139- The Weight of the Unborn
POV Edric Eldoria:
“But… if that’s true…” I couldn’t finish the sentence.
“That’s another point I need to discuss,” he shot back, forcing me to face him. “Lunara brought her heat forward because she wanted to procreate. And right after that, you two started acting very strange.”
“How so?”
He ran his tongue over his lips.
“You started hunting for her, and she started behaving strangely.” He arched his brows, considering. “Well… stranger than usual. Smelling things, feeling nauseous, and…” He looked directly at me. “Most importantly—tending to the nest. Do you know what it means when females do that?”
“Pups?”
I grew dizzy and had to brace one hand against the rough trunk of a tree to keep myself upright. I blinked, stars flashing behind my closed eyelids.
“Edric?” Andrei called. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to give you the news like this.”
My knees gave out, sinking into the snow as I hit the ground. I gripped my hair hard.
“The news that I might be a father and my female is in the arms of a fucking lunatic who could kill her any second?” I hissed. My eyes flickered gold before returning to their natural blue. The color kept shifting for several moments as my beast and I fought for control.
“It’s a suspicion…” He swallowed. “A strong suspicion. That’s why I said Anton knew the cause he was fighting for. He believed in you, just like we do. And if the suspicions are right, we’ll be here to bring your female and your pup home.”
I couldn’t speak; my throat was thick with emotion. Of all the mistakes I had made in my life, of all my failures, this was the worst of them.
I would never forgive myself if something happened to Lunara. Never.
I had been too blind, too entangled in a web of lies, unable to open my eyes and see the truth that had been right in front of me all along.
My predestined partner. My half, my other soul.
“I can’t,” I denied, breathless. “I can’t let that happen.”
Andrei placed a hand on my shoulder and gave it a slight squeeze.
The winter breeze stirred my hair again, brushing my face with its cold kiss. It was a stark contrast to the heat building inside me.
“Now it’s all or nothing. She’s your mate—your honor and your life are intertwined with hers. Anton died for what he believed in: you. It wasn’t a death in vain, not if we end this here.” He sighed. “I know you fear for our lives and for the pack’s safety, but this is above any of us.”
I sank my fingers into the snow, letting the ice cool my burning skin. The weight of the revelation pressed down on my chest.
How had I not seen it before? How could I have been so foolish?
A sensation of remorse enveloped me, denser than the darkness gathering inside me.
“I will never be able to forgive myself for this. Never.”
Andrei drew a deep breath.
“Bring your female and your pup home, Edric. And let her decide that for you.”
I squeezed my eyes shut.
I had failed to protect her, failed to recognize her true nature, her importance to me and to our pack. As a male and as a mate, it was my responsibility to guard her—and I had failed.
Pregnant.
She couldn’t be pregnant and in the hands of our enemies. It was a scenario that had never crossed my mind, one I hadn’t even considered as a possibility.
Even if it was only a suspicion, even if she might not be… she was my partner, for fuck’s sake. And I had failed her.
I failed by not recognizing her; I failed by not protecting her; and I failed by not respecting her.
A mixture of determination and despair burned in my chest.
I couldn’t change my past actions, but I still had control over our future.
I needed to find Lunara, protect her, and redeem myself for my failures.
Now, more than ever, I understood the true meaning of having a predestined partner. It was a bond that went beyond the physical, beyond the rational. A connection so deep that no obstacle, no matter how challenging, could break it.
Just the thought of her absence—of something happening to her—was like an open wound in my soul, a constant reminder that without her, I would be nothing.
I no longer cared about the risks of that war, nor how many more people I might lose in the fight. I was the Alpha of Eldoria, and I would not allow anything or anyone to stop me from fulfilling my duty to my mate.
...
The night wrapped the forest in a dark shroud, concealing our movements as we stealthily approached the Eclipse wolves.
Andrei was at my side, while the others followed in a discreet formation behind us.
Every step was calculated; every movement had to be silent and precise.
The shadows of the trees offered us a cloak of concealment, keeping us hidden from the wolves who patrolled the edges of the territory.
Our careful steps echoed against the dense layer of snow covering the ground. The night’s cold froze the moisture beneath our boots, creating a soft crackle with each step.
The wind tousled my hair, sending a few curls across my forehead and carrying our scent in the opposite direction of the Eclipse wolves, helping us remain camouflaged.
I could feel Lunara. She was lost somewhere within that village. My chest warmed after so long.
I couldn’t help smiling, eager to see her again.
I stopped near a wide tree trunk and narrowed my eyes, observing them. Alessio didn’t seem very concerned; his patrol was simple—not like someone waging war against another pack.
“Do you think it could be an ambush?” Andrei whispered, using the low whistle of the wind to speak without being heard.
I shook my head.
“I don’t know. Thalira tried to convince me that Lunara came with that idiot of her own free will and told me about the ritual he wants to perform with her. Maybe he truly believes I don’t care enough about the she-wolf to come after her, since he thinks he has the answers to my—until now—problems.”
The wolves standing guard were laughing and talking as they shared a cigar that sent smoke curling through the air. One of them held a silver-arrow bow, leaning it against his leg and the ground. They weren’t in an attack or defensive stance, but rather distracted and relaxed.