Annie's POV:
By the time Jasper walked me home, the torch had burned down to embers. The moon hung high in the sky, slender as a curved blade.
On the empty square, only the sound of our footsteps remained.
I kept my head down the whole way, until we reached the fork in the path leading to the log cabin, when I couldn't help but stop.
"Jasper, thank you for what you said to Elena for me today, and for getting me out of that situation in the square… Thank you for everything you did tonight."
His voice was gentle. "You don't have to thank me."
"I do." I looked at him. "You're the Beta of this pack. And what about me? A widow with no wolf blood in her veins, carrying another man's child! Do you have any idea what it means for you to publicly acknowledge this child today? It will be a sou
