Chapter 2
My eyes burned as I gazed at Thorne, slumped beside my hospital bed. Even in rest, his alpha presence was unmistakable – the sharp, noble features of both his human and wolf forms evident in his face. At just 35, he’d become one of the youngest Alpha leaders of a major pack in the Northern Territories, his exceptional ability to bridge the gap between wolf and human worlds making him legendary among our kind.
Our life together had been simple but sweet, filled with the quiet joy of mate–bonds, until Silvana joined our pack. She was different – a rare pure–blooded Arctic wolf shifter. Thorne praised her strength, her unique abilities, her potential to strengthen our bloodline. During pack gatherings and hunt ceremonies, he spoke of her often, his eyes shining with an admiration I’d never seen before.
I told myself it was just pack politics – after all, pure–blooded Arctic wolves were rare and valuable t any pack. Even when my wolf bristled with unease, I suppressed her instincts. He was our Alpha, and pack loyalty ran deeper than personal feelings.
Last night, Thorne returned home, his usual powerful aura dimmed with exhaustion. He held me close, his wolf’s distress bleeding through their shared bond. Before I could offer comfort, he spoke: “My Luna, we need to wait for our pup.”
My heart froze. We’d just seen the pack healer, who confirmed our pup was strong, their tiny wolf spirit already flickering within me.
His arms tightened around me as he explained: “Silvana has silver sickness. She won’t survive the next moon cycle. Her son, Hunter… she fears for his future.”
I knew of Hunter – a rare throwback to the ancient bloodlines. Despite my grief for Silvana, I offered: “We can raise both pups together, as pack.”
“She won’t accept that,” his voice roughened with emotion. “She fears her son will be treated as lesser than our blood pup.”
He nuzzled my neck, a wolf’s gesture of comfort: “Once Hunter finds his mate and continues the bloodline, we can have our pups. Your body will be stronger then.”
I recoiled, my wolf howling in protest. “This is our pup – our blood! How could you choose another’s
child over our own?”
Thorne’s eyes flashed alpha gold, his voice turning to ice: “The pup hasn’t formed its wolf spirit yet. It has no pack rights.”
Then I’ll leave the pack!” I snarled. “I’ll raise our pup alone!”
But I never got the chance. He used his Alpha command – something he’d sworn never to do to me –
and everything went dark.
When I woke, our pup was gone.
