The Scent of My Heir
Kieran's POV
The scent hit me like a blade to the chest,sharp, undeniable, primal. My world stilled, my lungs seized. No amount of power or control could prepare me for the truth burning in the air. My pup.
I froze in the middle of the council chamber, every instinct roaring to life, drowning out the petty squabbles of alphas at my table. The iron grip I'd trained over myself for years cracked in an instant. The faintest trace of vanilla and moonfire threaded with something softer, fragile… new life. My blood. My heir.
"Your Majesty?" one of the elders called cautiously, but I was already on my feet, chair scraping against the stone floor.
No explanation. No pause. No permission. I followed the scent through the halls, past guards who lowered their heads, their confusion thick in the air. The trail grew stronger as I reached the borders of my kingdom, east, toward the territory I despised most,Zade's pack.
Of course. Of all the cursed places, the scent of my pup had to lead me there.
By the time I crossed into Zade's lands, the sky bled into dusk. His warriors flinched at my arrival, their howls cutting short as I strode past their defenses as though they were nothing. They weren't nothing. But against me? Against an Alpha King on the hunt for his bloodline? They may as well have been shadows.
Zade himself met me at the border, his stance rigid, his voice laced with suspicion.
"To what do we owe this… honour, Your Majesty?" His eyes flickered with unease, but his smirk betrayed his attempt at arrogance.
I didn't waste time. "I'm here for one of your wolves."
Murmurs broke out behind him. Confusion. Fear. I never lowered myself to this. I never crossed borders without cause. And yet here I was, staking claim in the heart of another pack.
Zade's brow arched. "Which wolf?"
The scent curled around me then, stronger, pulling me, mocking me with every inhale. My pulse thundered as I growled, "Bring them all."
One by one, they lined up. Wolves of every rank and blood stood trembling under the weight of my presence. I scanned them, my senses tearing through the crowd until my gaze landed on her.
Her.
The girl from that night. The girl who had dared to look me in the eyes when every other soul bowed. The girl whose body had burned into mine like wildfire then vanished into the dawn before I could demand her name.
Saphira.
And gods above, she carried my pup.
The scent was overwhelming now, flooding me with a mix of fury, awe, and something I refused to name. My claws itched to shred every wolf who dared stand near her. My chest tightened with the instinct to shield her, cage her, make her mine before the world could lay eyes on what she carried.
"I said it before the logic could. "She's mine." The claim surprised me as much as anyone—because beneath the claim was not triumph but an ache I couldn't name.
Gasps rippled through the crowd. Zade's face darkened, but even he knew better than to challenge me here. He tried anyway.
"Yours? She's nothing but"
"Enough." My power lashed through the air, forcing his wolves to their knees. Only she stood trembling yet upright, her chin tilted in defiance, though I could smell her fear.
I closed the space between us. Her eyes widened as I stopped mere breaths away. The world blurred until it was only her the fragile curve of her body, the thrum of her heart, the secret she carried under her skin. My heir.
"You ran from me," I murmured, low enough for only her to hear. "But you didn't run far enough."
Her lips parted, but no words came. I caught the flicker of defiance in her gaze, the storm brewing. She would fight me. She would deny me. And yet the truth bound us tighter than any chain.
I leaned closer, my voice a dangerous whisper. "You're carrying my pup."
Her breath hitched. Her denial never came. That silence was all the confirmation I needed.
I straightened, turning my head just enough for Zade to hear me. "She comes with me."
I didn't give Zade or his pack the chance to argue. One command, one flick of my power, and the path cleared. The crowd parted, their eyes lowered, their bodies shaking from the weight of my aura. She alone stood frozen, her breath shallow, her lips pressed tight as though holding back the scream she longed to release.
I reached for her wrist, my touch firm, but not cruel. For a heartbeat, she tried to pull back. Brave little wolf. But her strength was nothing against mine.
"She's not your property," Zade spat.
I turned slowly, my gaze like ice. "She carries my bloodline. That makes her mine more than she has ever been yours."
The silence after my words was absolute. None dared speak again. I pulled her with me, ignoring the glares, the whispers, the venom that laced the air. She stumbled once but caught herself, jaw clenched, refusing to look at me.
Only when we reached the privacy of the palace guest chamber—my chosen space for this confrontation—did I release her. The door shut behind us, sealing her fate.
She spun on me instantly, fire in her eyes.
"You can't just drag me here like some some possession!"
My lips curved, but it wasn't amusement. It was the dark satisfaction of knowing the truth she couldn't outrun.
"I can. And I did. Because you carry something far more valuable than your pride."
Her hands pressed protectively over her stomach. Instinct. Proof. Rage flashed across her face, but beneath it, I caught the shimmer of fear.
"You're wrong," she whispered. "You don't know anything."
I stepped closer, slow, deliberate. "I know everything. I know the scent of my pup when it burns through the air. I know the sound of two heartbeats in one body. And I know you would already be dead if it weren't for me."
Her lips parted, but no words came. Her silence screamed her truth.
I let the moment stretch before delivering the blow she couldn't fight.
"For your safety… and for the pup's, you'll come to my side. Not as a stray. Not as a mistress. But as my Luna."
Her eyes widened, and fury cutting through her fear. "Your Luna? Do you think I'll accept that? After everything"
"It's not an offer," I interrupted, voice sharp as a blade. "It's a contract. One you will sign."
She froze. Her defiance trembled, but it didn't shatter. "A contract?"
"Yes." I paced closer until the heat of her defiance brushed against my skin. "You will stand by my side, pretend to be my Luna. The world will believe you are my mate, my queen. In exchange, you and our pup will have my protection. My palace. My throne. My name. You refuse, and the council will hunt you, use you, and tear the pup from your arms before you even see its face."
Her breathing quickened, the storm raging in her gaze. "And what do you get?" she asked bitterly.
I leaned in, my lips near her ear, my voice a low growl meant for her alone.
"What I get, little wolf… is control. My heir. My blood. My Luna, even if it is by contract."