The air was thick with tension when I stepped into the main hall. The elders were gathering early, and that never meant anything good. I could feel it in the silence between whispers, in the way shoulders tensed and backs straightened the moment I entered. Lyra was there, standing at the far end, her hands folded tightly in front of her, gaze fixed on the floor.
Kael stood near the head of the table, his jaw tight, eyes unreadable. When our gazes met, something flickered across his face, regret, maybe. Or guilt. It didn't matter.
Elder Marra motioned for everyone to sit.
"The wind carries rumors," she began. "And where rumors live, truth is often buried beneath fear."
No one spoke.
Kael took a breath and stepped forward.
"There are things I should have told you sooner," he said. "About the child. About what happened before the Rite."
The silence grew heavier. Even the creak of the wooden beams above seemed to hush.
"I made a mistake," he said. "One I won't deny. One that has consequences beyond me."
Lyra kept her eyes down.
"I don't ask for forgiveness," Kael continued. "Only honesty. There may be another heir. The pack deserves to know the truth."
Murmurs spread like wildfire.
"Who is the other mother?" someone called from the back.
Kael's gaze shifted to Lyra. She looked up, her face calm but pale.
"I am," she said.
A sharp breath cut through the room. Some gasped. Others stared.
Elder Dorn stood slowly. "This complicates everything. There cannot be two heirs. Not without blood."
The room erupted. Voices rose, shouting over each other. Accusations flew. Old alliances cracked. I sat still, watching it all unfold, the baby inside me shifting as if sensing the chaos.
Marra raised her voice. "Enough!"
The room silenced.
"This is not a decision to be made in noise. We will not let children pay for the sins of their parents. But choices must be made."
Kael's voice was rough. "I'll take responsibility. Both children will be protected."
"You cannot protect both if the pack refuses to accept both," Dorn snapped.
Marra turned to me. "What do you say, Alera? This affects you most."
All eyes shifted.
I stood. Every step toward the center of the room felt like walking through fire.
"I didn't choose this path," I said. "But I will not run from it. My child deserves peace, no matter whose heart Kael once gave away. If this pack values strength and truth, then it must not tear itself apart over one man's mistake."
A few heads nodded. Some stayed stone-faced.
"But I won't stand beside someone who won't stand behind me," I added.
Kael stepped forward. "You're not alone."
I looked at him for a long second, then back at the elders.
"Then let the truth decide what happens next."
By the time I returned to the healer's house, my legs ached. Callen was waiting near the fire, his arms crossed.
"They didn't throw stones," he said.
"Not yet."
"You spoke well."
I sat across from him.
"Lyra?"
"She didn't try to deny it."
He nodded slowly. "That's something."
I leaned back, closing my eyes for a moment.
"Everything's about to change."
"It already has."
That night, I dreamed of fire.
Not the warm kind that lives in hearths. The kind that devours. The kind that howls like wolves as it consumes everything you once held sacred.
In the dream, I stood at the edge of the forest. Two infants cried from opposite ends. I could only run to one. I tried to move, but roots tangled around my feet. Voices screamed from the trees. Kael's voice. Lyra's. My own.
I woke with my hand gripping the edge of the bed, my nightdress soaked in sweat.
Outside, thunder rumbled low in the sky.
The next few days passed like whispers before a storm. No one said it aloud, but the pack had split into two undercurrents. Those loyal to Kael and me. Those now look at Lyra as more than just a warrior. The fact that she carried his child gave her power, whether she wanted it or not.
Kael tried to keep order. He called more meetings, offered explanations,and worked to soothe rising tempers. But every move he made toward fairness was seen as betrayal by someone.
I kept to the healer's home, venturing out only when needed. Every glance carried a judgment. Every silence shouted.
I tried not to think of Lyra. But I did.
She was quiet, never boasting, never seeking to cause trouble. That didn't make her innocent. It made her dangerous in another way.
Callen kept me informed.
"Some of the younger warriors are starting to train with Lyra instead of Kael," he said one morning, setting down a bowl of broth.
"Why?"
"She's seen as honest. Untouched by politics. And she's carrying Kael's child. That earns sympathy."
I sipped the broth slowly. "Or manipulation."
Callen raised an eyebrow. "You think she's scheming?"
"She hasn't said a word against me. That's the smartest move she could make."
He didn't disagree.
A week later, I stood near the edge of the forest, watching the border guards shift their posts. The wind carried pine and frost. My cloak flared behind me.
I heard footsteps approaching.
Kael.
"You shouldn't be out here alone," he said softly.
"I'm not alone. I have a wolf inside me."
He gave a sad smile.
"I miss when we laughed."
"I miss when we had a reason to."
He stood beside me, silent for a while.
"I didn't love her," he said.
"I know."
"But I also didn't stop her. That was the mistake."
"You thought I was gone."
"I should've fought harder."
We watched the trees sway.
"She's not trying to take your place," he said. "Lyra. She just wants to raise the child without shame."
"Then she'll need strength. Because shame is easier to survive than war."
He turned to me. "You don't have to fight this alone."
"You say that. But half the pack already sees two mothers, not one."
He reached for my hand. I let him take it.
"We'll fix this," he said.
I didn't speak.
That evening, Callen arrived breathless.
"You need to come. Now."
He led me to the main hall. Lyra stood in the center, a cut on her cheek, her hair damp with blood. Several wolves gathered, murmuring, stunned.
"What happened?" I asked.
"She was attacked," Callen said.
Kael burst through the doors seconds later, eyes blazing. He rushed to her side.
"Who did this?" he demanded.
Lyra shook her head. "I didn't see them. But they knew who I was. What I carry."
My heart stung, not from jealousy but from fear.
If they'd attacked her, how long before someone came for me?
Or the baby?
Kael turned to the elders. "This ends now. I won't let either of them be hunted."
Marra stepped forward. "We need to calm the fire before it burns us all."
"No more meetings," Kael snapped. "No more silence. I want the coward who did this to be found by nightfall."
The hall emptied slowly.
I waited until most were gone, then approached Lyra.
"You were brave to come here."
"I had no choice."
"I mean it. Thank you."
She looked at me, weary but surprised.
"I didn't want this, Alera."
"I know."
"But it's ours now."
I nodded.
"Then we protect them," I said. "Both of them."
That night, I sat by the window and watched the stars. The baby kicked more now. Stronger. Alive and restless.
Kael came in quietly.
"They found one of the attackers. A young wolf. Drunk. Said he was angry about the future."
"Then he was never loyal to begin with."
Kael crouched in front of me, his hand resting gently on my belly.
"Do you still want this?" he asked.
"Which part?"
"All of it."
I looked down at him. "I don't know what I want. But I know I'll survive whatever comes next."
He kissed my belly.
"We both will.