LOGINJax stayed close, shadowing my every step, his presence a constant pressure I could feel through my skin and bones. He barely slept, and when he did, it was shallow, eyes twitching beneath closed lids, as if waiting for a threat to strike. Every sound made him tense, every movement of the pack drew a subtle growl from deep in his throat. I could feel his heat even when he tried to hide it, the pulse of his desire and his need to protect coiling around me.I brushed my hand over his arm one evening, leaning against him, letting my fingers trail over the tense muscles. “You don’t have to watch everything,” I whispered, voice low, almost a hum. His jaw clenched, and he shook his head, pressing closer, teeth grazing my ear lightly. “I will,” he said, voice rough. “Always. No one touches you. No one takes what’s mine.”Derek hovered nearby, watching us with a steady gaze, hands lightly resting on my hips when he moved closer. He let Jax’s intensity exist without breaking it, and I leaned i
Derek pulled me into the private chamber, closing the door behind us, and I could feel his tension radiating off him, every muscle coiled as if preparing for a storm. His hand slid down my back, pressing me flush against him, and his lips brushed my temple. “You’re changing,” he murmured, voice low and rough. “I feel it in every breath, every pulse, every thrum of life inside you.”I shivered, leaning into him instinctively, letting the warmth of his chest press into mine. Jax hovered near the doorway, eyes dark and restless, a constant reminder of the shared claim we all held. “I’m… different,” I admitted quietly, hand brushing along Derek’s chest, feeling the rapid beat of his heart. “The child… it’s stronger than I imagined.”Derek groaned softly, tilting my chin to look at me. His eyes glimmered with a mix of desire, fear, and awe. “I can’t lose you,” he whispered, teeth grazing my lips lightly. “I can’t lose either of you. Every moment, I feel it—the risk, the power, the stakes.
The moment the healer placed the final vial under the soft moonlight, the energy inside me reacted instantly, a sharp surge that made me gasp and press against Derek. He leaned close, lips brushing my temple as his hand slid over my waist, steadying me. Jax was behind me, chest against my back, his arms locking around mine like a shield, heat and scent mingling with mine, and the pulse inside me throbbed hard against both their touch.“I can’t lie,” the healer said, voice tight, eyes wide as they traced the glowing lines forming in the vial. “It’s… it’s alive, more than normal. There’s life, yes, but it’s layered… energy, Alpha, Omega… something else I can’t name yet.”My stomach clenched, heart racing. The life inside me responded instantly, coiling tight with instinct and curiosity, and I felt Derek stiffen, jaw tight. He pressed his mouth to my shoulder briefly, teeth grazing lightly, as if claiming both me and the life that stirred within. “It’s ours,” he murmured, low and possess
The healer’s hands were firm but gentle as they guided me onto the stone table, their eyes flicking toward Derek and Jax constantly. I didn’t flinch, though every instinct hummed inside me, alert, tense, and ready. Derek’s hand pressed against my thigh beneath the edge of the cloth, grounding me, and Jax hovered close enough to feel my warmth through his fingers. My body was alive with tension and anticipation, the pulse inside me echoing with every breath.When the first needle touched my skin, I flinched slightly, and Derek’s lips brushed my temple. “Breathe with me,” he murmured, his hand sliding over my hip to cup my stomach just lightly. Jax pressed his chest to my back, arms bracketing me so I couldn’t move away, and the closeness sent a shiver of both fear and longing through me. The pulse inside me reacted instantly, a tiny surge that made both men stiffen instinctively.The blood flowed into the vial, glowing faintly as if catching moonlight from nowhere. The healer’s eyes wi
I moved through the pack silently, keeping my thoughts tight and unreadable, though a low tension hummed through me. Every instinct told me something was shifting, something deeper than before. Derek stayed close, his hand brushing my hip now and then, grounding me even when I refused to admit the unease twisting in my chest. Jax shadowed me, silent, restless, his eyes scanning the periphery, always alert.The moment we entered the training grounds, my pulse jumped. Wolves paused mid-step, sensing the subtle energy radiating from me, bowing instinctively or averting their eyes. I pressed a hand to my stomach, feeling the faint stir again, and caught the shared glance between Derek and Jax. Their worry mirrored my own, though neither spoke it aloud.“You hiding something?” Derek murmured, his voice low against my ear as he brushed my hair aside. His fingers trailed along my jawline, a touch that made my skin burn. I shook my head, forcing a small smile. Jax’s hand slid over my shoulder
The morning light slipped through the windows, casting pale gold across the room, but I barely noticed. My body felt restless, as if something inside had started moving on its own. I pressed a hand to my stomach, feeling the faintest stir, a flutter that made my pulse spike. Derek and Jax were near, always near, their presence a tether to the strange energy that pulsed through me.“I feel it again,” I whispered, barely audible, though both of them turned immediately. Derek’s eyes darkened with concern, and Jax stepped closer, his hand brushing my arm with a light, grounding pressure. The hum inside me had started low, almost imperceptible, but now it rose, wrapping around my ribs and settling across my shoulders.Jax studied me silently, his lips pressed into a thin line, and I could feel the tension in him. “Your scent,” he said finally, voice low, “it’s changing.” My breath hitched as he traced the air around me with subtle movements, his wolf instincts reading what I could not yet
The decision to formalize our bond was not romantic.It was strategic.That did not make it less sacred.In Montenegro, the Mating Run is older than council law. Older than borders. It predates written records, passed down through oral memory and scar tissue. An Alpha does not simply claim a mate.
The estate had been restored with unsettling efficiency. Broken stone replaced. Blood scrubbed from the courtyard. The banners rehung as though they had never been torn down. From a distance, it looked untouched by war.Up close, the cracks were still there.They were just inside us now.I avoided
The morning after the Run, the forest felt different.Not quieter. Not louder. Simply claimed.Wolves understand what paper cannot record. They had seen us move in rhythm beneath the full moon. They had heard the three-part howl roll across the valley and echo back without fracture. That memory wo
They did not cross by accident.The eastern patrol reported movement just before dawn—three signatures cutting through river fog, disciplined spacing, no attempt to mask scent once they breached the shallows. That alone told me this was no test.It was a statement.By the time Derek, Jax, and I rea







