Sera’s POVI turned around in disbelief to find Draco standing at the entrance of the room, looking determined.What was he doing here?He glanced at me with an unreadable expression, and I froze under his scrutiny.I couldn’t meet his eyes and my cheeks grew warm as he examined me from head to toe, his eyes pausing at my belly.He’d heard me admit to carrying his pup, but I couldn’t gauge his attitude.Elder Derek’s voice snapped me out of my daze.“You are the one responsible for the pup, or you are Sera’s mate? Which one is it?”The elders all shared a look of shock. Even Elder Rufus, who’d insisted on keeping mute throughout the meeting, could not hide his expression.“Sera is my mate and the pup in her belly is mine,” Draco declared in the meeting room, his glowing eyes proof that his wolf neared the surface.I watched him in a daze as his dominant pheromones leaked into the air, filling the room.No one had seen that coming.“No wonder you ran here so quickly. This is the first
Sera’s POV “I intend to have both packs live as one. However, each one answers to their leaders during the early period. Well, that is until everyone has properly adjusted to the new system. Then, we reform the new pack from top to bottom and then select new leaders.” Draco’s words were as daring as they were shocking. My blood boiled with rage. Does he think the members of both packs would just happily fall in line because he said so? I wasn’t happy with what I was hearing and the fact that the Council was entertaining this idea was inconceivable. I glanced around to find Elder Derek listening with rapt attention and Elder Scent had a contemplative look on him. Elder Selene was nodding as Draco talked, clearly approving his ideas. Louis, impatient as always, was tapping his foot on the ground. His familiar frown plastered across his face as he listened. As Lucian’s uncle, these plans were unfavourable to him, since Lucian had always wanted to bring my pack under his belt. On
Sera’s POV“In your grand plans, who is going to be the Alpha of this great pack? You know that two alphas cannot handle one pack, right?”I couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of my voice.The Elder all turned to look at Draco, waiting for his response.This question was a tricky one, which was difficult to solve.On one hand, Draco, as a male shifter and acknowledged as the strongest Alpha in the Werewoods, can not be asked to relinquish power to me.It was damned near impossible.As it stood, a majority of the elders on the Council would elect for Draco to assume full authority over the pack.Because I was new, inexperienced and a female.My eyes narrowed as I clenched my fist fight.“Our mate is wonderful, yeah. But, no one, not even someone I like, could Walt in and take what’s mine,” Amary’s voice echoed through my mind, as domineering as ever.For once, I was thankful that we were on the same page.My eyes must have been glowing, for Draco watched me in silence, his attention directe
Draco’s POVTwo days earlier…“Alpha, you have a message from the Council.”I had just settled into the chair behind the desk at the pack office and was about to dive into the pile of files on my desk when Bruno burst in through the office doors with a letter.I glanced up in confusion, wondering what the Council was up to. It was barely past a week since the pack tour wrapped up and they’d come knocking again.“What does it say?” I asked, distracted by the pile of files before me.“It’s a sealed letter,” Bruno said, showing the seal to me.“Must be another summon. Put it away. I’ll attend to it later.”“Alright, Alpha. Seb said to tell you he has begun the arrangements for the move and asked that I confirm the date with you.”At the pack meeting the other day, I suggested we move to the Still Moon Pack, shocking the pack leadership.But, they had quickly come around after I tabled the moon advantages of the move to them. Which was why plans were in place for the move, even when I had
Present day…“Yes, Elders. I am carrying a pup and I can’t shift because of my pregnancy.”A voice emanated from inside the council hall.I paused mid-stride, in shock at the strikingly familiar voice of my mate.Sera’s resigned voice registered in my head, but I couldn’t process the words she’d altered.The words swarmed around in my head while I stood there in a daze, unmoving.Sera was carrying our pup, the fruit of our union, and evidence of our bond.I shook my head in disbelief as boundless joy filled my heart.My wolf howled in joy, and I knew he wanted so badly to let loose and run unhindered in the woods where he’d found home.But I frowned as I realized Sera had never intended to tell me about my pup. Vivid memories of my time in the Still Moon Pack told me all there was to know. My mate had known about the pup all along, but refused to tell me.Her unusual weakness and the fact that she’d been fighting off wolves while in human form should have been odd to me, but the impe
Sera’s POVI watched as the elders left one after the other with their entourage while ignoring Draco’s inquisitive eyes on my person.I’d thought it through.Elder Selene was right. With my current state, every single day of being pregnant means the likelihood of being able to shift reduces, because as my pregnancy advances, the weaker I’d get.I sighed, feeling helpless.Female shifters usually carried their pups for just 8 months before giving birth. With me almost 3 months gone, being unable to shift would put my life and that of my pup and the entire pack in danger.From this point of view, this arrangement came just when I needed it. Besides, it was on the condition of a three-month probation.That was something I could always use to my advantage.I’d decided.But I was avoiding Draco now because I didn’t want to have the difficult conversation of why I’d hidden the pregnancy from him.As if on cue, he walked over and came to a stop beside me just as the last elder - Selene exit
Sera’s POV“We are almost at the pack’s borders, Alpha.”Steve, the pack enforcer who’d taken driver duties for the trip, said through the mind link, just as we neared the pack’s borders.I glanced up in surprise at the sudden appearance of his voice in my head, only to meet his stare through the rearview mirror.He had a contemplative gleam as he glanced from me to Draco, who sat beside me.He sure had a sharp nose, seeing as he’d noticed.I understood his words. The enforcers would have to return to their border duties, ignorant of the meeting’s outcome, once we reached the pack borders.“Don’t worry, Steve. I’d call for a meeting to discuss the outcome once we are ready,” I returned through the mind link.The journey back was fraught with a palpable tension, Draco’s presence only exacerbating it. I could feel Miles and the others watching us, hoping to get hints of the situation from our body language.It didn’t help that only Miles knew about the relationship between Draco and me.
Sera’s POV “How is that even possible?” Millie looked like she’d just heard the most ridiculous joke in history, and I didn’t blame her for that. I gave Draco, the author of the most ridiculous idea in history, an accusing glance. But he just shrugged, without a care in the world. “That has never happened in the history of the Werewoods. Besides, both packs would find it difficult to adjust to the new systems and faces,” Miles said, in contemplation of said ridiculous idea. Millie watched him in disbelief that he would even contemplate how to achieve such an idea. “Have you forgotten that Sera and Draco are alphas in their own right? And that each pack has its leadership?” Millie sounded unconvinced that such an idea could ever work, and once again, I couldn’t blame her. I’d passed through this stage of doubting the idea, and watching her was like watching myself. It was Draco who answered her this time. “Both packs would continue to operate with the previous leadership whil
Sera’s POV“You mean Alpha Draco of the Silva Moon Pack? The strongest shifter in all the Werewoods?” Max couldn’t keep his mouth closed as he stared at my mate, looking amazed.I fought hard to hold in my laughter, and the looks on Miles’ and Millie’s faces betrayed their amusement.Max had always been a fan of strong shifters and always raved about them. It was no wonder that he was also a fan of Draco, an Alpha who’d accomplished so much while we were all still playing around in the pack, merely pups.He’d become the young Alpha in his teenage years and built the strongest team of enforcers the Werewood has ever seen.That team was now going to move into this pack and become a part of us.I could already see Max’s reaction when he found out.Draco had a smug look at Max’s reaction to his identity. I hit him on his arm discreetly, while no one else was looking. He was having fun at my friend’s expense and I could have that.“Yes, in flesh and blood.” Draco responded with a slight
Sera’s POV“What?!” I exclaimed, unable to believe my ears.Max had delayed his return to the pack for so long that when we’d received a letter stating that he was close to the pack just before I got summoned by the Council, I’d brushed it off like it was another one of his reassurances.The harsh sound of screeching chair legs against the floor came from the side of the meeting room as Grace exclaimed with excitement, “My brother is back!”Like a whirlwind, she ran past the panting enforcer towards the exit, all thoughts of the ongoing meeting long forgotten.Miles and I exchanged glances.Max was back just in time before we begun big changes to the pack.I couldn’t help but be curious about the outcome of his investigation into the backgrounds and origin of the new pack members we had.It was just as well that we cleared out the spies before setting up the new pack.“Thank you, Joseph. You may take your leave,” I said to the messenger enforcer with a small smile.“Yes, Alpha.” He t
Sera’s POV“What? A union of both packs? Mates? This is absurd!” Elder Philips exclaimed while the rest of my pack remained silent.“How is that possible? They can’t just command two shifters to get mated on a whim, right?” Max’s sheltered little sister, Grace, looked downright confused as she glanced around the room.We all knew that the Council could do whatever it pleased as it reigned supreme in the Werewoods, but no one was going to upset the she-wolf by telling her that.“The idea of uniting two packs is ridiculous. I mean, no one has ever tested it in the Werewoods,” Steve said, shaking his head slightly.“Which is why the Council has placed the union on a three-month probation. If either of the packs feels that strongly that things are not working out, they can secure a reversal by putting forth a convincing argument to the Council,” I said, hoping to reassure them.There was an inaudible sigh of relief that filled the room.Everyone looked relieved at my words, and the frown
Sera’s POV“Just in time,” Cindy said, as she watched us walk into the dining area. Her face showed her disapproval as she stood arm akimbo in the large dinning.The Omegas assigned to the kitchen, Lydia and Aria, were clearing the dishes used by pack members during their breakfast and cleaning up the tables.We didn’t make it in time for breakfast with the pack.“Had you been a minute late, you would have had to microwave your meal yourself,” she said without a hint of a smile.The pack’s meal time was sacred to Cindy, and we always tried to ensure we made it in time every day. As the pack’s cook and the one in charge of our everyday meals, she hated food wastage even more.“Hello to you too, Cindy. I had to urge them to come down earlier. If not, they wouldn’t be out until noon,” Draco said as he moved forward to take a seat.I glared at him in mock outrage while Millie just looked from one person to another, confused by Draco’s statement.I ignored the snitching wolf and turned to
Sera’s POV“What do you mean?” Millie had the grace to look confused and I would have fallen for her act if I didn’t know her so well. I smiled in amusement, about to open my mouth and drill the truth out of her.But she beat me to it.“You should go get ready now. Cindy is making breakfast, and the pup is hungry. You don’t want to waste time.”Just as she said that my belly gave a loud rumble.I watched Millie, helpless, as she gave me a triumphant smile.Then I turned to enter the washroom, leaving Millie reveling in her purported victory.“This conversation isn’t over,” I promised in a loud voice as I shut the door behind me.I took a long bath, then found Millie asleep in my bed.How nice, I thought, shaking my head in disbelief.While being as silent as possible, I proceeded to my large dresser to apply my long-abandoned skincare and brush my hair.I took out some slacks and an oversized top, which helped to cover up my baby bump, making it unnoticed.I stared at my outfit in th
Sera’s POV“Sera, are you in there? I’m coming in.”I was lost in bitter memories, unable to find my way out, when Millie’s familiar voice sounded from afar off, snapping me back to reality.The familiar velvet colors of my room’s window blinds and the cozy warmth of my enormous bed reminded me I’d moved past the nightmarish events from a few months back.11 months, 2 weeks and 6 days, but who was counting, right?I chuckled warily.Who was I kidding?“Coming in, Millie. I’m in here,” I replied, after checking through my fashionable dressing-table mirror to make sure that there were no signs of tears on my face.Tears I hadn’t even realized were there.The doors burst open and Millie strolled in, looking worried.“What were you up to? I called your name a thousand times and was considering whether to reach out through the mind link or go down to the office to check you there.”Millie threw her hands up in the air in surrender and settled into one of the cozy seats near the small table
Sera’s POVI remained in a daze as the pack collected the bodies of dead pack members and arranged for their burial.They were buried two days later in the woods, which was home to all shifters.We shifters are the most happy and fulfilled when racing in the woods in our wolf form and one with nature. Therefore, dead shifters were buried right in the woods, which was a gift from the moon goddess, Selene.The ceremony was held at night, with the uninjured pack members in wolf form as a sign of respect to the dead.The Still Moon Pack was going to bury its Alpha that night, and the woods filled with mournful howls.Sometimes during the wee hours of the morning, after remaining clear-eyed throughout the past two nights and not sleeping a wink, my tired body had given in and I’d finally fallen into fitful sleep.I’d woken up to find my claws gone and my eyes back to normal. I’d unknowingly left my half-shifted state.Now, I stood at the edge of the woods, watching as the large procession
Sera’s POV My conversation with Draco at the pack’s office once Millie and Miles had left about the new name of the pack remained at the forefront of my mind as I went around the pack for the rest of the day.Even spending time with the twins and hearing about Ruby’s latest adventures had done nothing to purge my mind of such thoughts.Though we hadn’t been able to come up with a suitable name for the pack, Draco had helped me realise the importance of picking a suitable name for the new pack.We’d keep it on hold for now and focus on getting the packs to accept the new situation and learn to accommodate each other.Which was why I was up even earlier than usual this morning. I lay awake in bed, staring up at the ceiling above my head, lost in thoughts.The window by the right of my queen-sized bed remained open throughout the night, and the tree just beyond the window swayed in the gentle morning air.I sighed as thoughts of today’s meeting streamed into my mind just as the wheels
Sera’s POVMiles and I turned to look at Draco.“I already arranged things with my Beta, Sebastian, back in the pack. They should be on their way soon. That end is all settled,” Draco announced with a smile.“Wait, on their way? You mean your entire pack members?” Millie glanced at him in horror while I threw him a murderous look.The intensity of my glare could have buried him alive, if possible.All his talk of coming to inform me about his plans before the Council summons situation was just bullshit.I swore under my breath.He’d intended to do things his way, regardless of my opinion.My look must have been telling of my state of mind, because a sudden strange voice sounded in the sea of my subconscious.A strange, familiar yet unfamiliar voice.“Of course, I care about and respect your opinion, my heart. I was just very determined to do nothing else but convince you.”I stilled in shock at the strangely familiar voice in my head.It was unmistakably Draco’s voice in my head.The