Chapter 1

WINTER

I had it all, everything a woman could ever dare to wish for.

Born the cherished daughter of Alpha and Luna from one of the most prestigious packs in the realm, I had always stood apart. Men worship my appearance, Impeccable academic record, and just a year ago I married the most amazing man I had ever met. Alpha Kallias Thorn, my mate, my husband, my everything.

Now as I lay sprawled across our tangled sheets, my eyes lingered on the broad expanse of his bare back that was slick with sweat after our passionate sex. My pussy still aches and my body is still trembling from the way he had just filled me. The sting lingered, but I never felt this whole and happy before.

A smile curved my lips as my hand slipped beneath the pillow,

“Kallias, I have good news.”

He turned toward me.

Every shift of those powerful muscles had me fighting the urge to melt into him all over again.

I hold my breath as he leans down and presses his lips to my forehead with that same reverence that always made my wolf purr with delight.

“What is it, my beautiful snowfall?” He brushed his nose against mine. “Tell me.”

“Crystal wants to lend her womb to us. She wants to be our surrogate.”

For a second, Kallias froze.

Then, I saw something flicker in his eye, something dark and sharp like anger,

“Isn’t it great?” I pressed on, unable to contain my joy. “She volunteered. She said she wanted to do this for me because of everything I’ve done for her since we were just pups. She wants to help us build our perfect little family.”

I reached for him. My fingers brushed the taut muscles of his arm.

But Kallias didn’t react. The joy I had hoped to see in his eyes was nowhere to be found. Instead, there was only a quiet chill as he stared at the paper in my hand. The paper bearing both Crystal’s signature and mine. Just one signature missing; his.

“I can’t decide right now, Winter,” He called me by my name and that was how I knew he was upset.

But why?

Kallias rose from our bed in silence and began to dress.

“I still have some work to take care of,” He murmured, buttoning his shirt. Then, he leaned down and placed a final kiss on my forehead. “I’m sorry I’ll be away again tonight.”

I gave a small nod, trying to hold back the weight in my chest. “Take care, my love.”

I watched as he opened the door and slipped out of the room.

Sighing, I sank back into the bed.

After lying there in silence for a few moments, I finally rose. I stepped into the shower to refresh and wash away the remnants of our earlier lovemaking. Once clean, I got dressed, putting on a silk night robe.

As I opened the window, the cool night air greeted me. Stoneclaw Pack, my new home. It's been a year since I'm here yet it didn’t feel like I had left the Winterwood Pack at all, my father’s pack.

A soft knock on the door pulled me from my thoughts.

“Dinner is ready, Luna Winter” A maid said gently from the doorway. “Shall I bring it up to you, or will you be dining in the hall?”

“I’ll come downstairs,” I replied, turning from the window.

She bowed her head slightly. “Alright, Luna.”

I sighed as I realized tonight I would be dining alone again.

Since the pack's healer delivered the devastating news that I might never be able to carry a baby in my womb, I had found myself clinging to Kallias more desperately than before. That revelation had broken me and though he rarely spoke of it, I could see it had broken something in him too. Unlike me, Kallias always masks it with strength.

I walked slowly down the grand hallway of our castle that housed both my room and Kallias’s. Yes, we kept separate rooms. My room was our intimate space where we slept together, made love, and cuddled skin to skin. Meanwhile, his room was also his study where he usually held meetings with his council.

My steps slowed when I noticed the soft glow of lamplight spilling from under his door. And standing in the doorway, was a woman I recognized all too well.

I walked toward it.

“Crystal?” I touch her shoulder.

She jumped, startled.

“W-Winter?” Her eyes widened in surprise and slight fear.

“What are you doing here in my mate’s room?”

“I-” Crystal paused, her face paling. “I was looking for you. Yes! I thought you might be in here.”

“Ah…” I exhaled, guilt nudging at me as the memory surfaced. “I promised to meet you earlier this afternoon. I’m sorry Crystal, I completely forgot.”

She gave a quick shake of her head, offering a nervous smile. “It’s alright.”

“I've told Kallias about your surrogacy."

“Really? How did he react?” Her eyes lit up.

I hesitated.

I knew what she was hoping to hear that he would agree to the idea. Crystal had been one of the few who truly showed sympathy when the news spread like wildfire through the pack. She had cried for me, offered comfort, and eventually, offered herself.

A little backstory about us, Crystal and I met when we were twelve, down by the river that ran near my father’s pack. She was an Omega. She was sobbing that day and when I asked her what had happened, she told me that rogues had burned her house and slaughtered her parent.

I couldn’t just walk away. So I brought her home with me, pleaded with my parents to let her stay.

We grew up side by side since that day and I shared everything I had with her; my room, my clothes, my dreams. Our bond grew from friendship to sibling-like. She eventually offered herself as my personal maid and when I married Kallias, she followed me here.

“He didn’t agree, Crystal,” I breathed. “He didn’t say it but I could feel he was mad. I don’t know why tho.”

Something flickered in her eyes, too fast to catch.

“I see…” She said slowly, before offering a small, understanding nod. “I hope he’ll change his mind. This pack needs an heir someday and I know how much you both want a baby.”

I nodded, but the weight in my chest grew heavier.

If I can’t give Kallias a child, if this pack remains without an heir... it will be my fault.

“Don’t be sad, Winter,” Crystal reached for my hand. “I’ll try to speak with him for you. Who knows maybe he’ll listen to a plea from a servant like me.”

“Really? You'd do that?"

“I promised to help you, didn’t I? Don’t worry, I’ll keep that promise.”

Emotion surged in my chest, and I stepped forward, wrapping my arms around her.

“Thank you. Thank you so much! You’re truly my savior, Crystal.”

She held me tightly. As she murmured against my ear, her tone like an emotional hiss. “That’s what friends are for, right? I’m going to repay you for everything you’ve given me all this time.”