.
Later, the air in Blackthorn Manor seemed thick with unspoken tension. Darius didn't like Lucien getting too close to Ariana. It was obvious in the subtle tightening of his shoulders when Lucien was near, the way his gaze lingered a fraction too long.
Lucien, ever the sharp Beta, seemed oblivious, or perhaps deliberately ignored it. He had been assigned to help Ariana comb through dusty archives related to Dr. Hart's genetic research – a deep dive into bloodlines, biochemical anomalies, anything that might explain the poison and its effects.
"Another dead end, why is this so hard," Lucien sighed, pushing a heavy tome across the library table. "This Dr. Hart was thorough in hiding her tracks. Or maybe the Cummings just didn't keep good records of their... nefarious activities."
Ariana rubbed her temples. "It's like trying to find a single needle in a haystack." She muttered under her breath, "A very large, very dusty haystack."
Lucien chuckled, the sound surprisingly warm. "Tell me about it. I swear I've inhaled half a library this week." He grinned at her. "Still, you're more dedicated than most. Anyone else would have given up by now."
Ariana found herself smiling back, a genuine, easy smile. "Someone has to figure out what they did. And why." She laughed, a light, clear sound that echoed softly in the quiet library. "Besides, it beats sitting around feeling like a walking medical mystery."
Across the manor, in his study, Darius stilled. A faint echo of her laughter reached him, light and free. It was the first time he'd heard her laugh like that in weeks. And it was because of Lucien. He felt a familiar, unwelcome tightness in his chest. Lucien was loyal. Capable. Sharp. But when it came to Ariana, his glances lingered too long, his tone was too soft, too familiar. It unsettled Darius. She was his. And he hated the way Lucien looked at her like she was more than just the Alpha's mate. Like she could be someone else's choice.
That night, long after Lucien had excused himself with a polite nod to Ariana and a quick, respectful glance towards where Darius stood observing from the doorway, Ariana lingered in the hallway outside his chambers. She walked to the large moonlit window, gazing out at the silent, snow-dusted grounds.
She didn't hear him approach. He simply appeared behind her, like a shadow. An arm wrapped around her waist, large hand flattening possessively across her stomach as he drew her back against his chest, fitting her against his solid strength. The scent of pine and wolf filled her senses.
"Have noticed even before Now, Lucien had a special way he looks at you?" Darius's voice was a low murmur in her ear, rough with something she couldn't quite decipher.
She stiffened slightly, the suddenness of his presence and the possessiveness of his question startling her. " Come on Alpha, He's your Beta. We were just... working, and he was there for me even before you accepted me and you were okay with it."
"He forgets his place when his eyes are on you," Darius growled softly, the possessiveness sharpening. He turned her gently but firmly, pressing her back to the cold stone of the wall. His hands slid up, pinning her wrists above her head, holding her captive between his body and the unforgiving stone. "And you," his golden eyes were dark, intense, holding hers, "do you like provoking me?"
Her breath caught in her throat, her heart hammering against her ribs. "I wasn't trying to. We were just talking."
"No?" His thigh slipped between hers, nudging upwards, pressing against her heat, a deliberate, sensual provocation. "Then why do you smell like heat every time I see you with him?"
Her body betrayed her, instantly arching into the intimate pressure, a deep ache blooming within her. "Darius are you this jealous?..." His name was a soft plea, a surrender.
"You're mine, Ariana," he said, the words a low bite, possessive, absolute. "And I don't share what's mine, I don't even want to see anyone else close to what belongs to me."
He kissed her like a punishment, like a claim, like a promise. His mouth was hot, demanding, erasing everything but the fierce reality of him. Her body bowed to his, responding instinctively, hunger meeting hunger before her mind could even process the sudden shift, the intensity of the moment. He lifted her as if she weighed nothing, strong arms scooping her up, holding her against him as he carried her from the cold hallway towards the warmth of her chambers. He laid her down on the soft bed with a surprising reverence, eyes dark with raw hunger.
What followed was a claiming as old as their kind.
His tongue danced over her slick heat, tasting her, learning her. His fingers coaxed every gasp, every moan from her throat, exploring, teasing, driving her higher. And when he finally sank into her, it was with a force that drove all doubts, all thoughts, from her mind, leaving only sensation, only him.
The bed rocked beneath them, a tempest of heat and hungry bodies. Her cries filled the room, raw, uninhibited. His name "Darius" again, and again—left her lips
Later, tangled in sweat-slicked limbs and soft blankets, she lay against his chest, her heart pounding. exhaustion settled deep in her bones, but beneath it, something felt... off.
Scents seemed overwhelming, sharper than usual. Her stomach churned without warning, a wave of nausea rolling through her. She blamed fatigue, the emotional rollercoaster of the past months, or maybe just the sheer intensity of what they had just shared.
But Tara, her special maiden who takes care of her, her friend, knew better the next morning. Ariana had sought her out, trying to explain the strange sensations, the heightened senses, the unexpected nausea.
"You're not ill, Luna," Tara said gently, her fingers brushing lightly against Ariana's lower abdomen. A quiet knowing in her kind eyes. "Your system is changing. Adapting."
Ariana looked at her, confused. "Changing? Adapting to what?"
Tara smiled softly. "To new life, Luna. You're pregnant."
"What do you mean pregnant?, it hasn't even been up to 2 months since I was claimed, and how do you know?" she questioned her
"I have always been the one to detect any pregnancy in the minor and I can proudly say that you are pregnant Luna, don't worry you will get to meet the Alpha's sister Elena soon"
Time stopped. The world narrowed to Tara's gentle face, her quiet words. *Pregnant.*
Ariana's hand flew instinctively to her belly, her fingers tracing the flat plane. Her mind spun, a dizzying rush of implications. Darius's child. An Alpha's heir. The Blackthorn bloodline. The prophecy Vincent spoke of... was this part of it?
She didn't wait, didn't pause to fully process the monumental news. Driven by an instinct stronger than thought, a fierce need to tell him, to share this with *him*, she rose, dressed quickly, and ran through the manor.
She found Darius in his study, the morning sun slanting across his desk as he reviewed documents.
"Darius!" The word burst from her, words tumbling from her tongue, too urgent for formalities. "I... I'm pregnant."
He stilled completely. The papers on his desk, the serious task he was engaged in, faded into irrelevance.
Then slowly—like the words didn't just register, but cracked him open, revealing a raw, vulnerable core—he rose from behind his desk and crossed the room in two long strides, sweeping her into his arms, holding her tightly against his chest.
"Pregnant?" His voice was a low prayer against her hair, filled with disbelief and a dawning, powerful emotion. "Our child, so fast?"
She nodded, pressing her face into his shoulder, tears blurring her vision. "Yes. Our child, I was so shocked""
"Mine, you are carry my child" he whispered fiercely, burying his face in her neck, inhaling her scent, the new, potent scent of life growing within her. "I never thought this day will approach so fast, I will be a father, thank you Ariana, thank you so much" His grip tightened, possessive, protective.
But their fragile moment, their shared wonder, shattered.
The study door burst open without a knock. Lucien stood there, framed in the doorway, urgency etched into every line of his face.
"Alpha!" Lucien's voice was grim, clipped. "We caught a scout from Fenrir's pack near the western border."
Darius held Ariana tighter, his body tensing instantly. "Fenrir?" His voice was low, dangerous. Dominic Fenrir. A rival Alpha. Ruthless. Ambitious.
"He was asking questions," Lucien continued, his gaze serious. "Asking for the mate. By name. Luna Ariana."
Darius went cold. Fear, sharp and sudden, pierced through the wonder and possessiveness. Fenrir knew. He knew about *her*.
Far away, hidden in shadow, Vincent Blackthorn stood overlooking the Blackthorn territory. The scent of bloodlust, faint but undeniable, curled around him on the wind. A slow, cruel smile spread across his face.
"The heir…" he murmured, his eyes gleaming with dark anticipation. "She carries the heir, not just one but two , Perfect. The prophecy stirs."
Ariana clutched her stomach, her hand instinctively protecting the life growing within her. The wonder of pregnancy was instantly overshadowed by a chilling understanding.