MasukThorne’s POV (third limited)Thorne sat at the long table in the records room with the new border reports spread in front of him. He had been at it for hours already. The work followed the same pattern every time. Take the fresh intelligence that came in from the patrols. Lay it next to the older files. Check names, dates and patterns. Most of the time nothing lined up but that was the point of doing it anyways. To be sure.Being a beta was a drag but he loved it and he loved the people he served. He reached for the shell organization file from the assassination attempt investigation. It had been pulled months ago when they first traced the payment account back to a senior Council member. The file contained layers of false fronts and old aliases. Thorne had reviewed it before but he liked to run new information against it anyway. The latest report mentioned a supply route that used a name he did not recognize at first glance.He flipped through the pages until he found the section o
NYX's pov I took a walk in the garden the next day to clear my head. The air felt fresh and the path gave me space to think about everything that had happened. Lucian’s words still rang in my ears. His happiness about the baby and his proposal. It all felt real but still new. I needed a moment alone to let it settle.A household steward found me on the path. He bowed quickly and gave me the news with a smile. "Miss Aggie has arrived back to the estate. She is finally home from her leave."Happiness rushed through me fast and warm. Aggie had been gone too long. I thanked the steward and turned back toward the main building right away. I wanted to see her before anyone else could fill her in with secondhand stories. She deserved to hear it all from me first.I found her in her old room just as she finished unpacking the last bag. She looked the same. Strong shoulders and sharp eyes that missed nothing. When she saw me in the doorway her face broke into a big grin. "Nyx my dear."I cros
Lucian's pov "Lucian I am pregnant." I heard her say it and the words stopped me cold. I walked away slowly toward the window. Shock held me in place, I went and stared out the window without really seeing the view. In my head the same thought kept repeating. *I am going to be a father.* It felt too sudden. Too big. We had grown close that night but I had not expected this result so soon. Not with everything still hanging over us.Nyx spoke again behind me. Her voice sounded small and unsure. "Okay, I know it is not the right time and this feels like weakness but Lucian…. I'm so sorry. This is stupid. I am stupid. I don't really expect you to be happy but it is here and there is really nothing we can do about it." She paused. When I did not turn around she continued. "Lucian, please say something. Please, you are scaring me."I turned to face her and walked slowly across the room. She looked so vulnerable standing there with her hands twisted together. "When did you find out?""Fo
Nyx's POV We reached the healer's bay and I lay down on the bed. My hands felt cold. The healer finally came and examined me asking about my symptoms in a calm voice. I told him everything. The tiredness that would not leave, the way certain smells turned my stomach, nausea that came in waves and the soreness in my breasts. I prayed inside that it would not be what I feared most. Elara stood beside me and held my hand tight. Her presence helped but my heart still raced.The healer finished his examination and looked at me with kind eyes. " Oh wow Luna. You are carrying a pup my lady. You are pregnant."I felt the room go small *You are pregnant* were words I did not want to hear right now.Elara let out a happy sound. "Oh my God Nyx. That is wonderful news. I am going to be an aunt."I forced a smile and squeezed her hand back. "That is wonderful news." I repeated.But inside I felt anything but wonderful. This was weakness in a world that wanted me gone. I wanted children someday bu
Nyx's POV I arranged a tea gathering for the noble women as it was part of my duty as Luna. The treaty meetings brought them to the estate and I knew I had to host something. Elara helped me with the preparations because she was Lucian's sister and knew these events better than I did. We worked together with the servants in the morning to set the tables and choose the right teas, small cakes and decorations. She moved with quick hands and sharp eyes.“These things are tiring.” she told me while we folded napkins. “Tell me what I don't know” I scoffed.“I am not really into these things, I only do them for the sake of duty."I nodded and kept working. "I understand. This feels strange to me too. I never pictured myself hosting anything like this."We finished the last details and waited for the women to arrive. When they came the room filled with soft voices and polite smiles. Everyone seemed friendly enough on the surface. I tried to fit in even though I was not used to being the ce
NYX's POV The weeks after that night with Lucian passed in a blur of small changes I tried to ignore. My body felt heavy all the time. Bone deep tiredness settled in no matter how much I slept. Some mornings I could barely lift my head from the pillow. Then there was the tea Maren brought every afternoon. The smell of it turned my stomach in a way that made no sense. I used to enjoy it. Now I had to turn my face away or risk gagging. Nausea came too in quiet waves. It hit at odd hours and left me pressing a hand to my middle until it passed. My breasts ached sometimes. A dull soreness that made even soft clothes feel tight. I pushed all of it down and kept moving.Today I sat through a short meeting with Lucian and Thorne. Scout reports covered the table. Talk of new movements near the border and fresh tracks that did not match what we knew. I forced myself to listen and nod at the right times. My head felt thick. The smell of the ink on the papers bothered me more than it should. Lu
POV: LUCIAN The door clicked shut behind her, and I stood frozen right there in the middle of my room like some idiot who had forgotten how to move.Her scent still filled the air. Warm and complex, wrapping around me in a way that made my wolf sit up and snarl for more. I did not breathe for a lo
POV: NyxThe reception ended and the maids came for me. Again.Three of them, appearing at my elbow with the seamless timing. They guided me upstairs without making it feel like guiding, which was its own kind of skill, and the bath was already drawn when we got there, steam rising from water that
POV: NyxThey came before the sun was up and they did not ask if I had slept.Four maids, efficient and wordless, moving through my rooms like they had done this a hundred times and felt nothing about doing it again. One worked my hair with cold hands and precise fingers, each pin placed without wa
POV: Nyx Nobody asked where i had wanted to seat. i was taken in a pack carriage, with one bag, two enforcers up front who hadn't spoken a single word to me since the Calloway gate. I sat in the back and watched the land change outside the window and told myself this was fine. I was fine. I had b







