Chapter 4: A Dark Secret
761 Words
Lena’s POV
The first wave of nausea hit me just after sunrise.
At first, I ignored it, chalking it up to exhaustion or stress. I had barely slept since leaving the pack, my body worn down from endless traveling.
But when the dizziness followed, I knew something was wrong.
By the third morning, I couldn’t deny it any longer.
My hands trembled as I clutched the small bundle of herbs Raven had given me, their bitter scent filling the air. “It’s just an illness,”
I muttered to myself. “A stomach bug.”
But I knew better.
The realization settled over me like a heavy storm cloud, dark and suffocating. My cycles had always been like clockwork—until now.
I counted the days in my head, my stomach twisting with unease.
I was late.
The truth hit me like a thunderbolt, stealing the breath from my lungs. My fingers pressed against my lower abdomen, a strange mix of fear and wonder coursing through me.
A child.
Killian’s child.
Panic gripped me, my pulse racing as a thousand thoughts crashed into me all at once. He could never know. Not after what he did.
Not after rejecting me like I was nothing.
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A Memory of the Past
The night before everything shattered, Killian and I had been tangled together in the quiet sanctuary of his cabin.
It had been one of those rare moments when the weight of his alpha duties didn’t press on his shoulders, and he let himself be nothing more than mine.
“Say it,” I whispered as I traced my fingers along his jawline. His eyes, a deep stormy silver, burned into mine with raw emotion.
“You are mine, Lena,” he murmured, his voice thick with possession. “And I am yours.”
His lips claimed mine with a hunger that spoke of fate. The mate bond between us burned hotter than fire, drawing us together in an undeniable pull.
That night, we had given in to everything—our love, our connection, our shared destiny. We moved in sync, bodies and souls intertwining beneath the moonlit sky. I had never felt more complete than in those hours wrapped in his arms, believing that he would never let me go.
But the next day, he did.
His rejection had ripped through me like a blade, severing the bond I had thought unbreakable. I had been cast aside, tossed away like I was nothing.
And now, his child—the last remaining piece of what we had—was growing inside me.
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Meeting Raven
I pressed a hand to my stomach, breathing through the panic. I had to survive. Not just for me, but for my child.
It was during my aimless wandering that I met Raven.
I had been weak, dehydrated, and half-starved when I stumbled into unfamiliar territory.
Rogues weren’t always friendly, and I had no illusions that my presence would go unnoticed. When the scent of approaching wolves reached me, I braced myself for a fight.
Instead, a dark-haired woman with piercing amber eyes had stepped forward, assessing me with curiosity rather than hostility.
“You look like hell,” she had said flatly, arms crossed. “You running from something?”
I had hesitated, unsure if I should trust her. But exhaustion won out over caution, and I gave a small nod. “Yeah.”
She studied me for a moment before exhaling through her nose. “Come on, then. You won’t last another night out here.”
I had followed her, wary but desperate, and that decision had saved my life.
Raven had taken me in, no questions asked. She had fed me, given me a place to sleep, and later, when I told her my story, she listened without judgment.
“You’re stronger than you think, Lena,” she had told me one night as we sat by the fire.
“You just have to decide whether you want to let this break you or fuel you.”
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A Mother’s Promise
I took a deep breath, forcing myself back to the present.
Raven had taught me how to survive, and now I had someone else to live for.
This child—my child—would never suffer the same fate I did. They would never feel unwanted, never grow up in the shadow of a father who didn’t want them.
I would protect them.
Even if it meant staying hidden forever.
Even if it meant Killian Blackwood would never know he had a son.
- Writer
