PROLOGUE

 TWENTY YEARS EARLIER

There was a problem no one spoke about openly.An Alpha without an heir. In the werewolf world, that was more than a weakness—it was a crack in power. A silent invitation for others to question, to challenge, to take.

Mr. Vale was not just any man, He was the great Alpha,Strong, Feared, Respected. But even strength had limits, his limit lived quietly inside his home. His wife was human, he wanted something outside power. He cherished genuine love with her. Thinking love will be enough. He was wrong. Years passed, and no child came. They tried every second they had, but they couldn't get it.

Werewolves did not mix with humans that way. It was known. It was law in nature itself.vStill, he tried to ignore it, Until the whispers began.

“An Alpha without a successor…”

“How long before someone challenges him?”

“They say his bloodline ends with him…”

He heard them, Even when no one said it to his face, something inside him shifted. Love was no longer enough—He needed an heir.

“I’ll fix it,” was all he said.The forest wasn't welcoming, It never did. The deeper he walked, the heavier the air became, thick with something old… something that did not belong to wolves or men.But he didn’t turn back, Because desperation, especially in a man like him, is louder than fear.

She was waiting.Leaning against the trunk of a twisted tree, like she had always known he would come—The witch.Her eyes found him immediately, slow and knowing.

“An Alpha in my woods,” she said softly. “You must be very desperate.”

Mr. Vale didn’t react to the mockery.“I need a child.”

Her lips curved slightly. “You already have a wife.”

“She is human.”

She studied him for a moment, her gaze dragging over him like she was reading something beneath his skin.

“Ah…” she murmured. “So the great Alpha chose love… and now pays the price.”

His jaw tightened. “I’m not here for judgment.”

“No,” she said lightly. “You’re here for a solution.”

“You want an heir,” she continued. “Not just a child… but something worthy of your blood.”

“Yes.”

“And you don’t care how you get it?”

“I don’t.” he looked around. “Anything it takes.”

That was all she needed. She smiled darker and deeper.

“Then I’ll give you one,” she said.

His eyes narrowed slightly. “At what cost?”

She reached out, her fingers brushing lightly against his chest—right where his heartbeat

lived.

“Something of yours,” she whispered. “Something you won’t be able to take back.” “You

either do that , or forfeit your Alpha rank… and remain with me.”

The air shifted, byBut he didn’t step away.

“Do it.” he said with all the strength he had.He returned home before dawn, His wife was asleep.He stood there for a moment, watching

her, something unreadable settling in his chest. Then he turned away, Because what he had

done—Could not be undone.

The pregnancy came quickly.His wife was overjoyed, her happiness bright and unguarded,

filling the house with something it had lacked for years. She never questioned it, Never

doubted.

At night he kept on feeling strange , and new in a kind of way. His powers weren't reflective.

He returned to the forest once, just once.

The witch was there again, like she had been expecting him.

“Your wife carries well,” she said.

His gaze hardened. “What did you give me?”

She tilted her head slightly.

“What you asked for.”

“That’s not an answer.”

Her smile widened just a little. “You wanted an heir strong enough to hold your name,” she

said. “So I gave you something that doesn’t belong fully to your world… or hers.” “ The child

carries all the power you've got.”

His chest tightened slightly.“That child is mine.”

The witch’s eyes gleamed. “No,” she said softly. “That child is a promise.”

“You’ll understand one day,” she added.