Mag-log in"I'm fine Nigel", I answered. I opened my mouth to say something else when the first wave hit.It came without warning. A sudden, violent twist deep in my gut, sharp enough to steal my breath. My fingers tightened around the stem of the glass until I thought it might snap. Heat flooded my face, then drained away just as fast, leaving me cold and clammy.Pregnancy, I told myself. It has to be the pregnancy.But this was different. This wasn't the gentle queasiness I'd been expecting.It was a clawing, tearing sensation that started deep in my gut and ripped upward with terrifying speed. Within seconds, my mouth started to flood with saliva and my vision started to swim at the edges."I... I need to excuse myself," I spoke suddenly, my voice coming out strangled. Nigel’s brows drew together at my words but before he could say anything, I turned, intending to walk with dignity toward the nearest exit, toward the bathrooms, toward anywhere that wasn’t the center of the packed hall.I onl
"Another generous toast." Nigel lifted his glass, his pale eyes fixed on Renee."Generosity is my specialty." Renee laughed, a light, musical sound that didn't quite reach her eyes. "I believe in making everyone feel welcome. Especially those who might feel... out of place."I tensed at her words. Out of place. She's talking about me. She's making sure I know it.Nigel took a slow sip of his wine, his gaze flicking between us. "An interesting choice of words, Renee. Tell me, what makes you think anyone here feels out of place?"Renee's smile didn't waver. "Oh, I don't think anything, Alpha Nigel. I simply observe. And I've observed that new mates often need a little... extra support. Especially during their first pre.....""Renee is right," I stopped her midsentence, surprising myself with the steadiness of my voice but inwardly I was trembling more. She wanted to talk about my pregnancy. "This ceremony has been... overwhelming. But I'm grateful for the support. Especially from tho
“You’re shaking, Luna.”Just as I was still looking at Raymond, the voice came from directly behind me, low, rough and far too close.I froze immediately and didn’t turn at first. My pulse hammered so hard I could feel it in my throat. Mackline’s quiet presence half a step behind me was the only solid thing left.Then the voice came again, softer this time and almost amused.“You all frozen like you’ve heard a ghost.” I turned when I heard that.It was Alpha Nigel and stood less than an arm’s length away, tall enough that I had to tilt my chin up to meet his eyes. Dark hair pulled back, sharp features half-shadowed by the light, pale gaze fixed on my face with an intensity that made the air feel thinner. He hadn’t been there a second ago. Or maybe he had, and I had simply been too busy drowning to notice.I forced my spine straight, forced a small, polite smile onto my mouth even as everything inside me continued to fracture.“Alpha Nigel,” I said, keeping my voice steady, almost lig
I waited thirty seconds, then rose as if I simply needed air. No one stopped me. The corridor outside the hall was cooler and quieter. I slipped into the nearest washroom and locked the door.Mackline was already inside. She turned the moment the latch clicked, eyes searching my face.“Are you all right?”, She asked.I shook my head and before she could ask any other question, I closed the distance between us, smashing my lips against hers in a desperate, hungry kiss.Mackline froze for half a second, then kissed me back just as fiercely, one hand sliding into my hair, the other gripping my waist hard enough to bruise. The taste of her, warm, familiar and forbidden flooded every corner of the fear that had been choking me since Raymond’s public threat. I poured everything into the kiss: the terror, the secret, the need to feel something that belonged only to me for once.When we finally broke apart, both of us breathing hard, her forehead rested against mine.“Aurora…” she whispered,
"She'll come back," Mackline said fiercely. "She has to. You're strong, Aurora. Stronger than you know. And that wolf of yours? She's a survivor. Just like you." She added."I don't feel strong," I admitted. "I feel like I'm one breath away from shattering into a thousand pieces.""Then we'll gather those pieces together," Mackline said, her voice steady and sure. "Every single one. And then we'll rebuild you into something new. Something that can run. Something that can fight and something that can protect that pup.""I know but where will we even go?" I asked, the question emerging despite myself. "We can't just run into the woods and hope for the best. We need shelter, food, money and we need a plan." I added.Mackline was quiet for a long moment. "I've been thinking about that and I will update you but for now, dress up before Raymond comes looking for you," She stood abruptly, her energy shifting in a heartbeat.She crossed to the wardrobe and yanked it open, rifling through the
"You don't want to tell him",Mackline's expression hardened and her mouth pressed into a thin line, disagreement radiating off her in waves. "Yes", I nodded my head meaning it with every battered piece of me."You can't do that to him. It isn't right, and you know it." She shook her head."Mackline, if Raymond find out about it, my freedom will be gone in the blink of an eye. He'd never let me go." I hugged the damp towel tighter around my shoulders, feeling the chill of the water still clinging to my skin.She didn't disagree with me.Her silence said more than any argument could. I watched the muscle in her cheek twitch as she looked away for a second, staring at the damp towel still pooled around my shoulders, at the water droplets still sliding down my collarbone"I can't be Raymond's mate. I just can't. Even living in the same pack, my decision won't change which means Raymond would eventually be forced to move on ","Aurora..." Mackline started, but I cut her off."And by the
"Fuck"Raymond’s growl vibrated against my lips, low and filthy but I failed to say anything.I was still gasping, still trying to find air around the thick stretch of him buried so deep I could feel every brutal inch pulsing inside. My walls fluttered helplessly around his cock, tender and overwor
For a second the room spun.His eyes, still blown black with lust widened fractionally. Recognition, shock then something darker and hungrier.He didn’t pull out.Instead his grip on my wrists tightened until I whimpered. “Virgin,” he repeated, voice wrecked. Like the word itself was violence.Then
I stood in the center of the room for a long moment, arms wrapped around myself, nails digging into my biceps until the sting grounded me. My mother was safe, fed, healed and not rotting in a cage. That part was real but the rest, the promises, the threats, the way my body still betrayed me every t
Aurora's POVThe heavy clang of the dungeon gate echoed like a death knell, reverberating through my bones long after the guards' footsteps faded. The sound sealed me in, cutting me off from the last thread of light that had slipped through the corridor behind me. My breath caught, my pulse racing







