ROWAN POV
The full moon hovered just a day away.
Everyone felt it wolves pacing more, tempers short, instincts sharp. The pack house hummed with restless energy, but I kept my focus on one thing:
Rayna.
She was outside again when I found her, sitting on the stone wall near the lake, knees drawn up, hair blowing slightly in the wind. She looked… calmer. But only on the surface.
"Hey," I said quietly.
She didn't look away from the water. "Is this where you pretend not to be stressed?"
I huffed a laugh. "I'm not stressed."
She raised a brow.
I rolled my eyes.
Fine. I was stressed.
"Okay… maybe a little."
Rayna let out a soft breath. "Tomorrow is going to be a disaster, isn't it?"
"No," I said firmly. "It'll be controlled. You'll be with me the entire time."
She tensed at that.
"I don't want to hurt anyone."
"You won't."
"You don't know that."
"Yes," I said quietly, "I do."
I sat beside her, close enough for my leg to brush hers. Her heartbeat spiked slightly my wolf reacted immediately.
She shifted away. Barely.
"You trust me too easily," she muttered.
"You don't trust me enough."
She went silent.
RAYNA POV
I hated the moon.
I hated what it did to me.
What it brought out.
What it reminded me of.
Tomorrow I'd lose control again. Twist, break, scream. And everyone would watch.
Rowan turned his body toward me fully.
"Rayna."
I kept staring straight ahead.
"You're thinking too much," he said softly.
"That's kind of my thing," I muttered.
He chuckled under his breath and something about the sound made my chest tighten in a strange, unfamiliar way.
"You'll be with me the whole night," he said. "You won't be alone."
"I'm not afraid of being alone," I whispered.
He paused.
"No," he said quietly. "You're afraid of being seen."
My breath caught.
And damn it he was right.
"Rowan…"
"Don't run from this," he said. "Or from me."
I swallowed hard, heat creeping up my neck.
Before I could respond, someone cleared their throat behind us.
ROWAN POV
Asha.
She stood a few feet back, fingers twisted together, face pale. Rayna nudged me with her elbow.
"Go," she whispered. "She needs you."
Asha's eyes flicked to Rayna for a moment, grateful, before she motioned me to follow her inside.
We stopped in the hallway just the two of us.
Asha took a trembling breath.
"Rowan… I need to tell you something."
Her scent was different. Not wrong just different.
And suddenly everything clicked.
My chest tightened.
"Asha," I whispered. "Are you"
"Yes." Her voice cracked. "I'm pregnant."
Silence crashed between us.
Not anger.
Not disappointment.
Just… fear. For her.
For the life growing inside her.
For what the pack would say.
"Asha…" I breathed, pulling her into my arms. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"I was scared you'd be mad," she whispered into my shoulder.
"Never," I said instantly. "You're my sister. I love you. I just wish you'd come to me."
Her breath shuddered.
"Caden knows," she added.
Of course he did. The tension, the hallway argument… it all made sense now.
I pulled back to look her in the eyes.
"We'll tell the pack together. After the full moon."
"You're not mad?" she whispered again.
"No," I said. "But I am terrified for you. That's not the same thing."
She cried again but softer this time.
RAYNA POV
I waited outside, pretending I wasn't completely eavesdropping using my enhanced hearing.
Pregnant.
Asha was pregnant.
My heart ached for her.
For Rowan, who was probably panicking behind his calm façade.
When they finally came out, their eyes were red—but they both looked lighter somehow.
Asha gave me a grateful smile before going upstairs.
Rowan stopped in front of me.
Close. Always close.
"You knew," he said.
"She told me before you came," I admitted. "I promised not to tell anyone."
He nodded slowly, something soft in his expression.
"Thank you," he said. "For being there for her."
I shrugged, uncomfortable with praise. "She was scared."
"And she trusted you," he said quietly. "That means something."
I didn't know how to respond to that, so I said nothing.
Rowan stepped closer so close I could feel his breath.
"We need to talk about tomorrow night," he murmured.
I swallowed. Hard.
"Do we have to?"
"Yes."
I forced myself to meet his eyes.
"Fine," I whispered. "Explain."
His voice dropped to something low and intimate.
"Tomorrow, I need you to stay close to me. Your wolf is new she'll react to my presence. To my voice. To the bond."
Heat pulsed through me, uninvited.
"And if I don't stay close?" I asked.
He held my gaze, eyes glowing faintly.
"Then she'll come looking for me anyway."
My breath stuttered.
"And if I lose control?" I whispered.
He stepped in until our chests nearly touched.
"Then I'll hold you," he said softly. "All night if I have to."
I exhaled shakily.
His hand brushed my jaw slow, warm, gentle.
"Rayna," he murmured, "tomorrow might be hard. But you're not doing it alone."
My heart pounded so loud it drowned the world.
The bond tugged at me, soft but insistent, begging for more.
And for once…
I didn't pull away.
Rowan's eyes flicked to my lips just once before he leaned in and kissed me.
It wasn't soft.
It wasn't hesitant.
It was hungry, like he'd been holding himself back for far too long.
A quiet sound escaped me as I grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him closer. He sat back slightly, and I slid onto his lap, straddling him without thinking like my body already knew exactly where it wanted to be.
His hands tangled in my hair, tilting my head so he could kiss me deeper. I felt his breath, his warmth, the way his fingers tightened when I kissed him back just as hard.
The world shrank until it was only his mouth on mine, his heartbeat against my chest, his hands pulling me closer like he couldn't decide whether to hold me still or pull me apart.
Just as the air shifted between us
as the bond tugged harder, pulling us closer, deeper, hungrier
A long, sharp howl echoed from the northern ridge.
Rowan froze beneath me, breathing hard, his forehead resting against mine.
"The moon," he whispered, voice low and rough. "It's starting."
His eyes glowed a faint gold.
Tomorrow, everything would change.