Chapter 2: The Discovery

The Colorado forest was silent except for the crunch of snow beneath Alpha Asher’s boots and the pounding of his own heart.

He shouldn’t have followed her. Pack law was clear. When an Alpha rejected his mate, he was supposed to walk away and never look back. The mate bond would fade in a matter of weeks, and both wolves would move on.

But Alpha Asher couldn’t walk away. Couldn’t let go. Couldn’t forget the way Luna’s gray eyes had filled with pain when he’d spoken the rejection words in front of the entire pack.

It was killing him.

The scent hit him before he saw her. Pine. Snow. And underneath it all, something sweet. Something feminine. Something that made his wolf sit up and pay attention.

Luna.

Alpha Asher stopped behind the massive pine tree, his broad shoulders tense, his jaw clenched so tight it hurt. There she was. Curled up against the tree trunk like a broken doll, the fur cloak he’d draped around her shoulders pulled tight around her small frame. Her cheeks were pale, her lips were chapped, and her breathing was shallow.

She was freezing to death.

Alpha Asher’s wolf howled in protest. Mine. Protect. Claim.

He clenched his fists to stop himself from reaching out to her. He’d already rejected her. He couldn’t take it back. The pack would see it as weakness. The other four Alphas under his rule would smell it and think he was soft. They would challenge him. They would destroy everything he’d built over the past ten years.

Luna stirred and her eyes fluttered open. When she saw him standing there, she immediately pulled the cloak tighter around her and scooted away from him, pressing herself harder against the rough bark of the tree.

“Don’t,” she whispered, her voice hoarse from crying and the cold. “Don’t come any closer, Alpha.”

Alpha Asher’s eyes narrowed. The red glow that had been threatening to surface since he’d rejected her flared brighter. “You’re going to die out here, Luna.”

“Better to die than to go back and face the pack’s mockery tomorrow,” Luna replied, lifting her chin in defiance despite her trembling body. “Better to die than to see the pity in their eyes.”

Alpha Asher took one step forward. Luna took one step back, wincing as her back hit the tree trunk again. She had nowhere else to go.

“Stubborn little omega,” Alpha Asher growled, and he didn’t know if it was anger or admiration he felt. Maybe both. “You think I want you to die?”

“I think you made it clear I mean nothing to you,” Luna shot back, and there was a fire in her eyes now that hadn’t been there before. “I think you made it clear I’m not worthy of being your mate.”

Alpha Asher’s jaw clenched. She was right. He had said those words. He had rejected her in front of two hundred pack members. There was no taking it back.

But the mate bond didn’t care about his pride. The mate bond didn’t care about pack politics. The mate bond was screaming at him that this woman was his. That she belonged to him. That she was carrying a piece of him inside her body.

Wait.

Alpha Asher stopped. His eyes narrowed as he looked at Luna more carefully. She was sitting in a way that was protecting her stomach. Her hands were resting there protectively. And there was a scent… a scent that hadn’t been there before.

A scent of life.

A scent of something small and innocent and completely his.

Alpha Asher’s heart stopped.

“No,” he said quietly, the word barely audible over the wind. “It can’t be.”

Luna’s eyes widened. She immediately pulled the cloak tighter around her stomach, as if she could hide what she was trying to protect. “Don’t,” she said, her voice trembling. “Don’t even think it, Alpha.”

Alpha Asher took another step forward. “Luna…”

“Don’t say my name like that!” Luna snapped, tears welling up in her eyes again. “You don’t get to say my name like that after what you did to me! You don’t get to act like you care now!”

Alpha Asher ignored her protest and crouched down in front of her, bringing himself to her eye level. His gray eyes locked with hers, intense and penetrating. “Are you pregnant, Luna?”

The question hung in the air between them like a thundercloud.

Luna’s breath caught in her throat. Her face went pale. She opened her mouth, then closed it again. She couldn’t lie to him. Wolves could smell lies. And Alpha Asher was the strongest Alpha in Colorado. He would know the truth instantly.

So she didn’t answer. She just stared at him, defiance and fear warring in her gray eyes.

Alpha Asher’s hands trembled as he reached out and gently pulled the cloak away from her stomach. Luna gasped and tried to stop him, but she was too weak from the cold.

The black dress she wore was tight across her midsection. And there, just barely visible, was a small rounded curve that hadn’t been there a month ago.

Alpha Asher’s wolf went wild inside him. Mine. Our pup. Protect at all costs.

The red glow in his eyes was now impossible to hide. His canines elongated. His nails sharpened into claws. The air around him grew colder as his wolf pushed closer to the surface.

“You’re pregnant,” Alpha Asher said, his voice low and dangerous and filled with an emotion Luna couldn’t name. “You’re carrying my child.”

Luna closed her eyes and tears finally spilled down her cheeks. “I was going to leave,” she whispered. “I was going to run far away where you’d never find me. I was going to raise this baby alone.”

Alpha Asher’s hands clenched into fists, the snow crunching beneath them. “You think I would let you take my child away from me?” he growled, his voice dropping to a dangerous octave. “You think I would let my pup grow up without a father? Without a pack? Without a name?”

Luna opened her eyes and looked at him, and for the first time, Alpha Asher saw something other than fear or pain in her gaze. He saw anger. He saw hurt. He saw a fierce protectiveness that reminded him of a lioness guarding her cub.

“You rejected me, Alpha,” Luna said quietly, but there was steel in her voice now. “You rejected me in front of the entire pack. You called me worthless. You called me a mistake. Why would I want my child to grow up with a father like that?”

Alpha Asher’s jaw clenched so hard he thought his teeth might shatter. She was right. He had no defense. No excuse.

But that didn’t change the fact that this child was his. His blood. His heir. His responsibility.

“I made a mistake,” Alpha Asher said, the words feeling like ash in his mouth. “I made a mistake when I rejected you. The Moon Goddess doesn’t make mistakes, Luna. The mate bond is real. You are my mate. This child is my child.”

Luna laughed, but there was no humor in it. Only bitterness. “The Moon Goddess made a mistake when she paired me with you,” she said, and the words cut deeper than any knife could. “The Moon Goddess made a mistake when she made me wolfless.”

Alpha Asher’s eyes flashed red. “Don’t you dare say that about yourself, Luna.”

“Why not?” Luna snapped, and now the tears were flowing freely down her face. “It’s the truth! I’m wolfless! I’m weak! I’m nothing! And you made sure everyone in the pack knows it!”

Alpha Asher reached out and grabbed Luna’s chin gently but firmly, forcing her to look at him. “Listen to me, Luna Monroe,” he said, his voice low and intense and commanding. “You are not nothing. You are not weak. You are my mate. You are carrying my child. And I will not let anyone hurt you ever again. Do you understand me?”

Luna stared at him, her gray eyes searching his face for any sign of deception. But all she saw was sincerity. All she saw was a man who was fighting against everything he believed in because of the bond between them.

“I don’t believe you,” Luna whispered. “I can’t believe you. Not after what you did.”

Alpha Asher’s expression softened slightly. “I know,” he said quietly. “I know I don’t deserve your trust right now. I know I hurt you. But Luna… the pain I felt when I rejected you… it was worse than anything I’ve ever felt in my life. It felt like my soul was being ripped in half.”

Luna’s breath hitched. “That’s the mate bond,” she said quietly. “It hurts both ways.”

Alpha Asher nodded. “Yes. But I thought I could ignore it. I thought I could put the pack first. I thought I could protect you by rejecting you.”

“Protect me?” Luna repeated, and there was disbelief in her voice. “By humiliating me in front of everyone? By making me an outcast?”

Alpha Asher closed his eyes for a moment, pain flashing across his face. “The other Alphas would have seen it as weakness if I claimed a wolfless omega,” he said quietly. “They would have challenged me. They would have tried to take over my packs. I was trying to protect you from that, Luna. I was trying to protect you from war.”

Luna stared at him, stunned. “You rejected me to protect me?”

Alpha Asher opened his eyes and looked at her. “I thought if I rejected you publicly, the other Alphas would see that I didn’t care about you. That you meant nothing to me. That you were safe because you were beneath my notice.”

Luna’s eyes filled with tears again, but this time they weren’t tears of pain. They were tears of understanding. “And instead you made me a target,” she whispered. “Instead you made everyone think it’s okay to hurt me.”

Alpha Asher’s jaw clenched. “I know,” he said quietly. “I know what I did was wrong. I know I hurt you. And I’m sorry, Luna. I’m so sorry.”

The words hung in the air between them.

Luna didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know how to respond. After five years of being treated like trash, after five years of being called worthless, after five years of being rejected by the one person she’d hoped would love her… she didn’t know how to accept an apology.

She didn’t know how to trust him again.

But she couldn’t deny the way her heart was beating faster at his words. She couldn’t deny the way the shattered mate bond was slowly, painfully, starting to mend.

She couldn’t deny the way her body was responding to him despite everything.

Alpha Asher seemed to sense her internal struggle. He released her chin and stood up, putting a respectful distance between them. “I’m not asking you to forgive me right now, Luna,” he said quietly. “I’m not asking you to trust me right now. I know I have to earn that back.”

Luna looked up at him, confusion evident in her eyes. “Then why are you here, Alpha?” she asked quietly. “Why did you follow me into the forest?”

Alpha Asher looked down at her, his gray eyes intense and serious. “Because you’re pregnant with my child,” he said simply. “And because I will not let my mate and my pup freeze to death in the forest while I sit safely in the packhouse.”

Luna’s breath caught in her throat. Mate. He’d said mate. Not rejected mate. Not former mate. Just mate. Like he still considered her his.

“Get up, Luna,” Alpha Asher said, holding out his hand to her. “We need to get you back to the packhouse before you freeze to death.”

Luna looked at his outstretched hand, then looked up at his face. “And what happens when we get back?” she asked quietly. “Do you reject me again in front of everyone? Do you tell them I’m carrying your child and claim me as your mate? Or do you pretend this never happened?”

Alpha Asher’s jaw clenched. He didn’t have an answer for her. Because he didn’t know what he was going to do yet. He didn’t know how to handle this situation without putting Luna and the baby in danger.

“I don’t know yet,” Alpha Asher admitted honestly. “But I do know that I won’t let you stay out here in the cold. I won’t let you risk your life or the life of my child.”

Luna stared at his hand for a long moment. Then, slowly, hesitantly, she reached out and placed her small cold hand in his larger warm one.

Alpha Asher’s eyes flashed with relief and something else. Something possessive. Something protective. Something primal.

He pulled her to her feet gently, careful not to hurt her or the baby. Luna swayed slightly, dizzy from the cold and from standing up too quickly. Alpha Asher immediately steadied her with his other hand, his arm wrapping around her waist in a protective embrace.

Luna should have pulled away. Should have pushed him off. Should have reminded him that he’d rejected her.

Instead, she leaned into his warmth. Instead, she let him hold her. Instead, she closed her eyes and let herself feel safe for the first time in five years.

Alpha Asher’s nostrils flared as he smelled her scent mixed with the scent of their child. His wolf howled in satisfaction. Mine. Ours. Protected.

“We’re going home, Luna,” Alpha Asher said quietly, his voice rough with emotion. “And this time, I’m not letting you go.”

Luna didn’t answer. She just nodded against his chest, too tired and too cold to argue anymore.

Alpha Asher wrapped the fur cloak tighter around her shoulders and then picked her up in his arms, carrying her bridal style against his chest. Luna gasped in surprise but didn’t protest. She was too weak to walk anyway, and part of her didn’t want to.

Part of her wanted to stay in his arms forever.

Alpha Asher started walking back toward the packhouse, his steps sure and steady despite the snow. Luna buried her face against his chest, inhaling his scent. Pine and snow and something uniquely masculine that made her feel safe.

Made her feel wanted.

Made her feel like she belonged somewhere.

The walk back to the packhouse was silent except for the crunch of snow beneath Alpha Asher’s boots and Luna’s quiet breathing. Neither of them spoke. There was too much that needed to be said, and neither of them knew where to start.

When they reached the packhouse, Alpha Asher carried Luna straight to his private quarters on the third floor. He kicked the door open with his foot and carried her inside, closing the door behind them with a soft thud.

The room was warm and luxurious, with a massive stone fireplace burning brightly in the corner. The heat hit Luna like a wave, and she shivered as her frozen body began to thaw.

Alpha Asher carried her to the large four-poster bed and gently laid her down on the soft mattress. He pulled the thick fur blankets over her body, tucking them around her carefully.

Luna lay there, staring up at him with wide gray eyes. She looked small and fragile and vulnerable lying there in his massive bed, and Alpha Asher’s protective instincts went into overdrive.

“I’m going to call the pack doctor,” Alpha Asher said quietly, his voice rough with emotion. “I need to make sure you and the baby are okay.”

Luna nodded silently. She was too exhausted to argue.

Alpha Asher turned and walked toward the door, but he stopped and looked back at Luna one more time. “Luna,” he said quietly. “I meant what I said. I’m not letting you go this time. Not you. Not our child.”

Luna’s heart clenched at his words. “And what if I don’t want to stay, Alpha?” she asked quietly, testing him.

Alpha Asher’s eyes flashed red again, his wolf surfacing. “Then you’ll have to fight me, Luna,” he said quietly, but there was no humor in his voice. “Because I will not let you walk out of this door alone. Not while you’re carrying my child.”

Luna stared at him, stunned by the possessiveness in his voice. “You can’t keep me here against my will, Alpha,” she said quietly, though there was no real threat in her voice.

Alpha Asher’s lips curved into a small, dangerous smile. “Watch me, Luna,” he said quietly. “Watch me.”

With that, he turned and walked out of the room, closing the door softly behind him.

Luna lay there in his bed, surrounded by his scent, wrapped in his warmth, carrying his child.

And for the first time in five years, Luna Monroe felt like she might actually have a future.

Even if that future was with the man who had broken her heart.

Even if that future was complicated and dangerous and uncertain.

Even if that future meant fighting for everything she wanted.

Luna closed her eyes and placed her hand protectively over her stomach. “We’re safe now, little one,” she whispered to her unborn child. “Daddy found us.”

The word “daddy” felt strange on her lips. But it also felt right.

And as Luna drifted off to sleep in Alpha Asher’s bed, she couldn’t help but wonder what would happen when he found out she’d been planning to leave him forever.

What would happen when he found out she didn’t trust him yet.

What would happen when he found out that love wasn’t enough to fix what he’d broken.

But for now, for tonight, Luna allowed herself to rest. Allowed herself to feel safe. Allowed herself to hope.

Because tomorrow, everything would change.

And nothing would ever be the same again.