~SNOW~
I retched into the basin for the third morning in a row, my stomach heaving until nothing remained but bitter bile. My fingers gripped the wooden rim as realization crashed over me like icy water.
"No," I whispered, hands trembling as they moved to my belly. "It can't be."
But my wolf knew. Had known for days now, howling with joy inside me. Their scents had already begun mixing with mine, Jasper's, and something new. Something impossible.
A child. His child. Our child.
Tears spilled down my cheeks as I sank to the floor. Two months had passed since that first desperate night in Jasper's chambers. Two months of stolen moments, heated glances across council meetings, his hands finding mine when no one was looking.
He hadn't marked me yet. I wasn't truly his mate in the eyes of pack law, but something had blossomed between us. Something fragile and yet to be named.
Now this.
"Luna?" A timid knock at her door. "Alpha requests your presence in the Great Hall."
I wiped my face, smoothing my tunic over the flat stomach that would soon swell with our secret. "Tell him I'll be there shortly."
My mind raced as I braided my hair with shaking hands. Would he be pleased? Angry? Would this child bind us together or drive the final wedge between us?
Only one way to find out.
Sunlight broke through the windows of the hall as warriors and pack members gathered in unusual numbers for a mid-morning assembly. Jasper stood at the center, his expression unreadable as I approached.
"What's happening?" I asked quietly.
Before he could answer, the massive doors swung open. A collective gasp rippled through the crowd.
My heart stopped immediately.
Aria.
My sister stood in the doorway, more beautiful than ever in a flowing blue dress. Behind her stood our parents.
"I've returned," Aria announced, her voice filling the suddenly silent hall. "To reclaim what's mine."
I couldn't breathe. Couldn't move. Couldn't tear my eyes from Jasper's face. Frozen in shock, my eyes wide with disbelief.
"Aria?" he whispered, taking an unconscious step forward.
"My love," she replied, gliding toward him with perfect grace. "I've come home to you."
My knees threatened to buckle. I pressed a hand to my stomach, my wolf howling in distress.
Aria embraced Jasper, who stood rigid in her arms. Over his shoulder, her eyes met mine.
"Sister," Aria said sweetly, releasing Jasper but keeping her hand possessively on his arm. "Thank you for keeping my place warm."
The whispers began immediately, sweeping through the gathered pack like wildfire.
I looked to Jasper, desperate for some sign, some acknowledgment of what had grown between them. But his eyes were fixed on Aria, a storm of emotions crossing his face.
"This is unexpected," he managed.
"I needed time," Aria said. "To heal. To understand what I truly wanted." She turned to face the pack. "But I've realized my place is here, with my true mate."
Was he going to accept her?
I stared at Jasper, waiting for his words yet none came. His eyes were rather glued to Aria's. I have gotten my answer.
He had made his choice, as expected.
Without another word, I turned around, ignoring the pitied looks thrown at me. I let my wolf take over as I made my way through the thick bushes.
The forest welcomed me, ancient trees offering silent comfort as I ran, branches whipping my tear-streaked face. My wolf urged me deeper, away from the pain, away from the sight of Aria's hands on Jasper.
Hours passed before I returned to my chambers. The small room I had been assigned after the wedding, not Jasper's grand suite where I had spent so many recent nights.
A knock startled me from dark thoughts.
"Enter," I called, hastily wiping my eyes.
Aria slipped inside, closing the door with deliberate care.
"What do you want?" I snapped, too exhausted for pretense.
My sister's sweet mask fell away, revealing the cold features beneath. "I want you gone. I want you away from the Alpha."
"The pack is my home—"
"The pack is my home," Aria hissed. "My mate. You're just a placeholder. A poor substitute."
My temper flared. "Then why did you run? Why threaten your own life to escape him?"
Something flickered in Aria's eyes. If it was fear or guilt, I could not tell. "That's none of your concern."
"It became my concern when Father forced me to take your place!"
"And you did so willingly," Ariasneered. "Don't pretend it was a sacrifice. We both know you've wanted Jasper since we were pups."
"He's different now," I said quietly. "Changed."
"He loves me," Aria insisted, a strange desperation in her voice. "He always has."
"Then why hasn't he marked you? Why—" I stopped myself, but too late.
Aria's eyes narrowed. "Why what? Finish your thought, sister dear."
"Nothing."
"No," Aria stepped closer, scrutinizing my face. "There's something..." Her gaze dropped to where my hand rested protectively over my stomach.
Horror dawned on her perfect features. "You're pregnant."
The words hung in the air between us, damning and final.
"You whore!" Aria shrieked, lunging forward to grab my throat. "You seduced him! You trapped him!"
I twisted away, my wolf rising to protect my unborn child. "I did no such thing!"
"Does he know?"
I buried my head. The silence spoke volumes. Aria hissed in realisation.
"When were you going to tell him?" Aria demanded, eyes wild. "Or were you? Perhaps an 'accident' like the river?"
"Get out," I whispered, trembling with rage.
"He'll never accept it," Aria continued venomously. "A child with the sister-killer? The pack would never follow a pup with your tainted blood."
"Get out!" I roared.
Aria retreated to the door, her smile cruel. "He still loves me, and would never accept you and your bastard."
The door slammed behind her, leaving me shaking.
Confusion and fear clawed at my mind. One thing was clear: I couldn't stay. Not with Aria's threats. Not with Jasper torn between duty and whatever had grown between us.
The child was all that mattered now.
With shaking hands, I packed a small bag—clothes, dried meat, my healer's pouch.
I wrote a hasty note: *I release you from our marriage. Be happy.*
At midnight I slipped from the pack house, cloaked in shadows. No one noticed the lone figure disappearing into the woods, a hand pressed protectively over her stomach.
I ran until my lungs burned and my legs trembled. The Jade Pack territory, the only home I had ever known, fell away behind me.
Ahead lay unknown wilderness, rogue territory, and danger. But behind was greater pain.
"We'll be okay," I whispered to the tiny life within me. "Momma will protect you."
For three days I traveled, conserving my strength, hunting small game when hungry. My healer's knowledge helped me identify safe berries, edible roots. But exhaustion took its toll, my body weakened by pregnancy and grief.
On the fourth night, rain poured from an angry sky. Soaked and chilled to the bone, I sought shelter beneath a rocky area. My fire refused to catch in the damp wood, my hands shaking too badly to strike flint properly.
My wolf sensed something. Rogues. Three males, their scents filled with aggression and hunger.
"Well, well," growled the largest as they emerged from the darkness. "A lone she-wolf. And from Jade Pack, by her scent."
I backed against the rock wall, dagger clutched in white-knuckled fingers. "Leave me be. I'm just passing through."
The rogues exchanged grins. "Pretty thing like you shouldn't be alone in these woods," said another, moving closer. "There are dangerous creatures about."
"I can handle myself," I warned, fighting to keep my voice steady.
The third rogue inhaled deeply, his eyes widening. "She's breeding. Can smell the pup on her. Royalty…"
The leader's eyes gleamed with cruel interest. "Alpha's get? That would fetch a pretty ransom."
"No," I whispered, my free hand covering my belly protectively. "Please—"
They lunged all at once. My dagger caught one across the arm, drawing a howl of rage. A heavy fist struck my temple, sending me crashing to the ground. Through blurred vision, I saw claws extending, teeth bared.
"No one to save you now, little Luna," snarled the leader.
A bone-chilling howl split the night. Not rogue—something else. Something ancient and powerful.
A massive white wolf burst from the trees, fangs bared in silent fury. Larger than any wolf I had ever seen, its eyes glowed eerily in the darkness.
The rogues scattered, but the white wolf was faster. It tore into them with terrifying efficiency, blood spraying across rain-soaked earth. Within moments, two rogues lay dead. The third fled, howling in terror.
I pressed myself against the rock wall, certain that I was next. The white wolf approached slowly, blood staining its coat. It stopped just before me, it's eyes studying my face.
Then, impossibly, the wolf began to shift. Bones cracked, fur receded, until a woman stood before me.
"You're a long way from Jade territory, little one," the woman said, her voice like gravel and honey. "And in quite a predicament."
My vision swam, darkness creeping at the edges. "My baby..."
"Is safe," the woman assured me, kneeling to examine me with gentle hands. "For now. But you need shelter, food, rest."
"Who...?" I managed to say before unconsciousness claimed me.