Celeste's POV
The surveillance photos scattered across my hotel bed like proof of a crime.
Because that's exactly what they were.
My private agent had outdone himself. Dozens of pictures showing Darius visiting the same cottage night after night. Pictures of him talking closely with a dark-haired girl. Photos of them kissing like their lives depended on it.
But it was the final picture that made my hands shake with rage.
Darius, caught leaving a drugstore in the human town. In his hand, a small bag that my improved werewolf vision could read clearly through the thin plastic.
Prenatal vitamins.
"Impossible," I breathed, but even as I said it, I knew it was true.
The little omega was pregnant. With Darius's child.
I swept the photos off the bed and began pacing my room like a caged animal. Three months of careful planning, three years of building the perfect political union, and some nobody orphan had destroyed it all by spreading her legs for my fiancé.
My phone rang. Darius.
"Celeste? I'm sorry, but I need to postpone our dinner tonight. Pack emergency."
"Another emergency?" I kept my voice light and worried. "You've had so many lately. Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Just be patient with me. This situation is... complicated."
Complicated. That was one word for it.
"Of course, darling. Take all the time you need."
The moment I hung up, I called my most trusted friend.
"Vincent? It's Celeste. I need a full background check on Sera Nightfall. Everything. Family background, bloodline, genetic markers, potential abilities. And I need it yesterday."
Vincent specialized in supernatural history. If there were secrets hidden in that girl's DNA, he'd find them.
While I waited for his report, I studied the pictures again. The way Darius looked at her was nothing like how he looked at me. There was hunger there, yes, but also something softer. Something that looked dangerously like love.
Real love. Not the careful political partnership we'd arranged.
My shadow magic stirred restlessly under my skin, reacting to my anger. The Ravencrest bloodline carried skills that we kept carefully hidden from other packs. Dark gifts that my grandma had taught me in secret, warning me to use them only when everything else failed.
Everything else had definitely failed.
Vincent called back within two hours.
"Miss Ravencrest, you're not going to believe what I found."
"Try me."
"Sera Nightfall is a straight descendant of the Moonweaver line. Her great-great-grandmother was Isabella Moonweaver."
The name hit me like a physical blow. Every supernatural family knew the tale of Isabella Moonweaver – the omega who'd nearly destroyed the Blackthorne bloodline a century ago.
"Are you certain?"
"Completely. The genetics are obvious. This girl carries pure moonfire bloodlines, which means she's not just capable of forming mate bonds with multiple Alphas – she's basically designed for it."
Multiple Alphas. My wedding was even more threatened than I'd thought.
"There's more," Vincent continued. "According to the old records, moonfire omegas who bear children to Alpha bloodlines make offspring with unprecedented power. The kind of power that could change the balance between supernatural councils."
"What kind of power?"
"Enhanced magic, ability to control soul bonds, sometimes even limited prophecy. These children often become leaders who unite warring groups or..." He paused. "Or destroy them completely."
I sank into a chair as the full scale of the threat became clear. It wasn't just about losing Darius anymore. If Sera bore his child, that child could possibly challenge every established power structure in the supernatural world.
Including mine.
"Vincent, I need you to study something else. Moonfire beta elimination. Historical models. Methods that have been used successfully in the past."
"Miss Ravencrest, I have to advise against—"
"I'm not asking for help. I'm asking for information."
A long break. "I'll have a report to you by tomorrow."
After hanging up, I opened my laptop and started making a list. If I was going to solve this problem forever, I needed to be smart about it.
Direct confrontation was out. Darius was too protective of the girl now, and any obvious move against her would point suspicion straight at me.
But there were other ways to handle problems. Subtler methods that would look like accidents or natural causes.
My phone buzzed with a message from my shadow magic contact: The cursed ones you asked are ready. Payment upfront, no questions asked.
Perfect time.
I typed back: Change of plans. I need something more subtle. Make it look like a terrible accident.
The answer came quickly: Pregnant targets require careful handling. Additional fee.
So they already knew about the pregnancy. My spy network was better than I'd thought.
Money is no problem. When can you move?
Tomorrow night. Target will be alone. Clean, quick, no witnesses.
I smiled as I deleted the chat. Tomorrow night would solve all my worries at once.
But first, I had one more call to make.
"Darius? It's me. I was thinking – maybe we should move our engagement news up instead of postponing it. Strike while the iron is hot, so to speak."
"Celeste, this really isn't a good time—"
"I know you're stressed about the security situation. That's exactly why we need to show strength and unity. A public pledge between our families would send a message that we won't be intimidated."
Silence on the other end. I could practically hear him thinking.
"What are you suggesting?"
"Announce our engagement tomorrow night. Public ceremony, all the important people present. Show everyone that the Blackthorne and Ravencrest friendship is stronger than ever."
"Tomorrow night is too soon—"
"Is it? Or are you having second thoughts about our arrangement?"
The slight threat in my voice wasn't lost on him. I could hear his Alpha pride engaging, rising to meet the challenge.
"Of course not. Fine. Tomorrow night."
"Wonderful! I'll make all the plans."
As I hung up, I felt that familiar rush of power that came from shaping events to my advantage. Tomorrow night, Darius would formally commit to marrying me in front of half the supernatural community.
And while he was making pretty speeches about duty and unity, his little moonfire omega would be having a very unfortunate accident in the woods.
Problem solved.
My phone rang again – an unknown number.
"Hello, Celeste." The voice was electronically masked, but I'd been expecting this call.
"I was wondering when you'd contact me directly."
"Tomorrow's schedule is too rushed. The girl is more protected than you know."
"Then we make it look more believable. Grief makes people careless."
"And if the Alpha discovers the truth?"
I smiled at my image in the hotel mirror. "Then we make sure he has bigger things to worry about. Dead mates tend to drive Alphas crazy, don't they?"
"You're playing a dangerous game."
"I'm winning a war that started before any of us were born." I checked my manicure, noting that my nails had gotten longer and sharper without my conscious control. "The moonfire family dies tomorrow night. Make sure of it."
The line went dead.
I opened my laptop and started typing invitations for an engagement party that would celebrate more than just my upcoming marriage.
It would celebrate the end of a threat that had worried my family for generations.
And if Darius's heart broke in the process? Well, broken hearts could be fixed.
Dead foes couldn't.