The fire cracked low in the hearth as I held the note in my hands. The paper trembled slightly, whether from my fingers or the storm brewing inside me, I couldn't tell. Seven words. Just seven. But they carried more weight than a hundred truths spoken aloud.
*He's lying. He always has. You're not the only one carrying his child.*
I read it again and again, hoping that some hidden clue would reveal itself, something to prove it was a cruel joke. But there was nothing, no name, no scent, no trace. Whoever left it knew how to cover their tracks.
The healer's house had never felt more unfamiliar. Shadows crept along the walls, and the silence buzzed like an accusation. I folded the note tightly and tucked it under the mattress. Then I stood and began to pace.
Kael was at the barracks tonight, organizing border patrols. I could go to him now, demand the truth, watch his face carefully as he answered. But what if the answer unraveled everything? What if the trust I'd been clinging to vanished in an instant?
I sank into the chair, one hand resting over my belly. The baby shifted, as if sensing my unease.
"You deserve to know the truth," I whispered.
Outside, the moon rose behind thick clouds, casting long streaks of silver across the floorboards. I didn't sleep.
Morning came with a knock on the door. Callen stepped inside, holding a satchel and a leather-bound journal.
"You didn't sleep," he said without asking.
"No."
He glanced around. "Something happened."
I hesitated.
He sat across from me, setting the bag aside.
"I'm not Kael. I won't lie to you."
I pulled the note from beneath the mattress and handed it to him.
His brow furrowed as he read it. He read it twice, then slowly folded it and laid it on the table.
"Who would do this?"
"I don't know. But they're confident enough to slip this under my door."
Callen looked at me, concerned, flickering in his gaze.
"Do you believe it?"
I wanted to say no. I wanted to laugh and throw the letter into the fire. But something cold and sharp lodged inside me.
"I don't know what to believe."
Callen leaned back. "Kael doesn't lie easily. But… he keeps secrets."
I nodded slowly. "That's what I'm afraid of."
He stood, walking to the window. "If there's another child, we'll find out. And if someone's playing games, they'll answer for it."
I looked down at the curve of my belly, trying to focus on the warmth of life growing inside me instead of the ice creeping through my thoughts.
Later that day, I left the healer's house and walked through the village. Every face I passed looked a little too curious. Every whisper felt a little too loud.
They'd heard something. Whether it was about the letter, the Rite, or Selene, I couldn't tell. But eyes followed me, and smiles faltered when I came close.
I entered the council building, hoping to find answers. Instead, I found Elder Marra alone, lighting a bowl of herbs near the window.
"Looking for your mate?" she asked, her voice dry.
"I'm looking for the truth."
She motioned to a stool. "Then sit. Truth rarely comes to those who wait."
I sat.
"You've heard something," she said.
I nodded. "There's a rumor."
"There are always rumors."
"This one says I'm not the only one carrying Kael's child."
The flames in the bowl danced wildly.
Marra didn't look surprised.
"You didn't seem shocked."
"Because I know what men do when torn between two hearts."
"Are you saying it's true?"
"I'm saying… it's possible."
I gripped the edge of the stool. "Do you know who?"
She shook her head. "But if I were you, I'd start looking closer at those who've stood by Kael the longest. Wolves are loyal, yes, but some are too loyal."
The words stuck in my chest like thorns.
By midday, I stood outside the barracks, watching the guards change shifts. Kael emerged from the training field, his shirt soaked through, a gash on his upper arm.
I walked to him.
He smiled faintly, then paused. "What's wrong?"
"Can we talk? Alone?"
He nodded and led me to the storage cabin near the ridge. Inside, the scent of cedar and dust filled the air.
I pulled the note from my pocket and handed it to him.
He read it once, and something inside him shifted. His shoulders tensed. His hand curled slightly around the paper.
"Where did you get this?" he asked.
"Under my door. Last night."
He folded it, then dropped it on the table.
"Do you believe it?" he asked, voice low.
"I want to hear the truth from you."
Kael looked away. The silence stretched.
"Say something," I whispered.
He rubbed a hand over his face. "It's not what you think."
"Then tell me what it is."
"There was a night. Just one. Months ago. After you left."
My stomach twisted.
"Was it Selene?" My voice cracked.
"No. It wasn't Selene."
"Then who?"
He shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Nothing came from it. It was a mistake."
"How do you know nothing came from it?"
He met my gaze, pain in his eyes. "Because I asked."
"And you believed her?"
He didn't answer.
The room spun around me. I pressed a hand to the wall.
"So it's true."
"I thought you were gone," he said. "You left without a word."
"I left because you gave me no reason to stay."
Kael stepped closer. "You were everything. You *are* everything. I was lost."
"And now someone else might be carrying your child."
His jaw tightened. "I'll find out. I'll get the truth."
"I need to know who she is."
Kael hesitated.
"You do know," I whispered.
He nodded.
"I'm sorry," he said.
I turned and walked out before he could say another word.
Back at the healer's house, Callen was waiting.
"Did he admit it?"
I nodded.
His expression hardened.
"There's more," I said. "He knows who she is. He just won't tell me."
Callen paced the room, muscles taut.
"We need to be careful," he said. "This isn't just personal. If the pack finds out there could be two heirs, it'll divide them."
"Which is exactly what someone wants."
He turned to me. "Then we find her before they do."
The following morning, we started digging.
Callen spoke with the inner circle while I watched from a distance. I wandered the marketplace, listened to the rumors, and watched the movements of those closest to Kael.
Then I saw her.
A slender figure near the well. Dark hair. A hand resting absently on her belly.
Her name was Lyra. A warrior. Quiet. Loyal to Kael since they were teens.
I approached slowly.
She didn't flinch when she saw me.
"I heard you were asking questions," she said.
"Only one question."
She smiled faintly. "And you think I have the answer."
"I know you do."
She looked down at her hands.
"You're not the only one he hurt."
My breath caught.
"So it's true."
She nodded once.
I stepped closer. "Is it his?"
"Yes."
The word was like a blade.
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"Because he chose you."
"And you're just… okay with that?"
Lyra's eyes glittered. "Do I look okay to you?"
I didn't respond.
"I wasn't trying to steal him," she said. "It was a night of weakness. For both of us."
"You should've told me."
She laughed bitterly. "Would you have listened?"
I stepped back, bile rising in my throat.
"What happens now?" I asked.
"That's up to you," she said. "But don't think the pack will ignore this once they find out."
When I returned to the healer's house, Callen was waiting by the door. I didn't say a word. I didn't need to. He saw the answer in my face.
"What are you going to do?" he asked.
"I'm going to protect my child," I said.
"Even if it means breaking the pack in two?"
I looked out at the woods, the wind twisting through the branches.
"If the pack can't survive the truth," I said, "then it was never whole to begin with."