Annie's POV:
The front hall was thick with heat when I stepped inside. The hot pot steamed in my hands. I set it down on the serving table and began to lay out the dishes, slow, careful, invisible. Nobody looked at me. Everyone was watching Alexander.
"A generous offer, Alpha." The envoy's voice was smooth, unhurried, like a man who knew he had already won. "The Council has agreed. Our princess comes to Ironclaw as your Second Luna. She is young. She is strong. She will give you the heir this pack needs."
"Heir". The word sat in my stomach. I was carrying an heir. The man who had made it didn't know, and the woman they were going to replace couldn't have one. The whole room was bargaining over heirs—the only one in it was mine.
Alexander didn't answer. His eyes were on the table.
"In
