Chapter 5
The pack healer's office smelled of sage and lavender, a comforting scent that did little to calm my nerves as I sat on the examination table. Dr. Elena, a silver-haired woman with kind eyes, pressed her hands gently against my abdomen, her expression focused in concentration.
"Your vitals are strong, Queen Luna," she said, her voice carrying a note of excitement. "But there's something else..."
I tensed, my fingers gripping the edge of the table. "What is it?"
Dr. Elena's eyes met mine, and a smile spread across her face. "You're pregnant, Lyra. About six weeks along."
The world seemed to stop. Pregnant. With Julius's child.
"That's... that's not possible," I whispered, though deep down, I knew it was true. The symptoms had been there—the heightened senses, the occasional nausea, the strange fluttering in my abdomen.
Dr. Elena placed her hands on my shoulders. "It's not just possible, it's remarkable. The baby has a very strong aura—stronger than any I've felt before."
"A Lycan," I breathed.
"Yes." She nodded, her expression reverent. "A true Lycan heir."
The door burst open, and Julius filled the doorway, his eyes wild with concern. "I felt your distress through the bond," he said, crossing the room in three long strides.
"Lyra's pregnant," Dr. Elena announced before I could speak.
Something extraordinary happened to Julius's face—shock, wonder, and overwhelming joy transformed his usually stoic features. He dropped to his knees before me, pressing his forehead against my stomach.
"A Lycan heir," he murmured, his voice thick with emotion. "Our child."
His hands trembled as they framed my face. "I will build a world safe for our heir," he vowed, his golden-black eyes fierce with protective determination. "No one will ever threaten what is ours."
I placed my hand over his. "Including the Crescent West Pack?"
His expression darkened. "Especially them."
---
Three days later, I sat in Julius's office as he reviewed the official summons for the Grand Alpha Summit.
"It's to be held here," he said, his finger tapping the formal document. "All pack leaders in the region will attend."
I nodded, scanning the list of attendees. My breath caught when I saw the name: Alpha Maddox Lane, Crescent West Pack.
"He'll be here," I said quietly.
Julius's jaw tightened. "Yes. And he's bringing Rosalie."
I closed my eyes, remembering Lexi's last message about Rosalie's betrayal and the chaos engulfing my former pack.
"Look at this," Julius said, sliding a communication across the desk.
It was a message from Maddox, addressed to Julius:
*I demand the return of my betrothed, Lyra West, whom you have unlawfully detained. If she is not returned immediately, I will invoke the Ancient Right of Prior Claim at the Summit.*
"What is that?" I asked.
Julius's expression was grim. "An old law, rarely invoked. It states that a betrothed who is taken by another Alpha can be reclaimed if certain conditions are met."
"He can't possibly think I would return to him," I said, disgust rising in my throat.
"He doesn't want you back," Julius replied coldly. "He wants compensation for losing you—or to force your return to save face."
Another message arrived, this one with a video attachment. Julius played it reluctantly.
Rosalie appeared on screen, her face contorted with rage. "You think you've won? I'll be at the Summit wearing what should have been yours," she hissed, lifting the Luna's amulet—my amulet—from her throat. "And there's nothing you can do about it."
---
The training grounds echoed with the sound of combat. Julius circled me, his movements fluid and predatory.
"Again," he commanded.
I lunged forward, channeling my newfound strength into a strike that would have felled most Alphas. Julius sidestepped effortlessly.
"Not like that," he said, his voice firm but patient. "You're fighting like a regular werewolf, not a Lycan Queen."
He stepped closer, his hand gently adjusting my stance. "Feel the power in your core," he instructed. "The Lycan energy I gave you when we mated. Channel it outward."
I closed my eyes, focusing on the warm glow that had taken residence within me since our marking ceremony. It pulsed with each beat of my heart, a power unlike anything I'd ever known.
"Now," Julius whispered. "Release it."
I opened my eyes and let the energy surge through me. The world seemed to sharpen around me—colors more vivid, scents more acute.
"Good," Julius nodded approvingly. "Now use it to command."
I faced him squarely, summoning the power to my voice. "Submit."
The word hung in the air between us, charged with an authority that made the very ground beneath us tremble. To my astonishment, Julius—the mighty Lycan Prince—dropped to one knee.
"It's working," he said, pride evident in his voice as he rose. "When Maddox appears at the Summit, you'll be ready."
I stood taller, feeling the weight of my new power settling around my shoulders like a cloak. "I won't need you to fight my battles anymore."
Julius's lips curved into a smile that promised retribution to anyone who dared challenge what was his. "No," he agreed. "You won't."
As we left the training grounds, my hand instinctively went to my stomach, where our child grew stronger each day. The Summit was coming, and with it, a reckoning long overdue.
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