Austin was quiet for a long moment. "I don't know," he said honestly. "This is all very complicated.""Do you love me at all?" Ariana asked, her eyes filling with tears.Austin looked at her - really looked at her. Ariana was beautiful. She was a member of his pack. She was carrying what he believed was his child. But when he searched his heart, he couldn't find the kind of love he had for Rosemary."I care about you," Austin said finally. "And I will take care of you and the baby. But Ariana... Rosemary is my wife. She's the mother of my son."Ariana felt like someone had stabbed her in the heart. Even after everything - the fake pregnancy, the manipulation, the schemes - Austin still chose Rosemary."I see," she said quietly."But that doesn't mean I'll abandon you," Austin said quickly. "You and the baby will always have a place in this pack. You'll always be safe here."Safe, but not loved. Not the way Ariana wanted to be loved."Thank you," she said, but inside she was planning h
Rosemary stood by her door, her hand on the handle. She had been thinking for the past hour about whether she should tell Austin about the strange feelings she was getting. Something was wrong - she could feel it in her bones."Maybe I'm just being paranoid," she whispered to herself. "But what if I'm not?"She took a deep breath and decided to go to Austin's room. Just as she reached for the door handle to open it, someone knocked softly on her door.Rosemary opened it and saw Austin standing there, looking tired but concerned."Hey, are you still awake?" Austin asked quietly."Yeah, I couldn't sleep," Rosemary said. "I was even about to come to your room."Austin's eyes softened. "Maybe we both miss each other a lot."They stood there looking at each other, and for a moment, it felt like old times. Before everything got complicated. "Austin, I need to tell you something," Rosemary began. "I've been having these strange feelings. Like something bad is going to happen.""What kind of
"Nothing," Ariana said quickly. "Rosemary was just asking about my pregnancy."Austin looked at Rosemary with concern. "Rose, are you okay?"The use of his pet name for her sent another stab of jealousy through Ariana's heart."I'm fine," Rosemary said, wiping her eyes. "I should go check on Tommy."As Rosemary left the kitchen, Austin turned to Ariana with a frown."What did you say to her?" he asked."Nothing terrible," Ariana said innocently. "I just pointed out that things have changed since she left.""She didn't leave," Austin said firmly. "She was taken against her will.""So she says," Ariana replied with a shrug.Austin's eyes flashed with anger. "What is that supposed to mean?""I'm just saying that it's convenient how she disappeared right when things were getting difficult, and now she comes back right when you're finally moving on with your life," Ariana said."Moving on?" Austin repeated."With me," Ariana said, touching her stomach again. "With our baby. With our future
David finally looked up, his eyes cold and calculating. "Then we need to do something fast." "What do you suggest?" Ariana asked. "We get rid of her," David said simply. "Permanently this time." Ariana felt a thrill of dark satisfaction, but she tried to hide it. "And the child?" "The child too," David said without hesitation. "As long as Austin has a family with that human, he'll never fully commit to you or to this pack's true potential." "How?" Ariana asked. "Last time your mother tried to take them, it failed. And now with that half-angel girl Daisy protecting everyone..." "Leave Daisy to my mother," David said. "Luna has been studying new magic. Stronger magic. Magic that even angels can't stop." Miles away, in a hidden cave deep in the mountains, Luna was indeed studying new magic. Ancient books written in languages that predated human civilization lay open around her. "Blood magic," Luna whispered to herself as she read. "The oldest and most powerful magic of all." She
"She is alive," Maya said with relief. "But she is very weak."Ethan knelt down next to Daisy and put his hand on her forehead. "The protection spell did hurt her. Her demon blood made the magic think she was dangerous.""Can you help her?" Austin asked."I can try," Ethan said. "But she needs to wake up and choose which side she wants to be on. The magic will keep hurting her until she makes a clear choice between good and evil."They carried Daisy back to the pack house and put her in one of the guest rooms. Maya stayed with her, waiting for her to wake up.While Maya was taking care of Daisy, Austin and Ethan sat in the office to catch up on old times. But Austin's face was sad."Ethan," Austin said quietly, "I need to ask you about something.""What is it, my friend?""Do you remember Rosemary? My human wife?" Austin asked.Ethan nodded. "Of course. She was a wonderful woman. And you had a son together.""Yes," Austin said, his voice breaking a little. "I lost them both.""What ha
When Malphas called for his daughter from outside the pack house, something strange happened. The air around the pack territory suddenly filled with thick white smoke. But this was not normal smoke from a fire.The smoke smelled like flowers and rain. It moved in circles around the pack house like it was alive. And wherever the smoke touched Sabrina and Malphas, they started screaming in pain."What is this?" Sabrina yelled, holding her hands to her face. Her nose started bleeding and she fell to her knees.Malphas tried to use his demon powers to blow the smoke away, but it would not move. The smoke got thicker and thicker around him."This is not possible!" Malphas shouted. "What kind of magic is this?"The smoke was burning their skin like fire, but it did not hurt any of the pack members. Austin, Maya, Harry, and all the others could breathe normally while Sabrina and Malphas suffered."I cannot stay here!" Sabrina screamed at Malphas. "This smoke is killing me!""We must leave no