Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 11 - Chapitre 20

Naomi’s POV Tonight, Stefan would become Alpha of the Amber Falls pack. By the end of the ceremony, I would be its Luna. I stood before the tall mirror in my bedroom while Muna fixed the last pin in my braid. Gold sequins caught the light whenever I moved, and the white fur coat over my emerald gown kept slipping off one shoulder. “Leave it,” I told her when she reached to fix it again. “I can manage.” She gave me a look but let it go. Muna knew I did not want to be dressed for another ceremony. The council expected me to stand beside Stefan and accept a place I had agreed to hold only until our child was born. Everyone outside this room would see a wife taking her place with her husband. I knew what I had agreed to, and I could hardly bear the thought of being near him all night. We joined the pack at the old stone fountain behind the Catwright estate, where the founding families first laid claim to Amber Falls. Wolves stood in a wide crescent around it, with the elders and senio

Stefan’s POV Naomi was standing by the window in the living room when I got home. I had spent half the afternoon watching the clock, wondering what the doctors at Greymore Hospital had told her about the pregnancy ever since my assistant informed me about the appointment she had. But the moment I saw her face, I knew better than to ask. Her arms were folded over her chest, and she was glaring at me like she wanted to tear my head off. “You weren’t satisfied with your mistress? You had to bring her to the company so you two can meet every day, right?” My face twisted trying to understand the question. “What are you talking about? I didn’t bring anyone to Crownstone.” “Phoebe.” Naomi spat the name out, full of disgust. “She handled the Silverscar funding today. She introduced herself as Crownstone’s new financial manager.” My head went blank for a second. Phoebe? In finance? I remember I fired the previous manager three weeks ago, and nobody had said a word to me about filling the

Morning light crept through the window blinds. I rolled over on the mattress, still half asleep, and reached down to rub my stomach, but my palm hit something hard. My eyes flew open, and I jerked upright, threw the blanket away from my legs, and yanked my pajama shirt up to my ribs. My lower belly swelled outward. It pushed into the air, firm and rounded. When I went to sleep last night, my stomach looked flat. Yesterday afternoon Dr. Roslyn examined me and said the baby measured at ten weeks. Ten weeks. At ten weeks, a wolf pup stayed tiny beneath the pelvic bone. What was going on? I sat on the sheets and stared down at my waist. Maybe the sitting angle pushed the tissue forward. I swung my legs off the bed and stood up, then walked to the tall mirror beside the wardrobe. A sharp gasp tore out of my mouth. On my feet, the round shape did not vanish. It pushed forward under my skin, hard and solid. I looked like a woman four months pregnant. Panic slammed through my ribs. My

“No,” I said in a shaky voice Muna came around me and hugged me tightly, whispering into my ears to remain calm. “I can’t do that to my baby.” I kept insisting and holding my belly. “I think that is best choice you have now.” Reyes said I pulled my sweater down over my stomach and covered my skin. I swung my legs over the edge of the examination table and sat upright. Dr. Hayes set the ultrasound probe in its cradle. “Naomi, listen to me. Your body cannot support this pace of growth. If you let this continue, your heart and your organs will fail.” “The heartbeat is there,” I said. “My baby is alive. I will not end this pregnancy.” Hayes turned to Stefan. “Alpha, reason with her. You carry the responsibility for her life under clan custom.” Stefan stepped forward and placed himself between me and the doctor. “She said no,” Stefan said. Hayes frowned. “Stefan, you cannot ignore the danger.” “I heard your warning,” Stefan said. “I see her face. I know she is weak. But we will n

Stefan’s POV My chest was covered in her vomit, and the front of my sweatpants was soaked. Naomi sat on the wooden stool with both hands over her mouth, staring at what she had done. Her face was pale, and tears were rolling down her cheeks into her fingers. She looked terrified, like she had just done something awful. “Stefan, I’m so sorry,” she whispered, her voice breaking into a rough sob. “I didn’t mean to do that.” I didn’t care about the mess on my skin or my clothes. I stepped right up to the stool, reached around her, and lifted her into my arms. “Put me down,” she cried out, her hands pushing at my shoulders. “I don’t need you to carry me.” I held on to her and turned toward the hallway. Martha rushed over with a wet towel from the sink, looking worried, but I shook my head at her. “Clean the counter, Martha. Go back to sleep. I’ve got her.” “Stefan, stop it!” Naomi kept crying as we started up the stairs. She was fighting me, hitting my chest with her fists, but ther