Chapter 2

By the time the royal war-carriage arrived, it was already deep into the night. The Moonclaw Ancestral Manor was ablaze with torchlight.

Two rows of pack retainers lined the grand entrance. Otis Davidson, the Head Steward, hurried forward to greet me, his eyes shining with unshed tears.

"Lady Moonclaw, you're finally back," Otis said. "The Elder King has been searching for you every single sun over the past three winters."

I stayed silent, holding Sidney in my arms as I walked into the Ancestral Hall. Over eighty bloodline members of the House of Moonclaw and more than three hundred retainers filled the vast stone space. They stood in perfect, reverent formation, and not a single eye was dry as they witnessed the return of their Alpha Queen.

Alan Moonclaw, my grandsire and the Elder King, was sitting in a heavy carved chair at the head of the hall, a string of moon-blessed prayer beads in his weathered hand. The moment he saw me, the beads slipped from his grasp, clattering against the stone floor.

"Elena," he called out, his voice thick.

Alan tried to stand, only to sink back into his seat. He repeated the motion twice, his ancient strength failing him in the surge of the moment.

I walked over to him, the heavy silence of the hall pressing around us.

"Grandsire, I'm back," I said softly.

He reached out with a trembling hand, his calloused fingers brushing against my cheek.

"You've lost weight," he whispered.

He barely got those words out before tears began to streak down his weathered face.

Sidney was snuggled up in Otis's arms, his head cocked as he took in the unfamiliar grandeur of the stone hall.

Alan looked at the small pup. "Who is this?" he asked."Your great-grandson. Sidney Blackthorn," I replied.I paused for a fraction of a second."Or Sidney Moonclaw, from now on," I added.

Alan reached out and took Sidney into his arms. Sidney didn't shy away; instead, he wrapped his small arms around Alan's neck and called out, "Old Sire." Otis had taught him to say it on the journey here.

Alan smiled through his tears, repeating the word "good" three times before his gaze locked back onto mine.

"I've heard everything about the Blackthorn Pack," Alan said, a low, dangerous rumble building in his chest.

I didn't say anything.

"A pup-swapping scam pulled on a daughter of my royal bloodline? How dare they?" he snarled, his Alpha aura flaring in the quiet hall.

"Grandsire," I said.

"Don't worry. I'll settle this blood debt for you," he added.

I shook my head, my posture straightening.

"You don't need to get involved," I said. "I'll handle this myself."

Alan looked deeply into my eyes, silent for a few intense seconds before a proud smile touched his lips.

"Good. That's what it means to be a Moonclaw," he said, patting the armrest of his chair. "At dawn, you'll attend the Council of Elders."

"Okay," I replied.

That night, Sidney settled into his spacious pup chambers. The room had been prepared three winters ago. The stone walls were covered in intricate moon-and-stars murals, and a row of unopened wooden pup toys lined the heavy timber bed. Alan had never stopped believing I would come home. He had prepared the den for my pup long in advance.

I closed the heavy oak door and walked into the Alpha's study.

A pile of parchments sat waiting on the dark wood desk. On top was the latest treasury ledger from the Moonclaw Kingdom. Beneath it was the tribute report from the Blackthorn Pack. The third document was a Bloodline Verification Scroll, freshly unsealed by the Pack Healer.

I unrolled it under the candlelight.

It read in glowing, undeniable runes:

[Shane Blackthorn's birth mother is Gloria Silverfang.

Leila Blackthorn's birth mother is Gloria Silverfang.

Sidney Blackthorn's birth mother is Elena Moonclaw.]

It was all there. Out of the three pups, only Sidney was mine. The other two were Gloria's.

I had been caught in an ambush while giving birth seven winters ago. When I finally woke, three pups lay beside me. The Blackthorns told me the oldest two were mine, and the youngest was an unexpected surprise.

It was all a lie.

The oldest two were the real surprise.

They were Gloria and Derek's pups, slipped in beside mine with scent-masking herbs while I lay unconscious.

I rolled the parchment shut, the crisp sound echoing in the quiet study.

A pulse throbbed at my temples. The mindlink chimed with a familiar, arrogant frequency.

Derek: [Sidney's coarse clothes are still here. Do you want me to send them by courier?]

I replied: [No.]

Derek: [Stop being ridiculous, Elena. How are you going to survive with a pup?]

I severed the mindlink completely, shutting his presence out of my mind.

In three winters of being bound as his chosen mate, he never once learned who the she-wolf he thought would fall apart without the Blackthorn Pack really was.