Chapter5-Dual POV
1483 Words
Claire’s POV
“Let me help him,” Draven says.
No command.
No threat.
Just a quiet, rough ache in his voice that twists something deep in my chest.
I tighten my hold on Carter. His trembling eases, but he peeks up at the sound of Draven’s voice—tiny face streaked with tears, glowing eyes still flickering with leftover magic.
Then—
He freezes.
His little nostrils flare.
And he turns his face toward Draven like he’s sensing something familiar.
Something he recognizes.
“No, no, no,” I whisper under my breath. “Not this. Not now.”
Carter sniffles once…
then blinks at Draven again…
and suddenly clings to me tighter, burying his head under my chin with a shaky whimper.
“Momma… big woof.”
My stomach drops.
He can feel him.
Even through the meltdown.
Even through the fear.
Even through the chaos.
He feels Draven’s wolf aura the same way Draven felt Carter’s power.
“No wolf,” Carter cries, his tiny fists bunching my shirt. “No woof, Momma.”
I rub circles on his back. “He’s not going to hurt you, baby. I won’t let him.”
Draven’s jaw tics. Something in his gaze cracks open—guilt? Pain? Recognition?
But he stays where he is.
He doesn’t push.
He just watches Carter with a look so raw it sends a ripple of energy through the room.
And LJ—
Oh, LJ explodes.
She storms across the room, planting herself between us and Draven like she’s seven feet tall and blessed by every protective deity in existence.
“Oh HELL no,” she snaps, stabbing a finger at Draven’s chest. “Absolutely not. Back up, you oversized Twilight extra.”
Draven blinks, caught between offended and confused. “…What?”
“You heard me!” LJ says, stepping closer. “She didn’t ask for your help. She didn’t want your help. And that baby?” She points dramatically at Carter. “He’s two. TWO. And you’re standing there looking like the poster boy for ‘Top Ten Men Your Therapist Warned You About.’ Back. Up.”
Draven lifts both hands slightly—not surrendering, just showing he isn’t a threat.
But LJ doesn’t care.
“Move one more inch toward her,” she spits, “and I swear on my mother’s crockpot collection I will hex your wolf balls into blueberry-sized raisins.”
My eyes widen. “LJ—”
“No. I said what I said.”
Draven’s stare flicks from LJ to me, then to Carter—who is still shaking under my chin, tiny breaths coming in frightened hiccups.
Something in Draven tightens.
“I won’t hurt him,” he says softly. “I would never hurt a pup.”
LJ throws her arms out protectively. “Well, this pup doesn’t want you. And my best friend already has enough trauma, thanks.”
“LJ—” I start again.
“Nope,” she interrupts. “Shhh. Mommy’s talking.”
I stare at her. “I’m… the mommy.”
She waves me off. “We both are right now.”
Draven drags a hand down his face. I swear for a moment he looks like he regrets every decision that led him here.
“Claire,” he says quietly, voice barely more than breath. “He’s reacting to my aura because he’s strong. Too strong for his age. And scared. I just want to—”
Carter whimpers louder, fingers clawing at my shirt.
Draven’s entire expression fractures.
“You see?” LJ barks triumphantly. “He doesn’t WANT you near him. Now go. Shoo. Fetch. Whatever wolves do.”
This time Draven actually flinches. Shadows flicker in his eyes, something dangerous sparking deep inside him—
But he forces it down.
Because Carter is crying.
Because I am holding him.
Because the goddess told him exactly what his place in this was—
Protect them both.
Draven lowers his head slightly. Not a bow.
A concession.
“I’ll stay back,” he murmurs. “But don’t shut me out, Claire. Not if he’s in danger.”
LJ steps toward him again. “She’ll do what she wants. Buh-bye.”
“LJ,” I whisper finally, gently. “It’s okay. I’ve got him.”
She softens immediately and rushes back to me, crouching beside us.
“Hey, Carter-bug,” she murmurs, brushing his curls. “Auntie LJ is here. You’re safe, okay? Nobody’s touching you.”
Carter hiccups. “No woof?”
“No woof,” LJ promises.
And for the first time since we arrived, Carter’s magic settles completely.
His glow fades.
His grip loosens.
And he whispers into my chest, barely audible—
“Momma stay.”
My throat cracks.
“Always,” I breathe. “Momma always stays.”
Across the room, Draven’s eyes close painfully at the word.
Draven’s POV
The moment the witch girl—LJ—throws herself between us, something inside me snaps.
Not violently.
Not the way my wolf usually reacts when challenged.
This is different.
This is… pain.
Sharp. Immediate.
A slice straight through the ribs.
Because Carter is terrified.
Because Claire is holding him like the world is ending.
Because everything in me—wolf and man—is screaming to help.
And I can’t take a single step toward them.
Because the tiny, trembling demiwitch child sees me and cries harder.
Because Claire won’t even look at me.
Because LJ is glaring like she’d gladly barbecue me over a goddess-blessed flame.
“Back up, you oversized Twilight extra!” LJ snaps.
I blink.
Of all the things I expected to hear in this moment… that wasn’t one of them.
“…What?” I manage.
She’s shaking with adrenaline, but her stance never falters. “You heard me! She didn’t ask for you. She doesn’t want you. And the baby DEFINITELY doesn’t want you. Now back up before I make your next full moon very, VERY uncomfortable.”
I bite down a growl so hard my jaw pops.
I could snap this girl in half with one hand.
I could silence her in a breath.
I could shift and send her running for the hills.
But my wolf doesn’t want to attack.
He wants to lie down.
He wants to show his throat.
He wants to get closer to the pup who’s scared and crying.
The feeling rattles me so deeply I almost lose balance.
I’ve never felt this before.
Not with anyone.
Not for anyone.
My hands curl into fists. “I won’t hurt him,” I say quietly, forcing the words out through the mess in my chest. “I would never hurt a pup.”
But Carter hears my voice and—
He trembles harder.
He buries himself in Claire’s arms, tiny fingers digging into her shirt like he wants to disappear in her. His magic crackles at my presence—fear, instinct, confusion, all tangled together.
And I feel it like claws dragging down my spine.
The pup fears me.
And the Luna—
my Luna—
holds him tighter because of it.
I’ve endured challenges from full-grown Alphas.
I’ve watched my pack die.
I’ve survived betrayals, wars, gods, and curses.
None of it compares to this.
This cold twist of rejection.
This ache.
This helplessness.
“See?” LJ spits. “He doesn’t want you anywhere near him.”
Her words hit like blows.
Because she’s not wrong.
Carter isn’t reacting to me because I’m dangerous.
He’s reacting because he’s tied to Claire—and Claire is terrified of what I mean for her.
Terrified of what the goddess said.
Terrified of destiny.
I swallow the hurt like broken glass.
“I’ll stay back,” I manage. Not a surrender. But close. “But don’t shut me out, Claire. Not if he’s in danger.”
She doesn’t answer.
She doesn’t even look at me.
She brushes Carter’s curls, whispering soft reassurances only for him.
And her magic curls around them like a shield—warm, silver, alive.
It pulls at me.
Like a tide.
Like gravity.
Like fate.
LJ crouches beside them, murmuring gentle nonsense, mom-friend instincts kicking in at full strength.
“Hey, Carter-bug. Auntie LJ is here. You’re safe, okay? Nobody’s touching you.”
The pup hiccups, clinging to Claire.
“No woof?”
“No woof,” LJ promises.
His little glow fades.
The storm settles.
And the room falls silent.
Silent except for Claire’s soft whisper:
“Always. Momma always stays.”
It guts me.
The goddess’s voice echoes in the back of my mind:
Protect them both.
Fail the child,
fail the Luna.
I close my eyes, just for a second.
Because the truth is a blade between my ribs:
I’m not afraid of failing the child.
I’m afraid the child—and the Luna—will never let me try.
- Writer
