Chapter 4

ARYANA POV:

I sat on the cold, concrete floor of my studio for a full hour, the glowing Moonpetal test clutched in my hand. My mind was unnervingly calm. The initial shock gave way to the fierce, primal instinct of my White Wolf blood.

Protect the pup.

Any thought I had of confronting Cameron, of throwing this miracle in his face, evaporated. I saw the future with blinding clarity: he wouldn't see a child born of love. He would see a strategic asset. The ultimate heir. He would use the baby to chain me to him forever, not as a mate, but as a vessel, a broodmare locked in a cage far more permanent than this penthouse.

My decision was absolute. He could never know. This child was mine, and mine alone. A gift from the Goddess he had forsaken.

My fingers flew across my phone's screen, sending another encrypted message to my lawyer.

"Sarah, hold the signed acceptance. File it with the court in exactly two weeks. Not a day sooner. I need time."

Next, I contacted Brenton. I told him I was leaving for the sanctuary, that I needed to get away. I didn't tell him why. The secret of my child was too precious, too dangerous. He didn't question me. He simply promised the silent, unwavering protection of the Moonglade Council.

*You will be safe, little wolf. Go and find your peace.*

On my last night, I walked through the silent apartment one final time. On the polished mahogany table in the entryway, I placed my wedding ring. It wasn't a diamond, but a heavy silver band carved with the Blackstone Pack's totem-a snarling wolf's head. A symbol of ownership. A collar.

Beside the ring, I left a small leather-bound photo album. I had filled it with pictures from the past four years. Me, standing alone at a charity gala. Me, cutting a ribbon at a new Oneill Tech facility by myself. Me, smiling politely at a pack ceremony while Cameron's seat beside me remained empty. It was a quiet, damning testament to my invisible marriage.

At the private airfield, a discreet emissary from the Council named Ellis met me, his Beta presence calm and reassuring. He took my single suitcase and led me towards a small jet idling on the tarmac.

As we walked, my eyes were drawn to the other side of the airfield. A larger, sleeker jet was preparing for departure. Standing at the top of its stairs, bathed in the glow of the cabin lights, were Cameron and Kacie.

He laughed at something she said, his head thrown back. Their scents, even from this distance, carried on the wind-a potent, ambitious mix of power. They were a perfect match, two predators on top of the world.

Seeing them together, so confident and complete, didn't hurt anymore. It severed the last, lingering thread of what-if. It was confirmation.

The jet climbed into the night sky, heading north. I pressed a hand to my still-flat stomach, feeling the tiny, powerful spark of life within. As the glittering lights of San Francisco shrank into nothingness below, a profound sense of peace settled over me.

I wasn't running away. I was running home, to a future I would build myself, for me and for my child.

---