LOGINThe sun was sinking when Aria and Kieran finally pulled themselves away from the boat. Her lips were swollen from hours of kissing, her body still humming with the echo of his touch. She smoothed her hair back, cheeks flushed, while Kieran followed behind her with a smirk that told her he was nowhere near done with her yet.
“You’re impossible,” she teased, swaying into his side as they started up the rocky trail. “I don’t trust you to behave if we stayed down there another minute.”
Kieran’s laugh was low, rough with the afterglow of too much pleasure. “Behave? You’re lucky I don’t drag you back below deck and keep you there for the night.” His hand landed on her hip possessively, thumb brushing over the thin fabric of her dress. “The witches can wait.”
The first light of dawn had barely touched the peaks surrounding the Black Moon fortress when a sharp wind swept through the valley, carrying with it a chill that seemed to whisper of danger. Within the fortress, the pack moved with their usual grace, yet there was an unspoken attentiveness in the air. The women who had awakened to the life-thread within Aria were glowing faintly, their golden light mingling with the early morning sun.Aria stood on the balcony, her hand resting lightly over her stomach. Kieran stood beside her, silent and watchful, his golden eyes scanning the distant forest. “It’s peaceful,” Aria murmured, though her voice carried a hint of unease. “Too peaceful.”Kieran didn’t answer immediately. His instincts, honed from years of guarding the pack and reading the slightest shifts in energy, were alert. “Something is coming,” he said finally, his voice low, like a growl barely contained. “I can f
The fortress lay in quiet repose, bathed in the gentle silver of a waning moon. For the first time in weeks, Aria walked through the courtyard without tension pulling at her shoulders. The pack moved around her with calm purpose — a far cry from the chaos of battles past. Wolves trained, younger apprentices practiced quietly, and the awakened women — Lena, Nyah, Victoria, Miranda, and now nearly all the others — moved in a quiet rhythm that reflected the life they now carried within them.Aria paused near the fountain at the center of the courtyard. The water sparkled, catching the soft glow of the moon, reflecting not just light but the pulse of life threading through the pack. She placed her hand lightly over her abdomen, feeling the heartbeat within — steady, insistent, and full of promise. The tiny rhythm resonated outward, brushing against the awakened women and even the younger wolves, connecting them in a way that was subtle, sacred, and absolut
The dawn light stretched across the Black Moon fortress, soft and golden, brushing against the walls and the sprawling courtyard. Aria awoke slowly, her hand instinctively resting over her stomach. The heartbeat within her was steady and strong, a rhythmic pulse that had begun to extend far beyond herself — threading through the pack in ways she had only begun to understand.Kieran was beside her, seated at the edge of the bed. His golden eyes tracked her movements, filled with awe and quiet reverence. “They’re ready,” he said softly, as if speaking too loudly would shatter the fragile perfection of the moment.Aria turned to him, eyes shimmering. “The rest of the women?” she asked. “The ones who haven’t yet felt it fully?”“Yes,” he said. “They’re connected now. It’s subtle at first, but I can feel the pulse reaching them. And soon… they’ll awaken completely.”
The morning air was thick with warmth and the subtle hum of magic. Sunlight poured into the courtyard, catching on the dew-laden grass and reflecting in faint, golden streaks against the fortress walls. Aria rose before dawn as always, feeling the pulse of life beneath her palm, steady and insistent. Each heartbeat from the child within her seemed to vibrate outward, threading through the pack like a gentle, unbreakable tether.Kieran was already awake, seated beside her on the bed. His golden eyes followed her movements, steady and protective. “They’ve begun to accept it,” he said softly, voice low with awe. “The first signs… you can feel it too, can’t you?”Aria smiled faintly, resting a hand over her stomach. “Yes,” she whispered. “Lena, Nyah… Victoria… even the others. They’re responding fully now, and not just emotionally. Physically… spiritually. The bond is manifesting in the
Dawn came slowly, the fortress bathed in a soft, silver light that hinted at the moon’s lingering presence. Aria awoke with a quiet certainty, the tiny heartbeat within her pulsing steadily, a rhythm she had grown to recognize as a life all its own.Kieran was already awake, sitting beside her on the edge of the bed. His golden eyes were steady, watchful, and tender — the way he always was when she rose before dawn. “You feel it?” he asked softly.Aria nodded, her hand resting over her stomach. “Yes. The bond… it’s stronger. I can feel the ripples now, all through them. Lena… Nyah… Victoria… even the others. They’re beginning to sense it fully — physically, not just magically.”Kieran’s brow furrowed with concern. “Physically?”“Yes,” she whispered. “The life I carry… it’s beginning to awaken something within them. Subtle sign
The sun had just begun its slow climb above the mountains, spilling amber light across the fortress. The air was crisp, tinged with the earthy scent of pine and morning dew, and the subtle magic that had been awakening over the past days seemed almost tangible. Aria felt it immediately the moment she stepped into the courtyard — a warmth threaded through the air, faint but insistent, like the pulse of life itself.Kieran was beside her, hands lightly brushing over her fingers as they walked together. “They’ll understand today,” he murmured softly. “I can feel it.”Aria nodded, her own heartbeat syncing instinctively with the tiny rhythm beneath her palm. “I hope so,” she said. “It’s time for them to know… in a way they can feel, even if they don’t yet understand why.”The pack was gathered for morning training, but the energy was different now — charged, aware, humming with an a







