Roselyn’s eyes hardened for a moment. “If I had my way, Darius wouldn’t have gone at all. Michael and his Luna-” she spat the title out like it was bitter-“don’t deserve the his presence. But Darius is an alpha. He has to play the game, even when it’s rotten.” respect of
Elaine lowered her gaze, tracing the rim of her mug with her finger. “It’s not just him I worry about. I… I still can’t go back there. I thought I was over it, but the idea of walking into Silverblade again-seeing them, seeing my parents-” Her voice faltered, and she forced the words out.
“It feels like walking back into that night when they turned their backs on me.”
Roselyn set her tea aside and reached across the table, taking Elaine’s hand in hers. “Listen to me. You don’t owe them anything. Not Michael. Not Kathy.
Not even your parents. They gave up the right to be in your life when they chose betrayal over loyalty.” Her voice softened, though her grip didn’t. “You have us now. You have Darius.
You have me. You’re not alone anymore, Elaine. Not ever again.”
Tears pricked at Elaine’s eyes, though she blinked them back. Roselyn’s fierce protectiveness filled the space where her parents’ love had once been. She squeezed Roselyn’s hand, grateful beyond words.
The two of them settled into comfortable silence for a while, sipping their tea. Roselyn eventually leaned back, a sly smile tugging at her lips. “So… when Darius gets back, are you going to tell him that he’s already bought enough toys to fill two nurseries? Because if he keeps this up, your pup’s first word might be mine.”
Elaine laughed, the tension easing from her shoulders. “I’ve already tried. He just says, ‘Our pup deserves everything.’ How am I supposed to argue with that?”
“You don’t,” Roselyn said firmly, grinning. “You just let him spoil that pup rotten. Honestly, it’s the cutest thing watching him act like a lovesick fool.”
Elaine laughed harder this time, pressing a hand to her belly. “He does get that look, doesn’t he?”
The two women talked long into the evening, Roselyn sharing stories of their childhood in Crescent Moon, teasing Darius’s habits, and telling Elaine all the little secrets of pack life she would need to know as the future luna after her imposed three years period. Their laughter filled the house, chasing away the loneliness that had lingered since Darius left.
By the time the fire burned low, Elaine felt lighter. Surrounded by Roselyn’s warmth, reminded of the love waiting for her in Crescent Moon, she realized something profound. She no longer needed Silverblade. She no longer needed the people who had abandoned her. She had a home here, a family here, and a future she could finally believe in.
She pressed her hand to her stomach once more and whispered silently to her pup: Here, you will never be alone. Here, you will always be loved.
Life in Crescent Moon had settled into a quiet rhythm, a peace that Elaine treasured more than she could put into words. The days passed steadily, filled with the laughter of children. training in the yards, the hum of pack members going about their duties, and the steady heartbeat of safety that this place had come to mean for her. She had thrown herself into her responsibilities, slowly taking on more and more Luna duties, though she did not yet carry. the official title.
At first, she had been shy about it-hesitant even-correcting the occasional pack member who accidentally called her Luna. But as weeks turned to months, the slips became frequent, until the majority of the pack simply referred to her that way without pause or question. Eventually, she stopped correcting them. It wasn’t because she believed she had earned it yet, but because she realized that in their eyes, in their hearts, she already was.
One warm afternoon, as she sat with Darius in his office, helping him sort through the endless stack of documents that covered his desk, the subject surfaced. Elaine had been carefully arranging signed parchments into neat piles when Darius reached over and stilled her hand. His eyes-deep, steady, and full of affection-met hers.
“Just let them call you Luna,” he said gently, his tone firm yet tender. “Because in my eyes, and in the eyes of this whole pack, that is what you are. The only thing stopping us from announcing it to the other packs is the three-year period I promised to honor while searching for my fated mate. But you already know… even if the Moon Goddess revealed her choice tomorrow, I would always choose you.”
His words were steady, but Elaine could still hear the ache beneath them, that lingering wound caused by the condition she herself had set. Sometimes, she regretted it. Sometimes, it hurt her too, knowing she had placed that barrier between them. Yet she could not help herself.
Even now, as he looked at her with unwavering devotion, a seed of fear remained buried in her heart. What if he did meet his fated mate? He had always sworn he would choose her regardless, but Elaine could not stop the thought from circling. The last thing she wanted was for another woman to feel the devastation she herself once endured-rejected, abandoned, cast aside by the one person fate had bound them to.
She lowered her eyes, brushing her palm gently over the curve of her belly. It was round now, heavy with life, carrying the child that had become the center of her every thought. Darius noticed her movement instantly. He rose from his chair and came to stand beside her, his large hand sliding to rest on her stomach. His touch was warm, reverent.
“It’s only a matter of time now,” he murmured, voice low with awe. “We’ll meet our little pup soon. I’m so excited to see you, little one.” He leaned down, pressing his cheek lightly against her belly as if to listen closer.
And then-there it was. A firm kick beneath his palm.
Elaine let out a surprised laugh, her hand flying to cover his. “Our pup is so active today. I swear, all it’s been doing is playing ball with my bladder.”
Darius chuckled, but his expression quickly turned serious. “Did you check with Dr. Grey? Are you sure everything’s all right? Do you want me to bring him here?”
Elaine rolled her eyes fondly, though her heart swelled at his protectiveness. “No, love. Everything is fine. There’s no need to call Dr. Grey. He already said the pup is healthy.”
Still, Darius sighed, his hand tightening on hers. He pulled her against his chest and kissed her deeply, a passion laced with worry. When he drew back, his eyes lingered on her as if he was memorizing every detail.
“When it comes to you and our pup,” he whispered, “I’ll always worry.”
Elaine smiled, brushing her fingers along his jaw. He had never let her forget how much he loved her, how much he cherished the child they were bringing into the world. There were days she still woke in disbelief that this was her life-that after so much heartbreak, she had found Darius, steady and strong, loving her even at her weakest and most broken.
She thought of Silverblade, of Michael, Kathy, and her parents. The betrayal had cut her to the core, but time and Darius’s love had softened the sharp edges of her pain. She had forgiven them in her heart, though forgetting was another matter entirely. One day, perhaps, she would find the courage to reach out again. One day she might return to Silverblade and face the ghosts of her past.
But not yet. For now, her world was here-Darius, their pup, and the life they were building together.
A sudden, sharp pain cut through her thoughts. Elaine gasped, her hand clutching her belly. Her eyes widened as another wave followed, stronger, undeniable. She knew instantly what it meant.
“Darius…” she panted, meeting his startled gaze. “It’s time.”
He didn’t hesitate. In one swift motion, he scooped her into his arms as if she weighed nothing at all. His wolf pushed at the surface, urging speed, and in a blur of motion he carried her straight to the hospital. If not for the intensity of the contractions stealing her breath, Elaine might have laughed at the way he barked orders at anyone in his path, his Alpha authority rattling the entire wing.
Hours later, after pain and sweat, after moments when she thought she couldn’t endure another push, the sound finally came-thin, piercing, and perfect.
Their son’s first cry.
Tears streamed down Elaine’s cheeks as the healer placed the tiny, wriggling bundle into her arms. Nathan. Their Nathan. Darius hovered beside her, eyes wet with emotion, his hand trembling as he stroked his son’s downy head.
Elaine looked at them both and felt her heart break wide open. Whatever trials the Goddess might set before them, whatever fears the future held, this was her family. And she would never let go.
Meanwhile, life in Silverblade pack had been calm on the surface, but underneath the stillness lay fractures that no one dared to speak of aloud. Since Elaine’s departure to Crescent Moon, the balance of relationships within the pack had shifted in ways Michael could no longer ignore. His bond with his parents had grown strained, their conversations clipped and often ending in silence. Kathy’s own ties with her family, once warm and open, now carried unspoken tension as well. They all carried the weight of a decision that had cost them far more than they had ever anticipated.
Michael could not escape the truth-he had sacrificed his mate bond with Elaine, his Goddess-given mate, because of the pup that was growing inside Kathy. At the time, it seemed unquestionable. Every voice around him, from his parents to Kathy’s parents, echoed the same sentiment: the pup must come first, the pup is the future of Silverblade. That future, the continuation of their pack, became the justification for every cruel word, every cold look, every dismissal Elaine endured. Looking back now, Michael could see how inhumanly she had been treated.
He could see it with a clarity that burned him from the inside out. But at the time, all he allowed himself to think of was the pup-his pup, his heir.
And yet the truth refused to let him rest. Elaine had been more than just his mate-she had been his heart, the piece of him blessed and bound by the Goddess herself. If he had only kept control, if he had resisted that first kiss, perhaps everything would be different. He had intended to speak with her, to be honest, to tell her about Kathy, his chosen mate, already carrying his child. He had meant to explain and sever things with dignity.
But when Elaine’s lips touched his, all his intentions shattered. The bond surged through him like fire and he failed. He gave in to the pull of destiny when he should have been stronger. If he could go back in time, he would. He would hold back, speak the words he needed to speak, and shield Elaine from the heartbreak that followed.
But regrets could not rewrite the past.
Because of his weakness, Elaine had not simply transferred to another pack-she had severed herself from everything: her family, her friends, her home. Silverblade no longer held a place in her heart. Michael understood why. They had not only abandoned her, but they had destroyed her. She had lost her pup-their pup-and though no blade pierced her, the wound was mortal all the same.
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.