aunt. The handler knocked twice and then left without another word. Her footsteps echoed down the hall and I stood there alone... eighteen years old, wearing a thin white nightgown that left nothing to the im







