C5

"The Alpha rarely sleeps under this roof when the moon is high, it is Miss Frost’s birth-night, after all."

Mirelle lingered at the threshold of the Alpha’s Shadow Chamber, her voice carrying a sharp edge of pity that felt more like a serrated blade.

I didn't give her the satisfaction of seeing me flinch. "Then I suppose the house will be quiet. Thank you, Mirelle."

Technically, the ink on our bonding scrolls wasn't even dry. It was our first night as a mated pair, yet he was celebrating with the woman who had stolen my credit. I didn't care. In fact, his absence was a mercy. I watched Mirelle leave before turning to the room. It was a cavern of black stone and white silk, smelling faintly of cedar and expensive whiskey. It was cold, predatory, and far too large for one person.

I couldn't sleep. The silence of the Blackthorne Pack Estate felt like it was watching me. I pulled my phone out, the screen glowing like a beacon in the dark, and began scrolling through the Ironvale digital boards. I needed a way out that didn't involve begging Darius for scraps.

Wanted: Translator. Rare Dialect. Proficiency in Duskwild Expanse Tribal tongue.

I froze. Nobody studied the gutter-speak of the Expanse. It was a harsh, guttural language used by the scavengers and the forgotten. But I had lived it for eight years. I had breathed it. The pay was enough to cover a year’s worth of blood-supplements for my mother and a safe nest for the child I was carrying. I attached my resume and hit send, finally drifting into a shallow sleep.

A low growl or perhaps the heavy thud of a boot woke me. I didn't open my eyes, burying my face deeper into the pillow, which now smelled heavily of rain and aged bourbon.

Kaelen had come home. I heard the rustle of a silk tie hitting the floor and the sound of water running in the Obsidian Den. He moved with a heavy, deliberate pace, his scent thick with the metallic tang of expensive wine. He didn't turn on the lights. Why would he? He was an Alpha; the dark was his territory.

I felt the mattress sink. A massive, radiating heat moved closer. In his drunken stupor, he didn't even seem to realize I was there. He rolled onto his side, and before I could shift away, a heavy arm draped over my waist, pulling me back against his chest. I went rigid, but his breathing soon leveled into a deep, rhythmic hum that vibrated against my spine. I was trapped in the arms of the man I was supposed to be hiding from.

"Why are you staring at me like I'm a monster in a cage?"

I woke up to the sun streaming through the Silverclaw Wing windows, and the first thing I saw was Kaelen’s face inches from mine. His eyes were no longer hazy with drink; they were sharp, amber, and fixed on me with a terrifying intensity.

I scrambled backward, clutching the silk sheets to my chest. "Wh-why are you here? You were supposed to be with Elowen!"

Kaelen sat up, the movement fluid and powerful. He didn't look like a man who needed a wheelchair. He looked like a god made of muscle and malice. "This is my chamber, Lyra. My bed. I go where I please."

"Coral said"

"Coral talks too much," he interrupted, his voice a low rasp. He began unbuttoning his shirt, the scent of stale alcohol clinging to him. "Is my presence on my own wedding night really such a shock? Or were you hoping for the bed all to yourself?"

I didn't answer. I couldn't. My skin was still buzzing from where his arm had been. I watched him stand, his tanned chest gleaming in the morning light, and I felt a surge of something I couldn't name disgust mixed with a terrifying attraction.

"I'm leaving," I snapped, tripping over my own feet as I rushed for the door.

"Running so soon, little wolf?" he called out, a dark, playful smirk tugging at his lips. "The shower is just getting warm."

I sat in the Ember Hall, my heart still racing as Mirelle bustled in the kitchen.

"Did the Alpha rest well?" she asked, her eyes twinkling with a knowing glint that made me want to scream.

"I wouldn't know," I lied, staring at my tea. "I slept fine."

"The Alpha hasn't come home for a sunrise in months," she hummed. "You must have quite the pull, Lyra. Go on, get dressed. Breakfast will be cold if you dawdle."

I realized I was still in my thin pajamas. I headed back to the Shadow Chamber, knocking softly. No answer. I pushed the door open, expecting to find the room empty, but the air inside was thick with a sudden, icy tension.

Kaelen was sitting on the edge of the bed. He wasn't in his bathrobe anymore. He was fully dressed, and in his hand, he held a crumpled piece of thermal paper. My bag the one with the sunflower printlay overturned on the floor, its contents spilled across the black rug.

"What is this?" he asked, his voice deathly quiet.

My blood turned to ice. It was the ultrasound from the Moonshadow Infirmary. Six weeks.

I lunged forward, snatching the paper from his grip. "How dare you! Have you ever heard of privacy? Who gave you the right to dig through my things like a common thief?"

Kaelen stood up, his height looming over me, his shadow swallowing me whole. "You walked into my house as a virgin bride, Lyra. That was the contract. So tell me... whose brat are you carrying in my mate-den?"