Chapter 10 Unspoken and Unbroken
522 Words
The fire crackled low in the hearth, casting flickering shadows across the stone walls of Vaelen’s private chamber. Outside, the snow fell in soft sheets, blanketing the mountains in silence.
Araya sat on the edge of a cushioned bench, hands folded neatly in her lap. Her posture was composed, but her eyes—stormy and unreadable—watched every move Vaelen made.
He stood by the window, back turned, as if unsure how to begin.
Minutes passed.
Then, finally, she broke the quiet.
“You summoned me. Now say what you brought me here to hear.”
Vaelen turned, his face unreadable. “I wasn’t sure you’d come.”
“I came for answers. Not sentiment.”
A shadow flickered in his gaze. He moved closer, slow, like a predator careful not to startle prey.
“You were in heat,” he said quietly. “I didn’t know it was you.”
“I didn’t know it was you either,” she replied. “We were strangers. But now I’m carrying your children.”
Their eyes locked.
“I didn’t plan this,” he said.
“I know. Neither did I. But fate doesn’t wait for plans.”
He sat opposite her, the firelight softening the edges of his hardened face.
“You’re strong,” he said. “Stronger than I expected.”
“I had to be. The moment I realized I was pregnant, I knew I couldn’t afford weakness. Especially not with the child of an Alpha I didn’t even know.”
He winced slightly. “You hate me for that night?”
“I don’t know if I do. I barely remember parts of it. But I remember the way I felt afterward. Confused. Betrayed. Alone.”
“I didn’t abandon you.”
“You didn’t even know me.”
Silence again.
Then Araya’s voice softened. “But I remember one thing clearly. I felt safe.”
Vaelen’s wolf stirred. He sat back, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly.
“I have spent years being feared,” he said. “But never trusted. Not without cause. What you felt… it wasn’t just instinct. It was the bond waking.”
Araya looked down at her hands, her thumb tracing the lines in her palm. “Your mother said the bond is destiny. Do you believe that?”
“I didn’t. Not until I met you.”
Another silence, but this one warmer.
Vaelen leaned forward. “I know I can’t force anything. I won’t demand you stay. But those children… our children… they carry something old. Something powerful. And they deserve more than legacy. They deserve truth.”
Araya looked up, her expression unreadable. “Then give it to them. Starting now.”
He nodded. “Ask me anything.”
She hesitated, then asked, “Why me?”
His answer was quiet, certain.
“Because the Moon chose you. And now… so do I.”
She didn’t respond right away. But for the first time, she didn’t look away.
And somewhere between silence and firelight, something fragile began to grow.
Not a bond of blood.
But one of choice.
- Writer
