LOGINLuna's POV
My mind went blank. Choose between my mother and my wife. Between the woman who gave me life and the woman who made my life worth living.
"No," I said. The word came out stronger than I felt. "I won't choose."
"Then they both die," Ethan said simply.
But something clicked in my head. My mother's voice from years ago taught me about diplomacy. Never accept the terms your enemy gives you. Change the game instead.
I looked at Ethan. Rea
Stella's POVThe healer confirmed it three days after I first felt the presence. I was pregnant and it had happened impossibly fast."This is unusual," the healer said while studying her notes. "Even with our accelerated reproduction pregnancy does not typically occur immediately after mating."Ash gripped my hand tighter. "But is it possible?""Possible yes. The strength of your bond combined with compatible genetics created ideal conditions. Your bodies wanted this."My stomach twisted. My body wanted this but I was not sure I did.I had just accepted being a mate. I was not ready to be a mother, either.The ride home was silent. Ash kept glancing at me through the bond and I felt his emotions mixing with mine.Excitement underneath his nervousness. He wanted this baby even though it was too soon."Say something," he finally said when we reached the cabin."I do not know what to say. This was not part of the plan.""We can handle this. Together."I pulled away from him. "You do not
Ash's POVThe ceremony was held in neutral territory between our packs under the full moon. Both families came and the tension in the air was thick.I stood waiting and my hands would not stop shaking. I had fought battles and survived corruption but this felt bigger than all of that.This was forever. This was binding my life to Stella's and I could not mess it up.She walked toward me through the gathered wolves and my breath caught. She wore simple ceremonial robes and her silver hair hung loose down her back.Her eyes were fierce and beautiful and locked on mine. She was not nervous at all and that steadied me somehow.The elder officiating the ceremony spoke the traditional words. I barely heard them over the pounding of my heart."Do you Ash Hawkins claim Stella Crowe as your mate before the moon and your pack?""I do." My voice came out stronger than I felt."Do you Stella Crowe claim Ash Hawkins as your mate before the moon and your pack?""I do." Her voice was clear and certa
Stella's POV The second date happened three days after the first. Ash took me to a hidden waterfall and we sparred until my muscles burned.He actually landed hits I had not seen coming. I expected to hate losing but instead I felt alive in a way I had not in years.The third date came a week later. We climbed cliffs and talked until dawn about things I never told anyone.After that, I stopped counting. The dates blurred into stolen moments that made me forget why I was supposed to be resisting this.Ash broke down every wall without even trying. He just kept showing up and being exactly who he claimed to be.He was nothing like what I expected from a legendary family. Strong yes but also vulnerable in ways that caught me off guard.He told me about the corruption and how it left invisible scars. About feeling lonely even surrounded by people who loved him.I understood that. I had been the enforcer's daughter my whole life and never just Stella to anyone.With Ash, I could be myself
Stella's POVI never wanted a mate. The idea terrified me more than any rogue attack or dangerous mission ever could.I watched my mother disappear into the mate bond with my father. She stopped being Elena the warrior and became just his mate and nothing more.Everything she had swallowed whole. Her dreams died. Her strength faded. She became a shadow of the fierce wolf she used to be.When the rogues attacked she was too weak to defend herself or my brothers. Years of not training had stripped away everything that made her dangerous.I found them all dead because she had given up being strong for a bond that could not save her when it mattered.So when I felt the pull toward Ash I ran. Any smart wolf would have done the same thing.But the stubborn bastard would not leave me alone. He kept showing up everywhere like some curse I could not shake.Now I was stuck on this ridiculous cliff trying to prove he could not keep up and would eventually quit chasing me.Except he was keeping u
Ash's POVI could not stop thinking about Stella. Every training session and every pack meeting and every quiet moment alone she was there in my mind refusing to leave.The mate pull hummed constantly in my chest. A second heartbeat that would not let me forget her no matter how hard I tried.I asked around carefully about her. Learned she was a warrior in the Crescent Moon Pack and the daughter of their head enforcer. Known for being fiercely independent and turning down every courtship offer.Her reputation preceded her. Difficult. Abrasive. Lethal in combat.She sounded absolutely perfect.I started running into her accidentally. Border patrols. Inter-pack meetings. Training sessions between allied packs.Pure coincidence obviously.Stella noticed after the fifth time. She cornered me after a joint training exercise looking thoroughly annoyed."Stop following me around prince.""I am not following you.""Yes, you are." She stepped closer. "The mate bond does not mean I have to date
Ash's POVI stood there watching Stella walk away after dismissing me like I was nothing. Nobody had treated me this casually in years and it felt both refreshing and deeply irritating.People either revered me for my family name or feared me for my strength. Stella did neither and genuinely did not care who I was or what bloodline ran through my veins."I am not a prince," I called after her. "And I can actually fight."She stopped walking and turned around slowly. Her expression was pure amusement mixed with challenge. "Prove it then. Fight me right now. If you win I will apologise for the prince comment. If I win you leave Crescent Moon territory permanently."I should have declined immediately. Starting a conflict with a neighbouring pack member was diplomatically stupid and could cause serious problems between our territories. But something about her challenge ignited my competitive spirit."You are on."We circled each other carefully in the moonlit clearing. The forest became o
Chapter 30: The MarkingRoss's POVI had imagined this moment a thousand times in my mind but reality was overwhelming in ways fantasy could never capture. Skylar our mate was offering herself to us willingly and her scent was thick with desire and trust that made my wolf howl with triumph.Myron a
Myron's POVThe pack house transformed into a war room within hours of Ethan leaving.Alpha Rhys summoned his commanders and his elite warriors and anyone with combat experience who could help us prepare for what was coming in three days or less.Ross and I were included
Skylar's POVMyron told me about Ethan's offer and my reaction was immediate fury that burned through my chest like acid. I would not be bargained with like property or traded like some prize between alphas who thought they could control my choices."Absolutely not,"&n
Skylar's POVSleep refused to come no matter how tightly I closed my eyes or how many times I turned over in bed trying to find a comfortable position that would let me rest.The mate bond pulsed with the twins' restless energy like a second heartbeat in my chest that would not let me forget they e







