Autumn’s POVMy pregnancy came as a tidal wave, drowning in a sea of uncertainty and anxiety and leaving me gasping for breath. In my mind's eye, Mathias's face—filled with love and expectation—turned from a beautiful mask of allegiance and contempt. Should he find the truth, my carefully put-on facade would fall apart, exposing me.Given their merciless pragmatism, the rogues would not hesitate to kill me should I compromise their intentions. In their game, I was a pawn and a tool towards an aim. And a pawn in pregnancy was a liability, a loose end that needed to be secured.As the awareness sank in, my skin started to flush coldly. Trapped, caught in a web of lies of my own creation. The weight of my secret seemed to be smothering the sumptuous bathroom's walls in on on on. A wordless cry caught in my mute body; panic tore at my throat. I had to act to figure out how to guard my unborn child and me. But specifically, how?Deeply depressed, a spark of an idea emerged from a desperate
Mathias POVI woke up to the soft, steady breathing of my mate, Autumn, lying beside me.There she lay, all wrapped in my sheets, her hair splayed across the pillow, wild and pretty.She looked different from the first time I had seen her; gone was the soft meek girl, and here lay a wild beauty, tussled and turned.The early morning light escaping through the curtains bathed her in a warm glow; it highlighted the delicate features of her face. Her skin flushed in the soft warmth.Autumn looked so peaceful, almost ethereal, and I couldn't help but smile.This was my doing. I closed my eyes to remember the past night. A small frown marred my face when nothing but a dark wall came to mind.“I guess I must be getting old,” I murmured, my voice intentionally lowered not to wake the sleeping woman.Still, I smiled wider, as I told myself it didn't matter if I remembered our first act of love; there would be many more times to do it.Gently, I reached out to caress her hair, my fingers light
Kavan POV“What do you mean, she is not worthy of being queen, Mother?” Mathias growled. “She is my mate, is she not? If not her, who else?”Mathias looked confused at the statement; his eyes searched mine. I could see the confusion, but I couldn't let that stop me.I couldn't make Autumn queen mother; the thought of her in that position with him made me feel unsettled. I couldn't handle the thought of my father touching her.“Father, I understand she is your second chance mate, but you have to understand she is much too young, and there are rules and traditions to be upheld. Autumn, with her many challenges, cannot take up such a responsibility.”Mathais sat across from me at the dining table, his gaze unwavering and stern.His familiar shrewd gaze pierced at me. I remembered a time when I would quack at this assessing gaze, but not today; now that I was Alpha, it was my duty to uphold the balance.Mathais himself had given me that power; now I shouldn't have to fear this gaze. I hel
Kavan’s POVOne could cut the thick tension in the room with a knife. The hand of my father lay possessively on Autumn's back; his eyes were sickly sweet love that made my stomach turn. I observed as he handed her a piece of fruit; his smile grew as she chewed under direction.Twisted in my gut was disgust. This is not right. A friend ought not to be treated this way. Autumn was someone, not a pet to be showered with attention and paraded about. But driven by his obsession with this new omega, my father seemed ignorant of the fact.I pushed back my chair, the sound of scraping resonating in the tense quiet. "If you'll excuse me," I murmured, my voice tense with hardly subdued rage. "I have some business to take care of."My father hardly looked up from his loving on Autumn. "Of course, son," he responded, sounding patronizing. "Don't let us keep you from your vital obligations."I gave no thought to responding. My jaw locked so hard it hurt as I turned and walked out of the dining roo
Kavan’s POVThe lavish furnishings in my father's office felt stifling, the strong smell of polished wood and ancient leather a sharp contrast to the austere efficiency of my own desk. My hands balled into fists at my sides, my jaw closed as I stood before him. The room had obvious tension—a quiet battlefield between two alphas.The words emerged metered, under control, each syllable a precisely placed stone building my case. "Father," I said, "I must express my disapproval of your decision to make Autumn the queen mother." My voice was low and serene.My father's brow creased with a flutter of displeasure across his face. "Disappval?" he replied, sounding with a warning note. "For what reason?"Not backing off, I gazed firmly at him. The chamber buzzed with turmoil, a subdued fight of will between alpha and son. Though I knew this would not be simple, I was ready to struggle for what I thought to be right. For the pack, for the memory of my mother, and for the gnawing discomfort Autu
Autumn’s POVEvery gasp for air was a useless struggle against the iron hold on my throat; my lungs scorched. Kevan's face was a mask of rage, his eyes flashing with accusation as I battled and kicked, yearning to release. Though it felt like dragging at stone, my fingertips scraped against his flesh. My vision started to waver; the room's boundaries became a blurry vortex.Adrenaline flooded me, a last-ditch attempt at survival. Pulling every last bit of strength, I spun my body in a furious push, elbow jabbing into Kevan's ribs. A grumble of pain escaped his mouth, his hold briefly slack.With that elbow strike, I gasped out loud. So sweet and valuable, the air poured into my lungs; every breath was a desperate try to fill the vacuum inside. As oxygen flowed into my veins, my brain swam with a disconcerting relief, rekindling the embers of cognisance.But the life-giving air was grabbed away just as rapidly as it arrived. Driven by a fresh wrath, Kevan's hand closed down on my neck
KavanI stood frozen in place, staring at Autumn. The sound of her words reverberated through my mind, shocking me to my core. If I were to believe what she was saying, I could very well have been the reason for her being able to talk.Her frantic eyes darted around searching mine. I watched her throat bulge as she swallowed, and her fingers jerked forward as she tried her hardest not to show her fear as she waited.Waited for me to speak, to tell her I believed her.I could practically see her fear that I might not believe her.Did I?As wild as the story she had spurned, a niggling feeling told me, what she said was the truth; how could it not be, when on that night we had come together—more rather, on the night I had slept with her, I had done something irreversible to her.Something that would surely cause problems for her and me in the future.From the look in her eyes, I knew she wasn't even aware I had marked her that night.I couldn’t help but replay the moment in my head, the
Autumn The shock of Kavan’s words stunned me; all I could do was stare rather blankly at his face.“Claimed me?” I questioned, “Why would you do that?”Kavan sighed, running a hand through his hair. “It just happened; one moment you were there, the next you were claimed, I could not control it. It was a primal feeling.”I stared at him, stunned at his words as they echoed through my head. I tried to understand the full extent of my plight. My confusion turned into dread as the repercussion of this truth hit me.“But I’m your father’s mate. How can this happen? This can’t.”“Don't you think I know that Autumn? It complicates everything,” Kavan said. “But I can’t change how I feel or what my wolf has done. All I can do is be honest with you.”“I don’t know what to say, Kavan. What happens now? Your father mustn't know of this; we can't change anything.” I rushed through my words as if trying to assure myself that I couldn't mess things up for Dax, and this problem was a big mess.“I k