I wrenched my arm free from Fenris Blackwood's grip, my gaze cutting through him like frozen steel.
"She chose to betray our bond. Why should I stay silent about it? If she feared the truth being spoken, she shouldn't have done it."
The crack of his palm against my cheek echoed through the den. Fenris seized my shoulders, his face twisted into a cold fury I had never witnessed in all our years together. His wolf surfaced in his eyes, amber bleeding through the darkness.
"Lyra Ashenmoon, I have been far too lenient with you. I let you grow arrogant and savage."
"Let me make this clear to you now. This pup is one I wanted. I begged Selene to carry it for me, because I love her. I wanted a pup that belonged to both of us—"
His words cut off abruptly.
The air turned to ice around us.
Thunder seemed to explode inside my skull, leaving my head ringing with a hollow roar. He loved her. He had begged her to bear his pup. He loved her.
Fenris's expression shifted through several emotions before he pulled me into his arms.
"Enough. I spoke rashly in my anger."
"Lyra, as long as you remain obedient, you will always be the Alpha's mate. I will remember your devotion for the rest of my days."
"Consider this—Selene is a highborn Omega trained beyond our borders. She is willing to give us a pup with superior bloodlines. Isn't that a blessing? You could claim this pup as your own kin. He will honor and serve us both when he grows. Wouldn't that be good?"
Fenris stumbled through his explanations, his words tangled and desperate. The scent of gardenia clung heavy to his skin—her scent—so thick it burned my throat and made my eyes sting with unshed tears.
I shoved him away and stumbled into the bathing chamber, where I retched violently over the basin.
Fenris followed, pressing a damp cloth to my face. After a long while, I lifted my tear-streaked eyes to meet his, my voice breaking with grief.
"Fenris Blackwood, if you love her so deeply, if you wanted to sire pups with her, why did you ever pursue me?"
"If you and she have created a pup together, why not sever our bond? Must you keep driving blades into my heart, one after another?"
Fenris saw the anguish written across my features. A flicker of guilt passed through his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, but a message-howl rang through the den's communication crystals.
"Fenris, come quickly! There's noise from Selene's chamber. She may have fallen!"
The color drained from Fenris's face instantly. All thought of explanation vanished. He grabbed my wrist and dragged me out of the chamber, racing through the pack estate. He ignored six territorial boundary warnings along the way, his jaw locked tight as a steel trap.
When Fenris hauled me into the great hall, we found Selene dabbing at her tears, weeping softly, while the Pack Matriarch sat beside her, offering anxious comfort.
Aurora Blackwood spotted me and rolled her eyes, her voice dripping with contempt.
"This is what comes of having too much idle time. A perfectly peaceful den, and you insist on stirring chaos."
Selene rose abruptly to her feet, her voice thick with tears.
"If this pup is seen as something shameful in everyone's eyes, then I will go to the healer's den right now and end the pregnancy."
"I refuse to let my pup be born under curses and whispered slander, living his whole life unable to hold his head high."
Tears glistened in her eyes, yet she held her body straight with stubborn pride.
Fenris's expression melted with tenderness I had never seen him show—not to me, not in ten years of our mating bond. He gathered her gently into his arms.
"Selene, this pup is my treasure. He is the fruit of our true love. I will not allow anyone to speak ill of our pup. I will give him everything the pack has to offer. If anyone dares utter a single word against him, I will make her kneel before you and beg for mercy."
"Hush now, don't cry. The little one in your belly will feel your sorrow."
Each word from Fenris's lips carved fresh wounds into my heart.
But his next words plunged me into an abyss of eternal ice.
"Lyra, you will kneel before Selene this instant and apologize. You will swear an oath that this pup is one you have longed for. And if you ever show him the slightest cruelty, may your grandmother's spirit suffer the torments of fire and oil in the realm beyond."
As he spoke, his hand clamped down on my shoulder. His foot struck the back of my knees, forcing me to crash onto the stone floor.
I stared up at Fenris in disbelief. He was demanding that I celebrate the illegitimate pup he had sired with another female.
He was forcing me to swear upon my grandmother's memory.
When I remained frozen, unable to move, Fenris seized my hair and slammed my forehead against the floor with a sickening crack. Before I could recover, he forced my head down again and again, each impact sending shockwaves of pain through my skull.
