“Both,” Darius said, his voice carrying easily across the training yard. “Michael’s territory has seen an increase in attacks. You’ll train beside their warriors, but you’ll also patrol their borders. Stay alert. Rogues are unpredictable, and they’ve grown bolder.”
A murmur rippled through the ranks, a mix of determination and unease.
Another warrior, a woman named Lyra, lifted her chin. “And the mating ball, Alpha? Will we still be able to attend?”
Darius’s gaze swept across the gathered faces. Many of them were unmated, their excitement for.the ball almost as strong as their hunger for battle. He gave a firm nod. “Yes. You will attend as planned.
But until then, your duty is to protect and to train. Silverblade needs our strength, and we will not fail them.”
A resounding “Yes, Alpha!” echoed across the grounds.
Marcus gave him a sidelong look as the warriors dispersed to continue sparring. “They’re restless,” he murmured. “Half of them are dreaming about mates and destiny. The other half are sharpening blades for bloodshed. It’s going to be an interesting couple weeks.”
Darius allowed a faint smile. “That’s why we lead them. To make sure neither distraction nor desire weakens their purpose.” His eyes hardened as he watched two warriors clash in the ring. “Rogues don’t wait for perfect timing.
And neither will we.”
“Mommy, where is Daddy?” Nathan asked, his big brown eyes blinking up at Elaine with curiosity.
“He is in his office, baby. Working,” Elaine replied gently, smoothing down the stubborn strand of dark hair that always fell across her son’s forehead. Nathan had just turned three, yet he already carried himself with the same stubborn determination as his father. He was a true daddy’s boy-always eager to follow Darius wherever he went. If Nathan had his way, he would spend every moment shadowing his father, whether Darius was training warriors, meeting with elders, or reviewing reports in his office.
Sometimes Darius let him tag along, sitting the boy on his lap and explaining, in the simplest way possible, what it meant to be an alpha and how important decisions were made. Elaine often watched those moments from the doorway, her heart swelling. Darius was such a good father, so patient and so attentive, and she never once regretted her decision to give him a chance.
Her lips curved into a soft smile as she thought about what was ahead. This coming mating ball would be the last one before she agreed to be his luna officially. It was a decision she had not rushed, but with every passing day her trust in Darius deepened. He never forced her hand, never pressured her, always ensuring she understood his choices and that she felt secure in their bond.
Elaine still remembered the first mating ball Darius had to attend after they had chosen to give each other a chance. She had been a nervous wreck that night, pacing their room until her legs ached and her stomach churned. Sleep had been impossible. Roselyn had been by her side, whispering reassurances and keeping her company.
“Darius will never betray you,” Roselyn had told her firmly, her hand squeezing Elaine’s. And she had been right. When Darius returned from that mating ball, he had gone straight to Elaine instead of his office, locking the world out for days. They stayed together in their room, wrapped up in each other, laughing, talking, and healing. His beta and gamma had teased him endlessly afterward, but Darius never cared.
He had only cared about showing her where his loyalty truly lay.
The memory warmed Elaine now, a reminder of how far they had come.
“I miss Daddy,” Nathan whispered suddenly, his little lips trembling, eyes glossing over with unshed tears.
Elaine’s heart ached at the sight. She knelt down so she was level with him, brushing a thumb across his cheek. “Oh, baby, I’m sure Daddy misses you too. But remember, Daddy has to be the alpha sometimes, and when he is being the alpha, you can’t stay with him. It’s very important work.”
Nathan sniffled, his lower lip jutting out. “Can’t he be a daddy and an alpha all the time? I can be quiet, Mommy. I won’t disturb him. I just…
I just want to stay with Daddy.” His tiny voice cracked with longing.
Elaine swallowed back a lump in her throat. She had wondered the same thing sometimes- how Darius managed to balance everything he carried on his shoulders. She smiled and stroked her son’s hair. “But if you stay with Daddy all the time, then you won’t have time with me. Won’t you miss me?”
Nathan frowned, his little brows furrowing as he thought hard about her words. For a long moment, he stayed quiet, lost in thought, before answering with the seriousness of someone far older than three. “I will miss you, Mommy… but I am a boy. And most of the time, Aunt Roselyn stays with you, and she talks a lot.”
Elaine laughed, the sound bubbling out before she could stop it. Like father, like son. Nathan might be young, but he already had Darius’s straightforward way of seeing the world.
She looked at him, her heart brimming with love. Nathan was smart-smarter than most children his age-and she knew with Darius’s guidance, he would grow into a strong and wise wolf. Already he asked his father endless questions about what it meant to be alpha, and Darius never once grew impatient. Instead, he knelt down and explained things carefully, like every question was important.
Elaine silently thanked the Moon Goddess once more for giving her this life, for giving her Darius and Nathan. Sometimes she believed she had endured all the betrayal, abandonment, and pain of her past just so she could arrive here-to this peace, this family, this love.
No, she thought firmly. She would not trade this life for anything.
With the help of Darius and Nathan, she had slowly learned to heal. She had begun to let go of the bitterness that once chained her, to forgive, and even to forget. The Silverblade Pack and all the pain it represented no longer defined her. Everything that had happened… had happened for a reason.
Because without it, she would not be here now, surrounded by warmth and love.
Still, somewhere deep inside, the memory of her old family lingered. Maybe one day, she thought, she would find the courage to see them again. To face what she left behind in Silverblade. She wanted her former pack to know her son one day-but not as Michael’s son, not as the child tied to a past filled with betrayal and pain. She wanted them to see Nathan for who he truly was: her son, the boy she carried, raised, and loved, and the child Darius had accepted and chosen to protect and guide as his own.
Nathan was a part of her, but he was
? Chapter 61 also the living proof of the new life she had built, the family she had chosen, the bond she had healed through. But not today. For now, her world was here-with Darius, with Nathan, and with the happiness she never thought she now have.
Later that night, when Darius finally returned to their suite, the quiet of the evening wrapped around him like a heavy cloak. His shoulders were sore from the day’s endless meetings and preparations, but the first place his feet carried him was not to his own room, but to Nathan’s.
He pushed the door open gently, careful not to wake the boy. The soft glow of the nightlight painted the room in warm amber tones, and there was Nathan, sprawled across his bed with his little arms wrapped tightly around his stuffed wolf. His chest rose and fell in the deep rhythm of childhood sleep, his lips parted slightly as though he was still in the middle of telling a story in his dreams.
Darius’s heart softened instantly. He crossed the room, leaned over, and pressed a tender kiss against his son’s forehead. The familiar scent of Nathan-soap, and the faintest hint of his favorite blanket-filled his senses. He had missed their nightly routine, and guilt tugged at him. Normally, he made it a point to be back in time for dinner.
Those evenings were precious: the three of them gathered together, Nathan excitedly recounting every detail of his day while Elaine smiled lovingly at them both. And then there were the special ” Alpha-and-son days” that Nathan treasured-days where Darius devoted himself fully to his boy, teaching him small things, letting him shadow him like a true little warrior.
“I’ll have to tell him tomorrow,” Darius thought, brushing Nathan’s hair back from his forehead. “Two whole weeks. He’ll ask a hundred questions, maybe more.” The thought made him chuckle softly. His son’s endless curiosity was something he both adored and, at times, found exhausting.
But it was a kind of exhaustion he would miss dearly.
He lingered for another moment, just watching, before closing the door quietly behind him. With a sigh, he turned toward their bedroom.
Elaine was waiting for him, curled gracefully on the couch with a book in hand. She looked up the moment he entered, concern flickering across her face when she noticed how late it was. Setting the book aside, she rose, the soft fall of her robe brushing against her legs as she crossed the room.
“You’re here,” she said softly, though her tone held a note of worry. “What happened? It’s already so late.”
Before Darius could answer, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his in a hot, lingering kiss. He responded instantly, tightening his hold around her waist and pulling her close against his chest. For a fleeting moment, he wanted to forget everything except this-her warmth, her love, the safe haven she always gave him.
When they finally pulled back, he rested his forehead against hers. “We need to talk, my love,” he murmured.
Elaine nodded, her eyes searching his face. She let him guide her to sit, and as they settled together, Darius recounted his day-the call from Michael, the request for joint training with Silverblade, the rogue containment, and the preparations for the upcoming mating ball. His voice was steady, but Elaine could feel the weight behind his words.
“When are you leaving?” she asked quietly, bracing herself.
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.