LOGINGINA And just like that, the tears came dribbling down my cheeks.For a moment… I couldn’t move.I stood there, right at the entrance of the canopy, my fingers still curled around Keal’s hand, my heart pounding so loudly I was sure everyone could hear it.Everything felt suspended.The laughter.The music.And then Debbie and Elder Miriam stepped forward.They didn’t rush.They didn’t need to.There was something intentional about the way they walked toward me like they were carrying the weight of this moment carefully, making sure I felt every bit of it.Debbie reached me first, her face glowing with excitement, her eyes scanning mine like she was searching for my reaction.When she found it, when she saw the tears already gathering, her smile softened.“Look at the most beautiful mommy-to-be in town,” she said, her voice warm and teasing all at once.Before I could even respond, she leaned in and kissed my cheek.The simple gesture shattered something inside me.A soft, shaky laugh
GINAI woke before the alarm.That alone felt like a small victory.For a few quiet seconds, I just lay there, staring at the ceiling, listening to the steady rhythm of my own breathing… and the softer, deeper rhythm beneath it.My hand moved instinctively to my belly.Six weeks more weeks to go.The thought came with a mix of excitement and something else I couldn’t quite name.Anticipation… maybe.Or the quiet awareness that everything was about to change.I exhaled slowly, pushing myself up into a sitting position. The room was still calm, wrapped in that soft, late-afternoon stillness that always followed a good rest.I had needed it.Jessica had insisted.“Elevate your legs. Rest more. You’re close now.”And for once… I listened.My legs felt lighter today, less swollen than usual, and I allowed myself a small smile as I swung them carefully over the side of the bed.Today wasn’t just about resting.There was a meeting.At the new site.The southeast part of the pack, the place w
THIRD PERSON The news spread before the sun fully set.It moved like wildfire through the pack; whispered at first, then spoken aloud in disbelief, and finally carried openly in fear.The Alpha attacked his own.By nightfall, there was no containing it.The injured warrior had been rushed to the healer’s quarters, his breathing uneven, his throat bruised where Darius’s hand had nearly crushed the life out of him. The healers worked tirelessly, moving with urgency that betrayed their calm expressions.“He’s losing too much air,” one of them muttered, pressing carefully along his chest.“Stabilize him,” another instructed. “Now.”Outside the room, the other warriors stood in tense silence, their earlier anger now replaced with something heavier.Uncertainty.Fear.One of them paced back and forth, running a hand through his hair. “I’ve never seen him like that,” he said under his breath.“He wasn’t like that,” another replied quickly. “That wasn’t normal.”“No Alpha does that,” a third
DARIUS The council chamber had never felt this tense.The air itself felt… wrong.Heavy.Still.Like something unseen lingered in the corners, watching.I sat at the head of the long wooden table, my posture rigid, my fingers drumming slowly against the armrest. My eyes moved across the room; once sharp, commanding… now restless.Unsettled.Across from me stood the leaders of the warrior unit, five men, battle-hardened, loyal… but strained.This wasn’t their first complaint.And that alone said everything.“Alpha,” one of them began, his tone respectful but firm, “we cannot continue like this.”Nathaniel stood slightly to my side, his jaw tight, his gaze shifting cautiously between them and me.“Mind your tone,” he warned quietly.But the warrior didn’t back down.“With all due respect, Beta, we’ve held back long enough. The conditions are getting worse.”I didn’t respond.Not immediately.I just stared at him.Unblinking.“Speak,” I said at last, my voice low… too low.He hesitated
GINAThe clinic had started to feel familiar.Comforting, even.A week had passed since we stood in the nursery, wrapped in a kind of quiet happiness I wished I could freeze in time. But life didn’t wait and neither did the tiny life growing inside me.Six weeks.That was all I had left now.The thought both thrilled and terrified me.I shifted slightly in my seat as Keal sat beside me, his presence steady as always. His hand rested protectively over mine, his thumb brushing slow, absent circles against my skin.He had been quieter lately.More watchful.Even now, his eyes moved occasionally toward the door, the hallway, the windows, like he was expecting something.I noticed.But I didn’t ask.Not yet.“Luna Gina?”I looked up as Jessica stepped into the room, her usual warm smile already in place.“Good afternoon,” she said, her tone gentle but professional. “How are we feeling today?”“We’re fine,” I replied, glancing briefly at Keal.He nodded once, but his grip on my hand tighten
KEALI slid into bed beside her, the sheets cool against my skin. She was already nestled against the pillows, her profile soft in the dim light from the lamp post outside. I leaned over and kissed her temple, then her lips. They were warm, yielding.“You look more beautiful tonight,” I cooed, my voice a low rumble in the quiet room.She made a face at me, a playful scrunching of her nose, but her smile broke through instantly. “Stop teasing me, sweetheart. I look pregnant.”She did. Gloriously, unmistakably pregnant. Our child growing safe within her. My heart swelled just looking at her. It was a physical ache of pride and possession.I laid my hand on her belly, over the soft cotton of her nightgown. The curve was firm, alive. “You have to believe me, sweet. Pregnancy makes you more beautiful in my eyes.” It wasn’t a lie. It was a truth so deep it felt like a law of nature. Her beauty had transformed, becoming something richer, more potent. She was life itself.Her smile softened,
KEAL When I woke up, the world was quiet in a way that didn’t feel empty.It felt sacred.For a moment, I didn’t remember where I was. The ceiling above me was wooden…exposed beams, warm-toned, faintly scented with pine. The air was cooler than Silvercrest, thinner somehow. And then I felt her.Gi
GINA They made me stop training two days before the test.Keal said it was discipline.Jordan said it was trust.I didn’t argue…though every instinct in me screamed that stopping was a mistake. For years, I had survived by pushing harder than everyone else, by doing more, enduring more, bleeding m
KEAL By the time the evening meeting convened that day, Harbor Pack finally felt… quieter.Not peaceful, not yet but no longer bleeding from the inside.The council chamber was filled when I arrived, elders seated in a wide arc, their expressions guarded but attentive. The air smelled of old wood,
KEAL The moment the car rolled into Silvercrest grounds two and half hours later, I knew.Not thought. Not suspected.Knew.My wolf surged hard against my chest, a violent, restless force that nearly stole my breath.Mate… mate… ours. Go to her now.I clenched my jaw as the car came to a stop. The







