Kai's phone buzzed once more on the nightstand Thorne again,
They're circling the block. Two scouts. Ronan's personal enforcers. They know she's here.He silenced it, heart pounding with a mix of fury and possession. Elara lay asleep in his arms, body soft and warm, the faint curve of her lower belly pressed against his side three months along now, though she still hadn't spoken the words to him. He could smell the pup every time he breathed her in, a sweet underlying note beneath her usual scent of herbs and warm skin.She stirred slightly when he carefully untangled himself, murmuring something incoherent. He kissed her temple, pulled the sheet over her marked shoulders, and dressed in silence dark jeans, black henley, boots. He needed to deal with the scouts before they got any closer.
The balcony door opened without a sound. He slipped out into the cold pre dawn air, dropped soundlessly to the alley below, and disappeared into the shadows.He found them twenty minutes later two lean males in human form, lounging against a wall two streets over, pretending to smoke while their noses worked the air.Kai stepped out of the darkness directly in front of them."Wrong territory," he said quietly.Both stiffened, hands dropping toward concealed blades."Blackthorn," the taller one acknowledged, voice low. "Ronan sends a message. He wants a meeting. Neutral ground. About the female."Kai's eyes flashed silver. "There is no meeting. Tell Ronan if he comes within ten miles of Pine Ridge again, I'll send him back in pieces."The second scout smirked. "Bold words for an alpha hiding behind a human pet. We smelled her all over town. Sweet little thing. Carrying something important, isn't she?"Kai moved faster than human eyes could track. One moment he was three feet away, the next his hand was around the speaker's throat, lifting him clear off the ground, claws pricking skin."Say it again," Kai growled, voice barely human.The scout choked, eyes wide. The taller one took a cautious step back, palms raised."We're just messengers."Kai dropped the male hard, watched him scramble. "Then deliver this, she's mine. The pup is mine. Anyone who looks at her wrong dies screaming."He turned and walked away, leaving them coughing in the alley.
Back at the loft, he climbed the balcony silently only to find the bedroom light on and Elara standing at the open door, arms wrapped around herself in one of his oversized shirts, eyes wide and searching the darkness behind him."Kai?" Her voice was small, hoarse from yesterday's screams. "Where were you?"He stepped inside, closed the door softly, and pulled her into his arms before she could see the faint blood on his knuckles."Couldn't sleep," he murmured against her hair. "Went for a walk. Needed air."She pulled back, studying his face. The lie sat heavy between them he could see it in her green eyes, the way her brow furrowed. She had always been too perceptive."You've been disappearing at night a lot lately," she said quietly. "And those men in town yesterday… the ones who kept staring at the shop. You know them, don't you?"Kai's jaw tightened.
The secrets were piling too high. Ronan's scouts had forced his hand.He took her hands, led her to the bed, sat her down on the edge. Then he knelt in front of her something he'd never done for anyone and looked up into her face."Elara," he said, voice rough. "There's things I need to tell you. Things you're not going to believe at first. But you have to listen."She went very still, fingers tightening around his."What kind of things?"He took a slow breath."I'm not… completely human."Silence.She stared at him for a long moment, then gave a small, nervous laugh. "Kai, if this is some role play thing""I'm serious." He held her gaze. "I'm a werewolf. Born, not made. My pack controls these mountains. The men watching us they're from a rival pack. Their alpha wants territory, and he thinks… he thinks using you would give him leverage over me."Elara's face drained of color. She pulled her hands from his, scooting back on the bed."That's not funny.""I know." He stayed on his knees, giving her space. "I wish I could make this easier. But I can prove it."She shook her head, eyes filling. "No. I don't want"He let the shift come just enough eyes bleeding to pure silver, fangs lengthening, claws extending from his fingertips. Not full wolf, just enough for her to see the truth.Elara's breath stopped.She stared at his face, at the impossible changes, mouth open in a silent gasp.Then her eyes rolled back, and she crumpled sideways onto the bed in a dead faint.Kai caught her before she hit the mattress, heart slamming against his ribs. He laid her down gently, brushed damp hair from her forehead, and waited.
It took ten agonizing minutes for her eyelids to flutter.When she woke, she jerked upright, scrambling back against the headboard, pulling the shirt down over her thighs like armor."Stay away from me," she whispered, voice shaking."Elara""You're… you're a monster."The word hit like a blade, but he didn't flinch. "I'm the same man who's been inside you every night for weeks. The same man who would kill for you."She pressed a trembling hand to her mouth, tears spilling. "That first night… in the storm. Did you know? Did you plan""No," he said fiercely. "I recognized you as mine the second I smelled you. My mate. But I never planned anything. The heat pulled us together your body answering the blood moon. I didn't force anything you didn't beg for."Her hand drifted unconsciously to her belly, a protective gesture she probably didn't realize she'd made. Kai's chest ached."Elara," he said softly. "I know you're pregnant."She froze."I've known for weeks. I can smell it our pup. That's why I moved in. Not just the sex. To protect you both."The tears came faster now. "You knew? And you didn't say anything?""I was waiting for you to trust me enough to tell me."She laughed, a broken sound. "Trust you? I thought I'd gotten pregnant from a one night stand with a stranger. I moved towns. I cried myself to sleep thinking I'd never see you again. And the whole time you knew?""I was terrified you'd run again," he admitted, voice raw. "Or that you'd think I was only here for the baby."She wiped her face angrily. "One night. One reckless, insane night, and now there are rival werewolf packs after me? After my baby?""Our baby," he corrected gently. "And yes. Ronan Silverfang wants leverage. He thinks taking you would force my pack to yield territory."Elara stared at the wall, breathing ragged."I didn't choose any of this," she whispered. "I didn't ask for monsters or wars or… or any of it.""I know." He stayed on his knees. "But you're not alone anymore. I'm here. I'll keep you safe. Both of you."She looked at him then really looked eyes red, face streaked with tears."I'm scared," she admitted, voice small.He moved slowly, giving her every chance to pull away, and took her hand again. This time she let him."Me too," he said quietly. "But we'll figure it out. Together."She didn't answer, but she didn't pull away either.Outside, the first light of dawn crept over Pine Ridge, and the scent of Silverfang wolves lingered on the wind closer now.Ronan was coming .