C4

Freya Ashwolf

I froze for a second, staring down at the little pup in my arms.

"Pretty lady, I want upsies," Caelan repeated, his tiny voice firm, his dark eyes shining up at me with absolute trust.

My omega wolf let out a soft, aching purr inside my chest. I reached down and lifted him up against my hip. He was a soft, solid weight, smelling like sweet milk and warm fur. I pressed his chubby body against mine, my heart swelling so hard it hurt.

"Thank you for standing up for me, little prince," I whispered, holding him tight. Without his alpha authority, Sebastian would have thrown me into the rogue cells.

Caelan rested his small hands on my neck, shaking his head with a serious look on his face. "I hate two-faced wolves like her. My uncle says a fake wolf's words are poison."

A short laugh bubbled out of my chest. "You are very smart for a five-year-old pup."

The tiny boy's ears turned pink, but he tried to play it cool, biting his little lip to hide his smile. Seeing him act so grown-up broke my heart in two. I held him closer, wondering if my own stolen baby would have had the same cute cheeks, if he was somewhere cold and hungry while I carried another pack's heir.

"Young Master Caelan," a Royal Sentinel interrupted, stepping forward. "High Lord Octavian and Lady Serilda are waiting at the main hall. We must go."

Caelan didn't move from my arms. He wrapped his small legs around my waist and looked up at me. "You carry me to my daddy. My paws are tired."

I hesitated, pulling back slightly. "Little prince, I have to find a way to perform. Besides, I am just an omega performer. I cannot walk into the alpha's private den."

"If I say you can, you can!" Caelan whined stubbornly, digging his little fingers into my shoulder. "Besides, how will you play without your silver bone instrument?" He tilted his head, his dark eyes sparkling. "My grandmother has three more in the Nightbane vault. If you carry me, I will make her give you one."

I looked at his glowing eyes and couldn't say no. "Alright. I will carry you."

Caelan grinned, sinking his little head into the crook of my neck. "You smell really nice, pretty lady. Like warm sun and sweet cream. Are you single?"

"I am single," I said softly, chuckling as we walked down the stone hallway toward the upper deck. "Why do you ask?"

"Then you should marry my daddy and be my mommy!"

I nearly dropped him. My heart slammed against my ribs. His father was Lucien Nightbane. The High Alpha of the Nightbane Crimson Dominion. The most dangerous killer in the entire northern territory, a male who crushed rogue packs with his bare hands and ruled the Dominion with total violence.

"What about your mommy?" I asked gently, my voice dipping low.

Caelan's ears drooped, his scent turning sour with sadness. "I do not have a mommy. I only want you." He buried his face in my chest, clinging to my clothes like a lost pup.

My chest tightened until I couldn't breathe. Even the powerful heir of House Nightbane was just a motherless child inside. I wrapped my arms tighter around his small back, rubbing his fur to soothe his pain, wishing with everything in me that my lost pup was being held just as tight somewhere in the world.

Inside the high alpha's private quarters, Lucien Nightbane stood near the iron balcony, his massive five-foot-eight frame filling the space with pure, deadly pressure. He wore a heavy black leather tunic tailored to his broad shoulders, his dark eyes gleaming behind clear-lens glasses.

Darius Nightbane stood before him, sweating through his clothes, shaking under his brother's dark aura.

"I swear to you, Lucien, the sentinels are searching the entire ship!" Darius choked out, unable to meet Lucien's gaze. "Caelan is inside the war fleet! No rogue would dare touch him here!"

Lucien reached up, taking off his clear-lens glasses. He folded them closed, one temple at a time, and set them on the heavy oak table. Without the lenses hiding his eyes, his alpha gaze was pure bloodlust.

"If my son has a single scratch on his skin, Darius, I will tear the flesh from your bones," Lucien growled, his voice vibrating through the stone walls. "Get out of my sight and find him."

"Yes! Right away!" Darius gasped, stumbling back toward the heavy doors.

Before he could reach the handle, the iron doors swung open.

"Daddy! Look who I brought!" Caelan's little voice rang out.

Lucien snapped his head around, his dark eyes locking onto the door.

I stepped over the threshold, holding the young prince in my arms, my breath catching in my throat as my eyes met the towering male in front of me. The air in the room suddenly turned scalding hot. My omega wolf thrashed violently inside my chest, screaming, howling, recognizing the dark, lethal scent of wild ash and blood.

Lucien froze, his eyes dropping to my face, then down to the mark on my neck, his jaw clenching so hard the muscle ticked.

"Put my son down, female," Lucien growled, his voice sending a wave of electric heat straight down between my thighs.