Chapter 8
Neil kept his word.
Two days later, the entire werewolf network exploded.
An anonymous post appeared on the inter-pack forum — verified by three independent healers — confirming that Vivienne Ashford had never been pregnant. Attached were copies of her real medical records, photos of the padding she'd hidden under her clothes, and a recording of her bribing a healer to falsify documents.
The comments erupted within minutes.
"Alpha Blackwood's Luna faked a pregnancy? And he REJECTED his fated mate for this fraud?"
"First he publicly humiliates his true mate, and now he can't even tell his chosen Luna is lying to his face? What kind of Alpha is this?"
"I heard the rejected mate was the one who saved his life from that blood curse last year. And he threw her away like trash. Karma."
Within hours, the post had spread to every major pack in the region. Shadowfang's reputation, already damaged by the public rejection scandal, crumbled to dust overnight.
Back in Thornridge, I read the comments with detached numbness. A part of me — the old Elara, the one who loved Dorian with desperate, blinding devotion — might have felt sorry for him. But that part of me had died on the night of the ceremony, buried somewhere in the eastern snow.
The new Elara — the one with a pup growing strong inside her and a pack that called her family — felt nothing but relief.
Helga came to my cabin that afternoon with news.
"Vivienne's been stripped of her Luna title," she reported, settling heavily into a chair. "The Shadowfang Elders demanded it after the scandal broke. Some are calling for her exile."
"And Dorian?"
Helga gave me a knowing look. "From what I hear, he barely reacted to Vivienne's exposure at all. Didn't defend her, didn't punish her. His only response was to demand his warriors increase the search for..." She gestured at me.
"He's still looking for me?"
"He never stopped, child. And now that he knows about the pup, nothing will make him stop."
I placed my hands on my swollen belly — eight months now, nearly there.
"He can look all he wants. He's not touching my pup."
Helga nodded approvingly. Then her expression shifted to something more delicate.
"There's also... another matter. Alpha Caspian asked me to examine you today. Specifically, your pup's aura."
I frowned. "Why?"
"Because over the past week, three separate wolves in the pack have reported feeling an unusual energy emanating from you. A power signature that... well." She looked at me seriously. "It's not normal, Elara."
My hand instinctively pressed harder against my belly.
"What do you mean?"
Helga stood and placed her weathered palm against my stomach. She closed her eyes. Her fingers trembled.
When she opened her eyes again, they were wide.
"This pup," she breathed. "She has a twin aura — half healer, half Alpha. I've only ever read about this in the old texts. A pup born from a fated mate bond, conceived in love but forged in pain..." She looked at me with something approaching awe. "Elara, your daughter is going to be the most powerful wolf born in three generations."
The world tilted slightly.
"A daughter," I whispered.
"A daughter," Helga confirmed, and for the first time, she looked afraid. "And when Dorian Blackwood finds out what she is — what she's capable of — he won't just come for her out of pride. He'll come because she represents power. The kind of power that could make or break his entire pack."
I stared at her, my heart hammering.
"Then he'll never find out."
"Child," Helga said gently, "the whole region is already whispering about the strange energy coming from Thornridge. It's only a matter of time."
Two days later, the entire werewolf network exploded.
An anonymous post appeared on the inter-pack forum — verified by three independent healers — confirming that Vivienne Ashford had never been pregnant. Attached were copies of her real medical records, photos of the padding she'd hidden under her clothes, and a recording of her bribing a healer to falsify documents.
The comments erupted within minutes.
"Alpha Blackwood's Luna faked a pregnancy? And he REJECTED his fated mate for this fraud?"
"First he publicly humiliates his true mate, and now he can't even tell his chosen Luna is lying to his face? What kind of Alpha is this?"
"I heard the rejected mate was the one who saved his life from that blood curse last year. And he threw her away like trash. Karma."
Within hours, the post had spread to every major pack in the region. Shadowfang's reputation, already damaged by the public rejection scandal, crumbled to dust overnight.
Back in Thornridge, I read the comments with detached numbness. A part of me — the old Elara, the one who loved Dorian with desperate, blinding devotion — might have felt sorry for him. But that part of me had died on the night of the ceremony, buried somewhere in the eastern snow.
The new Elara — the one with a pup growing strong inside her and a pack that called her family — felt nothing but relief.
Helga came to my cabin that afternoon with news.
"Vivienne's been stripped of her Luna title," she reported, settling heavily into a chair. "The Shadowfang Elders demanded it after the scandal broke. Some are calling for her exile."
"And Dorian?"
Helga gave me a knowing look. "From what I hear, he barely reacted to Vivienne's exposure at all. Didn't defend her, didn't punish her. His only response was to demand his warriors increase the search for..." She gestured at me.
"He's still looking for me?"
"He never stopped, child. And now that he knows about the pup, nothing will make him stop."
I placed my hands on my swollen belly — eight months now, nearly there.
"He can look all he wants. He's not touching my pup."
Helga nodded approvingly. Then her expression shifted to something more delicate.
"There's also... another matter. Alpha Caspian asked me to examine you today. Specifically, your pup's aura."
I frowned. "Why?"
"Because over the past week, three separate wolves in the pack have reported feeling an unusual energy emanating from you. A power signature that... well." She looked at me seriously. "It's not normal, Elara."
My hand instinctively pressed harder against my belly.
"What do you mean?"
Helga stood and placed her weathered palm against my stomach. She closed her eyes. Her fingers trembled.
When she opened her eyes again, they were wide.
"This pup," she breathed. "She has a twin aura — half healer, half Alpha. I've only ever read about this in the old texts. A pup born from a fated mate bond, conceived in love but forged in pain..." She looked at me with something approaching awe. "Elara, your daughter is going to be the most powerful wolf born in three generations."
The world tilted slightly.
"A daughter," I whispered.
"A daughter," Helga confirmed, and for the first time, she looked afraid. "And when Dorian Blackwood finds out what she is — what she's capable of — he won't just come for her out of pride. He'll come because she represents power. The kind of power that could make or break his entire pack."
I stared at her, my heart hammering.
"Then he'll never find out."
"Child," Helga said gently, "the whole region is already whispering about the strange energy coming from Thornridge. It's only a matter of time."