Wild Moon

Chapter Eleven

The days had passed in a blur of training, strategy meetings, and tense discussions about the looming threat. The Crescent Moon Pack had strengthened its borders, sent out scouts, and prepared for whatever was coming. But despite the tension that hung in the air like a storm waiting to break, Kieran had found something he never thought he would again—home.

It had been weeks since he was accepted into the pack, and every day, he found himself adjusting more to life among them. Some of the warriors still watched him with cautious eyes, and he knew there were whispers about him being a rogue, but Lila had been by his side through it all.

And now, as he watched her move through the training grounds, laughing with one of the younger pack members, something in his chest tightened.

She was his.

His mate. His future. His home.

He never thought he could want something so much, but she had become everything.

But something was... off.

Kieran frowned, his wolf stirring uneasily as he took a deep inhale of the air around her. He had been noticing it for days now—her scent had changed. It wasn’t a bad change, but it was different. Sweeter, richer, carrying something new.

His golden eyes darkened as realization struck him like a bolt of lightning.

His mate was pregnant.

The air around him seemed to still as the weight of the realization sank in. His mate. With his pup.

His wolf rumbled in satisfaction, pure, protective instinct surging through him. This was fate’s way of sealing their bond even further, of binding them together in a way that could never be undone.

But with that realization came something else.

Fear.

The threat of the wolves hunting him still loomed over them. And now, it wasn’t just Lila he had to protect—it was their pup.

Lila must have sensed the shift in his energy, because she turned, her bright silver eyes locking onto his. “What’s wrong?” she asked, tilting her head slightly, her expression soft with concern.

Kieran crossed the space between them in seconds, his hands finding her waist, his touch reverent, careful.

Her scent wrapped around him, confirming what he already knew.

“You’re pregnant,” he said, his voice raw, full of emotion.

Lila’s eyes widened slightly, her lips parting. For a moment, she didn’t say anything.

Then, she blinked. “I—” She stopped, a hand instinctively pressing against her stomach.

Kieran searched her face, his heartbeat thundering in his ears. He needed to know how she felt about this—if she was afraid, if she regretted their bond, if she—

A slow, almost disbelieving smile spread across her lips, and when she met his gaze again, her eyes were shining.

“We’re having a pup?” she whispered.

He exhaled sharply, a mix of relief and overwhelming love crashing over him. “Yeah,” he murmured, pressing his forehead to hers. “We are.”

Lila let out a soft laugh, full of warmth and wonder. “I didn’t even—how do you know?”

Kieran smirked slightly, his arms tightening around her. “Your scent,” he admitted. “It changed. I’ve been noticing it for days, but I wasn’t sure until now.”

Lila shook her head in awe, her fingers curling into his shirt. “I can’t believe it.”

Kieran pulled back just enough to look at her, brushing a strand of hair from her face. His expression softened, but his voice was firm. “I’ll protect you,” he swore. “Both of you. Nothing will ever hurt you, Lila.”

Her smile faltered slightly, as if the weight of the world had settled on her shoulders all at once. “Kieran… with everything happening—the rogue threat, the war we might be facing—”

He cut her off with a kiss, deep and full of promise.

“We’ll face it together,” he murmured against her lips. “But this? This is ours. And nothing—not them, not fate, not war—can take this away from us.”

Lila exhaled shakily, then nodded, pressing her forehead against his. “Together,” she whispered.

Kieran wrapped his arms around her, holding her close, his protective instincts roaring to life.

He would die before he let anything happen to his mate or their pup.