Third POV


    The morning sun filtered through the window of his bedroom, but the lights did nothing to warm the frost between Bram and Maris. It had been two months of their marriage, and yet Bram couldn''t think of anyone other than Auren.


    +60)


    On their wedding night, Maris had insisted that he marked her in front of every pack member to show that this marriage was solid. He marked her, but ever since, he just couldn''t bring himself to im her.


    Maris was happy in her own bubble. At least she was marked and now she was the Luna of the Crimson Howl pack. Her father was off her back, and her reputation was better in her pack. It took her several days to settle into the role of being a Luna. She loved ordering omegas, punishing them when needed and also asserting her superior position on everyone. Bram was least bothered about it because he was busy with pack business. With Auren''s wedding to Lucien, their treaty was in ce. So the pack was protected. Life couldn''t be better. All she needed was an heir. And to keep her


    secret, a secret.


    She sat on the edge of the bed, brushing her glossy red hair that she had dyed recently. She hummed softly to herself as she brushed them, while Bram stood by the window with his arms crossed across his chest, and his jaw clenched.


    She lifted her gaze to him and said, “You should smile more. Your Alpha position is secure, and you have everything you wanted."


    He didn''t respond. His gaze remained fixed on the treetops that swayed beyond his house. He wanted to tell her that everything he wanted had slipped through his fingers the day Auren epted his rejection and then marked Lucien. He wanted to tell her that she smelled like a dead rat and that every time he was near her, he wanted to vomit. But how could he say all that? Considering his situation, he was in a fix.


    He was still the Alpha of his pack, because he was married to her. Because she was the daughter of the Alpha of the Iron Pine pack. And because she could give him powerful heirs. The problem was that he was not ready to im her. Every time he thought of sex, all he could think of was Auren. Her beautiful gray eyes and those lustrous golden hair.


    Maris rose from the bed and walked to him, the silky hem of her robe brushing the floor. She went and stood behind him. She trailed her red painted nail along his bare arm. "You haven''t imed me since you''ve marked me, Bram. People talk. They wonder if our bond is real."


    His muscles tensed beneath her touch. "I don''t care what people wonder," he replied, angercing his voice. Though inside he knew that his pack members were looking for his heir.


    "But I do," she snapped, dropping her sweet voice. "I didn''t fight to be Luna just to be ignored by you."


    "You didn''t fight," he snapped. "You schemed. Because of you 1 rejected my true mate."


    Maris''s eyes darkened. "So what? Sable schemed too. And look where she is now-killed."


    That earned her a hard re from him. "Don''tpare yourself with Sable. She was better than you in many ways."


    Jealousy stabbed in her heart but she ignored it. She smiled slyly, stepping in front of him. "I''m smarter than Sable. I know when to push, and how much to push. I know how to use that opportunity for the best. And what about you?"


    "What about me?" he asked, his brows furrowed.


    She kissed him, siowly on his jaw, then on his cheek. Bram didn''t kiss her back because of her horrible smell. "You used to love me. We used to have sex every day when Auren was here. And then some after she left. But now-after the wedding, you aren''t interested. What has gone wrong, baby?"


    He closed his eyes and tipped his head up. All he could think was Auren. He had sneaked in the territory of the Shadowfang pack two months ago during the Harvest Moon festival. He had taken great precaution to keep his scent away. Even though he did it at the risk of being killed if Lucien or Tarian saw him, he still went there. All he wanted to do was see Auren. And she looked beautiful. The way her hair shone, the way her skin gleamed -she looked so beautiful that his breath hitched. But then Lucien ced his hand on her baby bump. Jealousy like nothing reared its head inside him. He wanted to kill Lucien, wanted to pluck that pup away from them, and take his Auren back. That should have been his pup in her.


    "Give me an heir, Bram," she lowered herself her knees, and opened his zipper. “Make me proud." She kissed his shaft and then started sucking it. Bram imagined that to be Auren. With his eyes closed, he wrapped her hair around his hand, fisted it and shoved his hard cock inside her mouth. She whimpered, gagged, but she sucked him hard.


    "Fuck!" he rasped. "I knew you would be so good!"


    Maris removed her mouth and got up. She held his hand and made him lie on the bed. Then she opened her robe and removed his pants. Once he was naked, she slid on top of him. "Fuck me, Bram," she said in a hoarse voice as she moved up and down on him. She increased her pace and he came inside her with the name of Auren on his lips.


    Maris clenched her jaw and felt like pping him, but she knew that if she did that, he would nevere back to her. He missed Auren, but that wasn''t her concern at all. All she wanted was his heir. Things would be normal again.


    3:16 PM


    As theyy together in silence after that, Bram stared at the ceiling with Maris curled into him. There was no fire, no spark, just emptiness.


    He went for his training duties as Maris handled his house. Later that day when they were having dinner, a warrior came in. He bowed and said, “Alpha, a message hase from Shadowfang pack."


    Bram''s heartbeat increased. Was Aurening to visit them? "What is it?" he asked.


    The warrior hesitated before speaking as he nced at Maris. "Luna Auren has gone intobor."


    Maris stiffened as Bram clutched the edge of his table, his vision turning red. She was having his pup. Before he could control himself, he got and with one hand threw everything on the table on the floor.


    Maris screamed as she ran to the side. Bram strode to the warrior and grabbed him by his throat. "You fucking bastard!"


    The warrior started sputtering. "Alpha, I—"


    THEIR


    Bram was so furious that he hurled him away from him. He stabbed his fingers in


    his hair. Auren was giving birth to Lucien''s pup. The ache in his chest twisted


    deeper. He started pacing the room as the storm inside him raged.


    As for Maris, she ran away from there to her bedroom. And began to n.


    AD


    Lucien POV


    I hadn''t slept in days. The tick of time felt louder than usual. Each second was like another drop of dread in the pit of my stomach. Auren''s scent surrounded me. It was calming and maddening all at once. I looked at her, sitting at the edge of the bed. She was glowing. She was so radiant, round, and impossibly beautiful that every time I saw her, my heart went out for her. She was just a few days away from delivering our pup.


    But me—I was a wreck. I had asked Remus to contain my emotions so that our mate wasn''t affected, and my wolf did a fantastic job at it. How could I tell Auren the full extent of my fear? I just couldn''t. Not when she smiled at me with so much trust, not when she didn''t once think of the curse looming over us as she hummed while folding baby clothes that we had bought together or when she pressed my hand to her belly to feel our pup kick. How could I dim the glow in her eyes? Sometimes, I would just spoon her from behind as she slept and watched her for the whole night, praying to the goddess that please don''t let these be myst days with her. I wanted to spend my entire life with her, get old with her, and tell stories to our children and grandchildren. Please goddess, please. I''ve never begged you, but I''m begging now. Tears would swell in my eyes and I cried many nights. Every night, I would put my hand on her belly when she was fast asleep, whispering into her skin. "It''ll be fine. You;ll be safe. I''ll keep you safe. Please, Moon, don''t take her from


    me."


    Inside me, the curse coiled like a serpent. I''d broken so many pieces of it, but was it enough? It had broken so many pieces of me, and it didn''t seem enough. The curse had stolen every she-wolf who carried the heir of the Shadowfang pack. Would it take her too?


    Thad seen tattoos on my father''s body when I was a pup. He had those exactly like mine. The one on our chest of that of a wolf was what we were born with. But the thorny vine tattoos appeared slowly on our body as we grew older. By the time we were eighteen, they fully covered our body. When my father died, he still had those tattoos, and I knew that when I would die, I would have them on my body. But after they disappeared partially, hope built in my chest. Sometimes, I would try to scratch away or wash away the remaining ones, hoping against hope that they were just useless ink. But they fucking remained.


    Food lost all meaning. I didn''t feel like eating at all. Tarian hadmented that I looked like a ghost. I didn''t care. I couldn''t leave her side. I wouldn''t. When she forced me to cat, I would eat, just to appease her.


    I sat at the edge of our bed, elbows on my knees, staring at the floor like it held answers I couldn''t find in the stars, while she hummed.


    Suddenly, she gasped. Her body stiffened. I snapped my gaze at her, heart mming against my ribs.


    "Lucien..." she said. "It''s happening."


    Panic surged like wildfire. I tried my best to stay calm, but my voice cracked when


    I called for help. I opened my mind link. "Get the car ready! Auren is inbor!" My hands trembled as I wrapped my arms around her and lifted her. "I''ve got you," I said, holding her close. "I''ve got you. I''ve got you."


    Her fingers clutched the front of my shirt as I carried her out of the manor, down to the porch where the car was. Tarian met us halfway, wide-eyed and pale. Vivi was rushing beside us with a basket that she always kept ready


    "Get the car. NOW!" I barked. As soon as the car was there, Iid Auren down as gently as I could in the back seat and crawled beside her.


    *Lucien!" she cried, her breathing in short bursts.


    Remus howled inside me, frantic as hell. The big bad wolf who would kill so many at the drop of a hat, was whimpering inside me like a pained kitty. I held her hand, not letting it go for a second. "Everything''s going to be okay, love," I said, over and over. I didn''t know if I was telling her or to myself.


    Tarian drove the car, not allowing any other driver to drive it. The ride to the hospital felt like forever. The moment we arrived the doctors came rushing. They tried to separate me from her for delivery, but I growled at them, "I''m not leaving her," I barked in a razor-sharp voice, making other


    wince.


    "She''ll be okay, Alpha Lucien," Tarian said, trying his best to steady me.


    But he didn''t know. No one knew. Not the way I knew. The curse hadn''t whispered anything in months. And now at this time, I feared it the most. Please, Moon Goddess. Let me keep her. I''ll do anything for you.


    As I carried her to thebor room, I saw that Elias was already waiting over there


    for us. I made her lie on the bed. Her contractions wereing faster now. It seemed like our pup really wanted toe out fast.


    Elias examined her belly and said, "It should take at least an hour for the head to


    form."


    "Okay..." I murmured as I looked at him helplessly.


    "Would you like to have coffee?" he asked.


    I scowled at him. How could he think of having coffee when my Luna was in so


    much pain? He winced and backed off. Tarian came to me. "Alpha Lucien, pleasee out with me."


    I knew why he was asking me toe out. I would have torn the ce down


    because I couldn''t bear seeing Auren in pain.


    But when we were out of the room, I ced my hands on his shoulder and said, “I


    trust you with life, Tarian. When we both are dead, take care of my pup."


    Tarian''s eyes widened in shock.