Chapter 8%
Beta Caleb pushed open the heavy wooden door to the study, his scent tight with nerves and his posture deferential. He placed a thi leather bound file on the mahogany desk, careful not to make a sound that might spark the Alpha’s volatile wrath.
Alpha Draven Blackthor was already on his feet before the words had fully left Caleb’s mouth. His chair screeched backward, cla threatening to burst from his fingertips, his golden eyes glowing faintly with the rage and panic of a wolf pushed too far.
He snatched the file like a starving beast, his knuckles turning bone–white with the force of his grip. Inside, a single photograph to straight through his chest like a blade.
Ella Moonfall His mate. His true Luna. She wore dark sunglasses, but he would recognize that face in any lifetime–pale as moonlig almost translucent. A bandage circled her delicate wrist like a ghost of what he had driven her to.
“Ohe boarded a flight to the US three nights ago,” Beta Caleb added softly, lowering his gaze in submission. The weight of what he w saying hung in the air like smoke.
Draven’s wolf growled low in his chest, the sound more beast than man. Fury laced with something far more dangerous–desperation. “Get ready, we’re going to the airport,” he snapped, his voice low but brimming with command.
“We leave now”
“But Alpha, what about the council? The southern packs–“%
“I said now!” Draven’s voice erupted in a feral roar, the Alpha tone in it so sharp the very air rippled with suppressed power. The window trembled in their frames. Caleb paled, bowing deeply before vanishing with his tail metaphorically tucked between his legs.
Draven stormed into his walk–in closet, ripping open drawers and yanking clothes from hangers. He shoved black shirts, jeans, and spar boots into a suitcase with wild, jerking motions. His hands shook. Each item he packed carried the scent of regret–six months o silence, of sleepless nights, of denying the bond for duty. For guilt. For shame.2
“Draven “%
A voice too soft, too human, slithered behind him. Freya Hart.2
She approached with tentative steps, her perfume attempting to mask the sour fear in her blood.
“Are you Going to find her? Your Luna?” she asked gently, her eyes glossy with unshed tears.
He didn’t look at her. He turned slightly, just enough to avoid her touch.”
“I’m not in the mood, Freya,” he said coldly, tossing another shirt into the suitcase.
“I just… I’m worried about you.” Her voice trembled as she reached for him again, trying to grasp something she had never truly held. Draven said nothing.Z
Freya stepped closer, wrapping her arms around his waist, pressing her face into his back. Her touch was warm, but not right.”
Not hers.%
“You don’t have to go back to her,” Freya whispered. “I’ve stood by your side through every full moon, every nightmare. I know she was your mate, but I’m still here. I can help you forget her. Let me in… let me love you.“%
His body went rigid. His wolf snarled inside him, the very idea of forgetting Ella a betrayal so deep it made his breath catch.
“I know you still love her,” Wendy continued, desperate. “But she left. She turned her back on the pack. On you. She rejected your title. The bond.“%
Then she reached for his hand and placed it over her stomach, her fingers trembling.”
“But I’m still here. And I’m carrying your child.“%
A silence followed so sharply, so suffocating, it pressed against the walls like a vice.
Draven’s jaw clenched.
“This child…” he said, his voice glacial. “Is a consequence. A legacy of my mistake. But don’t confuse biology with belonging. Just because you’re carrying my pup doesn’t mean it belongs to you once it’s born.”
“Draven!” Freya choked out, tears streaming down her cheeks, her voice cracking with pain. “How can you say that? I love you… I truly do
‘Love?‘ Draven snarled, his eyes flashing gold, his canines lengthening as his wolf edged closer to the surface. He yanked his arm free with a growl 2
“What you love is the title of Luna. What you love is the power that comes with being part of the Blackthorn bloodline.“}
He stepped closer, towering over her, his aura pressing down like a storm, suffocating and cold.”
“Don’t forget your place, Freya; he growled low.
Freya flinched like he’d struck her
“You were a vessel,” he growled. “You may be carrying my child, but you will never be her. You will never be my mate. And you sure as hell will never be Luna “%
Tears spilled down Freya’s cheeks, but she forced herself to look him in the eyes.
“I thought if I loved you hard enough, I could replace her “2
“You can’t,” he replied, simple and brutal
Mened in the exstrace and walked inward the dear
10:48 AM
“I thought… if I loved you hard enough, I could replace her.”
“You can’t,” he replied, simple and brutal.
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He zipped up the suitcase and walked toward the door.
“Don’t delude yourself again.”
The words echoed long after he’d spoken them. His feet were already on the threshold, his soul miles ahead, chasing her scent across oceans and skies.
But then–a dull thud.
“Freya?” he snapped, frowning as he turned.”
She lay sprawled on the polished tiled floor, one hand clenched around her belly, her eyes shut. Her scent–once cloying–was now faint. Unstable.
“Damn it!” he cursed, tossing the suitcase aside. Despite the fury roaring through him, instinct made him kneel, made him gather her limp form into his arms. His heart pounded wildly–though whether in fear, guilt, or sheer adrenaline, even he didn’t know.
“Don’t worry about me…” Freya whispered, her voice trembling, barely audible. “Go find her… the baby will be fine…“)
Her words pierced him like silver.
“Shut up,” he barked, harsher than intended, but his grip tightened. He moved faster.}
Downstairs, the driver stood by the black SUV, eyes wide as the Alpha appeared, Freya limp in his arms.
“To the hospital!” Draven growled. “Now!”
The engine roared to life beneath them, and as the SUV sped through the night, Draven’s gaze was fixed on the passing trees. But his thoughts were already far beyond them.
The bond was fraying. But not broken.”
His mate was still out there. Running.”
And this time, not even the Moon Goddess herself could stop him from claiming what was his.
Whatever happens, he’ll find her.
