He Tried to Kill Me, Now I’m the Enemy Alpha’s Luna

End the Luna if the child survives.

I forget how to breathe.

The words slip through the thick stone door ahead of me, delivered evenly, without anger or urgencyspoken the way one might approve a shipment or settle a minor dispute, not decree a womans execution.

For a heartbeat, I tell myself I misheard. That my mind twisted something harmless into something monstrous.

Then the voice comes again.

Measured. Unfeeling. So familiar it cleaves straight through my chest.

Shes incapable of carrying an heir, Alpha Corvin Vortain says. She always has been. Four moons wasted confirming what we already knew.

My hand moves to my abdomen before Im aware of it.

Four moons.

Four lives that never stayed.

Four times I bled, broke, and sobbed in Corvins arms while he murmured about destiny, endurance, and the Moons mysterious designs.

Confirming it.

Even from this distance, the Council chamber reeks of burned herbs and ancient blood. The scent rolls into my throat, making bile rise. I flatten myself against the cold stone, my pulse thundering so hard Im terrified it will betray me through the door.

An Elder clears his throat. You speak as though the Lunas losses were intentional.

They were, Corvin answers immediately. No pause. No doubt. They had to happen.

My vision swims.

Had to.

Another voice followscareful, calculating. Elder Balthen. And Maelis? Youre certain she is capable of producing the heir?

Corvin releases a quiet breath, almost a chuckle.

Maeliss bloodline is untainted. Pure Alpha marrow. She answers the old laws. If anyone can give this pack what it needs, its her.

Maelis.

My sister in name, not in blood.

The girl who lowers her eyes too perfectly and smiles too gently. The girl who calls me family while watching my mate like shes already claimed him.

My throat tightens until it burns.

Mireya has shown unwavering loyalty, an Elder argues. She has suffered for this pack.

Shes suffered enough, Corvin replies coolly. Loyalty doesnt change her nature.

Her nature.

An empty vessel.

A borrowed Luna.

A tool with an expiration date.

My legs tremble. I barely manage to stay standing.

And the Luna herself? Balthen asks. If the Heir-Binding Rite is successful, what is to be done with her?

Silence falls.

Even the torches seem to dim, flames shrinking as if they, too, are listening.

Shes fulfilled her role, Corvin says.

The words strike with terrifying precision. Absolute. Nonnegotiable.

Something inside me gives way.

Fulfilled.

Role.

I stagger backward, scraping my shoulder against stone as my breaths turn ragged and shallow. Memories crash into me all at onceCorvin claiming me beneath the Moon, his teeth at my throat as he vowed I was chosen. The Moon Trial I nearly died completing for him. The nights I wept against his chest after each loss, while he whispered comfort he never meant.

I retreat into a narrow alcove carved for dead Lunas and rest my forehead against the freezing wall.

I shouldnt still be alive.

Not if my Alpha has already decided how Ill die.

And then it hits meharder than the terror.

The faint dizziness earlier.

The unfamiliar tug deep in my body.

The healers hesitation when she took my pulse.

I dont need anyone to say it.

My hands shake as they press against my stomach.

No.

Not again.

If Corvin is preparing the Heir-Binding Rite, if Maelis has already been selected, then none of my pregnancies were mistakes.

They were offerings.

Four moons, he said.

Four tiny graves.

Footsteps echo through the corridor.

I scrub at my face, forcing myself upright just as a shadow stretches across the alcove.

Mireya?

Maelis stands before me, wrapped in pale ceremonial white. Her hair is braided flawlessly, her expression painted with concern so convincing it almost fools me.

Ive been searching everywhere for you, she says softly.

I say nothing.

She drifts closer, her gaze sliding over me, keen and assessing beneath the gentleness.

You look ill, she murmurs. Still mourning?

Get out of my way, I whisper.

Her smile widens, pleased.

Oh, sister, she says lightly. Youve never been good at pretending.

She inhales slowly.

Her eyes gleam.

There it is, she breathes. That smell.

My blood freezes.

She lifts her gaze to mine, sweetness sharpening into something vicious.

Youre carrying a child, she says. Again.

My hand jumps to my belly on instinct.

Maelis lets out a soft laugh. Dont tell me you hadnt noticed.

She reaches toward me.

I strike her hand away.

She doesnt even blink.

Do you truly believe Corvin would allow you to keep it? she asks quietly.

If he lays a hand on my child My voice splinters.

He already has, Maelis murmurs.

The floor seems to tilt beneath my feet.

She leans in close, close enough for me to catch the scent of moonflower oil clinging to her skin.

The Council convenes tonight, she whispers. Theyre deciding whether your body still serves a purpose.

My stomach churns violently.

Then she straightens, smoothing her dress as though she hasnt just sealed my fate.

Come, she says brightly. You shouldnt be late. Corvin dislikes being humiliated by his Luna.

She turns away, confident Ill follow.

Because obedient Lunas always do.

My fingers brush the faded bite mark at my neckthe mark that once meant safety, belonging.

Now it feels like a chain.

I press my palm over my womb and whisper, I will protect you.

Then I step out of the alcove and trail after Maelis toward the Council chamber.

Because fleeing now would only make me prey.

Behind the carved doors, Corvins voice cuts through the air, sharp and authoritative.

Bring her in.

The doors begin to part.

And in that moment, I understand

The woman I was before this second no longer exists.

The Council chamber seals shut behind me with a heavy, muted thud. It doesnt echo, doesnt ring out dramatically, yet the sound carries a finality that settles deep in my bones. This is not a door meant to be reopened once it closes.

The air inside is dense, layered with the familiar scents of ground stone, lingering ash, and that faint metallic tang that never fully leaves this place, no matter how often its cleansed. I keep moving. Pausing would only invite scrutiny, and hesitation here has always been treated as weakness. From the moment a Luna is chosen, shes taught never to falter in this chambernot even when the verdict has already been decided.

It takes me a few steps too many to realize Corvin is not at my side.

The awareness creeps in slowly, then crashes into me all at once. He stands at the center of the chamber, spine straight, hands folded behind him, engaged in calm discussion with the Elders. He looks exactly as an Alpha should hereauthoritative, composed, untouchable. Not once does his gaze flick toward me as I approach.

I hadnt expected the quiet ache that blooms in my chest when I understand what that separation signifies.

Luna Mireya, Elder Balthen calls out, his voice carrying effortlessly through the chamber. You have been summoned to address concerns regarding the strength of your bond and your continued fitness to remain Luna.

Fitness.

The word weighs more than the rest. I set my jaw and remain silent.

Without being told, I step onto the Moon sigil carved into the floor. The stone beneath my boots vibrates faintly, responding to my presence the way it always has. That reaction wasnt granted out of courtesy or tradition. I earned itthrough blood, endurance, and trials that nearly killed me. The stone remembers, even if the people standing on it no longer do.

Only then does Corvin turn.

Concern is carefully arranged on his face, measured and convincing. Anyone watching would accept it as genuine without question.

Youre pale, he says evenly. You should be resting.

Im fine, I answer.

The steadiness in my voice surprises me, and I cling to it.

One of the Elders shifts before speaking. Over the last four moons, the Luna has failed to bring an Alpha heir to term. Each loss coincided with sanctioned blood rites performed under Alpha command for the protection of the pack.

My chest tightens as I draw in a breath that feels insufficient.

Did you give consent for these rites? Balthen asks.

I part my lips to respond, but Corvin speaks first.

She did, he says smoothly. Every time.

I turn sharply toward him. Thats not

His hand closes around my wrist.

The hold isnt brutal, but it isnt gentle either. Its practiced, possessive, and painfully familiar. My stomach twists.

You trusted me, Corvin says quietly, his eyes locking onto mine. Didnt you?

The bond reacts instantly, pressing down on me with its familiar weight, urging obedience, urging protection. For a fleeting moment, the instinct to shield him rises in my throat like it always has.

Then something pushes back.

I wrench my wrist free.

I trusted you, I say slowly, forcing my breath to steady. Because you told me those rites were for the packs protection.

The chamber falls into an uneasy stillness.

Corvins gaze darkensjust a fraction.

You never told me what they would cost, I continue.

A murmur ripples through the Elders. Balthens brow furrows.

Clarify your statement, Luna.

My heart pounds so loudly Im sure they can hear it.

How did Maelis benefit from my blood? I ask.

The question slices cleanly through the room. Behind me, I hear Maelis draw in a sharp breath.

Thats enough, Corvin snaps.

No, I reply, turning fully toward her. Every time I lost a child, Maelis grew stronger. Her wolf matured. Even her scent changed.

The memories lock into place with cruel precisionthe way her frailty vanished, the way her posture straightened, the way Corvins attention shifted, no longer protective, but appraising.

Thats coincidence, Corvin says harshly.

Is it? My voice trembles, but I dont stop. You told me my body was flawed, that the Moon had turned away from me. But my wolf never felt broken.

I swallow.

It felt drained.

I face Maelis directly. Tell them. Tell them what you did with my blood.

Her eyes fill instantly, tears gathering just enough to look sincere.

I never wanted any of this, she whispers. Corvin said there was no other way to secure the packs future.

My stomach rolls.

Maelis Corvin begins.

Balthen slams his staff against the floor. The crack of sound snaps through the chamber. Alpha Corvin, answer clearly. Did you conduct blood transference rites, using the Lunas pregnancies as conduits?

The silence stretches, taut and unbearable.

Corvin hesitatesonly for a breath, but its enough.

Yes, he says. With Council sanction.

The room seems to tilt sideways.

Sanction.

I drag in a breath that scorches my lungs.

You used my children, I whisper. You murdered them.

They were never viable heirs, Corvin responds coolly. They were resources. Dont dress them up as something they werent.

Something inside me fractures completely.

My wolf surges forward, fury flooding my veins as the runes beneath my feet blaze silver. The chamber shudders; several Elders stagger back in alarm.

Corvin stares at me like hes seeing me for the first time.

You dont get to decide that, I say, my voice breaking. They were alive.

Maelis takes a cautious step toward me. Mireya, please

Dont touch me.

The growl in my voice stops her instantly. For the first time, the sweetness on her face cracks.

You should be thankful, she whispers venomously. Your losses gave me a future.

Before I can react, Balthen strikes the floor again. Enough.

The runes dim. The tremor fades.

Luna Mireya, he says heavily, the Council must now determine whether your continued presence endangers pack stability.

Corvin remains silent.

He doesnt defend me. He doesnt even look at me.

And I finally understandthis was never about my ability to bear children.

It was about replacing me.

Youre stripping me of my title, I say quietly.

Corvin meets my gaze at last. For the packs sake.

And Maelis? I ask. What becomes of her?

His jaw tightens. She will complete the Heir-Binding Rite.

You cant, I breathe. Shes not even

Shes already carrying a child, Maelis says evenly.

The chamber erupts.

The word carrying echoes in my head as cold spreads through my veins. Maelis smiles thennot softly, not with regret, but with open triumph.

Corvin moves to her side, his hand settling possessively at her back.

The announcement will be made at the full-moon gathering, he says. Mireya will step aside quietly. If she refuses

He doesnt finish.

He doesnt need to.

Pain rips through my lower abdomen without warning, sharp enough to steal the air from my lungs. I gasp and drop to my knees, clutching myself as the runes ignite again, brighter than before. Torches flare white-hot.

What is this? Balthen swears.

Power floods menot draining, not tearing, but answering.

My wolf howls.

Maelis stumbles back, her composure finally shattering. That shouldnt be possible.

I lift my head, tears spilling freely now, and let out a fractured laugh.

Youre wrong, I whisper.

Then I raise my voice so every soul in the chamber hears me.

My child still lives.

Corvin stares at me as though Ive risen from the grave.

And for the first time since the day he marked me, fear flickers unmistakably in my mates eyes.

The full moon climbs into the sky the color of fresh blood.

That is the first thing that lodges in my mind as Im dragged toward the stone dais at the center of the pack groundsthe moons hue wrong, swollen, spilling red light across the clearing like an omen no one dares to voice aloud.

The pack is already assembled.

Hundreds of wolves fill the space. Warriors in rigid lines. Elders seated in judgment. Families clustered together. Faces I once guarded, trained, healed. Faces that used to lower their eyes when I passed.

Tonight, they dont bow.

Tonight, they watch.

A restless murmur ripples through the crowd as Corvin steps forward. His power rolls outward in heavy, crushing waves, no longer restrained. He wears the Alpha mantle openly now, dominance bared and unapologetic, pressing down on every wolf present.

On me most of all.

I stand by myself.

No Lunas place at his side.

No steadying hand at my back.

Behind Corvin, the Council occupies their semicircle of carved stone seats. Below them stands Maelis, draped in silver, one palm resting conspicuously over her abdomen.

My stomach tightens.

Corvin lifts his hand.

The clearing drops into silence instantly.

Tonight, he declares, his voice carrying effortlessly as the Moon altar amplifies every syllable, we gather to honor the Moons decree and safeguard the future of this pack.

The words are ritual-polished, honed by generations of repetition. I know the cadence well enough to hear the falsehood threaded through it.

For too long, this pack has awaited an heir, Corvin continues. The Moon has tested usand through those trials, it has revealed a truth we can no longer deny.

His gaze turns toward me.

It is distant. Calculated. Empty.

Luna Mireya has failed to bring life to term across four consecutive moons.

A hush sweeps through the crowd before whispers begin to spread. My hands curl slowly at my sides.

She has served faithfully, Corvin adds, his tone magnanimous, but loyalty cannot outweigh destiny.

At his signal, Maelis steps forward.

Gasps erupt immediately.

Corvin covers her hand with his own, the intimacy of the gesture unmistakable.

She, he says, has been blessed.

Maelis lowers her head, humility carefully crafted. I carry Alpha Corvins child, she says softly. The Moon answered me.

Shock ripples through the gathering. For a brief moment, fear is forgotten in the wake of disbelief. My vision tunnels, sound dulling at the edges as Corvin raises his voice once more.

By ancient law, the bearer of the Alphas heir takes precedence, he proclaims. Effective this night, Maelis will assume the title of Luna.

The words strike like a blow.

Luna.

Taken from me in a single breath.

My ears ring as the bond between Corvin and me thrashes in proteststretching, tearing, frantic with confusion. Corvin remains unmoved.

I step forward before I fully register the motion.

That isnt true, I say.

My voice cuts cleanly through the noise, sharp enough to freeze the clearing.

Mireya Corvin starts.

I am not barren, I say, louder now. And Maelis is not the Moons chosen.

Unease ripples outward, tension coiling tight.

Corvins jaw hardens. Enough.

No, I snap. You dont get to erase me in silence.

My hand presses to my abdomen.

Im with child.

The reaction is immediate and violent.

Maelis stiffens. Corvin whirls toward me, disbelief fracturing his composure. Youre lying.

Im not, I reply. My voice shakesbut it doesnt break. The Moon answered me too. Even after everything you did to prevent it.

Elders rise abruptly from their seats.

Thats impossible, Maelis says sharply. She would have known

I did, I cut in. You just never expected it to live.

The Moon altar hums beneath our feet, a deep resonance that vibrates through bone and stone. Torches blaze brighter as silver light ripples across the clearing.

Wolves stagger. Some collapse to their knees.

The altar is responding to me.

Corvin retreats a step without realizing it. Fear cracks through his mask for the first time.

Shes influencing the altar! Maelis cries. Shes unstabledangerous!

Enough, Elder Balthen commands, slamming his staff against the stone.

His gaze fixes on me, something like dread flickering there. The Moon is responding, he says slowly. To the child.

Excitement drains from the air, replaced by unease.

Corvin recovers swiftly, seizing control. Exactly. This proves my concern. Her pregnancy is volatile. The power is uncontrolled.

He turns to the pack. Do you want another aberration? Another threat to our lands? Another Moon calamity?

The murmurs darken. Awe curdles into suspicion.

I stare at him, stunned.

Youre afraid, I whisper. Not of me. Of what my child is.

Corvin doesnt deny it.

Mireya, he says coldly, you are no longer fit to stand as Luna.

Balthen exhales heavily. By Council decree, Luna Mireya is stripped of her title.

The words hollow me out.

And the child? someone asks.

Corvin answers without pause. The child bears Vortain blood. It belongs to this pack.

My heart slams violently.

No, I say. You dont get him.

Corvins expression hardens. You have no choice.

I laugha thin, fractured sound. Yes, I murmur. I do.

Before anyone can stop me, I rake my claw across my palm and slam my blood against the Moon altar.

Light detonates across the clearing.

Agony rips through me as the bond snapsnot cleanly, but brutally. I scream as the connection to Corvin tears away like flesh from bone.

Corvin roars.

The altar pulses once, then againthen falls silent.

I sway but remain standing.

Balthen stares at me in horror. Youve severed the mate bond.

I claimed my child, I rasp. By Moon Law.

Corvin advances, fury blazing. Youll pay for this with your life.

Perhaps, I say quietly. But not tonight.

The Elders whisper urgently before Balthen raises his staff again.

Mireya, he declares, voice heavy, you are hereby exiled from pack lands until the child is born. Should you return before that time

Ill be executed, I finish.

Corvins smile is thin and sharp.

Guards seize me, dragging me toward the forests edge. Maelis watches, her hand still resting on her stomach, triumph glittering in her eyes.

You wont survive out there, she calls sweetly. Not by yourself.

I meet her gaze. Youre mistaken.

Because beyond the ancient boundary stones, another scent reaches medark, cold, predatory, and far too familiar from Corvins warnings.

Night Ridge.

The guards shove me across the border. I stumble, collapse onto ground as darkness creeps into my vision.

As the world fades, one truth burns through the pain.

Corvin didnt exile me.

He delivered me.

And somewhere beyond the shadows, another Alpha is already watching.

I wake to the weight of iron.

Cold shackles bite into my wrists, heavy enough that my wolf recoils on instinct, snarling deep in my chest. The scent in the air is wrongsharp pine and clean frost instead of ash and metal, damp earth beneath me instead of smooth-carved stone.

Enemy territory.

I force my eyes open.

Im sprawled in the center of a clearing, ringed by blackened trees scarred with deep claw marksterritorial, deliberate, radiating dominance. Torches burn low along the perimeter. Not ceremonial flames meant for ritual or display, but practical ones meant to reveal threats and keep intruders exposed.

Night Ridge.

My pulse spikes violently.

Corvins voice echoes in my head, sharp with warning from countless nights before: Stay away from Calder Frostbane. He doesnt bargain. He annihilates.

A presence shifts.

A figure steps into the firelight.

Hes taller than Corvin, broader across the shoulders, built like something forged for violence rather than born into it. Dark hair falls loose around his face, unbound and unapologetic, and his eyespale gray and coldfix on me with unsettling precision.

Alpha Calder Frostbane.

The enemy Corvin feared more than any other.

So, he says at last, his voice rough and low, like stone dragged across ice, this is the Luna Vortain decided wasnt worth keeping.

My body tenses, chains clinking softly as I move.

Let me go, I demand.

Calders lips curvenot into a smile, but something close to disdain. You collapsed on my land bleeding and unconscious. Youre not in a position to make demands.

He moves slowly around me, boots soundless against the damp ground. I feel his scrutiny like a blade tracing my skinassessing, weighing, deciding.

You dont smell like an exile, he remarks. Somethings off.

My stomach knots.

He stops directly in front of me.

And you dont smell like someone the Moon abandoned.

His gaze dipsbrief, deliberateto my abdomen.

My breath stutters.

Youre carrying, he says plainly.

I swallow hard. Thats none of your business.

His eyes sharpen. It became my business the second Vortain dumped you across my border.

I strain against the chains. Corvin cast me out. He doesnt own me.

Calder lets out a short, mirthless laugh. Every Alpha who believes that ends up buried.

He crouches in front of me until were eye to eye.

Tell me why Alpha Corvin Vortain tore his mate bond apart in front of his entire pack, he says quietly. And dont insult me by lying.

The fire crackles nearby.

I hesitatethen realize theres nothing left to lose.

So I speak.

I tell him about the Council. The blood rites. How my pregnancies were drained and used to strengthen Maelis. The announcement beneath the Moon. The exile. The unspoken execution waiting if I returned.

Calder doesnt interrupt. Not once.

By the time I finish, my throat burns raw and my eyes sting with unshed tears.

Silence stretches between us.

Then Calder exhales slowly and rises to his feet.

Vortains finally gone insane, he mutters.

You dont know him, I snap, anger flaring.

Calder turns sharply. I know exactly what kind of monster he is.

His jaw tightens. Ive been cleaning up the slaughter he leaves along the borders for years.

I go still.

Slaughter?

Calders gaze flicks back to me. He never told you.

The truth crashes into me like ice water.

Of course he didnt.

Calder steps closer again.

The child youre carrying, he says evenly, has Vortain blood.

Yes, I reply, lifting my chin. But it belongs to me.

For now, Calder agrees. But Corvin will come for you. He wont stop.

I already know that.

What do you want from me? I ask.

Calder studies me for a long moment.

Then he says, Become my mate.

The word hits like a blow to the chest.

What did you say?

Calder doesnt flinch. By Moon Law, an Alpha cannot claim a child bound under another Alphas household.

My heart pounds violently.

Youd be using me, I whisper.

He nods once. Yes.

And my child?

Protected, he answers immediately. Untouchable.

I shake my head. I dont even know you.

You know Vortain, Calder replies. That should tell you everything you need.

The chains around my wrists snap open with a sharp clang.

Calder straightens.

Decide quickly, he says. By dawn, Vortain will realize exile wasnt enough.

I rub my wrists, pulse racing.

Why help me? I ask.

Calders expression hardens.

Because Vortain destroyed my family, he says quietly. And your child is the weapon he never anticipated.

The ground trembles faintly beneath us.

Wolves howl somewhere beyond the trees.

Calder steps back, granting me spacebut not an escape.

Choose, he says. Die running. Or live bound.

My breath comes in short, ragged bursts.

Behind me, the forest hums with predators.

In front of me stands the Alpha Corvin feared most.

And inside me, my child stirssmall, defiant, alive.

I lift my chin.

If I accept, I say slowly, this wont be about love.

Calders mouth curves slightly.

I dont require love, he replies. I require war.

A howl slices through the nightlong, sharp, answering.

I meet his gaze.

Then take these chains off, I say. And lets begin.

Night Ridge does not mark unions with celebration.

It prepares for slaughter.

That truth settles in the instant I step into the inner ring carved from obsidian-black stone. There are no garlands, no ceremonial songs, no forced smiles to disguise what this night truly is. Wolves stand shoulder to shoulder along the perimeter, silent and alert, eyes faintly glowing, blades already bared. The air is thick with warding magicso heavy it vibrates through my bones, humming like a warning etched into my marrow.

Calder walks at my side.

Not leading.

Not following.

Beside me.

You can still turn back, he murmurs.

I almost laugh at the absurdity.

If I turn back, I reply quietly, Corvin finds me before the sun rises.

Yes.

And if I dont?

Calder stops at the threshold of the circle. The torches surge higher in response to him, flames bending as if acknowledging his authority.

Then Corvin Vortain loses every claim he ever had on you, he says. Permanently.

My stomach tightensbut not with fear.

With something far more dangerous.

Hope.

I step forward.

The instant my foot crosses into the circle, the blood runes flare to life. Silver veins thread through dark crimson lines, pulsing like something newly awakened. Heat coils low in my abdomen, fierce and instinctive, and my wolf stirs violently beneath my skin.

Calder notices immediately.

His gaze drops to my stomach. The altar reacts to you.

It always has, I rasp.

Three Elders of Night Ridge advancescarred, unyielding, stripped of any romantic illusions about what is about to take place.

This is not a mating bond, the eldest says flatly. It is a blood-binding.

I know.

Once sealed, another adds, there is no severing it without death.

I know.

Calder turns to face me fully. His expression is sharp, guarded, impossible to read.

This will hurt, he says. There is no gentleness in this rite.

Im not here for gentleness, I answer.

Something flickers in his eyesbrief, raw, unmistakable.

Then we begin, he says.

The blade burns cold when it cuts my palm.

Calder goes firstno pause, no reverence, no hesitation. His blood strikes the stone, thick and dark. When mine follows, the altar reacts violently.

Light erupts upward.

Pain tears through mebrutal, searing, nothing like the slow, suffocating warmth of the bond I once shared with Corvin. This is iron locking shut. Fire carving itself into my soul.

I scream before I can stop it.

Above us, the Moon shudders as if struck by an unseen force. Clouds rip apart, exposing a flood of silver lightonly for it to twist midair, bleeding into a deep, unnatural crimson.

Every wolf freezes.

Breath halts. Movement ceases.

That shouldnt happen, one of the Elders whispers.

My legs buckle. I dont remember fallingonly Calders arms catching me, his grip unbreakable as he hauls me against him, anchoring me before the stone can claim me.

Pain detonates low in my abdomensharp, pulsing, overwhelming. This is not the draining emptiness Ive known before. Not the hollow ache left behind by stolen life.

This is different.

This is alive.

Something surges inside menot a flutter, not a hesitant kick, but a powerful force that sends heat racing through my veins.

The altar splits with a thunderous crack.

Stone fractures outward in violent webs. Wards shatter like glass. Wolves stagger back as dominance slams across the stronghold.

But it isnt Calders.

And it isnt mine.

It belongs to the child.

Calder curses under his breath. That wasnt part of the rite.

I didnt My words break apart as another wave of power rips through me.

Across Night Ridge, wolves drop to their knees, gasping as something ancient and suffocating presses down on them.

Calder stares at my stomach.

What did Vortain do to you? he asks quietly.

I dont know, I whisper. I swearI dont

A howl tears through the night.

Corvin.

Every muscle in my body locks.

BORDER BREACH! someone shouts.

The forest explodes into chaoshowls answering howls, steel ringing free, warriors flooding toward the perimeter.

Calder sets me on my feet, already drawing his blade. He felt the bond shatter.

Another howlcloser now.

Hes here, I whisper.

Yes, Calder replies grimly. And he didnt come alone.

The ground trembles as wolves crash through the outer wards. Night Ridge surges forward to meet them, bodies colliding in a storm of claws and fangs.

Calder grips my shoulders. Listen carefully. Do not let Vortain touch you.

I wont.

He turns

And my body convulses.

Agony explodes along my spine as silver-red light erupts from my abdomen, shooting skyward like a beacon.

The Moon answers instantly.

Thunder tears across the heavens, so violent it feels as if the sky itself has split apart. Stone shudders beneath us. Wolves on both sides freeze mid-strike, mid-breathas though something far older than any Alpha has seized the battlefield by the throat.

Time stalls.

Then a voice echoes across the clearing.

It does not come from my mouth.

It does not descend from the Moon.

It rises from deep inside meresonant, inescapable, vibrating through bone and blood as if my body has become its vessel.

The voice is ancient. Cold. Absolute.

HE IS NOT THE FATHER.

Silence crashes down.

From the treeline, Corvin steps into view.

His armor is streaked with blood. Rage burns wild in his eyes.

Then he stops.

His dominance falters.

What did you say? he snarls.

My body arches again as power surges uncontrollably. Blood slips between my fingers, hot and terrifying.

The voice speaks once morestronger, sharper, claiming.

THE ALPHA WHO TOUCHED HER WILL DIE FIRST.

Color drains from Corvins face in an instant.

For the first time since I met him, certainty fractures in his eyesand what replaces it is unmistakable fear.

Calder stares at me as though hes staring at a weapon he never knew existedsomething dangerous, unfamiliar, and newly awakened in his grasp.

Then the pain becomes unbearable.

I scream as the ground splits apart beneath us, the altar collapsing entirely.

The Moon above turns black.

Corvin lunges toward me, panic shattering his rage. Youre carrying my

Calder moves at the same time. Mireya!

Everything breaks at oncethe stone, the sky, the world itselfand I feel myself falling, weightless and powerless, as darkness closes in.

And as I fall, one truth burns through the pain with terrible clarity:

Whatever is growing inside me was never meant to belong to any Alpha at all.