The pregnancy test sat on her dresser, and Sasha could not look away from it. She knew exactly how this would go, so she braced herself and went to tell her aunt and uncle. “I’m going to have a baby. ”
Uncle Carl’s face flushed with anger.
“Is this some kind of joke? ”
Aunt Rita’s lip curled with contempt. “You’re unmated. How could you?
Do you expect us to provide for this child? ”
“You’re going to get rid of it,” Carl declared. “No unmated female in this house will bear a child. ”
“I won’t,” Sasha said, surprising even herself.
“This is my child. I’m keeping it. ”
“Then who’s the father? ” Rita demanded.
“Tell us who he is so we can demand he take responsibility. ”
Sasha’s hand moved instinctively to her stomach. “There is no father. ”
The room went still.
“There’s always a father, you stupid girl,” Rita snapped. Sasha met her glare. “Not this time. Because I never had sex with anyone.
”
Rita’s jaw dropped. That was how Sasha ended up standing before the pack council, Uncle Carl’s fingers digging into her forearm. The massive oak doors stood between her and the alpha who would decide her fate. At best, banishment.
At worst, death. She was a wolfess, unable to shift, and she was carrying a child without a mate. “Just beg for forgiveness,” Aunt Rita hissed beside her. “Beg and don’t say anything more.
”
Sasha nodded, though her mind raced. She could not survive as a rogue. But she would not give up her baby. The doors creaked open.
Uncle Carl yanked her forward so violently her shoulder nearly popped from its socket. “Keep your eyes down, your mouth shut, and do exactly as I say,” he whispered. “Cross me in there, and I’ll personally make sure you spend whatever remains of your pathetic existence wishing for death. ”
The chamber was larger than she had imagined, filled with stern-faced council members and curious onlookers.
Whispers erupted the moment they entered. “What’s Lord Carl doing with a servant girl? ”
“More like his worthless niece. Can you imagine not being able to shift?
”
Heat crawled up Sasha’s neck, but she kept her head high. Then she made her mistake. She looked up and saw the alpha. He sat on a throne of dark wood, commanding the room with his mere presence.
His face was carved from marble, his eyes like crystal lakes framed by thick lashes. When those eyes locked onto her, Sasha suddenly felt the full weight of her lowly status. She was nothing. He was everything.
Uncle Carl slammed his hand against the back of her neck. “On your knees before the alpha. ”
Her knees hit the cold stone floor, hard enough to bruise. Even with her head bowed, she could feel the alpha’s gaze on her.
“You are with child,” the alpha noted, his voice calm and measured. His scent reached her—forest after rainfall, clean and crisp with hints of pine. It settled her racing heart. “Yes, Alpha.
”
“Then where is your mate? ”
“I do not have one. ”
The room erupted into murmurs. “No mate?
” he asked. “What of the father of your child? ”
Sasha met his eyes once more. “There is no father.
There hasn’t been anyone. ”
The alpha’s expression shifted, his scent sharpening. “Lord Carl,” he turned to her uncle. “Have you opened an investigation into who could have done this to your maid?
”
Carl snorted. “I’m not about to waste time and resources on a lying girl who’s dumb enough to lie with the first man who showed her interest. ”
The alpha’s jaw clenched. “The girl claims she doesn’t remember.
That doesn’t sound like she willingly laid with anyone. ”
“She’s obviously lying, Alpha. I demand she be punished for her crimes. ”
The alpha snarled.
“She’s been abused while under your protection, and somehow she should be blamed? ” He pounded his fist on the table. “Why did she have to insist on keeping the child? Did you try to dissuade her?
”
Carl paled. “Well, of course I did, Alpha. Having a child out of a mating bond means banishment at best. ”
“Enough.
I will look into who fathered the child. As for Sasha, until then, she may resume her service in your household. ”
“I want her gone,” Carl snapped. “She’s brought enough shame to my house.
”
The alpha rose from his seat, towering over them all. “Fine. We just have to find her another job placement. Is anyone here in need of a new maid?
”
The room remained stubbornly silent. Of course not. No one wanted the burden of a wolfess shifter in their home. “Very well then,” the alpha sighed, his eyes finding hers.
“Until this matter is clarified, Sasha will come and work for me. ”
Vau rubbed the tense knot at the base of his neck. Carl had made him wait deliberately. His wolf bristled with irritation when the girl finally arrived, escorted by a guard rather than Carl himself.
“Alpha,” the guard bowed, pushing Sasha forward. “Lord Carl sends his regards and requests the girl. ”
She kept her gaze lowered, a small bag clutched tightly in her hands. Likely all she owned.
Once they were alone, Vau studied her more carefully. Her raven hair fell in waves past her shoulders, and though her gray eyes remained fixed on the floor, he remembered their startling clarity from earlier. “Come,” he said, softening his voice. “The car is waiting.
”
She followed in silence, keeping precisely three steps behind him. The proper distance for a servant. It irritated him more than it should. In the council chamber, when their eyes had met, he had seen something flare in her gaze before Carl forced her to her knees.
At the car, Vau gestured for her to enter first, but she hesitated. “You want me to ride inside with you? ” Her voice was tinged with genuine surprise. “Did you expect to be given your own?
” he teased. A flush colored her cheeks as she slid into the back seat. “You’ll be safe in my home,” he said, breaking the silence. “No one will harm you or your child.
”
She glanced up, surprise flickering across her features before she lowered her gaze again. “Thank you, Alpha. ”
There was something calming about her presence, Vau realized. A quietness that settled the constant restlessness of his wolf.
Pain stabbed through his temple, and he ignored it. “I’d like you to see the pack doctor tomorrow,” he said after a moment. “It’s customary during pregnancy, and it might help us understand your situation better. ”
She tensed.
“About that, Alpha… I know how it sounds, but I truly don’t remember. ”
“I believe you. ” He interrupted gently. “Sometimes when something traumatic happens, the mind protects itself by forgetting.
”
Her brow furrowed. “But nothing traumatic happened to me. ”
That gave him pause. “Your scent changed when you said that,” he observed.
“As if you’re certain. ”
“I am certain. I would remember if someone…”
She trailed off, unable to say the word. Vau leaned back, studying her intently.
The mystery deepened. If she wasn’t assaulted, then how did she explain her condition? The brightness of the passing lights forced him to close his eyes briefly. When he opened them, he found her watching him.
“Are you unwell, Alpha? ”
“It’s nothing. ”
But Sasha interrupted. “When my mother used to get headaches,” she said softly, “she would press here.
” She touched a spot on her own wrist between the tendons. “It sometimes helped. ”
Vau pretended not to hear. But to his surprise, her hand found its way to his wrist, pressing against the spot.
Vau wanted to pull away. Not because it wasn’t helping—it was—but because he didn’t want to look as though he needed help. “Thank you,” he said instead, surprised by the roughness in his voice. She nodded, a ghost of a smile touching her lips before vanishing.
As they approached his estate, Vau realized with some surprise that for the first time in months, his headache had begun to recede. Sasha kept berating herself for touching the alpha without permission. Who did she think she was, offering medical advice to the most powerful wolf in the territory? Upon arrival, the alpha had excused himself for business, leaving her in the capable but not entirely welcoming hands of his head housekeeper, Mrs.
Winters. “So you’re the wolfess girl the alpha has decided to rescue,” Mrs. Winters eyed her like a disappointing cut of meat. “Well, don’t expect special treatment here.
Given your condition, you’ll be kept away from any public areas. ”
They passed a grand staircase. “This leads to the family wing, which you will not be entering. ”
Finally, they reached the staff quarters, where a young woman about Sasha’s age was folding linens.
“Helen, this is Sasha. Find something useful for her to do. ”
Helen was pretty in a wholesome way, with honey-brown hair pulled into a neat ponytail. “Maybe she could help me prepare the dining room for tonight?
”
Mrs. Winters made a sound like she had swallowed something sour. “Absolutely not. She’s wolfess.
We can’t have her visible. Perhaps the laundry room would be best. ”
With that, she swept away. “Don’t mind her,” Helen said once they were alone.
“Come on, let’s get you settled. ”
Helen led her to a tiny but clean room in the annex where the staff lived. A narrow bed, a small dresser, a window overlooking a garden. After Sasha changed into her uniform, Helen took her on a roundabout route through the gardens and into the kitchens, where a dozen people darted between counters and stoves.
“Is it always this intense? ” Sasha asked. “Only when we’re expecting someone important,” Helen smirked. “So yes.
Guest tonight. The mistress is coming. Luna Alara. ”
A young man chopping vegetables snorted.
“She who must not be named. ”
“Luna Alara is the alpha’s mother,” Helen explained. “She’s still technically Luna until he takes a mate, and she has quite the reputation. ”
“She’s not so bad,” an older woman chimed in.
“Just don’t look her in the eyes. You’ll turn to stone. ”
Sasha laughed despite herself. Then a breathless maid rushed in.
“The alpha smiled at me! ” she squealed. “Welcome to the Alpha Vau Appreciation Society,” Helen rolled her eyes. “Meetings twice daily, at least.
”
“He was kind to me as well,” Sasha admitted, then instantly regretted it as all eyes turned to her. “Oh my God,” one of the younger maids gasped dramatically. “Even the new girl already has a crush on him. ”
“I do not,” Sasha protested, her face burning.
Helen draped an arm around her shoulders. “Sasha, how scandalous. A taken, pregnant woman like yourself. ”
“Maybe the alpha’s the father,” someone joked, setting off another round of teasing.
Sasha forced a smile, though she felt stupid for being so touched by the alpha’s kindness earlier. Clearly, it was just in his nature. As they passed through a cozy sitting room, Sasha paused, noticing a grandfather clock with a long crack down its wooden case. “What happened there?
”
“One of Mistress Alara’s cats knocked it over last year. He’s her favorite, always causing trouble. Oh yes, Mr. Paddington.
”
Helen tilted her head, frowning. “Yes, that’s… wait. How did you know that? ”
Sasha blinked.
“Lucky guess, I suppose. ” She reached absently for her collarbone, grabbing nothing but air. The next day, Sasha was sorting linens in the laundry room when the atmosphere shifted. A collective intake of breath.
Shoulders straightened. Luna Alara didn’t enter so much as materialize. She was tall and regal, with platinum blonde hair pulled into an immaculate chignon and the same crystalline blue eyes as her son, though hers held none of his warmth. “Mrs.
Winters, the sheets in the East guest room were changed this morning,” Alara said, her voice melodic but sharp. Then her gaze swept the room and landed on Sasha. For the briefest moment, something like shock flickered across her face. She went utterly still, the color draining from her skin, as if she had seen a ghost.
Then, just as quickly, the vulnerability vanished, replaced by cold fury. “What,” Alara said, each word precisely measured, “is that doing here? ”
“The alpha brought her himself, Luna. I was instructed to find her duties.
”
“I want her gone. ”
“But Luna, the alpha—”
“I want her gone,” Alara snapped. Her gaze locked onto Sasha. “Come with me.
”
Sasha had no choice but to obey. She was marched through the kitchen, where staff scattered like startled birds, and into the main hall. Mrs. Winters hurried to catch up.
“Luna, perhaps we should wait. ”
“I want her belongings packed and her escort arranged within the hour. I don’t care where she goes, but she will not remain here. ”
Sasha gathered her few possessions in silence, her head spinning.
As she shouldered her small bag and crossed the main hall toward the front entrance, a familiar voice cut through the tension. “What’s going on here? ”
Alpha Vau stood at the foot of the grand staircase, his expression unreadable. Behind him, Alara emerged from an adjacent room, her face transforming instantly from irritation to warm, effortless charm.
“Vau, darling,” she called, floating toward him with a radiant smile. “I was just looking for you. ”
“Mother. ” He accepted her cheek kiss, though his focus remained on Sasha and her bag.
“What’s happening? ”
“A small misunderstanding, dearest. I was just explaining to Mrs. Winters that perhaps the girl would be better suited elsewhere.
She has no wolf, hardly appropriate for household staff. What would people say? ”
Vau’s jaw tightened. “I hired her, mother.
”
“Yes, and that’s very charitable of you, but think of our allies. If they visit and find such a girl among our staff…”
“I don’t particularly care what they think. ” His voice was level but sharp. “Sasha, put your bag down.
You’re not going anywhere. ”
Alara’s smile didn’t falter, but her eyes darkened. “Vau, be reasonable. What possible use could she serve?
”
“Sasha,” the alpha’s tone brooked no argument, “unpack your things and return to whatever duties Mrs. Winters assigned you. ”
Sasha nodded quickly. As she turned to leave, she heard Vau’s voice drop, urgent but firm.
“She’s pregnant, mother, and the father is nowhere to be found. I suspect she was abused. ”
Alara’s head snapped toward Sasha. Their eyes met across the hall, and for the second time, color drained from the Luna’s perfect complexion.
“Pregnant? ” Alara whispered. “Yes, and she claims not to remember how it happened. Which suggests trauma.
”
“We have no need for extra servants,” Alara interrupted, her voice suddenly weak and trembling. “I could find a placement for her elsewhere. Perhaps with the Thompsons. ”
“That would be helpful,” Vau conceded.
“But until then, she has nowhere to go. So she’ll remain here. ”
Alara said nothing more, but as Sasha followed Mrs. Winters away, she felt the Luna’s gaze on her—intense, calculating, and tinged with something that felt almost like resentment.
A month passed. Vau sat at the head of the council table while Lord Reynolds droned on about territory disputes. Vau kept his hands flat on the polished oak table, hiding the faint tremor. The migraine that had begun at dawn pulsed behind his left eye.
After the meeting, his mother cornered him. “I’ve been thinking about what we discussed. The Mead Pack’s daughter isn’t the only suitable candidate for Luna. ”
“Not this again, mother.
”
“The Blake pack has two daughters of age, both accomplished and beautiful. I’ve arranged interviews with three suitable candidates next week. ”
Vau suppressed a sigh. A mate would silence those who questioned his authority.
“Fine. Send me their profiles beforehand. ”
Alara smiled. “Wonderful.
Oh, and I’ve arranged a position for the wolfess girl with the Hansen pack. We could send her tomorrow. ”
Vau stilled. “So soon?
She stays. My investigation into her situation isn’t complete. We still don’t know who the father of her child is. ”
“It’s been a month.
If no one claimed responsibility by now—”
“She stays. ” His voice left no room for argument. His wolf stirred beneath his skin. Alara studied him, unreadable.
Then, with a sigh, she relented. “As you wish. But consider how it looks to have a pregnant, unmated wolfess girl in your household while you meet potential mates. ”
She glided from the room, leaving Vau alone with the pounding in his skull and the unshakable certainty that Sasha belonged under his protection, whatever the cost to his reputation.
Sasha found her rhythm within the alpha’s household. One morning, she was dusting shelves in the library when a flutter stirred inside her. She stilled, her hand instinctively resting on her slightly rounded belly. “Hello, you,” she whispered, a soft smile spreading across her face.
The first movements of her child, light as butterfly wings. Helen appeared in the doorway. “Mrs. Winters needs someone to change the linens in the alpha’s quarters.
Nina’s out sick. ”
Another flutter passed through Sasha. The alpha’s personal rooms? “Don’t worry, he should be in meetings all day.
Just be quick about it. ”
Ten minutes later, Sasha stood outside his door, fresh linens in her arms. She knocked softly. No answer.
She tried again. Still nothing. She pushed the door open. Darkness greeted her, the heavy curtains drawn.
Her eyes took a moment to adjust. Then she heard it. A low, pained whine from the far corner. A massive shadow shifted near the window.
Not a shadow—a wolf. Silvery gray fur, impossibly large, his body curled into itself. Even in the dim light, she saw the tension in his posture, the way his ears flattened against his skull. Sasha froze.
Shifters rarely took wolf form indoors. Something was wrong. The wolf’s head snapped up. Ice-blue eyes locked onto hers, and a warning growl rumbled through the room.
“Alpha? ” she whispered. He rose, shoulders hunched, hackles raised. Another growl, deeper this time.
Teeth flashing. A clear message: get out. “I—I came to change your linens,” she stammered. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were here.
”
Mrs. Winters’s voice cut through the hallway. “Are you in there? Is everything all right?
”
The wolf stiffened, his ears swiveling toward the door. His growl turned silent but more dangerous, lips curling back in warning. Understanding clicked into place. He didn’t want to be seen like this.
Moving swiftly, Sasha stepped back to the door, opening it just enough to show her face. “Everything’s fine, Mrs. Winters. I was just deciding where to start.
The curtains are drawn, and I didn’t want to disturb anything. ”
Mrs. Winters huffed. “Yes, making a bed is quite the complex affair.
Be quick about it, and don’t snoop. ”
As the housekeeper’s footsteps faded, Sasha closed the door and turned back. The wolf was still standing, still tense, but the immediate aggression had ebbed. Now he watched her with wary intensity.
“You’re in pain,” she said softly, recognizing the signs. The way he held his head. The slight tremble in his massive frame. Like that day in the car.
“A migraine? ”
The wolf snorted and turned away, a clear dismissal. “Shifters don’t get sick,” she insisted, worried. “Which is why it’s concerning that you clearly are.
”
He snarled, flashing his teeth again. Back off. But Sasha had spent her life reading wolves, forced to observe since they rarely deigned to speak to a wolfess like her. Beneath the aggression she saw it: vulnerability.
Fear. “You don’t want anyone to know,” she murmured, “because an alpha can’t show weakness. ”
The wolf went very still. “I could fetch the doctor.
”
A ferocious growl rattled the room. The message was unmistakable. No one can know. “I understand,” she said.
“And I promise no one will hear of it from me. I could bring you some tea,” she offered, then realized how ridiculous that sounded. “Or maybe there’s another way I can help. ”
His blue eyes watched her wearily, pain evident despite his attempts to mask it.
“Please,” she said. “Let me try. ”
After a long moment, he exhaled deeply and closed his eyes. Not agreement exactly.
But not refusal either. When Sasha returned with a bowl of cool water and clean cloths, the wolf hadn’t moved. His breathing was shallow, rhythmic with pain. Sasha knelt beside him and dipped a cloth in the cool water.
Carefully, she pressed it to his brow. The wolf flinched, a low growl rumbling through him, but as the coolness seeped in, it faded. Encouraged, she placed another cloth at the back of his neck, where his skull met his spine. Another deep exhale.
“My mother had terrible headaches,” she murmured, her fingers working gently to massage the tense muscles at the base of his skull. His fur was thick and soft beneath her touch. When she found a particularly sensitive spot, his whole body shuddered, a sound escaping him that was somewhere between a groan and a sigh. She continued, slow and deliberate.
Bit by bit, the massive wolf melted beneath her hands, tension draining from his powerful frame. Minutes passed in silence. Then, so gradually she almost missed it, a change began. His fur shimmered, receding.
The broad shape of his wolf form shrunk, shifting bones realigning with soft snaps. Sasha gasped, pulling back, as Vau knelt before her, human again, completely naked. His muscled form gleamed in the dim light, his breath still unsteady from the shift. Her face burned.
She fumbled for a cloth, thrusting it toward him. “Alpha, you’re—I should—”
Vau, unconcerned with his nudity, regarded her through heavy-lidded eyes still clouded with pain. “Don’t stop,” he rasped. “Please.
”
Swallowing hard, Sasha draped the cloth over his lap, her fingers brushing his thigh for the briefest moment. A spark shot through her, and she quickly looked away. She hesitantly returned her hands to his temples, working gently. A groan slipped from him, deep and quiet.
“Thank you, Sasha,” he murmured, his voice low, almost intimate. Their eyes met. The air thickened, charged with something unspoken. Later that afternoon, Mrs.
Winters summoned Sasha to her office, her expression bewildered. “The alpha has requested you be reassigned, effective immediately. You’ll serve as his personal attendant. ”
“Me?
” Sasha blinked in confusion, her cheeks warming at the memory of their encounter. “But I’m incompetent. I’m pregnant. ”
“Yes, I made those points quite clear.
Nevertheless, the alpha was most insistent. Said you have, and I quote, ‘a calming presence. ’”
As Sasha left the office, her hand drifted to her belly, where the baby fluttered again. Almost as if in approval.
That night, Sasha woke with a gasp, his name on her lips. Oh Gods. She pressed her hands to her burning cheeks. She had just had an intensely erotic dream about the alpha.
Her employer. The most powerful wolf in the territory. What is wrong with me? Sitting up, she glanced at the clock.
Just past three in the morning. Her baby kicked suddenly—at nearly six months, there was no mistaking her condition now. “Can’t sleep either? ” she whispered, wiping at her tears.
“I guess I should get used to it. You’ll be waking me up to eat every couple of hours soon. ”
The dream lingered. It had felt so real.
The way she had known exactly how to touch Vau, how his body would respond. The mark on his neck that had somehow belonged to her. A sob rose in her throat. She was so desperate for her baby to have a father that she was dreaming about the alpha.
Who even was her baby’s father? Why couldn’t she remember? Unable to bear the confines of her small room, she slipped from bed, needing air and space. The gardens were peaceful at night, moonlight bathing the flowers in silver.
Sasha found her usual stone bench, partially hidden, and let the tears come. Months of fear and uncertainty poured out of her. She rocked back and forth, her arms wrapped protectively around her belly. “I’m sorry,” she whispered to her unborn child between sobs.
“I’m sorry I don’t know who your father is. I’m sorry I’m all you have. ”
She was so consumed by her grief that she didn’t hear the approaching footsteps until a voice cut through her cries. “Sasha?
”
She looked up, startled and mortified, to find Vau standing before her. His hair was disheveled, his chest bare beneath an open shirt. The sight of him, so similar to her dream, made her flush with embarrassment. “Alpha,” she stammered, hastily wiping her tears.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”
Before she could finish, Vau was beside her. “What’s wrong? ” His voice was low and urgent. “Is it the baby?
”
Sasha shook her head, unable to speak through her tears. Another sob escaped her instead. Strong arms wrapped around her. The action was unexpected, probably inappropriate, but Sasha couldn’t resist.
She collapsed against her alpha’s chest, her tears soaking his skin. “Sasha,” he soothed, one hand stroking her hair. “It’s all right. You’re safe.
”
His body was warm, solid, real. Nothing like the phantom lover from her dreams. “I’m sorry,” she managed between diminishing sobs. “I don’t know what’s come over me.
”
“Don’t apologize. ” His chin rested atop her head. “Whatever it is, we’ll fix it. ”
The simple promise brought fresh tears to her eyes, but these were gentler.
Almost relieved. “It’s nothing that can be fixed,” she admitted. “I was just thinking about my baby growing up without a father. About how I can’t even remember who he was.
”
Vau’s arms tightened around her. “You still don’t remember anything? ”
“Nothing real. I feel so incomplete.
Like I’m missing something vital. Something I should remember. ”
“Perhaps it’s for the best,” Vau said softly. “Sometimes what we forget is what would hurt us most to remember.
”
They sat in silence for a few moments, his hand continuing its soothing path along her back. Gradually, Sasha became acutely aware of their position—her body pressed against his, his bare chest warm beneath her cheek. She didn’t want to move away. “What are you doing out here so late?
” she asked instead. Vau sighed, the sound rumbling through his chest. “Insomnia,” he confessed reluctantly. “The headaches?
”
“Just stress, probably. ”
Before she could argue, the baby kicked hard against her belly—against Vau’s side, where they were still pressed together. His eyes widened in surprise. “Was that…?
”
Sasha nodded, smiling without thinking. She took his hand and placed it on the spot where her child was most active. “Here. Wait a moment.
”
For several heartbeats, nothing happened. Then the baby kicked again, and Vau’s expression became possessive, almost primal. His hand laid wider across her belly, as if trying to cover as much of it as possible. Sasha had to bite back a moan.
“My baby likes you,” she whispered, the words slipping out before she could stop them. Vau didn’t laugh or pull away as she expected. Instead, his eyes darkened, his gaze dropping to where his hand rested on her rounded belly. “I’m glad,” he said quietly.
The next morning, Vau was reviewing yet another trade proposal when movement outside his office window caught his eye. Sasha was crossing the courtyard toward the servant’s entrance, carrying a bicycle. Before he fully processed what he was doing, Vau was on his feet, striding outside. “What do you think you’re doing?
”
Sasha startled, nearly dropping the old bicycle. “Did you need anything, Alpha? ”
“You were just about to ride that death trap to town? ”
Sasha’s cheeks flushed.
“It’s only three miles, and the weather is nice. I have time off this morning for my doctor’s appointment. ”
“Three miles? You’re twenty-three weeks along!
”
“It’s just a doctor’s appointment,” Sasha tried to be reasonable. “It’s not an emergency. ”
“My driver will take you. ” Vau shifted on his feet.
“In fact, I’ll accompany you myself. ”
“That’s really not necessary. ”
“I insist. ”
He took the bicycle from her hands, passing it to a nearby groundskeeper.
“We leave in ten minutes. ”
Vau congratulated himself on being a considerate employer. It was his duty to ensure the well-being of his staff. He still hadn’t uncovered who had taken advantage of Sasha, but the least he could do now was ensure she and her child were healthy and protected.
That’s what any alpha would do. Still, he was vaguely offended he hadn’t been informed of Sasha’s appointment beforehand. How was he supposed to ensure her well-being if he was kept in the dark? His thoughts stumbled as a question rose unbidden: What will the child look like?
Will they have Sasha’s storm-gray eyes, or his blue ones instead? Vau blinked. Ridiculous thought. Obviously, the baby won’t have my eyes.
“Alpha? ” Sasha stood watching him, ready to go. “You really don’t need to come with me. I’m sure you have more important matters to attend to.
”
“Not at all. ” He lied, though it didn’t feel like one. “Just concerned for a vulnerable pack member, that’s all. ”
Then her scent shifted—warm vanilla and honey.
Pleasure. Something primal stirred within him. At the clinic, Vau remained standing while Sasha settled onto the examination table, his body angled protectively between her and the door. “Everything looks good,” the doctor said, measuring Sasha’s belly.
“Right on track for twenty-four weeks. ”
“And the baby,” Vau asked before Sasha could. “Is it developing properly? ”
The doctor prepped the ultrasound machine.
Vau’s throat tightened when the sound of a heartbeat filled the room—a rapid, rhythmic whooshing. “It’s quite strong,” he managed, his voice rough. Sasha met his gaze, surprised. Without thinking, Vau took her hand, their fingers twining together.
“I’ll give you two a moment while I fetch the printouts,” the doctor said, slipping from the room. Alone, Vau was acutely aware of their connection—her hand in his, the lingering sound of her child’s heartbeat, the sweet scent of her happiness mingling with his own. “Would you like to go shopping after this? ” he asked suddenly.
“For the baby. ”
His rational mind protested. The alpha doesn’t take servants shopping. Send an assistant.
Have Mrs. Winters handle it. But the thought of anyone else providing for her, caring for her, made his wolf bristle with possessive anger. Sasha’s scent sweetened.
“Alpha, you’ve already done so much. ”
“I want to. ” He interrupted. Then softer: “Please.
”
She hesitated, then nodded, her lips curving into a smile that made his heart stutter. They spent the afternoon in a dizzying whirl of baby boutiques. Vau bought everything Sasha showed even the slightest interest in—tiny clothes in soft yellows and greens, a handcrafted wooden cradle, plush toys she stroked with wondering fingers. Each time she protested, something fierce rose in him—a need to provide, to ensure she wanted for nothing.
It was primal, overwhelming, almost frightening. “Would you like to look at some clothes for yourself? ” he suggested. “Something more comfortable than those uniforms.
”
His gaze traveled over her—the fullness of her breasts, the curve of her hips, the proud swell of her belly carrying new life. Heat coiled in his stomach. “Do I look that bad? ” she asked, lowering her eyes.
“You’re gorgeous,” he corrected, satisfaction flaring when her lips parted in a surprised little gasp. By late afternoon, the car was filled with packages. Sasha protested each purchase, but her delight was evident—the way she touched each item, the sweetness of her scent, the soft thank-yous she offered. As they crossed the parking lot toward his car, Vau noticed Sasha tensing beside him, her steps faltering.
“What’s wrong? ”
“Nothing,” she said, but her eyes darted to a point over his shoulder, then quickly away again. “Sasha. Tell me.
”
She hesitated, then sighed. “There’s a girl who seems to be following us. I’ve noticed her several times throughout the day, in different stores. ”
Vau’s protective instincts flared instantly.
“Where? ”
“By the blue sedan, three rows over. Strawberry blonde, blue eyes, wearing a baseball cap. It might be a coincidence, but she keeps looking at us, and something feels wrong.
”
Vau followed her gaze, immediately spotting the young woman leaning against a car, her attention fixed unabashedly on them. When she realized Vau was looking back, her eyes widened briefly, but she didn’t look away or attempt to hide. “Stay here,” he told Sasha, already striding toward the stranger. “Vau, wait!
” Sasha called, hurrying after him. The girl straightened as they approached, neither fleeing nor appearing particularly intimidated. She was human, Vau noted—no wolf scent about her—which made her interest in them all the more puzzling. “Is there a reason why you’re staring at her?
” Vau demanded, gesturing to Sasha. The girl held his gaze, seeming to consider her response. “Yes,” she said eventually. Vau fought down a growl.
“Well, what is it? ”
The girl briefly glanced at Sasha. “She’s hot,” she replied with a shrug. Vau and Sasha both froze in surprise.
“You’re a lucky guy,” the girl added, a hint of challenge in her blue eyes. “Can I go now, big guy? ”
The girl walked away, hands in pockets, disappearing among the parked cars. “That was a bit much, don’t you think?
” Sasha said once the girl was gone. “She was just a human, I suppose,” Vau conceded, suddenly aware of a sharp pain building behind his eyes. The afternoon sun seemed too bright. The parking lot tilted oddly around him.
“Vau? ” Sasha’s voice came from far away. “What’s wrong? ”
“Nothing,” he tried to say, but the words slurred slightly.
Black spots danced across his vision. His headache pounded with vicious intensity. The world spun abruptly, and he found himself leaning heavily against the side of a car, stomach heaving. He was vaguely aware of Sasha beside him, her cool hand on his brow, her voice soothing in his ear.
He wished, suddenly and desperately, that this was his. This woman. This child. This life.
But something was wrong with him. The headaches, the tremors, the cold sweats. The truth was, he wasn’t fit to mate with anyone. Several days later, Sasha watched Vau from the doorway of his study, her concern deepening with each passing day.
He sat at his desk, shoulders hunched, fingers pressed to his temples. “Is there anything else you need, Alpha? ” she asked softly. He straightened immediately, forcing a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
“No, thank you, Sasha. I’m fine. ”
The lie hung between them, familiar and frustrating. “Perhaps I could call a Healer?
”
“That won’t be necessary. Just a headache. Nothing to worry about. ”
But Sasha did worry.
His symptoms nagged at her, tugging at the edges of a memory she couldn’t quite grasp. The headaches. The tremors. The insomnia he refused to acknowledge.
That night, as she prepared for bed, the memory finally surfaced. Her mother, in the months before her death, pressing her fingers to her temples just as Vau did. Her hands shaking. The days when she couldn’t rise from bed at all.
The realization slammed into her. It can’t be. But the parallels were too strong to ignore. Her mother had wasted away, the healers murmuring about a broken bond.
A mate who left. She knew what she had to do. “I need to visit my aunt,” she told Mrs. Winters the next day.
The housekeeper’s eyebrows rose. “After how they treated you, I think you’d want nothing more to do with them. ”
“It’s important. Just for a few hours.
”
Mrs. Winters arranged for a driver. The house where Sasha had spent her childhood looked smaller now, the paint peeling, the garden overgrown. Rita answered the door, her eyes widening before narrowing with suspicion.
“What are you doing here? Carl will have a fit if he sees you. ”
“He’s at work,” Sasha said, having timed her visit carefully. “I need to speak with you.
”
Rita hesitated, then stepped aside. “Make it quick. ”
The living room was exactly as Sasha remembered—the same worn furniture, the same faded photographs. But she was different now.
Stronger. “I need to ask about my mother. ”
Rita stiffened. “What about her?
”
“Her death. What happened before. ”
Rita’s lips pressed into a thin line. “If you’re looking for an inheritance, you’re wasting your time.
She left nothing but debts and a child I had to raise. ”
The barb slid off Sasha. “I was five when she died. My memories are incomplete.
I need to know what happened. ”
Silence. When Rita finally spoke, her voice held an edge of pain. “Why dig this up now?
What good will it do? ”
“I need to know her symptoms. ”
Rita turned, straightening a picture frame that didn’t need straightening. “Must we do this?
”
“Please. ”
Rita exhaled sharply. “If you’d only borrow a Healer’s book, you’d know them. Migraines at first.
Hand tremors. Then insomnia. Nausea. Eventually a fever that drove her into a deep sleep she never woke from.
”
The words hit Sasha like a punch to the gut. Migraines. Hand tremors. Insomnia.
Exactly what Vau had been experiencing. “I have to go,” Sasha said, already moving. Bonding sickness. A condition that occurs when mates are separated.
Her mother had died from it when her mate abandoned them. And now Vau showed the same symptoms. Which meant he had a mate. Someone he was bonded to but separated from.
Someone he loved so deeply that separation was killing him. A sharp ache stabbed through her chest. She had known, of course, that Vau would eventually marry. But the thought of him already having a mate—of loving someone so deeply that separation could kill him—was devastating.
What is wrong with me? The alpha is dying, and I’m selfishly nursing a broken heart over a man who was never hers to begin with. As she headed toward the car, a hand gripped her shoulder. She whirled, startled, coming face to face with the young woman from the mall.
Strawberry blonde hair. Intense blue eyes. “You! ” Sasha exclaimed, stepping back.
“Finally, I found you,” the woman said urgently, grabbing her wrist. “We need to talk. ”
“Are you stalking me? ” Sasha demanded, yanking her arm free.
“No. Well, yes, kind of. But look, it’s important. It’s about your baby.
”
Protective instinct surged through Sasha like wildfire. “Leave my baby alone. ”
The driver moved swiftly, grabbing the woman’s arm and shoving her to the ground before getting Sasha to the car. “You didn’t have to be so rough,” Sasha cried.
“She’s just a human. ”
The driver didn’t flinch. “Alpha’s orders. No one threatens you or the child.
No exceptions. ”
As they drove away, Sasha saw the woman watching, but a more pressing concern occupied her thoughts. If Vau truly had bonding sickness, he needed his mate immediately. Before the fever stage.
Before he slipped into the sleep her mother never woke from. She rushed into the mansion, searching for him. His study. The library.
The council chamber. No one had seen him since morning. Fear growing, she finally approached his private chambers. “Alpha?
” she called. Silence. Heart pounding, she tried the handle. The door swung open.
The room was dark, curtains drawn against the afternoon sun. But even in the dimness, she could make out his form on the bed, unnaturally still. “Vau? ” she whispered, rushing to his side.
His skin was hot to the touch. His breathing was shallow. When she lifted his eyelids, his pupils were dilated, unfocused. The fever stage had begun.
“Vau, please wake up! ” Sasha’s voice broke as she shook his shoulder. His skin burned beneath her touch. His breathing was shallow and labored.
“Please,” she whispered, tears spilling down her cheeks. She brushed damp hair from his forehead, desperate. Then she did the only thing her racing mind could think of and pressed her lips to his. It wasn’t a calculated decision—just pure instinct.
When she pulled back, Vau’s eyelids fluttered. A soft groan escaped him. “Sasha? ” His voice was rough, confused.
Relief crashed through her so powerfully that she sobbed. “You’re awake. ”
She helped him sit up, supporting his back. He winced, one hand going to his temple, the other steadying himself on the mattress.
“What happened? ” he asked, blinking. “You tell me,” Sasha said, wiping tears from her cheeks. “I know your secret now.
I know why you’re sick. ”
He stared at her, genuinely confused. “What secret? ”
“Please don’t lie anymore,” she implored, taking his hands in hers.
“My mother died from bonding sickness. It’s killing you, just like it killed her. ”
Vau frowned. “Bonding sickness?
”
“You need to reunite with your mate,” Sasha continued, frantic. “Where is she? Why are you separated? Whatever happened between you, it can’t be worth your life.
”
Vau’s expression shifted from confusion to concern. “Sasha, I don’t have a mate. ”
“Of course you do! The symptoms are identical to my mother’s.
”
“Sasha. ” He interrupted gently, taking her hand. “I swear to you, I have never taken a mate. ”
She searched his gaze.
There was no hint of deception, only genuine concern for her. “No mate? ” she echoed, bewildered. “I think I’d remember something that significant,” he said, a weak smile tugging at his lips.
Sasha sat back, her mind racing. “But the symptoms… they’re exactly the same. ”
Vau shook his head. “Perhaps it’s something else entirely.
A coincidence. ”
“Well, whatever it is, it’s serious,” Sasha said firmly. “Enough is enough. You’re seeing a Healer today.
Right now. No more excuses, no more hiding it. ”
“Sasha…”
She couldn’t bear to hear another protest. She pressed her lips to his.
This time, it was deliberate. Purposeful. His surprise lasted only a heartbeat before he was responding, one hand sliding into her hair to draw her closer. When she retreated, breathless, a hint of color had returned to his cheeks.
“What was that for? ” he asked. “Motivation,” she said shakily. “Did it work?
”
His answer was to pull her back to him, his mouth finding hers with newfound urgency. This kiss was deeper, hungrier. Months of unspoken longing poured into a single connection. Sasha melted against him, all thoughts of healers and illness momentarily forgotten.
Her hands moved to his chest, feeling the strong beat of his heart beneath her fingertips. “We shouldn’t,” she murmured against his lips. “You need a Healer. ”
“I need you,” he countered, trailing kisses down the sensitive column of her throat.
“I feel better already. ”
And strangely, he did look better. Color returning to his face. Strength to his movements.
“Vau,” she gasped as his teeth grazed the juncture of her neck and shoulder. “We need to stop thinking,” he murmured against her skin. His hands found the buttons of her blouse, deftly unfastening them one by one. His eyes darkened as the fabric fell away, his gaze traveling over her changed body with reverence rather than hesitation.
“Beautiful,” he whispered. “So beautiful. ”
The baby chose that moment to kick hard enough that Vau felt it against his abdomen. His eyes widened in wonder, and before Sasha could feel self-conscious, he slid down her body, pressing his lips to the rounded curve of her belly in a kiss that felt like worship.
“Hello, little one,” he murmured against her skin. They were so lost in each other that neither heard the knock at the door. “Alpha? ” Mrs.
Winters’s voice cut through the haze of desire. “The Luna sent me to… oh. ”
Sasha jerked away from Vau, grabbing for her discarded blouse, as Mrs. Winters averted her eyes.
“Leave us,” Vau said, his arm still around Sasha’s waist. “I apologize for the intrusion, Alpha. But the Luna has requested Miss Sasha’s presence immediately. She was most insistent.
”
Vau’s arm tightened possessively. Shame and embarrassment flooded through Sasha. What was she doing? He was the alpha.
She was a servant, pregnant with another man’s child. “I’ll be right there,” she said, slipping from Vau’s embrace. “Sasha. ” He protested.
“You need to rest,” she told him hastily, buttoning her blouse. “I’ll be back with a Healer. ”
His expression was a mixture of frustration and resignation. “If that’s what you want.
”
“What I want is for you to be well. ” She pressed one more quick kiss to his lips before backing away. “I won’t be long. ”
Mrs.
Winters waited in the hallway, her expression carefully blank as Sasha emerged. “Your blouse is buttoned incorrectly,” she said quietly. Sasha flushed, attempting to smooth the tangled waves Vau’s eager hands had created. “Miss Winters, I…”
“You should be careful, Sasha.
” Mrs. Winters met her gaze. Instead of judgment, Sasha found worry. “His mother will never allow it.
”
“I know. ”
“No, you don’t know. ” Mrs. Winters grabbed her wrist, warningly.
“She adores her son. She survived her mate’s death for him. She’d do anything for him. She had to fight tooth and nail to protect this pack, and you’re a wolfess, pregnant, a servant.
Not exactly what she envisions. If she finds out about you, she’ll stop at nothing to get rid of you. Nothing. Do you understand?
”
The emphasis carried a weight Sasha couldn’t quite decipher, but it sent a chill down her spine nonetheless. Twenty minutes later, freshly showered and changed, Sasha stood outside Luna Alara’s private office. Her heart still raced from what had transpired in Vau’s room. The memory of his touch, his taste, the way he’d looked at her—it all felt like a dream already.
A dream that must remain just that. Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the ornate door. “Enter. ”
Alara sat behind a massive desk, elegant as always in a pale blue dress that matched her eyes.
Vau’s eyes. Her smile when she saw Sasha was unexpected, almost warm. “Ah, Sasha. Thank you for coming so promptly.
”
Sasha curtsied slightly. “Luna. I actually needed to speak with you. ”
“I have wonderful news,” Alara interrupted, her smile widening.
“Truly wonderful news. ”
Sasha blinked, thrown off course. “Luna, I appreciate that, but—”
“The father of your child has been found. ”
Sasha froze, certain she had misheard.
“What? ”
“It makes no sense. There is no father. ”
“There is a man who knows you well.
More like, he’s come forward,” Alara continued, seemingly oblivious to Sasha’s shock. She gestured to an adjacent door. “Would you like to meet him? ”
Sasha stared at the man beside Luna Alara, struggling to process what was happening.
He was tall, with light brown hair and warm eyes. Conventionally handsome in an unremarkable way. A complete stranger. “So it’s true,” he murmured, studying her with an odd mix of curiosity and resignation.
“Sasha, this is Trevor Ellis. He’s from the Southern Ridge pack,” Alara said smoothly. Trevor offered a hesitant smile. “Hello, Sasha.
”
She searched his face for any flicker of recognition. Nothing. “I don’t understand,” she said, her voice small. Alara stepped beside her, placing a perfectly manicured hand on her shoulder.
“Vau and I have been investigating since you arrived, trying to locate the father of your child. Since you rarely left your aunt and uncle’s house, we deduced it was likely someone who visited during an event. Trevor fit the bill, among a couple of other gentlemen. ”
Trevor sighed.
“You really don’t remember me at all? ”
Sasha shook her head. “I’m sorry, but no. ”
He ran a hand through his hair.
“I was afraid of that. We were both pretty drunk that night. ”
“Drunk? ”
“At your uncle’s birthday celebration, six months ago.
You were in the kitchen, drinking wine. ”
A memory stirred. Her uncle’s birthday. The suffocating main party.
Escaping to the kitchen where the staff had been more welcoming. Someone had offered her wine. Then another. “I did drink that night,” she admitted slowly.
“I woke up with the worst hangover of my life. ”
Trevor nodded eagerly. “Exactly. We snuck off to the gardens with a bottle of champagne, and well, we can all guess what happened.
”
Alara interrupted, gesturing delicately at Sasha’s rounded belly. The implication hung in the air. Her mysterious pregnancy, a drunken encounter with a stranger. Something didn’t feel right.
A dissonance she couldn’t explain. But it made some sense. She had been drinking. She had struggled to remember details the next day.
“Trevor comes from a good, traditional family,” Alara continued smoothly. “He will do his duty, won’t you, Trevor? ”
Trevor nodded solemnly. “We will prepare the mating ceremony hastily.
My child will not be born without a father. ”
The mating ceremony. The words hit Sasha like a physical blow. “As soon as possible,” Alara said in a reassuring tone.
“We’ve made it clear to Trevor’s family what carrying this child while unmated has done to your reputation. It’s unacceptable for you to suffer the consequences alone. It takes two to make a child. ”
Trevor met her gaze at last.
“You will be taken care of. ”
His tone was flat. No warmth. No affection.
Just duty. Something inside Sasha shattered at the thought of binding herself for life to a man who viewed her as an obligation. “Hurry along, Sasha,” Alara said briskly. “Pack your things.
Your aunt and uncle have been informed. They’re expecting you and Trevor at their estate in two days. His family will arrive for the mating ceremony. I’d be delighted to host it here—it’s been such a pleasure having you, and I’d love to honor your upcoming bond.
”
She squeezed Sasha’s hand, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction. “Oh, how relieved you must feel. It’s no easy task raising a child alone. I should know.
”
There was something in the way she said it. Something pointed, as if Vau’s name lingered unspoken in the space between them. “I’ll be waiting in the car,” Trevor said, bowing slightly before leaving. “Charming man,” Alara exclaimed once he was gone.
Sasha suppressed a grimace. “Thank you, but this isn’t about that. It’s Vau. He’s sick.
”
Alara’s hand tightened around hers, her eyes flashing gold. “What of him? ”
“He’s very sick. He’s been hiding it.
He has migraines, tremors, and now he’s feverish. ”
Alara’s face paled. Her fingers loosened, as if something crucial had clicked into place. Sasha wiped her tears.
“My mother died with similar symptoms. She had bonding sickness. ”
As she spoke, her fingers instinctively reached for her collarbone, searching for something that wasn’t there. A gesture she had made countless times without understanding why.
Alara’s gaze sharpened, tracking the movement. She inhaled sharply, then closed her eyes, as if mentally calculating something. A long, tense silence. Then, softly: “All right.
”
When she opened her eyes, her composure was restored. “Thank you for telling me, Sasha. I’ll take care of it. ”
“He’s going to be okay?
”
Something flickered in Alara’s gaze. “Yes, he will be. Don’t worry. ”
“May I see him before I go?
” The words slipped out before she could stop them. Alara shook her head. “That’s not a good idea. He’s quite attached to you.
I don’t think he should worry about your upcoming mating ceremony, not if he’s sick. Don’t you agree? ”
Sasha nodded reluctantly. Just this morning, she had been in Vau’s arms, his lips on hers, his hands worshiping her body.
Now she was leaving forever. Alone in her room, Sasha packed her few belongings, every fiber of her being screaming to see Vau one last time. To feel him again. But his mother was with him now.
She would take care of him. The baby kicked sharply. “It’s okay,” Sasha whispered, rubbing her belly. “We’ll be okay.
”
The words rang hollow. Two days later, Sasha stood before the mirror, barely recognizing herself. The ceremonial white dress, borrowed from Rita’s closet, pulled tight across her growing belly. In two hours, she would be mated to Trevor Ellis.
Bound for life to a man she had met three days ago. A tear slipped down her cheek before she could stop it. Followed by another. And another.
“Stop that,” Rita snapped, dabbing roughly at Sasha’s face with a handkerchief. “You’ll ruin your makeup. ”
“Sorry,” Sasha whispered, trying to compose herself. Her thoughts kept drifting to Vau.
His smile. His touch. The way he had looked at her that last day, as if she were something precious. Rita sighed.
“We’ll blame it on the hormones. Pregnant women in this family get emotional. ”
This gave Sasha pause. She rarely got an opening like this with Aunt Rita.
She had to take it. “Was my mother emotional when she was pregnant with me? ” she asked carefully. Rita’s hands stilled as she pinned a flower into Sasha’s hair.
“No, actually. She was very happy. Pregnant, radiant even. ”
“Until she got me.
The wolfess girl. ”
Rita’s eyes met Sasha’s in the mirror. “No. Even then, she was happy.
”
Something in her aunt’s tone made Sasha turn to face her directly. “She was? ”
“Yes,” Rita admitted, her voice uncharacteristically gentle. “She loved you exactly as you were.
”
“Then why did she die? ” Sasha reached for her neckline, searching the empty space there. “Why couldn’t she live if she was happy with me? ”
Rita looked away.
“It’s nearly impossible to survive a broken bond when your father left. She fought it for your sake, but in the end, the sickness was stronger. ”
Sasha thought of Luna Alara, who had survived after Vau’s father died. What strength that must have taken.
“I’ll have to be strong too,” she said, straightening her shoulders. “For my baby. I’m doing what’s right—marrying the father of my child. ”
Rita nodded, something like discomfort flickering in her eyes.
“What is it? ” Sasha asked, noticing the change. “Nothing,” Rita said too quickly. “Let’s go.
Everyone’s waiting. ”
Sasha took one final look in the mirror, squaring her shoulders. This is what mothers do, she told herself firmly. They sacrifice for their children.
Her hand moved to her belly, feeling the baby shift beneath her palm. This child deserved everything she never had: a proper family, security, legitimacy. “It’s time,” Rita said softly. Sasha nodded, drawing a deep breath.
Whatever feelings she had for Vau must be buried now. He was the alpha, destined for a powerful mate who could strengthen the pack—not a wolfess servant carrying another man’s child. She was foolish to ever imagine otherwise. Her hand reached for the door knob, her mind already rehearsing the ceremonial words she would speak in less than an hour.
For my baby, she thought, gripping the metal. Rita’s hand shot out suddenly, grabbing her wrist. “Wait. ”
Sasha turned, confused.
“What is it? Something wrong with the dress? ”
Rita closed her eyes briefly, some internal struggle playing across her features. When she opened them, determination had replaced doubt.
“You have to know,” she said, the words tumbling out in a rush. “Trevor isn’t the father of your baby. ”
Sasha stared at her aunt, the world seeming to stop around her. “What did you just say?
”
Rita’s expression shifted between guilt and resolution. “You and him… it never happened. ”
“But he said we were together that night. At Uncle Carl’s birthday.
”
“A story. A fabrication. Luna Alara arranged the whole thing. ”
“Luna Alara?
” Sasha gasped. “Why would she do that? And why would Trevor agree? ”
Rita laughed, a hollow sound.
“Money, of course. The Ellis family is respected but struggling financially. They received a substantial dowry to accept this arrangement. ” Her eyes flicked to Sasha’s.
“As did we. ”
The realization hit Sasha like a physical blow. “She paid you to lie to me. To send me away.
”
“Carl wanted to accept immediately. I… had reservations. ”
“Yet you went along with it. ”
Rita stood abruptly, pacing the small room.
“What choice did we have? The Luna of our pack ordered it. And besides, it’s still best for you. ”
“How is lying to me about my child’s father what’s best for me?
”
“Your baby needs a father. Trevor is willing. ”
“He needs his father,” Sasha interrupted, one hand pressed protectively against her belly. “His real father, who’s still out there somewhere.
”
Rita’s face hardened. “No one has come forward, Sasha. No wolf will have you—a wolfess nobody carrying a child. Trevor is your only chance.
”
“If this is really what’s best for me,” Sasha said, her voice steady despite the tears threatening to fall, “then why did you feel I should know the truth? Why tell me now, minutes before the ceremony? ”
The question hung in the air between them. Rita opened her mouth, then closed it.
No answer forthcoming. In that silence, something shifted inside Sasha. “I’m not doing this,” she said, reaching behind her to unzip the borrowed wedding dress. Rita’s eyes widened.
“The Luna herself arranged this match! Sasha, you can’t just run away! The ceremony, the guests—”
“Let Trevor explain to them why he was willing to claim a child that isn’t his. ”
Sasha slipped on her shoes, her mind racing ahead.
She needed to get back to Vau. He would help her. She just knew it. He would offer her and her baby protection.
Unless…
Sasha froze. She had been telling herself that Vau was in good hands, being taken care of by Alara. But what if she had been wrong? Alara was a liar.
A manipulator. Was she even trying to heal Vau? Rita grabbed her arm as she moved toward the door. “Sasha, please.
Be sensible. Even if Trevor isn’t the father, he’s offering you security. Respectability. ”
“Based on lies,” Sasha pulled free.
“Aunt Rita, all my life I’ve been told I’m worthless because I’m wolf-less. That I should be grateful for whatever scraps of kindness come my way. ” She straightened her shoulders. “I’m done accepting less than I deserve.
And so is my baby. ”
She slipped through the door and down the hall, her heart pounding against her ribs. Voices drifted up from downstairs—Trevor’s family, the arriving guests for the ceremony. She turned toward the back staircase instead, the servants’ route she knew from childhood.
The kitchen was mercifully empty as she slipped through it and out the back door. The late afternoon sun bathed the garden in golden light as she broke into a run, one hand supporting her belly. She had no plan beyond escape, but her feet carried her toward the road, her mind fixed on a single goal: return to Vau. A car sat idling at the side of the road, engine running.
As Sasha approached, the door swung open, revealing the blonde woman from before. The one who had been following her. “You’re back,” the woman called, urgency in her voice. “Finally.
”
Sasha gaped. Of all the people she’d expected to face in order to escape, she hadn’t been thinking of her stalker. “I don’t have time for this,” she muttered, turning away. “Leave me alone.
”
The woman honked. “Get your butt inside the car! Your boyfriend is dying, and we don’t have much time. ”
Sasha froze mid-step, turning back.
“Listen,” she said, her voice low and dangerous. “I don’t know who you are or what you want from me, but I swear, if I ever see you following me again, you won’t get away so easily. ”
The threat hung in the air, but beneath her fierce exterior, Sasha’s heart hammered uncomfortably. “Fine.
Not a boyfriend. Your mate, whatever,” the blonde rolled her eyes. “You want to save him or not? ”
Sasha frowned, shaking her head in confusion.
“I don’t have a mate,” she choked out, the words feeling strangely bitter on her tongue. “Then how do you explain this? ” the blonde gestured toward Sasha’s rounded belly. Instinctively, Sasha’s hands moved to cradle her stomach.
She looked down at the swell of her child, then back up, her heart racing wildly. “You know who my child’s father is? ” she asked, her voice breaking with sudden emotion. “Oh, come on,” the blonde threw her head back in exasperation.
“Don’t you? ”
The question struck something deep within Sasha. A truth she had been circling for months, drawing closer with each interaction, each unexplainable moment of connection. “It’s Vau,” she whispered, the realization washing over her like a wave.
“Vau’s the father. ”
“Yep,” the blonde nodded with a satisfied smirk. “Though if you’d like him to teach your kid how to hunt or whatever it is you shifters do, I’d get in the car if I were you. ”
Shouts erupted from behind them—Trevor’s voice, followed by Uncle Carl’s angry bellowing.
They had discovered her absence. Without further hesitation, Sasha slid into the passenger seat, pulling the door closed as the blonde accelerated away from the curb. “Who are you? ” Sasha demanded, adrenaline still coursing through her system.
“Why are you helping me? ”
She noticed now that the woman’s head was bandaged, and her wrist resting on the steering wheel was wrapped in a brace—the same hand Vau’s guard had twisted just days ago. “You’re hurt,” she observed, guilt pricking at her conscience. The woman shrugged dismissively.
“My name is Iris. ”
“You’ve been following me around. Why? ”
“I wasn’t sure at first.
I had to be certain. ”
“Certain? ” Sasha echoed. “That it was you.
” Iris grimaced. “I never actually saw you or your mate before all this. But I saw his mother that night. She only has one son, and well, seeing how he keeps ogling you, I figured you had to be his lost mate.
”
A blush crept up Sasha’s cheeks at the word “ogling,” but confusion dominated her thoughts. “Sorry, but you’re not making a whole lot of sense. ”
Iris groaned, accelerating through a yellow light. “Okay, so let me make it simple.
I work for a magician. ”
“A magician? ”
“Yeah. He’s very powerful.
Kind of unlimitedly powerful. He grants wishes. ”
“Wishes? ”
Iris shot her an annoyed glance.
“Are you going to keep interrupting me every couple of words? ”
“Sorry. ”
“My employer, the magician, he grants wishes. When someone comes to him with a wish, whatever it is, he makes it come true.
He has to, in fact. He can’t say no. ”
Sasha tried to wrap her mind around this impossible concept. “When you say he can’t say no, what do you mean?
”
“I mean when someone asks him to grant a wish, his magic just does it. Adrien can’t help it. He can’t control it. It just happens.
”
“Adrien being the magician? ”
Iris nodded. “He made a pact with a demon long ago. Now he’s stuck doing its dirty work.
He hates it, and his life sucks. ” Her knuckles whitened on the steering wheel. “Bottom line is, when your mother-in-law came to see him with a wish, he had to obey her. ”
A chill ran down Sasha’s spine.
“Wait, so you’re saying Alara made a wish to your magician boss? ”
“Precisely. ” Iris’s voice dropped lower. “It was nighttime when she came in.
I wasn’t supposed to hear her make the wish, but I did. She wished for her son to forget all about his bond with his—and I quote—‘wolfess mate. ’ I’ve never seen you shift once in all the time I’ve been stalking you, so I’m guessing you can’t. ”
Sasha nodded numbly, her mind reeling.
“Vau and I were mates? ” she asked, her voice shaking. “We had a bond? ”
“You did.
You just don’t remember it. Nobody does, save for Vau’s mother, myself, and Adrien. ”
Emotions crashed through Sasha like a storm—joy and anger, betrayal and heartbreak. “I can’t believe she did that,” she whispered, her hands clenched protectively around her belly.
“To Vau. To me. To the baby. ”
Iris gave her another glance.
“So about that,” she said, turning onto a quieter road. “That’s where things kind of took a turn. Because your mother-in-law didn’t know about the baby. So at no point when she made her wish did she think of mentioning it.
And so, despite everyone having forgotten about your bond, the baby stayed. ”
Her grip tightened on the wheel. “When Alara found out about the pregnancy, she was furious. She returned to see Adrien, asking him to fix it.
”
Sasha paled, her hands splaying protectively over her belly. “Surely you don’t mean…? ”
“I don’t exactly know what she meant by that either,” Iris admitted. “But what I do know is that Adrien is only able to grant one wish per person, and he’d already granted hers.
So he did nothing else. ”
“Oh, how generous of him,” Sasha snapped, anger rising hot and swift. “How kind of him to spare my child after he’s ruined all our lives. ”
“Your mother-in-law ruined your lives,” Iris retorted sharply.
“She chose to make the wish. Chose to separate you from your mate. Adrien, unlike her, has no choice. ”
“He could choose to end it,” Sasha fired back.
Iris slammed on the brakes, bringing the car to a sudden halt on the shoulder of the road. She turned to Sasha with a glare that could freeze blood. “He tried that,” she said, her voice dangerously quiet. “Multiple times.
But he’s immortal. Death doesn’t stick. ”
Something in her tone—the coldness, the pain—made Sasha feel a twinge of regret. This girl was trying to help her, after all.
“Did he send you here? ” she asked, softer now. Iris shook her head, starting the car again. “No.
He’s not supposed to intervene unless you come to him with a wish. There’s nothing he can do. ” She quickly added, reading Sasha’s expression, “And I don’t suggest you do that. Making a wish has a price.
What you love most. ”
Sasha’s blood ran cold, her thoughts immediately turning to Vau. “Is that why he’s dying? Because he’s what his mother loves most?
”
“No, that’s not how it works,” Iris explained. “The price is never someone’s life. Otherwise, no one would ever make a wish. It would guarantee either them or a loved one dying.
And clients have to be very clear on the rules for the contract to work. ”
Sasha nodded, setting aside the confusing magic rules. None of that mattered right now. “So it is bonding sickness, then?
” she whispered. “It’s because we’ve been separated? ”
“That’s what Adrien told her. Apparently, you’re fine right now because you carry a piece of your mate with you—the baby.
” She glanced pointedly at Sasha’s belly. “The moment you give birth, you’ll start feeling sick as well. Unless you take a mate. Same for Vau.
”
Understanding clicked into place. This explained why Alara had been so desperate to see both Vau and Sasha mated to others. “For you, there might still be a chance,” Iris explained, accelerating as they approached the outskirts of town. “You could potentially mate with someone else and survive.
But for Vau, it’s different. Having been near you and the baby again, his body recognizes you as his mate now. Either he mates with you again, or he dies. And Alara knows this.
”
Sasha asked, horror mounting, “She knows? ”
“Adrien tried to tell her, but she wouldn’t listen. She kept insisting there had to be another way. ” Iris’s expression darkened.
“Ever since then, Adrien has been wrecked with guilt. So I thought I’d take matters into my own hands. ”
“So you’re really doing all this for him,” Sasha observed, studying the younger woman’s profile. Iris shrugged, but a faint blush colored her cheeks.
“Let’s call it a kill-two-birds-with-one-stone kind of situation. ”
The Alpha’s estate appeared on the horizon, its imposing silhouette both welcoming and terrifying. Iris pulled up a short distance from the gates. “I can’t go any closer.
They’ll recognize me, and I don’t think your mate’s guards will be very happy to see me again. ”
As Sasha prepared to exit the car, Iris reached into her pocket and pulled out a small silver pendant on a chain. “Take this. It’s a charm Adrien made for me for protection against other shifters.
If someone really means to harm you, it will activate and defend you. ”
Sasha stared at the delicate pendant. “Why would you give me this? ”
Iris avoided her gaze.
“Just in case Luna Alara might not be happy to see you. ”
“Thank you,” Sasha said, genuinely moved. She slipped the pendant around her neck, her fingers closing around it where it rested against her collarbone, filling the empty space she’d been touching for months. “Now go,” Iris urged.
Heart pounding, Sasha nodded and stepped out into the fading daylight. As Iris’s car disappeared down the road, she turned toward the mansion, determination hardening within her. Sasha pressed her back against the wall as two guards passed the alcove where Helen had hidden her. Their voices faded down the corridor, and Helen signaled it was safe to move.
“The alpha’s condition has worsened,” Helen whispered, leading Sasha through a narrow service passage. “Mrs. Winters says he hasn’t woken since yesterday. They’ve brought in healers from three territories, and none of them can help him.
”
“Not with bonding sickness,” Sasha said grimly. Helen shot her a questioning glance but didn’t press for explanations. “Mrs. Winters is creating a distraction in the East Wing.
We have maybe ten minutes. ”
They reached a panel in the wall that Helen slid open with practiced ease. Sasha squeezed her friend’s hand in silent thanks and moved silently toward the partially open door that led to Vau’s bedroom. Voices drifted through the gap.
Luna Alara’s commanding tone, another female voice responding with uncertainty. “He needs this,” Alara insisted. “The bond will save him. You said yourself you felt drawn to him at the reception.
”
“Yes, but… he’s unconscious, Luna. It doesn’t feel right to—”
“To save his life? ” Alara interrupted sharply. “This is a mating of necessity, not romance.
The healers have done all they can. This is our last option. ”
Sasha edged closer to the door, peering through the narrow opening. The scene before her sent ice through her veins.
Vau lay motionless on the massive bed, his skin ashen, his breathing so shallow it was barely visible. Beside him knelt a woman Sasha recognized from the mating reception—the red-haired daughter of an allied pack alpha. Behind them stood Alara, perfectly composed save for the tension around her eyes. “Do it now,” Alara commanded.
“Bite him. Create the bond. When he wakes, he’ll return the mark. ”
The redhead hesitated, uncertainty clear in every line of her body.
“Luna, I don’t know if…”
“No,” Sasha said, pushing the door fully open and stepping into the room. “He won’t. ”
Both women whirled toward her, shock etched on their faces. “You!
” Alara gasped, recovering first. “What are you doing here? How did you get in? ”
“Step away from him,” Sasha said to the redhead, ignoring Alara’s questions.
The woman rose slowly, clearly confused by this interruption. “Guards! ” Alara called sharply, but her voice lacked its usual authority. “They won’t hear you,” Sasha told her, moving further into the room.
“Mrs. Winters made sure of that. ”
Alara’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “More traitors in my house.
I should have known. ”
“Not traitors,” Sasha countered. “People who care about Vau. Who don’t want to see him die because of your pride.
”
The redhead glanced between them, sensing the undercurrents. “What’s happening? Luna, who is this? ”
“No one,” Alara said dismissively.
“A servant who’s forgotten her place. ”
“I’m his mate,” Sasha stated, her voice steady and sure. “I’m carrying the alpha’s child. ”
The redhead’s eyes widened, dropping to Sasha’s rounded belly.
“Luna? ”
“Leave us,” Alara commanded sharply. “Now. ”
The redhead hesitated, clearly torn.
“Alpha Vau is dying,” she said finally. “If there’s any chance she can help him…”
“Out! ” Alara snapped, her eyes flashing gold. The woman flinched.
With a final glance at Sasha, she moved toward the door. “I hope you’re right,” she said quietly as she passed. “For his sake. ”
When the door closed behind her, Sasha and Alara faced each other across Vau’s prone form.
Two women connected by love for the same man, divided by everything else. “How did you find out? ” Alara asked, her voice dangerously soft. “Does it matter?
” Sasha countered, moving closer to the bed. “What matters is that I know what you did. I know you made a wish that tore us apart. That made us forget each other.
”
Alara’s eyes widened slightly. “Why? ” Sasha asked, her voice breaking. “Why would you do something so cruel?
Do you really hate the idea of having a wolfess girl as a daughter-in-law so much? ”
Something shifted in Alara’s expression. Pain breaking through her perfect mask. “Hate you?
” she repeated, sounding genuinely surprised. “You think that’s what this was about? ”
“What else could it be? ”
Alara moved to the window, moonlight silvering her platinum hair.
“I watched you both grow up,” she said quietly. “I saw how you looked at each other even as children. The way he defended you against bullies. The way you steadied him when his temper flared.
” She turned, her eyes surprisingly bright with unshed tears. “I’m not heartless, Sasha. I’m well aware of your qualities. Your kindness.
Your quiet strength. How you make my son laugh in a way no one else can. ”
The acknowledgement caught Sasha off guard. She had expected denial, contempt.
Not recognition. “Then why? ” she asked, genuinely perplexed. “Why separate us?
”
“Because you’re not strong enough,” Alara said, the words falling like stones. “You would be a weakness to Vau. Others would come after you to get to him. ”
“What others?
We’re not at war with anyone. Our power is secured. ”
“It wouldn’t be, should you become Luna. ” Alara turned fully toward her now, her composure cracking further.
“Do you have any idea what happens to a pack with a vulnerable Luna? The challenges, the threats, the constant tests of strength? I’ve seen packs torn apart when a strong alpha chooses a weak mate. ”
“I’m not weak,” Sasha insisted, but uncertainty crept into her voice.
“Not in spirit, no,” Alara agreed. “But physically, politically? As a wolfess female, you would make Vau vulnerable. Every rival pack, every ambitious wolf, would see you as his weakness.
A way to get to him. They’d come for you. For your child. ” Her voice broke slightly.
“I know what it’s like to lose a mate, Sasha. I would never wish that pain on my son. To have his heart walking outside his body, unprotected. ”
The raw emotion in Alara’s voice gave Sasha pause.
For the first time, she saw beyond the perfect Luna to the grieving widow, the protective mother. But a glance at Vau, deathly still on the bed, hardened her resolve. “It’s too late for these concerns,” she said urgently. “He’s dying.
Now. Only I can save him. ”
Alara shook her head, desperation entering her voice. “No.
You’re wrong. He’ll survive it. ”
“I did,” Sasha countered, understanding dawning. “Because you had him.
You survived for him. You had a reason—being his mother. But Vau doesn’t have his baby yet. He won’t have the same incentive.
”
Tears spilled down Alara’s perfect cheeks. “Condemn him now or later,” she whispered, shaking her head. “Either way, I lose him. ”
“Please.
” Sasha stepped forward, gripping Alara’s hand. “I can save him. Let me. ”
Alara stared at their joined hands—her own pale and elegant, Sasha’s smaller but surprisingly strong.
In that touch, something passed between them. A shared love for Vau. A shared fear of loss. “If I let you do this,” Alara said finally, “if I accept you as Luna, you must understand what you’re facing.
The dangers. The responsibilities. It isn’t a fairy tale, Sasha. It’s a life of constant vigilance, constant strength.
Can you promise me you’ll protect him as fiercely as I have? ”
The question hung between them, weighted with decades of Alara’s own sacrifice and pain. “I will,” Sasha vowed. “With everything I am, with everything I have, I will protect him and our child.
”
Something in her conviction must have reached Alara, for the older woman’s shoulders slumped slightly. She stepped aside, creating a path to Vau’s bedside. “Save him,” she whispered. “Please.
”
Heart pounding, Sasha rushed to Vau’s side. Up close, his condition was worse than she had feared. His skin was cold to the touch, his lips tinged blue. His breathing was so shallow she could barely detect it.
“Vau,” she whispered, taking his limp hand in hers. “I’m here. I’ve come back. ”
His fingers remained motionless in her grip.
No response. Not even a flicker of his eyelids. “Please,” she begged, tears spilling down her cheeks. “Come back to me.
Come back to us. ”
She placed his hand against her belly, where their child rested. Nothing. Fear clenched around her heart.
What if she was too late? What if the bond was too damaged to repair? “I don’t know if this will work,” she admitted, glancing back at Alara, who watched from the foot of the bed, her face taut with equal fear. “It must,” Alara said simply.
Drawing a steadying breath, Sasha leaned down until her lips brushed Vau’s ear. “I’m sorry I forgot you,” she whispered. “I’m sorry I left. But I’m here now.
And I’m not leaving again. ”
Then, following instinct rather than knowledge, she tilted his head gently to expose the vulnerable curve where neck meets shoulder. The place where mates leave their mark. She hesitated only a moment before pressing her lips to the spot.
Then, with a silent prayer, she allowed her blunt human teeth to break his skin. The taste of his blood was copper and salt on her tongue, but something else flowed with it—a current of energy, of connection. The dormant bond flared to life, warmth spreading from the point of contact up her spine, through her chest, into her very core. Memories flashed behind her closed eyelids.
Not clear images, but impressions. Feelings. Warmth. Safety.
Belonging. Love so profound it transcended conscious thought. But the connection felt one-sided, flowing from her into him without reciprocation. His side of the bond remained cold, unresponsive.
“Come back, Vau,” she pleaded against his skin. “Your child needs you. Even if I’m not strong enough to be your Luna. Even if something happens to me.
It’ll be okay, because you’ll have each other. ”
The room fell into tense silence, broken only by Sasha’s quiet sobs as she clung to Vau’s unresponsive form. Alara moved to the window, unable to watch, her shoulders shaking with silent grief. Then, so subtle Sasha almost missed it, Vau’s fingers twitched against her belly.
She pulled back slightly, hardly daring to hope. “Vau? ”
His eyelids fluttered. Then slowly opened, revealing blue eyes clouded with confusion.
Three months later, Alara sat alone in her chambers, listening to the distant sounds of activity from the East Wing upstairs. Sasha was giving birth to her grandchild. Her son’s heir. The fire crackled in the hearth, the only movement in her still room.
Outside, rain tapped against windows. Under similar skies, she had given birth to Vau. She closed her eyes, allowing herself to remember. The pain had been excruciating but bearable, with Xavier beside her.
Her mate. Her alpha. His hand in hers, his scent enveloping her. You’re the strongest wolf I know, he had told her as he placed their newborn son in her arms.
My perfect Luna. She barely remembered the months after his death. Lying in her bed, staring at walls, drowning in the fractured bond that throbbed like an open wound. Her memories of that time existed in fragments: the taste of tears, the scent of grief, the sound of her own breath.
Each inhale a betrayal to the mate who would never breathe again. She didn’t remember where Vau had been during those months. She knew he had turned ten without either parent present. What she did remember was how he would come to her at night, climbing into her bed without a word, his small body pressed against hers.
She would hold him, her nose buried in his hair, desperately searching for traces of his father’s scent in his youthful skin. When she finally rose from her grief, she remembered him being cheerful. Accommodating. Perfect.
Everything was always fine, always good. She didn’t realize until much later what he had been doing—protecting her from further pain, carrying his own grief in silence so as not to add to hers. Alara realized now she had no idea when or how her son had mourned his father. What she did remember with crystal clarity was the first time she saw the girl.
Sasha. Twelve years old, all limbs and messy black hair, standing in her garden with Vau. She had prided herself on knowing all of Vau’s friends, because she had vetted them carefully, ensuring they were all from good families with proper upbringings. Children of pack loyalists.
She didn’t know this girl and had certainly never approved a wolfess friend for her son. She remembered watching from her study window as Vau paced furiously, ranting about something while the girl listened. “It’s not fair how they treat you. I’ll make them stop when I’m Alpha.
”
“But it’s true,” Sasha had interrupted, her voice soft but clear enough to reach Alara’s window. “I don’t have a wolf. And my dad did leave because of it. ”
“That doesn’t make it right,” Vau had insisted, his adolescent voice cracking with emotion.
Sasha had simply shrugged, reaching out to squeeze his hand. “I’m just happy I have you. ”
The simple statement had stopped Vau’s tirade instantly. His shoulders had dropped, anger giving way to something softer, more vulnerable.
Later, Alara had questioned Mrs. Winters, who confessed she’d known about Sasha. A servant girl with no parents and no wolf, whom Vau had met during a reception at the girl’s uncle’s estate. “I allowed the friendship because, frankly, she’s his only real friend.
And he needs one,” Mrs. Winters had admitted. “Vau has many friends,” Alara had argued. “No, Luna.
He has subjects. Future lords he’ll preside over, and he knows it. ” Mrs. Winters’s gaze had been direct, uncomfortably so.
“Sasha is different because she’s not from his world. He can be himself with her. He can cry in front of her. Grieve.
”
The word had struck Alara like a physical blow. Grieve? Had her son been grieving all this time, silently, beside her but unreachable? Guilt had compelled her to allow the friendship.
But she came to regret it as the children grew into teenagers, then young adults. What had begun as friendship transformed before her eyes into something deeper. The way Vau’s eyes followed Sasha across rooms. The way his scent changed when she entered a space.
Then there was the tooth. Vau’s first canine, lost in combat training when he was seventeen. Pack tradition dictated that a wolf’s first fallen tooth was a gift for someone special. As his mother, as Luna, Alara had expected to receive this token of respect.
Instead, a week after the training bout, she had spotted a silver chain around Sasha’s neck during one of the girl’s visits. Hanging from it was Vau’s tooth, polished to a pearly sheen and wrapped in intricate silver wire. The sight had stopped Alara mid-sentence. Her son had literally given part of himself to a girl with no place in the future she had planned for him.
A girl he clearly loved more than tradition. More than duty. Perhaps even more than her. Vau never asked for her permission to take Sasha as his mate.
As if her approval didn’t matter. As if what existed between them belonged only to them. And perhaps it did. The door to her chambers opened suddenly, jarring Alara from her memories.
Vau stood in the doorway, his tall frame silhouetted against the corridor light. He looked exhausted but exhilarated, his eyes bright with an emotion she hadn’t seen in him since childhood. “Vau,” she said, rising to her feet. “How is Sasha?
”
“She is well,” he replied. “She has given birth to our son. ”
A son. Her grandson.
“May I see him? ” she asked, taking a hesitant step forward. Vau’s expression didn’t change, but something in his eyes hardened. “No,” he said simply, turning to leave.
Alara tensed, remembering the magician Adrien. His strange green eyes watching her as she spoke her wish. The terms of their agreement. The price she would pay.
Your heart’s desire will cost what you value most, he had told her. She had assumed it would be her status. Her authority. Perhaps even her health.
But what she paid was her son’s love. “Wait,” Alara called. She moved to her dresser, opening the top drawer to remove a small wooden box. “I have something that belongs to Sasha.
”
Vau paused, suspicion evident in his stance. Alara opened the box, revealing a silver chain with a polished wolf’s tooth wrapped in intricate wire. “I took this from her the night I made my wish. I noticed her reaching for it without knowing why.
”
Vau took the necklace, his fingers closing around it slowly. There was no recognition on his face. “Give it back to her,” Alara said. “Tell her…” She hesitated, emotion threatening to overwhelm her carefully maintained composure.
“Tell her I’m sorry. ”
For a moment, something like his old warmth flickered in his gaze. But it was gone in an instant. The door closed behind him with a soft click, and Alara was alone once more.
Five years later, the soft cries of a newborn filled the room as Sasha cradled her daughter against her chest. Three hours old, with a dusting of dark hair and impossibly tiny fingers that curled around Sasha’s thumb with surprising strength. “She’s perfect,” Vau whispered, perched on the edge of the bed beside them. His finger gently traced their daughter’s cheek.
“Just like her mother. ”
Sasha smiled up at him, exhausted but radiant. “What shall we name her? ”
They had talked about names for months but never settled on one, preferring to wait until they met their child.
“Meline,” Vau suggested. “After your mother. ”
“Meline,” Sasha repeated, tearfully. “Yes.
It feels right. ”
Outside the window, laughter drifted up from the gardens. Their sons—five-year-old Xavier, named after his grandfather, and three-year-old Jude—were chasing each other around a fountain, their excited shrieks punctuated by a woman’s gentle admonishments. Alara.
Sasha watched as her mother-in-law caught Jude as he tripped, setting him back on his feet with practiced ease. Unlike his older brother, Jude hadn’t shown signs of being able to shift. His wolf was as dormant as Sasha’s had always been. This shared trait had forged a special bond between mother and son—and between grandson and grandmother, who treated Jude’s wolf-less nature not as a flaw but as a different kind of strength.
“She’s good with them,” Sasha observed. Vau made a non-committal sound, his eyes fixed on the scene below. “Do you ever wonder,” he asked carefully, “what it would be like if we remembered? Growing up together.
Falling in love. The first time? ”
Sasha considered this. “Sometimes.
It feels strange to know we have this whole history together that’s just gone. But we’ve made new memories,” she pointed out. “Three of them, actually. ” She nodded toward the window where their sons played, then down at the bundle in her arms.
Vau’s expression softened as he leaned down to place a kiss on Meline’s forehead, then one on Sasha’s lips. “Yes, we have. ”
Five years since that night when Sasha had claimed Vau, saving him from bonding sickness and reclaiming her place as his mate. As Luna, she led the pack alongside Vau, proving daily that strength came in many forms.
“I’m going to check on the boys,” Vau said, pressing another kiss to her temple. “You should rest. ”
After he left, Sasha turned her attention back to the window. Alara now sat on a stone bench, both boys on her lap as she read to them from a leatherbound book.
It had been Sasha who insisted the children know their grandmother. “Enough pain has been caused,” she told Vau after Jude was born. “They deserve to know her. And she deserves the chance to love them.
”
Vau had reluctantly agreed, for Sasha’s sake more than Alara’s. He was civil with his mother, even cordial on good days. But the easy warmth that once existed between them remained fractured. For her part, Alara had accepted her diminished role with quiet dignity.
He used to be so angry, Alara had confided to Sasha once, watching a younger Xavier toddle across the lawn. After his father died, it was you who helped him through it. Sasha treasured these glimpses into their forgotten past. Through Alara’s stories, she and Vau recovered fragments of who they were, like picking up scattered puzzle pieces of a picture they would never fully see again.
A soft knock at the door drew her attention. Vau entered, carrying Jude. “Someone wanted to meet his sister,” he explained, settling Jude on the bed beside her. Jude peered curiously at the bundle in Sasha’s arms.
“She’s really small. ”
“You were that small once too,” Sasha told him, brushing his dark hair back from his forehead. “Was not,” he protested, but his attention was already captured by his new sister. Vau watched them, something like wonder in his eyes.
“I never thought I’d have this,” he admitted softly. “A family. Children. ”
“You deserve it all,” Sasha told him.
Xavier burst into the room, followed by Alara, who hovered in the doorway, uncertain of her welcome. “Come in, Luna,” Sasha called. “Meet your granddaughter. ”
Alara approached cautiously, her eyes seeking Vau’s permission.
After a moment’s hesitation, he nodded slightly. “Meline,” Sasha said, angling the baby so Alara could see her face. “After my mother. ”
“She’s beautiful,” Alara said, her voice thick with emotion.
“She has your eyes, Sasha. And Vau’s stubbornness,” Sasha added with a tired smile. “She took her time arriving. ”
Alara laughed softly.
“That she gets from both of you. ”
Vau’s arm slipped around Sasha’s shoulders, drawing her closer. For a moment, they were simply a family. Imperfect, but together.
Later, when the children had been settled and Alara had tactfully withdrawn, Vau returned to find Sasha nursing their daughter. He stood in the doorway watching them, love evident in every line of his body. “I hope they always carry happy memories of us,” Sasha said, looking up to meet his gaze. “Our children.
”
Vau crossed to join them, sliding into bed beside her. “They will,” he promised. “We’ll make sure of it. ”
He kissed her, slow and sweet.
A reaffirmation of everything they had built together. Everything they had overcome. Their bond pulsed between them, stronger than magic. Stronger than memory.
A connection that transcended the past they had lost and embraced the future they were creating.
