All Chapters of The Alpha’s Hidden Heir: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

POV: Lyra Ashbourne By the time Mira came to tell me that the elders had arrived, Orion was awake and making small noises in his cradle. I looked up from the herbs Rowan had left for me to sort. “The elders?” Mira nodded. “Cassian wants to introduce Orion to them this morning.” I glanced down at my son. Since Cassian had publicly accepted him, people had begun treating Orion differently. Some visited to offer congratulations, while others seemed curious about the child who had changed the Alpha’s household so suddenly. But the elders were different. They had been part of the territory long before Cassian became its leader. Their approval was not required for him to make decisions, but their opinions carried weight among the older families. “Are they all coming?” I asked. “Five of them. They’re waiting in the council room.” I carefully set aside the herbs and went to Orion’s cradle. He was awake, his little hands moving beneath the blanket. When I lifted him, he settled

POV: Lyra Ashbourne I first noticed something unusual about Orion three days after the elders’ visit.Rowan had brought a collection of old healing records to my room, hoping to find something about the mark beneath Orion’s shoulder. Most of the books were difficult to read, and some contained symbols I had never seen before, but I helped him sort through the pages while Orion rested in his cradle.The room was silent except for the occasional sound of footsteps in the corridor.Rowan turned a page and began reading a passage aloud.Orion stirred.At first, I thought he was waking up, but when Rowan stopped speaking, my son settled again.“Keep reading,” I said.Rowan glanced at me before continuing.Orion’s little hands moved beneath his blanket, and his head turned toward the sound of Rowan’s voice.I smiled. “He likes your voice.”“Most babies do.”Rowan continued reading, but when he reached a particular passage, Orion suddenly began crying.I immediately went to his cradle and l

Ronan regarded me with an expression I couldn’t quite read.“Then tell me, Lyra Ashbourne, what makes you believe your son should inherit a position that carries responsibility for an entire territory?”I took a breath, keeping Orion secure in my arms.“I don’t believe he should inherit anything simply because he’s my son.”Ronan’s eyebrows lifted slightly.“Then you agree that blood alone isn’t enough?”“I think leadership requires more than a name. Orion is a baby. He has years of growing and learning ahead of him, and no one should expect him to lead before he’s ready.”Cassian remained silent beside me.I continued, choosing my words carefully.“But I don’t think his mother’s history should determine what kind of future he’s allowed to have, either.”Ronan leaned back.“Your family has been involved in disputes that affected several territories. Surely you understand why that concerns us.”“I understand why people have questions about my family. I have questions about them myself.

POV: Lyra Ashbourne The following morning, Cassian told me he had arranged something for Orion.I was sitting beside the window with him in my arms when Cassian entered the room.“What did you do?”He smiled slightly. “Why do you assume I did something?”“Because you have that look.”“What look?”“The one that usually means you’ve already made a decision and I’m about to find out what it is.”He laughed quietly.“I arranged a small gathering for Orion.”I looked at him in surprise.“A gathering?”“Nothing large. Just the pack. Some food, music, and a few people who wanted to welcome him properly.”I glanced down at Orion.“You didn’t have to do that.”“I know.”He paused before adding, “I wanted to.”I didn’t know what to say to that, so I simply nodded.By late afternoon, the courtyard had been transformed.Tables had been arranged beneath the trees, and several families had prepared food for the gathering. Children ran between the tables while the adults stood together talking and

POV: Lyra Ashbourne The guards searched the nursery twice before sunrise, but they found nothing else. By morning, Cassian had ordered additional guards around the corridor, while Rowan took the piece of fabric and the message to the healers so they could examine them without damaging either.Orion was back in his room, sleeping peacefully as though the events of the night had never happened. I sat beside his cradle, watching his chest rise and fall, when Rowan returned with a serious expression.“We found something.”I stood immediately and turned toward him.“What?”He held a small wooden tray in his hands and placed it carefully on the table.“Near the eastern wall, just outside the nursery.”Inside the tray was a thin piece of stone covered in dust. At first, I couldn’t understand why it mattered, but when I leaned closer, I saw the carving across its surface.A crescent surrounded by three curved lines, with a small circle beneath it.The symbol was similar to the one we had alr