Chapter 7
Neil called me the night Vivienne returned to Shadowfang.
"He knows," Neil said. His voice was tight. "Vivienne told him everything — the pregnancy, Thornridge, Caspian. He destroyed his entire office. Three warriors had to restrain him."
I gripped the phone tighter. "Is he coming here?"
"He's trying. But the Elders are blocking him. They think it's a trap to lure him into enemy territory." A heavy pause. "Elara... he's different since you left. Darker. The pack is suffering for it. Vivienne controls the Luna duties but she's incompetent, and half the pack already resents her."
"That's not my problem anymore."
"I know. I just..." Neil sighed. "He keeps saying the pup is his. That he has rights."
"He rejected me, Neil. Publicly. In front of three hundred wolves. He doesn't get to claim anything that grew from a bond he shattered."
"I told him that. He nearly ripped my throat out."
Good, I thought. Let him rage. Let him taste even a fraction of what I felt that night.
"Neil. I need to know — is he going to declare war on Thornridge?"
Silence.
"Neil."
"...The Elders won't let him. Not yet. But he's been gathering allies. Reaching out to eastern packs. Offering trade deals in exchange for military support."
My stomach dropped. "He would start a WAR over this?"
"You don't understand, Elara. When Vivienne told him you were pregnant... something snapped. He went completely feral. His wolf took over for six hours. Nobody could get near him."
I closed my eyes and forced myself to breathe.
"And there's something else," Neil continued, his voice dropping. "Vivienne. She's... not actually pregnant."
The words hung in the air.
"What?"
"She's been faking it. Padding her clothes, fabricating healer's reports. I found the real documents hidden in her study. She was never pregnant. She lied about the whole thing to secure her position as Luna."
I sank into my chair, stunned. All those months of believing she'd been carrying Dorian's child — believing he'd chosen both her AND fatherhood over me — it was all manufactured. Every ounce of pain I'd felt about being replaced in that way had been based on a lie.
"Does Dorian know?" I asked.
"Not yet. But he will soon. She's running out of time to fake it — she would need to produce an actual pup eventually."
"Or she'll try to steal mine," I whispered, the realization hitting me like ice water.
Neil went quiet.
"That's why she came to Thornridge with the delegation," I continued, my mind racing. "She wasn't there for a trade alliance. She was SCOUTING. Checking how far along I was, calculating her timeline—"
"Elara, you need to be careful."
"Neil, if she tells Dorian my pup is hers — if she tries to claim it—"
"She won't get the chance. I'm going to expose her. Tonight."
"Why?" I asked, genuinely confused. "Why help me?"
Neil's answer was quiet but firm. "Because I watched him gouge you out of this pack like you were nothing, and I've regretted saying nothing every single day since. Consider this my penance."
He hung up.
I immediately found Caspian.
When I told him everything, his expression didn't change, but his eyes — those storm-grey eyes — turned absolutely lethal.
"She was planning to take your pup," he said slowly, his voice dangerously controlled.
"I think so."
He stood up, walked to the window, and stared out at the dark forest for a long moment. When he turned back, his decision was already made.
"Effective immediately, you're under my personal protection. No delegation from Shadowfang enters our territory without my explicit permission. And if Dorian Blackwood sets one paw across my border—" His canines elongated slightly. "He won't leave with all four limbs intact."
"He knows," Neil said. His voice was tight. "Vivienne told him everything — the pregnancy, Thornridge, Caspian. He destroyed his entire office. Three warriors had to restrain him."
I gripped the phone tighter. "Is he coming here?"
"He's trying. But the Elders are blocking him. They think it's a trap to lure him into enemy territory." A heavy pause. "Elara... he's different since you left. Darker. The pack is suffering for it. Vivienne controls the Luna duties but she's incompetent, and half the pack already resents her."
"That's not my problem anymore."
"I know. I just..." Neil sighed. "He keeps saying the pup is his. That he has rights."
"He rejected me, Neil. Publicly. In front of three hundred wolves. He doesn't get to claim anything that grew from a bond he shattered."
"I told him that. He nearly ripped my throat out."
Good, I thought. Let him rage. Let him taste even a fraction of what I felt that night.
"Neil. I need to know — is he going to declare war on Thornridge?"
Silence.
"Neil."
"...The Elders won't let him. Not yet. But he's been gathering allies. Reaching out to eastern packs. Offering trade deals in exchange for military support."
My stomach dropped. "He would start a WAR over this?"
"You don't understand, Elara. When Vivienne told him you were pregnant... something snapped. He went completely feral. His wolf took over for six hours. Nobody could get near him."
I closed my eyes and forced myself to breathe.
"And there's something else," Neil continued, his voice dropping. "Vivienne. She's... not actually pregnant."
The words hung in the air.
"What?"
"She's been faking it. Padding her clothes, fabricating healer's reports. I found the real documents hidden in her study. She was never pregnant. She lied about the whole thing to secure her position as Luna."
I sank into my chair, stunned. All those months of believing she'd been carrying Dorian's child — believing he'd chosen both her AND fatherhood over me — it was all manufactured. Every ounce of pain I'd felt about being replaced in that way had been based on a lie.
"Does Dorian know?" I asked.
"Not yet. But he will soon. She's running out of time to fake it — she would need to produce an actual pup eventually."
"Or she'll try to steal mine," I whispered, the realization hitting me like ice water.
Neil went quiet.
"That's why she came to Thornridge with the delegation," I continued, my mind racing. "She wasn't there for a trade alliance. She was SCOUTING. Checking how far along I was, calculating her timeline—"
"Elara, you need to be careful."
"Neil, if she tells Dorian my pup is hers — if she tries to claim it—"
"She won't get the chance. I'm going to expose her. Tonight."
"Why?" I asked, genuinely confused. "Why help me?"
Neil's answer was quiet but firm. "Because I watched him gouge you out of this pack like you were nothing, and I've regretted saying nothing every single day since. Consider this my penance."
He hung up.
I immediately found Caspian.
When I told him everything, his expression didn't change, but his eyes — those storm-grey eyes — turned absolutely lethal.
"She was planning to take your pup," he said slowly, his voice dangerously controlled.
"I think so."
He stood up, walked to the window, and stared out at the dark forest for a long moment. When he turned back, his decision was already made.
"Effective immediately, you're under my personal protection. No delegation from Shadowfang enters our territory without my explicit permission. And if Dorian Blackwood sets one paw across my border—" His canines elongated slightly. "He won't leave with all four limbs intact."