Chapter 11

Kael Voss

The scout’s words hung in the air like poison. Draven had messed with Elias’s heat on purpose. A serum. Some twisted plan to make sure whoever bought him would bond fast. My blood boiled so hot I could barely think straight.

I turned away from the unconscious scout on the floor and looked at Elias. He stood there frozen, one hand on his stomach with his face pale . The bond between us was screaming with his shock and confusion. It hit me hard, like a punch to the gut.

“Get him out of here,” I told Riven. My voice came out rough. “Lock him up. I’ll deal with him later.”

Riven nodded and dragged the guy away without a word. Smart. He knew when to stay quiet.

I stepped closer to Elias and put my hands on his shoulders. He was shaking a little. “Hey. Look at me.”

He lifted his eyes. Those storm-gray ones looked lost. “He planned it, Kael. My heat… us. Was any of it real?”

I pulled him against my chest before he could say more. His body fits there too well now. “It’s real,” I said. “The bond is real. The pup is real. Whatever Draven did, he doesn’t get to take this from us.”

Elias stayed quiet for a minute, face pressed into my shirt. I could feel him breathing fast. “But what if the serum made me… want you more than I should? What if none of this was my choice?”

The question stung. I hated that Draven could put that doubt in his head. I rubbed his back, slow and steady. “I don’t care how it started. You’re here now. Carrying my kid. Marked by me. And you bit me back, remember? That part wasn’t any serum. That was you.”

He let out a shaky breath. His fingers grabbed my shirt tighter. “I’m scared. For the baby. For us. Draven sounds like he’s been watching me for years.”

“I know.” I held him a little harder. “But he’s not getting you. Not the pup. Not anything. I’ve fought worse than him. We’ll fight him together.”

I walked him back to my wing, keeping one arm around him the whole way. The nest he made earlier was still there on the bed. He climbed in without me saying anything, curling up small. I took off my boots and got in beside him, pulling him close again.

The bond felt raw. I could sense his worry mixing with mine. This pregnancy was supposed to fix things for the pack. Now it was bringing more danger. But looking at Elias, tired and scared but still here, something in me shifted. I didn’t just want the heir anymore. I wanted him safe. I wanted him to stay because he wanted to.

“You should sleep,” I said quietly. “The doctor said rest is important now.”

He nodded but didn’t close his eyes right away. “You’ll stay?”

“Yeah. I’m not going anywhere.”

He finally relaxed against me. His breathing got slower. I stayed awake, staring at the ceiling, one hand resting on his stomach. The pup was in there. My child. Draven thought he could claim it? Over my dead body.

Morning came too fast. A knock on the door woke me. Seraphina’s voice came through. “Kael. We have a problem at the east border. More of Draven’s people. They’re not scouts this time. Looks like a bigger group.”

I cursed under my breath and carefully got up without waking Elias. He stirred anyway, eyes opening. “What’s happening?”

“Border trouble. Stay here. Eat something. I’ll be back soon.”

I kissed his forehead quickly, then headed out. Seraphina was waiting in the hall, arms crossed. “This is getting serious fast. Draven’s pushing because of the pregnancy news.”

“I know,” I said. “We hit back hard. Send a message he won’t forget.”

We headed out to deal with it. The fight at the border was messy but short. My men knew what they were doing. We pushed Draven’s group back, but one of them shouted something before running off.

“Draven says the Omega’s first heat was just the beginning. The real game starts now.”

The words stuck with me the whole ride back. When I got to the wing, Elias was up and pacing in the nest area. He looked anxious.

“Kael,” he said as soon as I walked in. “I felt the fighting through the bond again. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” I pulled him into a hug. But my mind wouldn’t settle. Draven was playing a long game, and now my mate and child were right in the middle of it.

Elias pulled back a little and looked up at me. “I want to help. I don’t want to just hide here.”

His words surprised me. But before I could answer, Riven came rushing in again, out of breath.

“Boss. We just got another message. This one’s from inside the pack. Someone leaked the pregnancy details to Draven’s people. We have a traitor.”

The room went dead quiet. Elias’s hand tightened on my arm. I felt his fear spike through the bond.

A traitor. In my own house.

Someone close had sold us out