Chapter 4

Rowan’s POV

I have felt true fear only three times in my life.

The night my village burned and I lost everything.

The moment I realized I was just a pawn,sacrificed for the safety of my pack.

And the first time I laid eyes on Alpha Kael.

I suppose I should make that four.

Because the way my heart is slamming against my ribs now, the way my palms are slick and my throat is so dry it hurts to breathe—this is fear. Real fear.

“Rowan,” Alpha Kael says, slow and deliberate, as if tasting my name for the first time.

It startles me that he knows it,my real name. A flicker of resentment rises in me. All this time, he’s known who I am, yet today is the first time I’ve been worth acknowledging.

“Do you know who I am?” he asks. His gaze doesn’t waver.

I want to roll my eyes,of course I know who he is,but I don’t dare. Instead, I nod, my spine stiff with dread.

He steps closer. “Do you know what happened to me ten years ago, after the Battle at Easterly Tower?”

That doesn’t sound like a question. It sounds like a warning.

I nod again, still numb with disbelief, fear creeping deeper with every passing second.

“Speak.”

That single word holds so much command, so much venom, that a shiver crawls down my back.

“Yes, Alpha,” I whisper, barely audible.

“Tell me, then.”

I swallow and begin. “When Easterly Tower fell, the witch Marisol cursed you.”

He gives a low hum, encouraging me to continue.

I recite the curse,the one every wolf in the land knows by heart:

"Blood of wolf and pride so high,

Your line shall fade, your cradle dry.

No seed shall root, no babe shall cry,

Till tears of truth from you do lie.

By ash and bone, by flame and thorn,

No heir shall rise from you be born."

He nods grimly. “You know all the words.”

Everyone did. The curse spread like wildfire,an alpha with no heir was a tragedy, a threat to power, a whisper on every tongue.

Then he asks, “Whose child do you carry?”

The words knock the air from my lungs.

“I’m not pregnant,” I say, heart pounding. “There must be some mistake.”

A low, threatening growl rumbles from his chest.

“Are you saying the doctor lies?” he taunts, voice sharp with danger.

I’m caught between fire and blade. I can’t accuse the pack doctor of deceit, but I also can’t accept this nightmare,that there’s a child growing inside me.

“Who else have you been with?” he growls, stepping closer. His hands settle on my thighs, gripping just enough to make me freeze. “Tell me the truth now, and your deaths will be swift.”

Our deaths.

There’s no mistaking the madness glinting behind his smile. His fangs flash.

I steel myself. “I haven’t been with anyone else,” I say, voice firm despite the fear.

Whether he believes me or not, I won’t lie. I’ll fight for my truth, even if it kills me.

This has to be a setup. A plot to disgrace me, maybe ignite a war with my old pack. I need to send word to Alpha Jack, Alpha Kael is preparing for something. And if I’m the pawn, others are already in play.

Kael’s smile disappears. His face hardens into something that makes my stomach twist.

He doesn’t speak, but I know he’s linking someone. A moment later, Dr. Bradley enters the room, followed by Luna Chelsea and two guards wheeling in an ultrasound machine.

Panic claws at my chest.

“No,” I whisper. “This can’t be happening.”

Dr. Bradley wastes no time. She lifts my shirt, spreads cold gel across my stomach. I flinch, but no one pays me any mind. All eyes are locked on the screen.

So is mine.

There’s no way they’ll find anything. This is a mistake. A cruel, calculated trick.

Then—

Thump-thump.

A heartbeat. Small, strong, steady.

No.

It’s not possible.

“I can’t be pregnant,” I whisper. “I haven’t been with anyone since I came here. I can’t—this isn’t—” My voice cracks, panic rising fast and hot.

“Speak, mutt,” Kael snarls, snapping me back to the room.

“I swear, I haven’t been with anyone else!” My voice borders on hysteria. “It’s not possible!”

Kael growls, deep and feral.

Dr. Bradley’s voice breaks the tension. “I don’t think she’s lying, Alpha.”

Everyone turns to her.

She clears her throat. “I’ve delivered more pups than I can count,omegas, betas, and one from an alpha, your sister. I’ve learned the difference in heartbeats. An omega’s child is the weakest. Beta, stronger. But this…”

She gestures to the machine. The heartbeat still echoes in the background, strong and steady.

“This kind of heartbeat? I’ve only heard it once before. When your mother carried your sister.”

Silence falls like a blade.

The truth hits me all at once.

It’s real.

I’m pregnant.

And somehow… impossibly…

I’m carrying the cursed Alpha’s heir.