Chapter two

Kael’s POV

The taste of Liora’s lips should have filled me, but it didn’t. Instead, it left a hollow ache, like every encounter with her had for the past twelve months. I stood in my office, staring down at the pack grounds where my wolves moved with precision and purpose, completely oblivious to the storm raging inside their Alpha.

“She looks fractured,” my wolf Asher growled in my mind, every word dripping with judgment. Our mate looks shattered, and you’re letting it happen.

I clenched my teeth, hands tightening into fists at my sides. “She’s not broken. She’s exactly where she should be.”

Liar. The word slammed through my consciousness, condemning me.

You watched her cry. You smelled her suffering. And you walked away.

“Enough.” I said it aloud, my voice sharp with the Alpha command that could enforce obedience in any wolf. But it didn’t stop Asher, who shared my soul and knew my weaknesses better than anyone.

You’re killing her. Piece by piece. Just like you destroyed

“I said enough!” I pounded my fist against the reinforced glass of my office window. The crack formed instantly under the force, and for a moment, my mind quieted. A brief calm, as always.

A soft knock drew me back. “Enter.”

Beta Rylan Kane stepped in, expression carefully neutral as he took in the shattered window and the tension radiating from me. At twenty-eight, three years younger than I, he had been my steady presence since adolescence. His dark hair was perfectly groomed, green eyes sharp and perceptive.

“The Crescent Moon delegates have arrived,” he reported in his composed, professional tone. “They’re being escorted to the guest quarters.”

“Good. And the council meeting?”

“Everything is ready. The Luna…” He paused, measured. “She’s in position.”

I recognized that careful hesitation. Rylan had been my Beta for five years, and he had never agreed with my treatment of Selene. Too diplomatic to say it outright, but his disapproval radiated like heat from a forge.

“Speak plainly,” I commanded.

His jaw tightened slightly. “She appears unwell, Alpha. Perhaps she should rest rather than attend the meeting.”

The concern in his voice ignited something dangerous in my chest. “Are you questioning me, Beta?”

“Never,” he said instantly. “I only observe that our Luna is under severe stress.”

Because of you, Asher snarled. Because you’re wearing her down, slowly.

I turned from the window and moved to my desk, where files demanded attention. Anything to avoid Rylan’s probing gaze. “Dr. Caldwell examined her this morning. Any concern would have been reported.”

“Understood, Alpha.”

But I could sense the judgment lurking beneath his words, the same tone he had used three years ago when he tried to warn me that marrying a human Selene was dangerous, would only lead to suffering.

He had been wrong. This wasn’t heartbreak it was necessary.

Every choice I made was necessary.

The memory struck like a punch. Elena’s laugh, bright and carefree, echoing through the forest as she ran ahead of me on four legs. Her wolf had been magnificent silver coat, amber eyes shimmering with mischief and love. My first mate, my true mate, chosen by fate itself.

And she was gone because of me.

It wasn’t your fault, Asher whispered softly, grief laced with sorrow.

You couldn’t have known

“Leave,” I snapped at Rylan, voice rough with barely restrained emotion.

“Alpha?”

“Now. Leave.”

He complied without question, but I could feel his concern lingering in the air. Good. Let him ponder. Let him wonder. Easier than admitting the truth that I was a monster by choice, not by circumstance.

I opened my desk drawer and retrieved a small silver locket, hidden beneath my paperwork. Inside, a photo of Elena, taken just weeks before her death. She had been radiant, glowing with the secret she had intended to share with me.

Our child. The baby I’d never hold.

The memory replayed like a nightmare. Elena had been visiting her sister’s pack a routine trip that should have been safe. But the Bloodmoon Pack had been hunting that night. They caught her scent. Human-turned-werewolf, easy prey in their eyes.

They tortured her for our secrets our numbers, our defenses, our weaknesses. When she refused to break, they murdered her slowly, ensuring suffering. The baby our baby torn from her womb and discarded.

I had found her body three days later. Barely recognizable. But her scent, her presence, the remnants of our bond I knew.

The Bloodmoon Pack had paid. Every single one hunted down, no mercy, no hesitation, no remorse.

But revenge didn’t bring her back. It didn’t fill the void in my chest, or silence the voice blaming me. If I had been faster, stronger, more ruthless she’d still be alive.

So you punish Selene for Elena’s death? Asher’s voice softened with grief. Cruelty won’t protect her.

“It keeps her alive,” I whispered, locking the locket away. “If she fears me, if she stays close, if she never ventures alone ”

She’s still dying, Asher reminded me. Slowly, quietly.

I knew he was right. Selene had changed over three years, the vibrant girl from the village slowly hollowed out. But a hollow shell still breathed. Still safe within my territory, where I could protect her.

Even if I was the one breaking her.

The intercom buzzed. “Alpha, the council meeting is ready.”

“I’ll attend shortly.”

I straightened my tie, smoothed my hair, and donned the mask of cold authority that had become instinctive. The pack would see strength. Decisiveness. Untouchability. They would never know about the locket, or Asher, or the torment gnawing at me nightly.

The great hall hushed as I entered. Wolves rose instantly. At the front, Selene sat in the Luna’s chair, posture immaculate, expression serene. The makeup was flawless shadows barely visible, skin glowing artificially.

Our eyes met. For a moment, I saw something new. Not fear, not submission, but steel. Determination.

She’s planning something, Asher noted.

Before I could consider the thought, the Crescent Moon delegates entered. Alpha Marcus Thorne silver-haired, distinguished, commanding respect without raising his voice stepped forward. His Luna, Catherine, elegant, hair swept into an elaborate updo, followed.

“Alpha Ashborne,” Marcus said, firm handshake. “Thank you for hosting us.”

“The pleasure is mine,” I replied, voice carrying authority. “Please, be seated.”

The meeting proceeded smoothly trade, territory disputes, defense pacts. Mundane pack politics requiring my presence but not my passion. I participated mechanically. My mind wandered.

Selene stayed silent, as protocol dictated. But I found myself studying her, noting her poise, her neutrality. Perfect. Too perfect.

Something’s wrong, Asher whispered.

Dr. Caldwell intercepted me during a break, expression professional, eyes tense.

“Alpha, may we speak privately?”

We stepped aside. “What is it?”

“It’s about Selene’s exam this morning,” she began carefully. “There are… developments you should know.”

My blood ran cold. “She’s sick?”

“No, Alpha. She’s pregnant.”

The words struck me like a physical blow. Selene carried my child our child. The one I’d feared lost.

Our pup, Asher breathed, wonder and protectiveness laced in his tone.

“How far along?” I managed.

“Eight weeks. Baby appears healthy, but Alpha… stress threatens her. Her body struggles to maintain the pregnancy amid the emotional trauma she endures.”

Emotional trauma. The clinical phrasing of what I’d inflicted in the name of protection.

“What does she need?” I asked, voice harsher than intended.

“Rest. Proper care. And…” Dr. Caldwell hesitated. “Security. She must feel safe, Alpha. Constant stress endangers both her and the baby.”

Safe. The one thing I had failed to give.

“Has she been told?”

“Yes, Alpha. This morning.”

She had concealed it from me, hidden the news after the meeting prep.

Because she’s afraid, Asher warned. Afraid you’ll use the child as a chain.

Would I? The thought should have horrified me. Instead, satisfaction surged. A child would bind her, give me reason to keep her close, safe. Something of Elena I never had family.

Returning to the meeting, every glance at Selene reminded me: not just my broken Luna, but the mother of my child. Thrilling. Terrifying.

After proceedings ended, as Crescent Moon delegates withdrew, I caught her arm.

“My office. Now.”

She nodded, fear flashing briefly. Good. Fear would keep her cautious.

Inside, she stood like a captive, hands folded, gaze fixed low.

“Dr. Caldwell told me your condition,” I said, observing her closely.

Selene stiffened. “Yes, Alpha.”

“You said nothing this morning.”

“I… was processing.” Liar, Asher growled. She planned. “Look at me, Selene.”

Her eyes lifted. Fear, yes, but also protection a fierce maternal instinct awakening.

“This child will be my heir,” I said. “The future of the Shadowmoon Pack.”

“I understand, Alpha.”

“Do you?” I moved closer. “You carry the pack’s most important life. Your safety, health, every action matters to us all.”

Her jaw tightened faintly. “I understand.”

“You’ll stay in the room adjoining mine. Guards at all times. You’ll ”

“No.”

Quiet, yet like a storm. Selene had never directly defied me in three years.

“Excuse me?”

“I said no. I won’t be your prisoner, Kael. Not anymore.” Defiance. Fire. The spark I loved, feared, had returned.

Don’t destroy it again, Asher warned.

“You will obey,” I said, voice commanding. “You’re my Luna, carrying my child. You will be protected, willing or not.”

“And if I refuse?”

The tension was thick. I could enforce submission, yet I paused.

She wasn’t just defying me. She was ready to fight.

Let her, Asher whispered. Let her be strong.

But I couldn’t risk losing another mate, another child.

“Then you’ll learn captivity, Selene. Test me, see how far you’ll push the father of your child.”

She recognized the threat, yet smiled a bitter, icy smile I’d never seen.

“Very well, Alpha. Remember cages work both ways. You may trap me, but you’ll guard yourself too.”

She left, leaving her scent, her defiance, and the uneasy awareness that everything had shifted.

She will try to escape tonight, Asher murmured.

I should have raged, doubled the guards, locked her in. Instead, anticipation stirred.

Let her try. I would catch her. And when I did, she would understand exactly what she meant to me.

Some cages aren’t built from cruelty they’re built from love too dangerous to release.