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ELOWEN WHITLOCK POV

"The magic paper shows you have a wolf baby growing inside you," Osric Fenwick says. He passes the white sheet across the heavy stone table.

"That is impossible," I say. My hands shake hard. I look down at my big belly. I am a plus-size human girl in a world of tall, lean wolves. "We only did it one single time."

"The pack magic does not lie, Elowen," Osric says. He sighs and shakes his head. "You are pregnant with the Alpha's child."

"What am I going to do now?" I ask. My voice sounds very small.

"You must tell Alpha Caelan Thorncroft," Osric says. "He is the father."

"No, he wants to divorce me," I say. "He wants me gone from the Thorncroft Alpha Dominion. If I tell him, he will think I am a bad human. He will say I am using this baby to keep his power."

"He has a right to know," Osric says.

"I cannot tell him," I say.

I grab the paper and stuff it deep inside my bag. I walk out of the Silvermoon Grand Healing Temple. My heart goes fast. I am so scared.

Outside the temple, a huge black truck waits by the stone steps. The window rolls down a little bit. Caelan sits in the driver seat. He looks very handsome and very cold. He is a great Alpha wolf, and everyone looks at him. I am used to the looks. People always wonder why a big human girl like me is next to him.

I slide into the front seat. The truck smells like pine trees and rain.

"Is the healing pact signed?" Caelan asks. He does not open his eyes. His face looks like ice.

"Yes," I say. "Osric says hello to you."

"Good," Caelan says. He does not look at the papers. "You will manage the trade with the Silvermoon Healing Council from now on."

"I will do it," I say.

"Do not make a mistake," he says. He starts the truck engine. It makes a loud roar.

I just nod my head. I stay very quiet. I always obey his orders. That is my only job in this pack.

The truck moves fast toward the Alpha Dominion District. The sun goes down. The sky turns black. We are not going back to the pack lodge. I feel confused, but I do not ask questions. I never ask him anything.

I look at my bag. The baby paper is inside. My stomach feels funny. I want to tell him, but the words stick in my throat. I look at his face from the side. He looks straight ahead with mean, sharp eyes.

"Caelan," I say.

"Speak," he says. His voice is short and loud.

My hands get very sweaty. I squeeze my bag tight. I take a deep breath.

"I am contracted to tell you," I say. "I am..."

"Stop talking," he says.

His phone makes a loud ringing sound. He grabs it fast. He looks at the screen, and his face suddenly changes. The ice melts.

"Isolde, what is wrong?" Caelan asks. His voice is so soft and gentle. He never speaks to me like that. He only loves Isolde Ashbourne.

"Caelan, I need you," Isolde says through the phone. She sounds like she is crying. "The rogue wolves are near the border. I am scared."

"Do not move," Caelan says. He looks worried. "I am coming right now to get you. Stay inside the pack house."

He slams his foot on the brake. The huge truck stops hard on the road. The tires make a loud screaming sound. Caelan turns his head and looks at me with angry eyes.

"Get out," he says.

"We are in the middle of the road," I say.

"I said get out now," he says.

"Okay," I say.

I do not fight him. He has kicked me out of his truck many times before. I open the door and step onto the dark dirt road. I close the door, and he drives away fast. Dirt flies up into my face. He leaves me alone in the dark forest.

I start walking toward the royal alpha quarter. My feet hurt. I think about how we got married. Two years ago, his grandpa Alaric Thorncroft was very sick. Alaric loved my family from the Whitlock Moonfang Pack. He forced Caelan to marry me before he died. Caelan hated it, but he obeyed his grandpa. For two years, Caelan ignored me. Now his grandpa is dead. Caelan wants a divorce. He wants to go back to Isolde.

It is very late when I reach the big pack house. The windows are dark. The whole place looks like a scary ghost house. I am a big girl, but tonight I do not want any food. My stomach hurts from sadness. I go straight to my bedroom and wash my face. I get into bed and close my eyes.

An hour passes. Then, I hear a loud noise outside. It is the sound of a truck engine turning off in the courtyard.

"Is he back?" I whisper to the empty room.

He was supposed to stay with Isolde tonight. I get out of bed and walk to the window. The door downstairs slams open. Heavy wolf footsteps come up the stairs straight toward my room.