LOGINI tear through the woods, my lungs on fire. Branches smash against my fur, but I feel nothing over the sharp agony tearing through our bond.Sienna! I roar into the connection. Hang on! I’m coming.The baby… her reply is weak, terrified. Something’s wrong. It hurts so bad…Muscles screaming, I push harder. The indigo markings on my skin flare, burning off the last of the silver poison. The lodge erupts through the trees.I shift mid-air, landing in a sprint toward the command room. Pack members dive out of my way.I kick the doors open.Sienna is curled on the floor, pale and sweating. Kali and Laura flank her while Rowena barks orders at the healers. Sienna’s belly is rigid, our pup’s energy thrashing wildly through the bond.She claws at my shirt, gasping. “A signal in the tunnels… It’s messing with the baby. He’s fighting it, but it’s killing me.”I press my forehead to hers, slamming my palm over her belly.The kid kicks hard, struggling. “Easy, little warrior,” I growl. “Daddy’s
I leave our quarters, fueled by rage. Dried blood sticks to my skin, my whole body burning hot.The message plays on a loop in my head—Savannah’s smirk, Elara’s empty eyes. And their threat to use my unborn son against us.Midnight tomorrow. That’s their deadline.If they think they can threaten my family and walk away alive, they don’t know me at all.“Ryker,” I snarl through the comms as I stride toward the armory. “I want every drone in the air. Thermal, movement, magic signatures—everything. Maddox, assemble two strike teams. We’re not waiting for midnight. We hunt them now.”Be careful, Sienna’s voice brushes my mind through the bond, soft but steady. Come back to us.Always, I reply, channeling my protective drive back to her. I’ll handle the rest.The pup gives a strong kick in response. Pride swells in my chest even as my wolf paces restlessly. My son is already so aware.I gear up fast—black tactical vest, silver-edged blades, and the rowan amulet Sienna insisted I wear.I wi
The next morning, I wake slowly, cocooned in my mate’s embrace. His hand is splayed wide across the gentle swell of my belly. Even in sleep, he holds me tight.I lace my fingers through his. Last night’s ritual still lingers in my veins—a faint golden warmth connecting me to him and the pack.“You’re thinking too loud again,” Kieran murmurs, his voice rough with sleep. He kisses my claiming mark. “How do you feel?”“Tired. But okay.” I turn to face him.His eyes are already bleeding gold, scanning my face with an intensity that makes my heart stutter. “The pup is calm this morning. Strong.”The pup kicks gently against his palm. A rare, soft smile breaks across Kieran’s face.“He knows his dad’s here,” he whispers, kissing the curve of my stomach. “My son. I’m going to keep you both safe. No matter what.”I thread my fingers through his hair. This is the fierce Alpha, on his knees for his family.A knock breaks the silence.Kieran tenses. Ryker’s voice comes through the door: “Alpha.
I storm back into the command hub, half-shifted, claws still bloody. Fury burns through me—until I see Sienna. Everything else fades.She stands at the center of the room, one hand resting on the gentle curve of her belly. The swell is visible now, soft and rounded, but not yet heavy. Just enough to show the life growing inside her.The second I see her, the noise in my head disappears. I’m moving before I even realize it.In three steps, I reach her. I drop to my knees and press my face against her stomach. The pup kicks hard against my cheek—strong, alive. A rough sound escapes me.“You’re both safe,” I rasp. My voice is raw from battle.Sienna’s fingers slide into my hair. “We held the line,” she whispers.I stand and pull her into my arms. Blood smears on her clothes, but she doesn&rs
The command hub feels too small, too quiet, while war rages outside.I stand slowly, one hand pressed to my belly where our pup still hums with restless energy. The dull throb in my abdomen has eased into a steady ache, but I can feel him — alert, watchful, feeding power into the bond like a tiny storm contained inside me.Rowena watches me carefully, her expression guarded. We aren’t friends yet. She tolerates me because I carry her grandchild, but the cool distance in her eyes reminds me I am still the human — now hybrid — who has upended her son’s life.Kali moves closer, placing a warm hand on my lower back. “Easy, Luna. You don’t have to prove anything tonight.”“I’m not trying to prove anything,” I say quietly. “I’m trying to help.”Laura — my grandmother — steps f
The door slammed behind me with a heavy thud that did nothing to silence the roar inside my chest.My wolf was clawing at my ribs, demanding blood, demanding I turn around and drag Sienna somewhere deep underground where no one could touch her. Not the architects. Not the Coven. Not even the ghosts of our parents.But I couldn’t.Not when the eastern ridge was lighting up like a war zone.I shifted mid-stride, bones cracking and reforming as fur rippled over my skin. The indigo markings Sienna had painted on my chest burned hotter, feeding power into every muscle. Owen surged forward, hungry and vicious, but even he was split—half of him focused on the fight ahead, the other half tethered to the bond pulling us back toward her.Sienna.Her presence pulsed through the bond—steady but strained. I could feel the pup’s re
“Yes. You were dying,” Elara says, unflinching. “The substances your family put into your body were shutting your organs down. Not the architects this time. Your own father.”My hand jerks in Kieran grip, my fingers tightening before I can stop them.“What?”Elara continues as though she were readi
The cabin feels wrong the second I step inside.Guards track dirt across the floor; someone in the kitchen is laughing, grating on my nerves.I ignore all of it.I walk straight to the sick bay.
“Kieran…” I press my forehead against his chest, breathing him in. “I hear voices. I think… I think it’s her. My wolf. She’s… circling. Like she’s pacing around us right now, checking you out or something.”He goes still for half a second. A low, surprised chuckle rumbles out of him.“Yeah?” He sou
The second Kieran walks through the study door, I know something’s wrong.Her handwriting keeps catching me off guard. Sometimes I swear I can almost hear her voice in them, and it makes my chest hurt in a way I don’t know how to name.He doesn’t smell angry. That&







