Ronan’s face tightened for a brief second. But he did not notice my reddened eyes. He did not hear how close my voice was to breaking. He only saw that I questioned him in front of others, without restraint.
In the next breath, his expression darkened completely. Burning with anger, he lifted Marielle into his arms and turned away.
He left behind one cold sentence.
“You better not regret this.”
The pain in my back made my heart pound wildly. I did not even have time to ask where he was going. He clearly still had chaos to handle. I could only go to the Healing Hall alone.
When the moon healer confirmed that the pup was safe, I finally released a breath.
The fear that had been pressing on me rushed back. I sat on the corridor bench, covering my face, crying until I could barely breathe.
I did not dare imagine what I would do if something had happened to my pup.
When I returned to the Alpha stronghold, Ardena already knew everything.
She held my hand, her eyes red with pain for me.
“Two days remain before the bond severing is complete. Valea, you have endured too much.”
I sniffed and forced a faint smile. “I am fine.”
She sighed softly.
“Tomorrow is your grandfather’s eightieth winter. He does not have much time left. Can you, for these final two days, let him feel peace?”
I still nodded.
Grandfather Theron’s celebration was held at the old ancestral manor of the Valloren Pack.
Ardena and I arrived first. Theron sat upright in the main hall chair. His aura was weak, yet he forced himself straight. When he saw me, he gave a small nod.
His gaze shifted toward the doorway, and he sighed.
“Where is that foolish boy? On a day like this, he still refuses to appear.”
It was clear he knew of Ronan’s recent conduct.
I only smiled lightly and said nothing.
Soon, movement sounded at the entrance. Ronan stepped inside. Marielle followed closely behind him.
In that instant, the air in the hall froze.
Theron’s face darkened at once. His cane struck the stone floor heavily.
“You dare bring this shameless girl into my hall?”
The cane swung down in the next second.
“You unworthy grandson!”
Ronan stepped back, jaw tight, but he did not resist.
Suddenly, Marielle rushed forward. She spread her arms and shielded Ronan, tears falling immediately.
“Elder, please do not strike Alpha Ronan. This is my fault. It is because I am carrying Alpha’s pup that he brought me here. I know I am low born and do not deserve to stand in this hall.”
She bit her lip and added softly. “But the pup is innocent.”
Pup?
I stared at her, unable to believe what I heard.
Ronan’s face shifted slightly. He pulled Marielle into his arms. “Marielle is with pup. It is my blood. I must take responsibility.”
He paused, then spoke as if convincing himself. “And her pup is a son. While Valea carries a daughter. Grandfather, I am doing this for the Valloren bloodline.”
For the bloodline?
Those words felt like a dull blade pushed into my chest.
In a clan like Valloren, the gender of my pup had been known from early moon rites.
Yet Ardena, Theron and even Ronan’s parents in distant territories never once cared whether my pup was a boy or girl.
Ronan once held me tightly and swore.
“Boy or girl, as long as the pup is yours, it is precious to me. It carries the Valloren name.”
In the past year, many she wolves tried to conceive his heir. He rejected them all.
But now Marielle was pregnant. And she carried a son.
And my own mate stood before me, using the words carry the bloodline as if it were right.
I drew in a slow, deep breath. The collapsing pain inside me, I forced it down.
Theron shouted in anger, his cane striking the floor again and again. Ardena’s eyes were red as well. She struck Ronan’s back, scolding him for foolishness.
Everyone expected me to lose control.
To cry.
To question him.
To break.
But I did not.
I rose slowly. My voice was calm and cold.
“Today is Great Grandfather’s birthday. It is a joyful gathering. Let us not ruin it over this. As for the pup, we will speak when the time comes.”
The hall fell silent.
Ardena opened her mouth, but in the end swallowed her anger. She steadied herself and continued the banquet while everyone hid their thoughts.
During the feast, I said I felt unwell and left early.
Seeing that I neither cried nor argued, a strange unease rose in Ronan’s chest.
“Was she planning to dissolve the bond?”
He quickly dismissed the thought.
How could I ever choose to leave him?
