LOGIN131 For the first month, the pregnancy had been easy to hide. Loose sweaters. Heavy jackets. A careful choice of clothing. Most wolves already suspected, but there was still enough uncertainty to keep anyone from saying anything publicly. By the second month… That became impossible. Werewolf pregnancies moved much faster than human ones. Five to six months from conception to birth. Twins moved even faster. Lotty stood in front of the bedroom mirror one morning, turning slightly to the side. Her hands rested naturally beneath the small curve of her stomach. There was no denying it anymore. She was showing. Not dramatically. But enough that every wolf in Dark Mountain would recognize exactly what it meant. She smiled softly. "Our boys." Behind her, Decker looked up from the chair where he was pulling on his boots. He crossed the room without saying a word. His hands settled gently over hers. "Our sons are making themselves known." She leaned back against his chest. "I think it's t
130 By the time the Alphas left the regional retreat, the place no longer belonged to the council. Not really. A consolidated guard force remained behind. Warriors from every pack, working in rotating teams to watch over the council members, guard Elara, and protect the archives while every hidden record was copied, cataloged, and reviewed. No single pack controlled the evidence. That had been the final decision before departure. No more secrets held by one set of hands. No more sealed rooms. No more history buried where only the powerful could reach it. The ride back to Dark Mountain was quiet. Lotty leaned against Decker’s side, one hand resting over her stomach. Their sons. She still wasn’t used to thinking that. Sons. Two boys. Decker had barely let her out of arm’s reach since Alden told them. At first, she thought it was sweet. By the time they reached Dark Mountain territory, it was becoming a problem. “You know I can walk from the car to the packhouse,” she murmured when
129 By morning, the summit no longer felt like a summit. It felt like the beginning of a trial. The Alphas gathered once more in the central hall, but the mood had changed. The old regional council members sat along the far wall under guard, not at the front of the room where they had once belonged. Their robes looked less official now. Less powerful. More like costumes. The prophecy pages sat copied and sealed in folders before every Alpha.The evidence of council manipulation sat beside them. No one could pretend anymore. Morgan was the first to speak. “The regional council cannot continue as it is.” No one looked surprised. Even Rasmus, seated with the remaining council members, closed his eyes as if he had expected the sentence. Malric leaned back in his chair. “You want to dissolve it.” Morgan’s gaze moved calmly to him. “I want to replace what has failed.” Calder gave a dry laugh. “Pretty words for the same thing.” “Then let me be clear,” Morgan said. “Yes. The current r
128 The evening meal ended much differently than anyone would have expected when the summit first began. No shouting. No accusations. No threats of war. No council records slammed onto tables. Just tired wolves who had spent days uncovering secrets that stretched back decades. For one evening, the Alphas agreed to stop digging. The archives would still be there in the morning. The council would still be fracturing. Elara would still be under guard. The prophecy would still exist. Tonight, they needed a few hours to breathe. So the Alphas drifted toward the retreat's study while the Lunas disappeared into the moonlit gardens. Decker watched Lotty leave with Selene, Rowan's Luna, and several others. The sight still surprised him. A few months ago, Lotty had been an outsider to most of these wolves. Now the Lunas naturally gathered around her. Not because of the prophecy. Not because of the twins. Because they genuinely liked her. The thought settled warmly somewhere inside him. Un
127 Alden waited until the meeting finally broke apart. The Alphas had questions. Dozens of them. Morgan wanted details about the prophecy. Matthew wanted sources. Tony wanted proof. Jacob wanted names. Helena wanted timelines. But Alden answered very few. Instead, he stood slowly from his chair, leaned on his walking stick, and looked directly at Decker. "I would like to speak with you and your mate. Alone." The room immediately grew suspicious. Decker's eyes narrowed. "No." Several wolves looked surprised by how quickly the answer came. Alden merely smiled. "I expected that." Lotty sighed. "Decker." "No." "Decker." The old Seer actually looked amused. "You are going to hear that word often in your future, Alpha." A few wolves hid smiles. Decker did not. "What information?" Alden's expression became serious. "Information intended specifically for the parents." That got everyone's attention. Especially Lotty's. Alden's gaze drifted toward her stomach. "I have waited a long
126 The summit had changed. What had begun as a meeting to expose old agreements and hidden betrayals had become something much larger. The regional council was cracking. Not publicly. Not yet. But the fractures were there for anyone paying attention.Council members who had stood united two days ago now argued behind closed doors. Some demanded full transparency. Others wanted the archives sealed again. Several quietly denied knowing anything about the prophecy. A few were already discussing resignation. And somewhere among them, a wounded councilwoman named Elara sat under guard while the foundations of everything she had spent her life protecting slowly crumbled around her. The old order was breaking. Everyone could feel it. No one knew what would replace it. The Alphas had gathered once more in the main conference chamber. Not for a formal session. Just discussion. Trying to make sense of everything. Trying to fit together pieces that refused to cooperate. The completed proph
6 The trauma bay doors slammed open hard enough to rattle the glass. “Coming in hot!” a paramedic barked, voice clipped with adrenaline. “Male, mid-thirties, found near the north sector trail line. Severe blood loss. Possible arterial bleed, suspected” he hesitated, eyes flicking to Adam for half
5 Adam didn’t push her any further that night. After the war room, after the maps and the weight of everything she had just stepped back into, he simply nodded toward the hallway. “Come on,” he said. “I’ll show you where you’re staying.” Not your room. Not home. Just… where you’re staying. Lotty
4 Matthew didn’t waste time. The moment I shut the door, he accelerated controlled but fast, like he knew exactly how much speed the road could handle without losing traction. The forest blurred past us, shadows stretching longer as the sun dipped lower. I glanced in the side mirror just as anot
3 The next morning came too fast. I barely slept, just enough to keep my eyes from burning and my hands from shaking. The kind of sleep that leaves you feeling like you never truly came up for air. I showered, dressed, and packed like I was preparing for a deployment instead of a “visit home.” L







