Chapter 39

The sacred silence of the Moon Grove gave way to a roaring, jubilant tide as the crowd streamed back into the grand hall and torch-lit courtyards of the Frostwell estate. Towering bonfires blazed in heavy iron braziers across the snow-dusted grounds, casting a warm, golden radiance over dancing wolves. Musicians struck up lively northern reels with fiddles, flutes, and hand drums, and the crisp night air filled with the rich scents of roasting boar, spiced cider, and sweet honeyed mead.

In the centre of the hall, the usually unshakeable Gamma was completely swept up in the festivities. Elena, her sharp hazel eyes glowing with playful mischief, pulled Liam onto the wooden dance floor. Watching the stoic, hardened commander attempt to keep up with his nimble Howler bride brought thunderous laughter and affectionate cheers from both Frostwell guards and Howler border rangers alike.

Beta Silas stood near the main hearth, raising a heavy pewter tankard high above his head to command the room’s attention. “To Gamma Liam!” Silas called out, his smooth voice echoing through the rafters as a broad grin broke across his handsome face. “A man who can track a shadow through a blizzard and take down a rogue pack single-handed—yet couldn’t dodge the Moon Goddess’s arrow if he tried!”

A loud, roaring toast erupted across the tables, led by a booming laugh from Alpha Mason Caldwell, who clinked his horn against Silas’s with boisterous approval.

Up on the elevated dais, Asher paid little mind to the commotion around them. He pulled Lydia directly into his lap, his broad arms wrapping around her waist and anchoring her flush against his solid chest. His lips traced a slow, lingering trail along the curve of her neck, lingering right over her glowing mate mark until a soft sigh escaped her lips.

“You’re unusually quiet tonight, my Luna,” Asher purred against her skin, his deep voice a low vibration against her back. His large hand slid down, resting flat over her lower stomach in an unconscious gesture of absolute protection.

A quiet, miraculous electric hum zipped through Lydia’s veins at the touch of his palm resting over the hidden life blossoming within her. She leaned her head back against his shoulder, her fingers intertwining with his as she looked out over the joyous, unified crowd.

“I’m just taking it all in,” Lydia whispered softly, her green eyes sparkling under the warm chandelier light. “Look at our people, Asher. No fear, no shadow... just peace.”

Asher pressed a firm, possessive kiss to her jawline, his icy blue eyes softened with boundless devotion. “We forged this peace together, little one. And as long as I draw breath, no one will ever take it from us.”

Lydia turned her head, her lips catching his in a slow, sweet kiss that made the roaring party around them fade into a distant hum. She smiled against his mouth, her heart bursting with joy, knowing that the real celebration was only just beginning.

The heavy oak doors of the Alpha suite clicked shut, sealing out the muted echoes of music and laughter still drifting up from the grand hall below. The quiet bedchamber was bathed in the warm, amber glow of the dying hearth, casting soft, dancing shadows across the heavy furs of the grand bed.

Asher immediately reached for Lydia, his broad hands sliding up her arms to gently unfasten the heavy silver clasp of her frost-emerald mantle. He slipped it from her shoulders, letting the rich velvet fall away before turning her in his arms and pulling her flush against his broad chest. He buried his face in the curve of her neck, inhaling deeply of her intoxicating scent of wild berries and fresh snowfall, his arms anchoring her waist with possessive warmth.

“I thought the elders would never let us leave,” Asher murmured, his deep voice a rich rumble against her skin as his lips brushed her temple. “You were magnificent tonight, my Luna. Every eyes in that hall looked to you with pure devotion.”

Lydia leaned back into his solid frame, a soft, nervous flutter stirring in her chest. She turned within the circle of his arms, her green eyes searching his handsome, rugged face, illuminated by the flickering firelight.

“Asher,” she whispered, her voice carrying a quiet, profound weight that instantly captured his complete focus. “I need to tell you something.”

Asher’s icy blue eyes narrowed slightly, a subtle flare of instinctual concern surfacing in his gaze. “What is it? Are you unwell? Did someone say something at the feast—”

“No,” Lydia interrupted softly, a radiant, tearful smile blooming across her face as she reached up to cup his cheek, her thumb soothing over his strong jawline. “Nothing like that.”

She took his large, calloused hand in hers and slowly guided it down, resting his broad palm flat against her lower stomach.

Asher froze, his breath catching sharply in his chest. Beneath his touch, through the warmth of her gown, and vibrating directly through the golden threads of their shared mate bond, a tiny, miraculous second pulse flickered—a quiet, powerful life humming with the combined essence of his fierce Alpha spirit and her sovereign grace.

The silence in the room stretched, thick and sacred. Asher stared down at his hand resting over her abdomen, his icy blue eyes widening in total, stunned disbelief before glistening with pure, overwhelming emotion.

“Lydia...” his voice broke, raspy and stripped of all command. “Is this...?”

“Our heir, Asher,” Lydia whispered, tears of joy sparkling in her eyes as she leaned her forehead against his. “A little wolf born of our love. Our home is truly complete.”

A low, primal sound—part ragged exhale, part triumphant roar—rumbled deep in Asher’s chest. Dropping to his knees before her on the plush rug, he pressed his face gently against her stomach, his broad arms wrapping reverently around her hips. He kissed her stomach through the cloth over and over, pouring every ounce of his fierce, protective devotion into the blossoming life inside her, before rising to lift his queen into an intoxicating, breathless embrace.