Chapter 3

Dominic’s POV

Nine years later.

I stared at the stack of reports on my desk and honestly considered setting them all on fire.

From the border patrols to the trade agreements and then the rogue activity, it was always just the same nonsense, every different day. I rubbed my eyes and picked up another report. Something about hunting rights in the northern sector.

My wolf stirred restlessly, pacing inside me again. He’d been like this for years. Always stirring this constant frustration within me that I couldn’t shake. I had tried everything. I had tried training harder, running longer. And throwing myself into more work. Apparently, none of it helped.

The door opened without a knock. I didn’t have to look up to know who it was.

“Dominic.” Mother’s cool voice called

“I’m busy,” I said, not looking up from the paper in my hand.

“You’re always busy.” She came in anyway and shut the door behind her. “That’s the problem.”

I sighed and finally looked at her. Luna Queen Isolde Ravenclaw was still as perfect as my dad left her. Her hair pinned back neatly, and her skin glowed. Her dress was always immaculate. 

“What is it, Mother?”

“We need to talk about your future.”

I dropped the report onto the desk. “If this is about the council meeting next week, I already—”

“This is about you taking a new Luna,” she interjected sharply and I froze.

But she went on like she hadn’t just dropped a bomb in my study. “It’s been nine years, Dominic. The pack is talking. They need stability. They need to see their Alpha settled with a proper Luna.”

“I have a mate,” I said softly.

“You had a mate,” she corrected, voice still calm. “The mate you banished. She’s gone. It’s time to move on.”

“I’m not having this conversation.” I said softly, trying to get my focus back to the papers I was working on.

“Yes, you are,” she said, her tone rising just a little. “You can’t keep living like this. Hiding in here, working yourself to death, shutting everyone out—”

“I said no.”

“The pack needs—”

“I don’t care what the pack needs!” I snapped, slamming my hand on the desk. The sound echoed through the room. She actually flinched. “I’m not taking another Luna. I’m not replacing her. End of discussion.”

Her jaw tightened. But mother was never one to accept defeat. “You’re being unreasonable.”

“I’m being honest,” I said, with my eyes focused on the papers.  “I don’t want another mate. I’m fine as I am.”

“You’re not fine,” she said quietly. “You haven’t been fine since—”

“Don’t say her name.” I ordered, with firm eyes.

She stopped, pressing her lips together. Then she tried again, softer. “I’m trying to help you.”

“I don’t need help. I just need everyone to stop interfering.”

“The elders are concerned,” she said carefully. “They think your behavior is… unstable. The council wants to know if you’re still capable of leading.”

“Let them wonder,” I said flatly. “I don’t answer to gossip.”

She exhaled slowly  trying to stay calm. “Dominic, this isn’t about appearances. It’s about legacy. You need an heir.”

That actually made me pause. “An heir,” I repeated slowly. I hadn’t actually thought of that.

“Yes,” she said. “The pack needs one. Someone to take over when you’re gone. Someone to carry the Ravenclaw bloodline. You can’t ignore that forever.”

I buried my head in my palm as I thought about it. Mum was right.

“I’ll handle it,” I said finally, raising my head.

Her eyes narrowed. “Handle it how?”

“I don’t know yet. But it doesn’t mean I’m taking another Luna.”

“Dominic!”

“I said I’ll handle it,” I said with finality.

We stood there staring at each other, thickening the tension in the room. And after a while she sighed, and straightened her shoulders,

“Fine,” she said quietly. “But this conversation isn’t over.”

“Yes, it is,” I said.

She gave me one last long look, then turned and left, closing the door harder than she needed to.

The second she was gone, I released a sigh of relief. But relief was actually far from me as my wolf stirred again feeling more agitated now. I could feel him clawing to get out. My hands were shaking. I pressed them flat on the desk, breathing through the storm building inside me.

I wasn’t stuck in the past. I wasn’t. I had made my decision nine years ago. I’d stood by it. I’d moved on. So why does it still feel like something was missing? Why do I still wake up reaching for someone who wasn’t there? Why did my wolf still refuse to settle, like it was waiting for something that was never coming back?

Suddenly, the study room was beginning to suffocate me. So I grabbed my jacket and left. I walked straight through the packhouse without acknowledging anyone. I could feel the eyes on me, hear the greetings, the whispers, but I ignored all of it. I needed air and. And most importantly , I needed the silence.

The second I reached the edge of the forest, I stripped and shifted. My wolf exploded forward, grateful for the release, and I ran. Through the trees, over the ridges, through the cold night air. Then I heard it.

A scream. A very high-pitched and terrified scream that sounded like that of a child. I froze, probably waiting to confirm what I heard. And just then it came again. And strangely, it felt like a sound I could recognize but not place.

What the hell!