“1
For a moment, silence thickened the air. Kathy’s hand trembled faintly where it rested against the desk, and Darius’s wolf stirred at the sight.
This was not politics. This was personal.
Michael cleared his throat, speaking with the careful cadence of someone measuring each word. “Yes, Alpha. My Luna and I-as well as our families-have been trying to reach Elaine. Every call, every attempt… we are told she is well.
But we want more than secondhand reassurances. We wanted to hear it from her. To see her.”
Kathy’s voice followed, softer, tinged with a plea. “We had hoped she might come with you. When we heard you would attend our ceremony.”
Darius’s eyes narrowed, one brow lifting.
“And because she is not here, you imagine I withheld the invitation from her? You believe I would keep her ignorant of your ceremony?” His voice was low, dangerous. “Are you accusing me of deception, Luna?”
Kathy paled, shaking her head quickly. “No, Alpha. That is not what I meant. Only… we wished to see her.
To speak with her, even briefly.”
Darius’s wolf surged forward, a protective growl rumbling just beneath the surface of his tone. “Luna, how could you possibly think Elaine would set foot here? This place is nothing but pain for her. A reminder of what she lost, of how she was treated. Do you truly not understand the cruelty of such an expectation?”
He caught the faintest flicker of discomfort across Michael’s face, the quick shift of Kathy’s eyes downward. Darius’s jaw tightened, his thoughts sharp.
Is this how they approached her every time she was summoned to this office before? With no regard for how their words cut? With no understanding of her suffering?
Michael leaned forward, his voice pitched low with what he must have believed was sincerity. “Alpha, that is not our intent. We know we hurt her. We regret what happened. All we want now is to know if she is truly alright.”
Darius’s aura pulsed outward, his voice firm as steel. “And again, I ask-what right do you believe you have to inquire about her at all? Elaine is my pack. My responsibility. At Crescent Moon, we do not abandon or reject our own.
Her well-being is not yours to demand, nor to soothe your guilty feelings.”
The weight of his dominance filled the room, pressing Kathy and Calvin to bow their heads. Calvin’s stance faltered slightly before he gathered himself.
“Alpha,” Calvin interjected respectfully, his voice steady but careful. “No disrespect intended. Elaine is family. Whatever has happened, that truth cannot be erased. We only wish to know how she fares.”
Darius turned his piercing gaze on him. “And where was this concern when she was rejected? When she was left alone, abandoned by those who should have stood at her side? Spare me your concern now. If Elaine wanted you to know of her well-being, nothing in my pack-not even I would prevent her from reaching out to you.
She has that freedom. And she has chosen silence.”
The air in the office seemed to grow colder.
“If that is all you wished to know,” Darius continued, his voice a finality, “then our meeting is done. And Alpha Michael, since you mentioned your attempts to reach her, I’ll be clear. Stop. If Elaine wants to contact you, she will. She owes you nothing.”
Michael’s face hardened, a flicker of pride flaring before being dampened by something closer to frustration.
“My father never should have approved her transfer,” he said, his tone slipping from diplomatic to personal. “The only reason he did was because you threatened council involvement. You meddled in our pack affairs, Darius. And all we ask in return is simple- news of Elaine. Is that truly so much?
Her family, my Luna’s family-they are worried for her. Especially given how unwell she seemed when you took her.”
Darius’s wolf snarled, his aura spiking sharply. His voice came out low, controlled, but edged with lethal truth. “What you want is not born of love. It is born of guilt. You want her well-being confirmed to ease your consciences.
But Elaine does not exist for you to cleanse yourselves. You already have your chosen mate at your side, Michael, and your heir growing in her womb. What more do you think you’re owed?”
Michael’s jaw clenched, shame and anger warring in his eyes. Kathy’s lips trembled, tears gathering but unshed.
Darius rose, the finality of his movement impossible to mistake. “I did what I promised Elaine I would do. I took her from here because she asked me to, and because I swore to protect her. I would do it all again without hesitation. What you did to her was cruel, and I will never excuse cruelty against the Goddess’s will.
Remember that.”
He paused at the door, his gaze locking briefly on Michael. “You got what you wanted, Alpha -your chosen mate, your future heir. Be content with that. And leave Elaine out of your mind.”
Then, without waiting for dismissal or reply, Darius left the room, Marcus falling into step beside him. The echo of his footsteps down the corridor carried the weight of his fury, but beneath it pulsed something deeper-relief.
He had stood for Elaine. He had drawn a line no one would be permitted to cross.
And he would draw it again and again if he had to.
Darius had been gone for two days now, away at Silverblade Pack for Michael and Kathy’s Alpha and Luna ceremony. To Elaine, those three days felt like weeks. The absence of his steady presence left the pack house too quiet, the nights too long. She told herself he was strong, that he had promised to behave, that he wouldn’t let anger or old wounds drag him into something reckless. She trusted him-she truly did-but her heart still couldn’t shake the unease.
She tried to distract herself. She checked the nursery again, her hand trailing over the soft blankets folded neatly in the crib, her lips curving in a small smile at the growing collection of toys. Darius’s love was carved into every corner of the room. He wasn’t just preparing for a pup-he was preparing for their family.
Still, she missed him. Every part of the home reminded her of him, from the scent of cedar and pine that clung to their shared room, to the memory of his voice echoing with quiet laughter in the halls. She rubbed her belly absentmindedly, whispering, “Your father will be home soon.”
She still cannot believe it, Darius willingness to accept her pup as his. And not just Darius even his wolf, his parents, and Roselyn think of her pup theirs.
“Your father,” she whispered to her growing belly, “is going to spoil you beyond reason. You’ll never know what it’s like to want for anything.”
A knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts. When she opened it, Roselyn stood there with a bright smile, balancing a tray with two steaming mugs of tea.
“I thought you might like some company,” Roselyn said, stepping inside without waiting for an invitation. “I know how it feels when the house gets too quiet.”
Elaine’s heart warmed. Roselyn had a way of knowing exactly what she needed before she asked. “You always know when to show up,” Elaine said, taking one of the mugs with gratitude.
Roselyn flopped onto the couch with a dramatic sigh, setting the tray on the table. “Of course I do. You’re my best friend now, remember? And best friends don’t let each other brood alone. Besides, if Darius knew you were sitting here worrying, he’d probably storm back from Silverblade and drag you into his arms.
I’m just saving him the trouble.”
Elaine laughed softly, the sound easing some of the tension in her chest. “I’m not sulking. I just… worry. I know he promised to be on his best behavior, but seeing Michael and Kathy again… it can’t be easy for him.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.