EPISODE 5%
Ronan reached the border in no time, his boots crushing the wet earth as he sprinted through the storm.
He came to a stop when he saw his men, standing in a tense half–circle, expressions guarded and shoulders squared. Their hostility wasn’t directed at a threat, but toward the strangers they surrounded.”
Ronan stepped forward without hesitation. His presence parted his men like a blade through fog, and then he saw them clearly.
Three men stood at the center of the clearing. One carried me in his arms, my limp body cradled against his chest. The second man held the injured pup, its eyes wide with worry. The third slung the lifeless ox over his shoulder with ease. All three were cloaked, but Ronan recognized the one who held me before the man even spoke.}
Alpha Valor.
The Alpha of the strongest pack on the continent. The leader of the Continental Council. A man no other Alpha dared cross.} “Alpha Valor,” Ronan greeted, dipping his head in respect despite the knot in his chest. “Thank you for bringing her back. You saved her.” “I found her half–dead in the forest,” Valor replied, eyes sharp beneath his hood. “She wouldn’t have survived if we were a second too late.” Ronan stepped forward, arms extended to take me, but Valor didn’t let go. He raised an eyebrow instead.
“She needs care, immediately,” Valor said curtly. “If we stand here arguing over propriety, she’ll die. And we request shelter for the night. My men are exhausted.”
Ronan hesitated, then stepped back. Valor outranked him. Refusal wasn’t an option.
“Of course,” he said. “My house is yours.“}
They moved quickly. Mud splashed underfoot as they made their way to the pack house. Inside, the warmth of firelight met them, but it did nothing to ease the tension waiting there.}
Rachel paced near the hearth, lips pursed, while Mara sat on the couch, one hand on her slightly rounded belly. When they saw the group enter, both women stood. Mara’s eyes went first to me, still unconscious in Valor’s arms, and for a brief second her face shifted. Disappointment. It was subtle, nobody was able to see it.}
But Valor saw it very well.
Before Mara could approach, her voice already laced with concern as she called my name, Valor stepped back and pushed her aside with a firm hand.}
“Don’t,” he said flatly.”
Mara stumbled slightly, caught off guard. Rachel flared with indignation.
“How dare you touch her-” she started, but Valor turned his gaze on her, and the rest of her sentence died in her throat.}
Ronan rushed forward and steadied Mara. “Are you alright?“}
“I’m fine,” she said quickly. “He just pushed me a little.”
Ronan’s expression darkened as he turned to Valor. “She’s pregnant. Please, be careful.“>
Valor narrowed his eyes. “She’s not your bonded mate. Why should you care?” He scoffed. “And if that light push was enough to harm her, do you really believe she could give birth to a strong Alpha child?”
The insult landed like a slap. Rachel opened her mouth to retort, but Valor’s aura rolled over the room like a crashing wave. She shut her mouth and stepped back.
Valor frowned. “Where are your healers? Why are they taking so long?“}
A moment later, the healers arrived, breathless and wide–eyed at the sight of Valor. They led him to the guest room, where he gently laid me onto a soft bed. The two men with him followed closely, Dan with the pup still in his arms, and Leo who left the ox outside.
As the healers worked, the pup barked loudly upon seeing Rachel. It squirmed from Dan’s grip, trying to reach her.”
Rachel recoiled. “Why are you letting that filthy thing near me?“}
Dan’s face turned dark. “How dare you insult the son of the Great Godly Wolf?“@
Rachel went pale, color draining from her cheeks.
Valor ignored them, his eyes still on me. He tilted his head slightly, voice cool.
“Why was she hunting alone when your pack is filled with able–bodied wolves?”
Ronan didn’t answer. Guilt strangled the words in his throat. Mara stepped forward, trying to ease the growing tension.
“It was my fault,” she said. “I have her draw blood for me, then hunt for me… I’m sorry.”
‘It’s not your fault, Mara,” Rachel added quickly, “That pup bit her and she bleed. Bella brought that beast.. that pup. She needs to compensate*%
Valor’s sharp gaze slid over to Mara.!)
“That bite?” he asked, pointing to the faint mark on her arm. “That small thing needed an entire ox to heal?*%
Only then did the truth start to crack open in Ronan’s mind. His brows furrowed. Why would Mara need that much blood?
One of the healers looked up, her expression grim. “She’s stable, for now.”
“What was wrong with her?” Valor asked
The healer hesitated. “Blood loss. Severe. She gave four bags earlier today, I drew them myself. Then she went out to hunt.”
Valor laughed, a cold, humorless sound “You let your bonded mate bleed herself dry and then fight a full–grown or alone. And you still
The theater of the Child
7:03 PM ď ď.
call yourself Alpha?”
Ronan clenched his fists. He had no defense.
The rain poured harder, soaking the earth and making every breath I took feel like I was drowning in mist. I stirred, my eyelids heavy, my limbs like stone. Something warm was pressed on my chest. It was familiar, comforting.
Fur. A pup?
I blinked slowly. The ceiling above me flickered with golden firelight. The scent of smoke and forest herbs filled my lungs. My heartbeat was steady but weak, like it didn’t know how to keep going on its own.
There were voices, then footsteps, then someone called my name.N
“Bella.”
I turned my head. A man stood beside me, tall, broad–shouldered, with golden eyes filled with… something. Worry? Relief? His expression twisted like he was trying to smile but had forgotten how.N
I looked at him, confused.N
His voice dropped softer. “Bella… you’re awake. Are you alright?“N
I opened my mouth, but no words came. The pup whined against my chest, and my fingers moved on instinct, brushing through its damp fur. It licked my chin and barked once, excited.N
I should have known this. Him. Them.&
But I didn’t.N
I blinked again and forced myself to sit up slightly, my head pounding as the world tilted sideways.
The man pressed closer. “It’s okay. You’re safe now. I’m here.“N
I frowned. I looked at him, really looked. The fire behind him cast his features in warm light. I felt something stir in my chest, something distant…, like a memory trying to reach the surface.N
But it didn’t. I actually felt more pain, as if something were hacking at my heart.
I pulled away when he reached out to take my hand.
“Who… who are you?“N
