( Kael's POV )
The safehouse breathed with silence after the vow, every shadow heavier than the last. Kael’s arms remained locked around me, his warmth the only shield against the icy truth that had just unraveled. Darius hadn’t moved from his post against the wall, but the weight of his words lingered like smoke after a fire.
I should have felt steadier with answers, at least we knew why the Council hunted us. Instead, the ground beneath me had only grown more treacherous, the scope of it stretching beyond my comprehension. Prophecy. The First Alpha’s blood. Entire packs turning against us.
My child wasn’t just mine. They were the Council’s obsession, Kael’s legacy, a symbol of rebellion.
And I was the vessel carrying it all.
“Aria.” Kael’s voice pulled me from the spiral. His thumb
