Don't Go, I Regret

Smoke curled behind Ethan like a trailing flag of vengeance. In one hand, he held the severed wolf-head banner of Shadowhowl. In the other, Caroline’s iron chains dragged across the dirt, each clink drawing murmurs from Ironclaw’s gathered ranks.“Let them see,” he growled. “Let them remember.”Grace stood beside him, her arms wrapped tightly around their son. Johnson squirmed, restless from the noise, but Grace’s gaze never left Ethan. There was something in his eyes—something too sharp, too cold.An elder stepped forward, silver whiskers twitching. “Alpha Ethan, is this the woman who betrayed you?”“She is,” Ethan answered, voice booming. “Caroline of Shadowhowl, who seduced me to steal Ironclaw’s defenses, who killed my father with lies and ash.”Caroline lifted her chin, face bruised but defiant. “You believed what you wanted to believe, Ethan. I only whispered what your pride craved to hear.”A collective snarl rippled through the pack.Ethan’s jaw clenched. “

The snow fell in silence, blanketing Ironclaw in bitter stillness. Outside the keep, Ethan grunted through clenched teeth as he dragged a log twice his weight across the training yard.“Again,” Grace said, standing at the far end, stopwatch in hand.Ethan exhaled, bent low, and pushed forward.A packmate passing by muttered under his breath, “Traitor’s penance.”Another scoffed, loud enough to hear. “Should’ve banished him when we had the chance.”Ethan didn’t flinch. He finished the lap and collapsed in front of Grace.She knelt, offering him a flask of water. “Time’s better. But your left leg’s still dragging.”“I’ll fix it.”“You’ll fix it when you stop pretending you don’t care what they say.”He wiped his mouth. “I don’t.”Grace gave him a look.“…Okay, I do. A little.”She smiled faintly. “Then earn their respect. Not with speeches. With sweat.”He looked at her, breath rising in clouds. “Why are you still helping me?”“Because you’re not

The clang of chains echoed across the training yard as foreign dignitaries arrived—envoys from Riverbend, Frostpeak, and Dawncrest—all eager to see Ironclaw’s new strength firsthand.Ethan stood on the balcony above, flanked by warriors in full armor. Below, a banquet was spread—roasted deer, seasoned roots, polished goblets. But every eye was drawn to the post behind him.Caroline stood chained there, wrists bound, hair tangled, lips bloodied. Her dress was the same one from the feast—now tattered and stained.A Dawncrest envoy leaned toward his peer. “This is your new alliance?”Ethan raised his hand.“She is not Ironclaw,” he declared. “She is its warning.”The envoys fell silent.“She betrayed my people, cost us lives,” Ethan said coldly. “Now she serves as a lesson. To enemies. And allies.”A Frostpeak delegate shifted uneasily. “Alpha Ethan… is this necessary?”Ethan smiled thinly. “If your pack harbors thoughts of disloyalty, perhaps it is.”Gasps.

The servants’ wing was unusually quiet at sunrise. Grace moved through its narrow halls with a basket of blankets, eager to distract herself from the weight in her chest.Then she heard it—soft retching behind the linen cupboard.She pushed the door open.Caroline was hunched over a basin, arms braced on the wall, one hand protectively resting on a barely rounded belly.Their eyes met.“You shouldn’t be here,” Caroline whispered.“Neither should you,” Grace said coldly. “You were supposed to be on a wagon hours ago.”Caroline wiped her mouth, face pale. “He said it wasn’t safe yet.”Grace’s gaze dropped to the swell beneath Caroline’s robe. “You’re pregnant.”Caroline straightened, defensive. “It’s not what you think—”“Save it.” Grace dropped the basket. “You lied to my face. Both of you.”“I didn’t ask for this.”“You didn’t stop it either.”Caroline looked down. “He said it was over. That he loved you.”Grace laughed bitterly. “Did he whispe

The sky wept as Grace tore down Old Mill Road, rain soaking her cloak and matting her hair to her face. She hadn’t told anyone. She didn’t trust anyone—not anymore.Not after the silence.Not after the unanswered calls.Not after Johnson’s heart stopped beating behind sealed doors.The warehouse appeared through the mist, leaning and crumbling like it, too, had lost a child.She pushed the door open.Voices echoed from inside.“…I didn’t plan for this,” Ethan said.“You didn’t stop it either,” came Caroline’s voice—tired, bitter.“You think I wanted her to find out like this?” Ethan growled.“She found out because you never let go of me, Ethan.”Grace moved closer, heart pounding, each step a crack in her ribs. Through a broken plank, she saw them.Caroline stood near a crate, one hand over her swollen belly. Ethan was in front of her, soaked from the storm, chest heaving.“I’m not the enemy,” Caroline said softly. “But you made me into one.”E