Chapter 5

Aria's POV

I stood at Lucas's bedroom window, watching the sunset paint the Montana mountains in shades of gold and purple. After settling him in for the night, the reality of our situation finally hit me. We were back in a world of pack politics, alpha dominance, and ancient traditions that had once torn my life apart.

A soft whimper from Lucas's room drew my attention. He was dreaming again, his small face scrunched in concentration as he processed the day's events. Moving closer, I noticed his stuffed wolf had fallen to the floor.

My phone buzzed - a text from Leo. "Made it safely? The training facility is buzzing about your return. Some of the younger wolves are already placing bets on how long you'll last."

I smiled despite myself. Trust Leo to cut through the tension with his irreverent humor. "Just got Lucas settled," I typed back. "Already regretting this decision."

"Too late now, warrior princess. Besides, word is Shadow Fang's heir has taken a personal interest in your arrival."

My fingers hesitated over the keyboard. Ethan Blackwood's presence at the airport wasn't standard protocol, even for an alpha's heir.

"Got to go," I sent quickly. "Early start tomorrow."

Moving to the kitchen, I began our nightly routine of preparing Lucas's lunch for the next day. Even in the werewolf world, six-year-olds needed peanut butter sandwiches and apple slices. The mundane task helped ground me, pushing back the rising tide of anxiety about tomorrow's first training session.

A knock at the door shattered my calm. At this hour? My muscles tensed instinctively, years of combat training kicking in. Through the peephole, I saw David, Shadow Fang's Beta, holding what appeared to be a gift basket.

"The Luna sends her welcome," he said when I opened the door, extending the elaborate arrangement of local delicacies and children's treats. "She also included some information about the local werewolf elementary school. She thought Lucas might prefer it to the human institution."

The gesture seemed innocent enough, but in werewolf society, nothing was ever simple. Accepting such a gift would create an obligation, a small crack in my carefully constructed independence.

"Please thank her for her thoughtfulness," I replied carefully, "but Lucas is already enrolled in the public school system. We prefer to maintain some connection to the human world."

David's expression didn't change, but I caught the slight tension in his shoulders. "The Luna will be... disappointed. She was quite insistent about helping Olivia's daughter adjust to her return."

"I appreciate her concern," I said firmly, "but Lucas and I need to find our own way."

After David left, I leaned against the closed door, my heart pounding. The gift basket sat unopened on the kitchen counter, a tangible reminder of the forces gathering around us. Tomorrow, I would face a training facility full of young werewolves, all while hiding my own diminished powers. I would have to prove myself all over again, this time without the advantage of my wolf's strength.

"Mom?" Lucas's sleepy voice called from his room. "I heard talking."

I moved quickly to his side, smoothing back his dark hair. "Just a neighbor, baby. Go back to sleep."

"Mom?" His small hand caught mine. "The whispers are stronger here. Different."

I froze. In the human world, Lucas's emerging wolf had been a faint presence, easily managed. But here, surrounded by active werewolves, would his powers develop more quickly? Would he start asking questions I wasn't ready to answer?

"Different how, sweetheart?"

"Like... like they're trying to tell me something important." His forest-green eyes, still heavy with sleep, met mine. "Like they know who I am."

A chill ran down my spine. In werewolf society, bloodlines were everything. Sooner or later, someone would start asking questions about Lucas's parentage.

"Try not to worry about it," I whispered, tucking his blanket more securely around him. "The whispers can't hurt you. I won't let them."

But as I watched him drift back to sleep, I wondered how long I could keep my promises. The moon rose higher, its silver light streaming through the window. Tomorrow would bring its own challenges - the training facility, the skeptical young wolves, the political maneuvering I'd never been good at. Against all odds, I could keep my son safe in this world of wolves and whispered truths.

Ethan's POV

My beta David stood before my desk, delivering the latest report about Aria. Though I'd never met Aria personally, her mother's sacrifice had left our packs with an unspoken arrangement - one that had weighed on me for years.

"A child?" I muttered, scanning the document again. According to the report, she had a six-year-old son. Something like relief washed over me. This changed everything.

"This should settle the marriage arrangement," I said, closing the folder with a sense of satisfaction. The burden of an unwanted engagement lifted from my shoulders. After all, no pack would expect their future Luna to bring another man's child into the bloodline.

Part of me felt guilty for this relief - after all, Olivia had given her life for mine. But arranged marriages were a relic of the old ways. Both Aria and I deserved the freedom to choose our own paths.

My mother was waiting in her study when I arrived home. She had always been a formidable leader, guiding Shadow Fang with wisdom and grace. But the tears in her eyes as I entered caught me off guard.

"That poor girl," she whispered, gripping my hand with surprising strength. Her emerald eyes – so like my own – shimmered with emotion. "Raising a wolf cub alone in the human world... do you know how difficult that must have been?"

"Mother," I started, "the arrangement with Silver Moon—"

"Is more important than ever," she interrupted, her voice firm despite her tears. "Olivia saved your life, Ethan. She threw herself between you and that wild wolf without hesitation, knowing what it would cost her. And how did we repay that sacrifice? By watching silently as her daughter was cast out, forced to raise a child alone?"

I shifted uncomfortably, remembering that bloody night. Olivia's final smile as she pushed me clear of the wild wolf's attack, the horrible sound as its fangs found her throat instead of mine. The debt we owed her was written in blood.

"A woman who can successfully raise a wolf cub in the human world, without a pack's support, while building a career as a professional fighter?" Mother's voice grew passionate. "That's exactly the kind of strength Shadow Fang needs in its future Luna. Someone who understands both worlds, who can protect and guide our pack's children."

"But—" I stopped myself, unwilling to reveal my investigation into a absurd night six years ago.

"Shadow Fang needs someone who's been tested by fire and emerged stronger." Mother finished, her tone gentler now.

"Someone like Aria."