Se connecterThe courtyard did not move.Not one wolf spoke.The ripple of energy that had surged from Aria moments ago still lingered faintly in the air like the echo of thunder long after lightning strikes.Several of the gathered Alphas stared openly now.Not with curiosity.With calculation.Damien felt it immediately.His arm slid protectively around Aria’s waist, drawing her slightly closer to him.Instinct.Possession.Protection.Aria was still trying to understand what had just happened.Her heart raced, but not from fear.The warmth inside her had changed again.It was no longer just a quiet pulse.It felt… awake.“Aria,” Damien murmured softly near her ear.“I’m okay,” she whispered.But the truth was she wasn’t entirely sure.Across the courtyard, Liam slowly stepped forward.For the first time since the council began, the Alpha looked unsettled.His golden eyes moved from Aria… to Damien… then back again.“You felt that,” one of the Alphas said quietly.It wasn’t a question.Everyone
The estate had never felt so restless.Even before the sun rose, wolves were already moving through the grounds. Guards rotated shifts more frequently than usual. Messengers arrived and departed in quiet urgency. The pack could sense something brewing, even if most of them didn’t yet know what it was.Inside the private suite, Aria stirred awake slowly.For a moment she simply lay still, listening to the steady rhythm of Damien’s breathing beside her.His arm rested protectively around her waist, his warmth seeping into her skin like a shield against the cold unease lingering in the air.But the moment she shifted slightly, his eyes opened.Sharp.Alert.Damien never truly slept deeply anymore.“Morning,” she whispered.His expression softened immediately when he saw her awake.“Morning.”His hand moved instinctively to her stomach, resting there with a quiet possessiveness that still made her heart flutter.It had only been a short time since they discovered the pregnancy, yet someth
The tension in the estate had changed.It was no longer the quiet caution that had followed Aria’s arrival.Now it was sharp.Electric.Every wolf within the territory felt it even if they did not understand why. Guards stood a little straighter. Conversations stopped the moment footsteps approached. Even the air seemed heavier, as though the world itself was waiting for something inevitable.Inside their private suite, Aria stood near the tall windows, watching the pale morning light creep across the grounds.Her hand rested lightly over her stomach.The warmth there had not faded.If anything, it had grown stronger since dawn.She could feel it now in small pulses, like faint ripples moving through water. Not painful. Not frightening.Alive.Her wolf stirred again, alert and watchful.Behind her, Damien adjusted the cuffs of his dark shirt with deliberate calm. To anyone else he would appear composed, even indifferent.But Aria knew him well enough now to see the truth.He was prepa
Aria woke before dawn.Not from fear.From power.It surged through her veins like silver lightning, quiet but undeniable. Her wolf stretched inside her mind, not restless… not angry… but alert in a way she had never felt before.She inhaled sharply.The air tasted different.Sharper.Layered.Alive.Beside her, Damien stirred instantly.He was awake in seconds. “What is it?”She sat up slowly, pressing a hand to her abdomen.“I don’t know.”But she did.The warmth had changed.It wasn’t just an ember now.It pulsed.Strong.Damien rose with her, eyes scanning her face, reading every micro-expression.“Are you in pain?”“No.”Her voice trembled slightly, not from weakness but from awe.“It feels like… like my wolf is expanding.”His brow furrowed.“That’s not how pregnancy works.”A breathless laugh escaped her. “We’re not exactly normal.”True.Very true.She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood.The moment her bare feet touched the floor, the world sharpened again.She
Morning arrived like a held breath.Aria barely slept.Every time she drifted off, her hand moved instinctively to her abdomen, as if checking that the warmth was still there. It was not dramatic. Not sharp. Just steady. Like an ember tucked beneath silk.Damien was already awake when she opened her eyes.He was watching her.Not in suspicion.In calculation.“Don’t,” she murmured softly.His brow lifted slightly. “Don’t what?”“Look at me like I’m glass.”His mouth curved faintly.“I’m looking at you like you’re carrying something precious.”Her pulse skipped.“We don’t know that yet.”He reached out, brushing his knuckles gently along her cheek.“We’re going to.”---He insisted on discretion.No pack physicians.No gossip.No whispers finding their way back to Liam.Instead, Damien called in someone he trusted beyond politics.A quiet visit.A private suite.No names spoken in hallways.Aria sat on the edge of the bed, fingers twisting in the fabric of her dress. Her wolf was alert
The silence after Damien’s promise was suffocating.Liam’s golden eyes burned brighter, Alpha dominance rolling off him in thick waves. The air felt charged, pressing against Aria’s lungs, demanding submission.Old instinct stirred inside her.Lower your gaze.Step back.Yield.Her wolf remembered.But she didn’t move.Because Damien didn’t.He stood in front of her like an unshakable wall, posture relaxed, expression almost bored. But she felt the tension in him. Coiled. Precise. Dangerous.“You’re standing in my way,” Liam said coldly.Damien’s lips curved slightly.“Yes.”The word was deliberate.A challenge.Power rippled outward again, this time stronger. The lights flickered faintly under the pressure of Liam’s Alpha aura. He wasn’t holding back anymore.Aria’s pulse raced. Her wolf stirred uneasily beneath her skin, reacting to the dominant presence she had once belonged to.And Liam noticed.His gaze flicked to her, something possessive flashing in his eyes.“She still respond







