"Marcus, I have news. Wonderful news."
Through our bond, I felt his curiosity spike, tinged with concern. His hands tightened on mine.
"I'm pregnant."
For a heartbeat, the world stopped. His emotions crashed over me in waves—shock, wonder, then pure, radiant joy that made my knees weak.
"Pregnant?" His voice cracked. "We're having a pup?"
I nodded, tears blurring my vision. "Six weeks. Morgana just confirmed—"
He swept me into his arms, spinning me around our chamber as his laughter filled the space. Through our bond, his happiness was incandescent, drowning out every doubt I'd harbored. This was the Marcus I'd fallen in love with—passionate, protective, devoted.
"A pup," he breathed against my hair. "Our pup. The future of the Silver Moon Pack." He pulled back, cupping my face with shaking hands. "Are you well? Do you need to rest? The ceremony—we can postpone—"
"I'm fine." I laughed, giddy with his joy. "We can't postpone. The Northern Packs—"
"Damn the Northern Packs." But even as he said it, I felt the flicker of responsibility reassert itself. An Alpha's duty, always present. "You're right. But after tonight, you rest. No more pushing yourself."
A knock interrupted us. Beta Garrett entered without waiting for permission—a liberty only he was allowed.
"Alpha, the Northern delegates have arrived early. They're requesting—" He stopped, nostrils flaring. Wolves could scent pregnancy early, especially ranked wolves. His eyes flicked between us, and that strange satisfaction I'd felt earlier bloomed into something darker. "Congratulations are in order, it seems."
"Indeed." Marcus's chest puffed with pride. "Spread the word, Garrett. The Silver Moon Pack will have an heir."
"Of course." Garrett's smile didn't reach his eyes. "Though perhaps... discretion might be wise? Until after the ceremony? The Northern Packs can be... traditional about displays of fertility during formal negotiations."
Marcus frowned. "Since when do we hide our blessings?"
"I merely advise caution, Alpha. Some view pregnancy as... vulnerability." His gaze lingered on me, and I shivered at the calculation there. "Especially in a Luna who already faces certain... challenges."
The joy in our bond dimmed, replaced by something harder to read. Marcus's arm tightened around me protectively, but I felt the seed of doubt Garrett had planted take root.
"Thank you for your counsel, Beta," Marcus said coolly. "See to the delegates."
After Garrett left, the silence stretched between us. I reached for Marcus through our bond, but found walls where there had been openness moments before.
"He's wrong," I said softly. "The pregnancy will make me stronger. Morgana said—"
"What else did Morgana say?" The question came too quickly, too sharp.
I hesitated. Should I tell him about the Luna's Sight? About the power growing within me? Morgana's warning echoed: Alphas don't always react well to power they can't control.
"Just that I need to be careful. Rest more."
He studied my face, and I felt him probe at our bond, testing for deception. It hurt that he'd even check.
"We'll discuss it after the ceremony," he decided. "For now, let's follow Garrett's advice. Keep the pregnancy quiet until—"
Another knock. This time, Marcus's mother swept in, Luna Catherine in all her icy glory. Where Marcus had inherited his father's coloring, he'd gotten his political mind from her.
"Darling, the Northern wolves are—" She stopped, her perfectly shaped nostrils flaring delicately. Her expression didn't change, but I felt her emotional temperature drop to arctic levels. "I see. How... unexpected."
"Mother." Marcus's tone held warning.
"Of course, this is wonderful news." Each word was precisely placed, like pieces on a chess board. "Though the timing is rather... inconvenient. The Northern Pack's unmated Alpha was hoping to discuss alliance possibilities. A pregnancy does complicate things."
"There's nothing to discuss. I have a mate."
"Yes." Her gaze slid to me, cataloguing every flaw. "You do."
The weight of everything unsaid pressed down on me. Through my gift, I felt her true thoughts like whispers of smoke: Wrong bloodline. Weak gifts. Now breeding more weakness into our pack.
"I should prepare for the ceremony," I said, needing escape. Both Marcus and his mother seemed relieved.
As I reached the door, Catherine's voice followed me. "Oh, Aria? Do try not to have one of your... episodes tonight. The Northern Packs value strength above all else."
I fled before my gift could show me what she really meant by strength.
The walk to my dressing chamber was a gauntlet of emotions. Every wolf I passed radiated feelings that crashed against my insufficient shields. Excitement for the ceremony. Curiosity about the visiting packs. And underneath it all, whenever they looked at me—doubt. Pity. Disappointment.
The Broken Luna. The Defective Mate. The Alpha's Burden.
I'd never realized how many of them thought such things until my pregnancy began stripping away my defenses.
My handmaiden, Elise, was the only pack member whose emotions didn't hurt to feel. Her loyalty was clean and simple, like fresh water after weeks of poison.
"Luna, you're trembling." She guided me to sit at the vanity, her worry a gentle flutter against my senses.
"The pregnancy," I admitted, knowing she'd already guessed. "It's making everything... louder."
She began working on my hair with practiced hands. Through the mirror, I watched her face—young, earnest, one of the few who'd never called me defective. Not out loud, anyway.
"My mother was a sensor too," she said quietly. "Not as strong as you, but she felt things. Said pregnancy was like... like someone turned up the volume on the world."
I met her eyes in the mirror. "What happened to her?"
"She learned to shield better. Had to, with five pups." A small smile. "Said each pregnancy made her stronger in the end. Like her gift was stretching to protect her babies."
Hope flickered in my chest. Maybe that's all this was—growing pains.
The ceremonial dress hung waiting—silver silk that matched my unusual hair, a sign of my gift that I'd inherited from my grandmother. Another sensor, though she'd died before teaching me control. I'd been fumbling blind my whole life, and now...
"Elise, can you check if—"
Pain lanced through my skull. Not mine. Someone else's, sharp and sudden. I gasped, gripping the vanity as the echo of violence rippled through my gift.
"Luna!"
"Something's wrong." I pressed my palms against my temples, trying to locate the source. "Someone's hurt. West border, I think. It feels like—"
The door burst open. Marcus filled the frame, power radiating from him in waves that made my gift scream. Behind him, Garrett and two warriors I didn't recognize.
"There's been an incident," Marcus said, his voice carefully controlled. But through our bond, I felt his rage, his fear, his... suspicion? "A Northern wolf was attacked. Claws to the throat. He's alive, but barely."
"I felt it," I breathed. "Just now, I felt—"
"You felt it?" Garrett stepped forward, and the two unknown warriors tensed. "From here? That's half a mile, Luna."
The way he said my title made it sound like an accusation.
"I... yes. Someone was in pain. I always feel—"
"The attack happened twenty minutes ago," one of the warriors said. Northern accent. Northern suspicion sharp as winter ice. "We've kept it quiet to investigate."
Twenty minutes. But I'd just felt it. How could—
Understanding dawned with horrible clarity. I wasn't feeling the attack. I was feeling the attacker's guilt. Right now. In this room.
My eyes swept the faces before me, my gift suddenly razor-sharp with adrenaline. Marcus—worry, anger, confusion. The Northern warriors—suspicion, hostility, barely leashed violence. Elise behind me—