Aria POV
The forest trembled with tension.
Elias stood at the edge of the border, his cloak torn, eyes stormy. Behind him, a rogue pack lined the trees—shifting, snarling, their energy coiled like a bowstring ready to snap. Some wore symbols from exiled territories, others bore fresh scars and bleeding loyalty.
Blue Stone had already begun to gather.
Warriors stood shoulder to shoulder near the border gate, armed, growling softly under their breath. Matthew stood at the front, shirtless, his eyes locked on Elias like he’d been waiting for this moment to explode.
The air between them was ice and fire.
I stood behind Matthew, breath caught in my chest, heartbeat louder than the growls surrounding me. This wasn’t just about Elias anymore. This was bigger. It was about betrayal, wounded pride, control—and something no one else could see yet.
Something only I could feel growing inside me.
Elias stepped forward, ignoring the guards who braced to attack.
“I’m not here to beg for my title,” he said loud enough for everyone to hear. “I’m here to demand justice. You humiliated me in front of a pack I bled for. You struck me. And then you exiled me like I was nothing.”
Matthew didn’t flinch. “You disrespected your Alpha. And you disrespected my mate. You think gathering rogues makes you a leader?”
“I don’t need to lead,” Elias growled back. “I just need to be heard.”
I stepped forward.
Matthew instinctively reached for me. “Aria—don’t.”
But I pushed past him and marched to the middle of the line. My heart thundered. Every wolf’s eyes turned to me. Some are confused. Some are angry. Some are afraid.
I raised my voice, breath shaking, but loud and clear.
“Enough.”
The forest went silent.
“You want a reason to hate each other?” I shouted. “You want something to fight over? Fine. Here’s one.”
I looked at them—at Matthew’s wide eyes, at Elias’s pale face.
“I’m pregnant.”
The words left my mouth like a shockwave.
Matthew turned to me in disbelief, stunned that I had said it out loud—publicly. His mouth parted slightly, like he didn’t know if he should be afraid or proud or both.
Elias took a full step back.
“Aria…” he whispered.
But I wasn’t finished.
“I didn’t come here to make a show,” I said, holding my ground even as my knees threatened to buckle. “I didn’t come to choose sides between the mate who marked me and the friend who stood beside me.”
I looked at them both. One with burning eyes, the other with sorrow.
“I don’t need anyone to fight for me.”
I placed a hand on my stomach, swallowing the lump in my throat.
“But if you force me to choose… I will.”
The words hit like lightning through the forest. I let the silence settle before I said what I needed to say.
“I will choose peace. Not because I’m weak. Not because I’m scared. But because the life growing inside me deserves a world that isn’t built on blood and broken pride.”
The rogue wolves slowly began to lower their heads.
One by one, their shoulders relaxed. Their claws retracted. Even the snarls faded into silence.
And then I saw it. Blue Stone—my pack—began to kneel.
Not to Matthew. Not to Elias. But to me.
The moment was unbearable. And then—my body pulsed.
A sudden warmth surged through my chest. I gasped, stumbling back, clutching my stomach. Matthew caught me, but his arms trembled as he held me upright.
“Aria?” he said quickly. “What is it—what’s happening?”
A silver glow erupted from the center of my chest, pulsing outward in waves. The air shimmered around me, humming with a power I couldn’t name. Every wolf—rogue and Blue Stone alike—watched in stunned silence.
The glow spilled across my skin, wrapping my body like moonlight made solid.
The healer stepped forward from the crowd, her face pale.
“Moon above,” she whispered. “That’s not just a wolf child…”
Her voice shook.
“That’s a blessed one.”
My breath hitched. My child—our child—wasn’t just a wolf. It was something more. Something powerful.