"And the wolves were already on the move." Darius's voice was grim, his golden eyes dark with the realization of the danger their unborn child represented.
"Darius?" Ariana's hand instinctively covered her belly. "What... what does that mean? 'Wolves on the move'?"
He pulled her closer, wrapping his arms tightly around her. "It means they know I have a mate that I love now,Fenrir knows about you. ."
"But how?" Ariana's voice was hushed, fear coiling in her stomach. "How could he know already, I thought nothing leaves the minor??"
"That's what Lucien was reporting," Darius said, his jaw tight. "A scout from Fenrir's pack was caught Near the border. He mentioned your name while Asking for you. " His grip on her tightened further. His protectiveness, already fierce, intensified tenfold with the news of the pregnancy and this immediate threat. Every shadow outside, every sound, seemed to hold a potential danger.
"A scout..." Ariana breathed. "Just... one?"
"One they caught," Darius corrected, his voice low and dangerous. "Means others could be watching. Or sent."
He moved then, guiding her towards the inner rooms. "From now on You're not leaving my sight. Not without guards." His voice was a command, absolute. To pack members nearby, he issued swift, sharp orders. "Double the patrols on the west border! Increase security around the inner buildings! No one enters or leaves without clearance!"
Later, Freya, the pack elder, sat with Darius and Ariana.
"The child," Freya said, her ancient eyes fixed on Ariana she noticed something it wasn't one child, but she chose not to say. "It is a powerful life. A sign of the pack's strength, a beacon for its future."
Darius nodded, his gaze softening slightly as he looked at Ariana, then rested a protective hand on her stomach. "She carries my child elder."
"The heir of the Alpha line," Freya affirmed. "And of Luna Ariana's own lineage. A combination some believe holds great power."
"Power what power?" Ariana questioned.
"Ancient stories," Darius interjected, his voice low. "About bloodlines intertwining. About power that can be awakened."
Meanwhile, Elena, confined to her rooms, paced like a caged animal. The news of the pregnancy had sent her into a state of near-hysteria.
"Pregnant?!" she shrieked, throwing a vase against the wall. "That... that weak, sickly substitute?! She's pregnant?! With Darius's child, How, when did it all happen?!"
A guard stood by the door, impassive.
Elena spun towards him, her eyes wide and desperate. "You! Get a message out for me! Find Drake! Tell him... tell him my plan failed and now she is carrying a child! He needs to know! Tell him I'll reward him! Richly!"
The guard remained silent, his face blank. Elena's attempts to bribe, to reach outside contacts, were constant, and constantly thwarted. But her malice hadn't broken; it had only sharpened, fueled by desperation.
Vincent Blackthorn watched it all from his study, a small, cruel smile playing on his lips, swirling the amber liquid in his glass. "Faster than anticipated. The prophecy accelerates." He wasn't just observing; he was already positioning himself. To Darius, he offered 'advice'.
"Son," Vincent said, finding Darius later. "The news is... significant. An heir. The bloodline must be secured and Protected at all costs."
"She is protected Father" Darius growled, his voice leaving no room for argument.
"Of course," Vincent said smoothly. "But the prophecy, Darius. The ancient texts speak of the heir's lineage. The power it represents. We must prepare. Ensure its potential is... guided." He hinted at ancient rituals, at securing the bloodline's power, his eyes gleaming with a calculating light that had nothing to do with paternal pride and everything to do with control.
That evening, while Ariana was resting in her room, a piece of paper was skillfully slipped under her door. It wasn't from a guard; it was a note passed by a kitchen helper Elena had managed to bribe with a hidden piece of jewelry.
Ariana picked it up, unfolding it with trembling fingers. It was Elena's frantic, desperate handwriting.
"You think you've won?" the note read. "You think he loves you? He just wants the child. And you won't keep him. Or the child. I won't let you. There are things you don't know. Things about our lineage.' Things about our bloodline. This isn't over, enjoy it while it lasts dear sister."
A cold chill went down Ariana's spine. Elena, even confined, was still dangerous. *Things about her bloodline?* Was it connected to the 'power' Freya and Darius hinted at? To Vincent's prophecy?
Just as the cryptic threat sunk in, she heard it. A commotion outside. Shouting. The faint, acrid scent of smoke drifted into her room.
"Fire!, Fire!" someone yelled.
"Rogues!" another voice roared.
Drake, the rogue wolf, had acted. Watching the manor from a distance at Elena's behest, eager to cause chaos for Darius and perhaps earn Elena's favor, he had attempted a diversion. A small fire near an outer storage building.
"Secure the Luna's wing!" Darius's voice, loud and commanding, cut through the noise. "Kane what are the Report!"
"Apprehended, Alpha!" Kane's voice replied, closer now. "A rogue! Drake! Tried to start a fire by the south kennels!"
"Who sent him?" Darius demanded.
Kane hesitated. "He... he mentioned someone with same features as Elena, Alpha. Said she wanted to cause a distraction."
Darius cursed, a low, savage sound. Elena. Even now.
He rushed into Ariana's room, his face grim, his golden eyes sweeping over her, assessing her safety. "Are you alright?."
Ariana stepped towards him, her hand trembling as she held out Elena's note. "What does she mean, Darius?" she asked, her voice tight with fear and confusion. "About my bloodline? What is this 'prophecy'r blackthorn keeps hinting at?"
Darius took the note, his expression hardening as he read Elena's venomous words, confirming what Kane had reported. He knew Elena was capable of immense cruelty, but this... hinting at secrets, at her bloodline... it tied into things he hadn't wanted to burden Ariana with yet. But with the pregnancy, with Fenrir's interest, with Elena's threat... he couldn't keep her in the dark any longer.
"There are old stories, Ariana," Darius began, his voice low, serious, pulling her close. "Stories within the pack, About bloodlines mixing... creating a power unlike any other."
"My bloodline?" she whispered.
"Yes. Yours," he confirmed. "And mine. Our child's." He looked at her, his eyes holding hers. "Some believe these stories are just myths. Vincent... my father... he believes them absolutely. He thinks your lineage holds a key to this power. And he believes that our child, the combination of our bloodlines... is the key to unlocking it. Something ancient. Something powerful he wants to control." He didn't mention Fenrir's potential connection yet, not wanting to add another layer of fear, but he knew the rogue's sudden interest was almost certainly tied to these same ancient secrets, these same bloodlines.
Elena's last strike, fueled by her desperate hate, had inadvertently revealed a deeper, more terrifying layer of the conspiracy surrounding Ariana and their unborn child. The immediate threat from the rogue attack was contained, quickly dealt with by the pack warriors, but the chilling words about her bloodline and the prophecy lingered, casting a long, dark shadow over the miracle of her pregnancy. The players were making their moves. The stakes had just been raised.