Chapter 1: I Need a Child from You

Iris Ashborne POV

On the seventh day of our marriage, my husband, Rowan Blackthorn, disappeared.

Tonight, one month later, I wore the formal gown of Blackthorn’s Luna as I made my way to his uncle Cassian Blackthorn’s room.

I needed a child.

A child with Cassian.

I lifted the hem of my dress beneath my cloak and followed the attendant through the corridor along the west side of the main house.

A few hours ago, the Council had sent formal notice of a pregnancy verification.

In three days, they would verify whether I was pregnant.

I wasn’t.

If the Council confirmed I had lied, they would strip me of my Luna title. Blackthorn could pull its military protection from my family, Ashborne, as well.

With Rowan missing, our marriage was already barely holding together.

Without an heir, we could lose what was left of it for good.

And I already knew what that kind of loss could mean.

A few days ago, word had come that Rowan might have been seen near our territory.

Father had taken nearly every fighter Ashborne could spare and gone looking for him.

Instead, his party was attacked near the eastern boundary.

By the time the news reached me, Ashborne had no one close enough to get him out.

Blackthorn did.

Our marriage agreement put Blackthorn soldiers near Ashborne’s mines and trade routes. We didn’t have enough fighters to defend them alone. In return, Blackthorn got our iron.

And now the men who could save my father were right in front of me.

I ordered their commander to send them.

I was Rowan’s wife and Blackthorn’s Luna, but neither title gave me the authority to move those soldiers.

The commander refused, saying he had no order from Rowan’s uncle, Cassian Blackthorn.

Every minute I stood there was another minute Father remained beyond their reach.

So I reached for the only thing I had left.

“What if I’m carrying Blackthorn’s next Alpha?”

The commander looked at me differently.

“Are you pregnant, Luna?”

My period had come a few days earlier.

But my father was dying.

“Yes.”

Twelve Blackthorn soldiers went after him.

They brought my father home alive.

The officer who returned with them stopped before me.

“If this pregnancy proves false, Luna, then you used false information to mobilize Blackthorn’s military.”

His voice remained formal.

“That will be reported to Lord Cassian and the Council. You will have to answer for it.”

I looked past him at my father.

He was injured, but alive.

At that moment, I finally understood how much this child could mean.

A child who did not even exist had already been enough to make Blackthorn’s commander listen to me.

If that child were real, his existence would mean more than simply bringing one new life into the world.

He could keep Blackthorn’s protection over Ashborne intact.

And he could save countless others.

Not long after I returned to Blackthorn, the Council’s pregnancy-verification notice arrived in my hands.

They would verify more than the pregnancy. They would also verify whether the child carried Blackthorn blood.

There was no time for me to be afraid.

The child had to exist. And he had to carry Blackthorn blood.

Rowan’s uncle, Cassian, was the only choice I could think of.

Everyone in Blackthorn knew that Rowan held the title of Alpha, but Cassian was the man people actually listened to. When it came to power, Cassian stood above everyone else.

There were even rumors that Cassian should have been Alpha in the first place, only to be forced to step aside for Rowan.

If that was true, maybe it worked in my favor.

A child of his blood might be exactly what he wanted.

If I was going to have this child, I wanted his father to be someone strong enough to protect him.

No one was more suitable.

And no one would be harder to convince.

But I had to try.

Soon, the dark wooden door at the far end came into view.

Rowan’s face suddenly rose in my mind.

My steps slowed.

Over the past month, I had imagined him coming back injured, battered enough that no one would take him for an Alpha, maybe unable to walk without help.

None of it mattered.

As long as he made it back.

He had never been much of an attentive husband.

There was no love between Rowan and me.

But I had never wished him dead.

Not once.

Maybe even now, he was trapped somewhere in the north, still waiting for Blackthorn to find him.

And his wife was standing outside his uncle’s door.

What if he came back tomorrow?

“Luna?”

The attendant’s quiet voice pulled me back.

I looked at the door.

If I turned around now, I could still walk away before anything happened.

But the verification would still be waiting for me in three days.

I stepped forward.

“Open it.”

The attendant knocked twice.

Cassian’s voice came almost immediately from inside.

“Come in.”

The door opened.

Cassian sat behind the desk by the window, his head lowered over the document in his hand. His dark brows were drawn slightly as he read, his expression calm.

Then he looked up.

Several documents lay spread before him, with a map partly buried beneath them, only one corner visible.

He did not stand.

The moment his eyes met mine, my wolf went still.

She always did this around Cassian.

Her restlessness vanished, and she lowered her head.

Even with Rowan, she had never reacted that way.

The attendant withdrew.

The door closed behind me.

Cassian kept his eyes on the document in his hands.

“If this is about Rowan, I’ve already sent someone I trust to find him.”

He turned a page.

“You can go back.”

Before coming here, I had rehearsed what I wanted to say again and again.

But standing in front of Cassian now, the words were suddenly much harder to get out.

“That’s not why I’m here.”

The page stilled between his fingers.

He looked up.

“Then why are you here?”

I walked to the desk.

“The Council sent the verification notice.”

His expression did not change.

“I’m not pregnant.”

His attention settled fully on me for the first time.

“Then why did you tell them you were?”

“Because I had to.”

“That isn’t an answer.”

I did not explain.

He did not press me.

After a moment, he set the document down.

“What do you need?”

Of everything I had come here to say tonight, this was the easiest part.

“Delay the verification.”

Cassian did not answer right away.

“You think because I arranged this marriage, I’m responsible for keeping it alive?”

I didn’t look away.

“You didn’t just arrange it.”

Cassian said nothing.

“When the other Packs came for Ashborne’s mines, you were the one who drove them out.”

“Blackthorn wanted our iron. My father wanted more than one rescue.”

“So he offered a marriage.”

“He put his favorite daughter’s marriage on the table.”

He kept his eyes on me.

“And I accepted.”

“Yes.”

I paused.

“Because he wanted Blackthorn tied to Ashborne long after that war ended.”

Cassian’s fingertips pressed lightly against the desk.

“If Rowan comes back, the alliance remains.”

“If there is a child of his blood, the bond between our Packs remains.”

I looked at him.

“Right now, I have neither.”

Cassian was quiet for a moment.

“Suppose I delay the verification.”

He leaned back in his chair.

“Then what?”

“Will that make you pregnant?”

I did not answer.

The corner of Cassian’s mouth curved with something cold.

“Or do you expect me to find you someone else’s child next?”

“No.”

This time, my answer came quickly.

“I won’t ask Blackthorn to raise another man’s child as Blackthorn’s heir.”

For several seconds, he simply watched me.

“At least you understand that.”

“I do.”

The room fell quiet again.

I looked at him.

“That’s why the child has to be yours.”

Cassian did not move.

I did not give myself a chance to take it back.

“I need a child from you.”

Cassian said nothing.

His scent grew heavier.

My wolf lowered her head even farther.

Only then did I realize the blue fabric of my dress was crumpled in my fist.

His eyes remained on me, measuring.

“Have you lost your mind?”

“No.”

My answer came without hesitation.

“Not happening.”

He picked up the document on the desk again.

“Go back to your room, Iris.”