Chapter 22 - Luke
For days after learning about Sera’s pregnancy, I carry it with me like another heartbeat in my chest, feeling how it pulses through everything I do. My inner wolf feels both restless and proud.
A new kind of possession shines through in a way that makes me more aware of everything I do, and of everything concerning my mate.
For her to be pregnant so soon into our bond feels far too significant for me to ignore, like the brightest blessing I could ever be worthy of receiving. Others might call it reckless given how precarious the pack balance has been lately, but I see it as a strength. As us being chosen for this.
And in all honesty, I see it as an opportunity, like a bridge to fill the gap. After the festival, some defend her while some tolerate her, and others still fear what she represents. But with a child, a sign of hope, could help bring everyone together.
The Alpha and Luna bringing a baby into the world is nothing short of a big deal, and this should cement my place in a way no speech or display of dominance ever could. At least, that’s what I tell myself as I call for a pack meeting.
We meet in the boathouse like usual, but tonight, it feels anything but typical with the news existing so brightly in the forefront of my mind. Torches and lanterns light up the space while the moon’s light gleams off the water, sending ripples across the walls and ceiling.
The pack gathers as expected, clustered in places and murmuring together.
Hunter, Zane, and Dominic linger along one side while they observe, looking both curious and alert. Eve and Isaac stay with Sera near the front, and not far, Caleb is here too. He keeps an arm wrapped around Lila while their daughter, Astrid, is held against his hip with ease.
His being here is both encouraging and a little nerve-wracking, since he has been in this position himself, and he knows how it feels to endure the pressure of being an Alpha and changing the pack’s hardwired thoughts on magic. I’m relieved he could make the trip.
Of course, Dad stands toward the back, arms crossed, with a hard expression.
The wedge between us has been even worse lately, and regardless of things escalating with Wraith Peak, he has hardly said a word to me. The shadow of his presence stretches long enough to do all the talking anyway.
When I’m ready, I nod in Sera’s direction, and with a beat of hesitation, she joins my side with quiet composure. Her cheeks are faintly dusted with color, and I can see the tiredness in her eyes despite the way she keeps it to herself.
Lacing my fingers through hers, I keep her close while taking in the gathered crowd, feeling more like a united front now.
We aren’t perfect, but we’re making progress, and this feels like our biggest show of it yet.
“I won’t keep you here long, but we have an announcement everyone should be privy to,” I begin, letting my voice carry.
The others quiet down and keep their eyes on me.
“The Salt Mother has blessed us and this pack as a whole.” I glance over at Sera, noting how that pride flares in me all over again, and I smile. “Sera is pregnant.”
The words leave me with reverence, and it settles over the pack in a wave.
Some faces light up immediately, like Eve and Isaac, who grin and look beyond happy at the idea of having a niece or nephew to dote on. The guys allow smiles to crack through their tough exteriors, both knowing and quietly congratulating.
Not everyone shares that same reaction. Even if they aren’t loud about it at first, I catch the hesitation and the ripple of tension they can’t quite hide.
“So soon?” someone says, like they don’t mean to let it reach me.
“We are lucky for this blessing, no matter how soon,” Eve says, cutting through the doubt like she’s daring anyone to argue that fact.
“A blessing, or a dark omen?”
That makes my gut curl with something ugly as I slowly direct my attention to the elder who dared to utter those words.
She stands near the edge of the clearing with a hand on her cane. She’s one of the oldest, alongside Jonah, and she’s always been devout and traditional. Any flicker of magic and she’s suspicious of it.
Despite the attention shifting to her, she keeps her chin raised. “To conceive this quickly after magic was used in our territory feels unnatural.”
Rage screams in my ears while I look at her in disbelief, bearing just how deafeningly silent the boathouse becomes. Sera’s grip on my hand tightens, and I focus on not squeezing hers while I hold myself back.
Rather than ducking away from the negativity, she’s bracing herself, like she was expecting exactly this. That realization almost sets me off.
“You think my child is unnatural?” I ask, voice far too calm for the storm brewing inside me.
The elder moves subtly under the weight of my attention, but she doesn’t retreat. “Magic pulls in darkness, regardless of how it is used. We have seen the destruction it causes for ourselves…those wolves came because of her power. And now—”
“Now what?” I snap, catching as several of them flinch. Taking a step forward, dominance rolls off me in aggravated waves, and the boathouse suddenly feels ten times smaller. “Do you think the Salt Mother would curse this pack with my heir?”
The closer wolves avert their gazes, though not everybody relents. More murmurs spread as the uneasiness takes root.
“She used magic,” someone else adds.
“To save your loved ones,” I bite back, refusing to let it stand like this.
Sera shifts uncomfortably beside me, and while I know she wants to pull away from this, I gently squeeze her hand.
I told her I was done bending, and I meant it.
“I will not tolerate disrespect toward my mate or our baby,” I tell them, voice lower but firm enough to not leave any room for doubt.
Despite not shifting, the urge burns beneath my skin, and my teeth feel too sharp for my mouth.
“Believing this child is a bad omen means questioning not only our Mother, but also my authority and the strength of this pack. I will take that as a direct challenge, and by all means, challenge me, but I promise you won’t like the outcome. ”
Heavy, stifling silence falls over the group, with nobody brave enough to step forward and face me directly.
Though I catch a younger male from our border patrol muttering under his breath, speaking the words ingrained in him already. “It always takes something in return…”
That’s all it takes to send me over the edge, and before I can stop myself, I let go of Sera’s hand and surge forward.
In a blink, I’m in front of him, grabbing the front of his shirt with fire in my eyes. He stumbles from the wall of my presence, nearly buckling.
“Say that again,” I snarl, almost forgetting myself completely as the others back up to give us space.
Eyes wide, he swallows hard, and his frantic heartbeat betrays him. “I didn’t mean—”
“You implied my child is a debt waiting to be paid.”
Immediately, his gaze drops as he falls back into line, trembling like a coward. “Forgive me, please.”
Holding him there a moment longer to make a point, I let go as I turn back and pull in a steadying breath and try to get a grip on myself.
I’ve never done this before. I’ve never been directly hostile in front of the others, and while they needed the reminder, I didn’t mean for this to be a display of dominance.
I imagined joyous cheers, or at least some congratulations and a sense of relief. Maybe even unity. Instead, it feels like the pack is splitting right in front of my eyes.
After another drawn-out silence, Isaac clears his throat to try to ease the tension. “This is big news…a baby means continuity and stability.”
Eve nods, keeping a brave face despite the waves of uncertainty around us. “We’re being given a reason to celebrate. Precious life to hold and witness, not punishment.”
Even as some heads nod in the crowd, others exchange their wary glances, and I can physically feel the fracture.
Dominic glances around, and despite his usual flippant attitude, he speaks up next. “Dawson Voss wants fear and doubt. With Wraith Peak as an active threat, an heir will strengthen Coldreach’s standing among the other packs.”
“An Alpha with a united family behind him serves as a warning,” Zane adds, stoic yet intentional.
While they don’t have much sway here, I know they’re trying.
Still, the energy has shifted, and I can’t force celebration where fear has taken root.
Clenching my jaw, I refuse to make Sera endure this a moment longer. Not when I’ve been doing everything in my power to reassure her about this, and about the baby.
“This meeting is over,” I say finally, tone clipped, before I go to Sera and guide her out through the back as the others slowly disperse.
I’m already running through what to say to her in my head, but by the time we’re alone in a nearby clearing, she stops, face long like she’s still digesting everything that just happened.
I can’t read her emotions through the calm exterior, and it makes my heart clench.
“I’m sorry,” I start, immediately forgetting about whatever I had rehearsed before. “For them. For everything you just heard.”
Sera just looks at me for a moment, then she frowns. “You didn’t need to do that.”
My brows furrow. “Defend you? Of course I did. They need to know that isn’t okay.”
“I can handle myself.”
“I know you can,” I tell her.
“Then why do you act like I can’t?” she returns, quieter and more reserved, despite how every word hits me. “You snapped at them. They were afraid of you.”
“They were disrespecting you.”
She forces a breath through her nose, but it comes out more shaky than grounded. “I’m used to it.”
That only makes my chest hurt more. “And you shouldn’t be. That’s why I’m trying to correct them.”
“None of this is new for me,” she says, unable to hide the signs of defeat from her eyes. “I’ve survived my old pack and Wraith Peak. I’ve survived worse.”
“I don’t want you to just survive here. I want you to be safe and not feel so alienated.”
With a slow breath, Sera shakes her head. “You can’t force belief, Luke. It doesn’t matter how hard you try.”
The fact that her pessimism comes from such a real, lived place only deepens my frustration. None of this should be her reality.
“I can enforce respect.”
“You can, but that doesn’t mean they’ll change their minds,” she murmurs, pulling away with slumped shoulders.
I know that, but it still doesn’t make the anger go away.
Standing there a moment longer, I watch as she begins for the house while the truth of it all threatens to pull me under.
The pack is divided by those who see Sera’s magic as an asset and those who wish she had never set foot in our territory. The doubters question my leadership quietly, far too similar to my father’s silence.
Even when he doesn’t speak during gatherings, I can already anticipate what he’s thinking. And I can only imagine the thoughts crossing his mind now.
He’ll see this as nothing short of failure. He’ll take this as proof that he’s right about everything.
Still, regardless of his negativity or those who can’t look past their preconceived notions of magic use, I know that I chose Sera. The Salt Mother witnessed us, and she allowed for this pregnancy to happen.
It doesn’t matter how difficult the path ahead is. I will make them see her the way I do.