Chapter 5 005

BACK AT STORMCLAW PACK

The atmosphere in the room was thick with tension. Izzy stood by the large oak desk, her back straight and eyes blazing. She crossed her arms tightly across her chest, trying to steady her breathing. The unease gnawing at her insides wouldn't let her relax. The weight of the pack's expectations was bearing down on her, pressing harder with every passing day.

Her eyes fixed on Aria, who stood across the room, her hands clasped in front of her. Aria had been loyal to Kara, and Izzy could feel the loyalty hanging between them like a blade ready to fall.

"Am I barren? Why can't I even get pregnant?" Izzy's voice was soft, but the venom in her tone made the question sting. She didn't want to hear the answer. She didn't want to hear it, but she couldn't stop herself from asking. The uncertainty, the dread, every inch of it ate away at her.

Aria didn't flinch. Her gaze remained neutral, but Izzy could see the tiny quiver in her eyes.

Izzy exhaled sharply and glared at Aria again, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. "You? Are you still here? Even when Kara had been denounced as the Luna" she repeated, voice thick with resentment.

"I've been loyal to every Luna, Luna Kara or you. I'll always serve,I am born to serve Luna" Aria replied, bowing her head slightly.

Izzy's lips curled into a twisted smile, a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Kara is no longer Luna, Aria. You will show me my respect and quit calling her that before I rip out your tongue."

The words hit like a slap. The air grew colder, heavier.

"Apologies, Luna," Aria said, her voice barely above a whisper. She knew well enough to keep her mouth shut in front of the new Alpha. She didn't want to become her next target.

Izzy's rage flared up again, the tension simmering under her skin. "Did you hear what I said the other time?" Her voice was low, dangerous.

Aria didn't budge, didn't even flinch. She only nodded softly. She'd learned long ago how to stay calm, to hold her tongue in situations like these.

Before Izzy could lash out again, the door opened with a soft creak. Kieran walked in, carrying a small vial of something dark and bitter-smelling. His presence filled the room, calming the charged air just slightly.

"Drink this," Kieran said, stepping forward, his face a mix of concern and command. "If this goes on much longer, the pack will start to talk. They'll want me to denounce you as Luna. I'm in need of an heir."

Izzy's eyes flared with anger, but she kept her voice controlled. "You can't do that, Kieran. You won't do that."

She slammed her palm down onto the table, making the vials rattle with the force of her motion. "I am the Luna, you should care about me and not what the pack thinks."

Kieran's expression hardened, but there was no argument in his voice. "I don't care about what's 'right.' The pack's loyalty is fragile, Izzy. They need a reason to follow you."

Izzy took a step back, staring at him as if he were a stranger. She hated this,hated the way he was making decisions without consulting her, the way he spoke to her as if she were just another member of the pack and not its leader.

The silence between them stretched, thick and unbearable.

Then, as if on cue, there was a knock on the door. The healer stepped in, her face calm but with a certain tension in her eyes.

"Can I speak with you in private, Alpha?" the healer asked.

Izzy's eyes darted toward the healer, and she didn't hesitate. "You can speak right now. I am his Luna, and I deserve to know everything that's going on." She locked her gaze with Kieran, daring him to contradict her.

The healer's eyes flicked briefly to Kieran, then back to Izzy. "Very well. The prophecy... it says you have a child already."

Izzy froze, her breath catching in her chest. She felt as though the ground beneath her was crumbling, her mind struggling to process what had just been said.

"A child?" Izzy's voice wavered as she turned to Kieran. Her hands gripped the edge of the desk to steady herself. "Where? Where is this child?"

Kieran's face was unreadable. He gave a small shrug, his jaw clenching. "How am I supposed to know? No one told me anything about a child."

Izzy's heart pounded in her chest. The healer's words echoed in her ears. A child. She couldn't wrap her mind around it. "No, this... this can't be true. No one has a child for him," Izzy spat, her voice thick with disbelief.

The healer looked at her with a strange expression, one Izzy couldn't quite place. "I suggest you think about it, Alpha," the healer said before turning and walking out of the room, leaving behind only silence.

Izzy's eyes were now locked on Kieran, demanding an answer. "Did you impregnate anyone?" Her voice cut through the quiet like a razor.

Kieran didn't move, didn't flinch. He was as cold and distant as ever. "I don't know what you're talking about, Izzy," he said, his voice calm. Too calm.

Izzy turned toward Aria, her gaze sharp, accusing. "You. You're Kara's beta. You must know something. Tell me what you know."

Aria's body stiffened, her heart racing in her chest. She could feel the heat of Izzy's gaze on her like a pressure, pinning her in place. The silence grew thicker as everyone waited for her to speak.

Aria's mind raced back to the Moonlight Ceremony, the night everything had changed. She saw Kara standing alone, clutching a folded piece of paper in her hands, her eyes shining with something strange-hope, perhaps, or fear. Kara had wanted to tell Kieran something important that night, something about the future.

But Aria hadn't said anything then, and she hadn't dared to speak about it now. Because if she did... if she told Izzy about the pregnancy, she might as well sign her own death warrant. Loyalty to Kara meant nothing now, not in Izzy's eyes. Survival was everything.

Izzy's voice cut through the haze of her thoughts. "Aria, speak! Tell me what you know!"

Aria's mouth went dry. Her heart was pounding in her chest like a war drum, each beat reminding her of the impossible choice she was facing. Betray Kara now, and Izzy would let her survive. Speak up, and everything would fall apart.

She had always followed Kara-always. But now Kara wasn't here. Now Izzy was the Luna, and Aria knew where her survival lay.

But could she lie? Could she keep the truth hidden any longer?

Izzy's eyes were wild now, desperate. Her body tensed, and her hands curled into fists as if she were about to pounce. "Don't make me wait any longer. Did Kara-did she have a child? Tell me."

Aria's chest tightened. She could feel the words rising in her throat, threatening to spill out, but her mind fought against it. Her loyalty was a twisted, tangled thing now. Kara had been a great Luna, but that was over.

Kieran's eyes flicked toward Aria, his gaze dark with warning. He knew what was at stake.

And then, just as Aria opened her mouth to speak, the weight of the truth hung in the air.