“Don't kill him!”I warn my friends, who take turns bashing clawed fists at Simon. “Just rough him up a bit. We’ll drag him back to Bar and lock him in the dungeon. I will deal with him after his father knows what happened here.”
“Yes, Alpha Dominic!”Santo nods briskly and goes back to tiring Simon out with more brutal attacks.
Turning toward Cecelia, I transform into human form and kick the loose wood aside to enter the cabin. As I near her to untie the ropes keeping her bound to the bedpost, a strange warmth washes over me, and I'm able to pick up on the sound and pulse of her heartbeat. She lifts her eyes as if she can feel it too, the electric current that comes in slow waves of awareness without even touching her, but then my brows furrow when I hear another sound.
The pulse is quicker, but fainter, as if it's barely there. It races ahead of Cecelia's pulse and instantly brings me to my knees with realization. My jaw drops as I stare into Cecelia's glowing hazel eyes for confirmation, and their softness and warmth reel me in further as if to give me the answer.
She's pregnant.
I canfeelit, and it doesn't need words to confirm. Impulsively placing a hand on her belly, it's as if I can already sense my growing pup's presence there.Ourpup.
“You're pregnant, Cecelia,” I murmur as I stare into her eyes. She gulps and confirms it with a short nod of hesitation, and I'm compelled to fold my arms around her to show her that there is no reason to feel anxious about the news.
“We need to go back now,” I say as I draw back slowly, undoing the ropes around her wrists. Once she's free, I slide my arms under her and scoop her into my arms, feeling more protective of her than I ever have before. Now that I know she's carrying my child, my protectiveness knows no bounds, and I have to stop wasting precious time with all the logistics that are pointless when it comes to Cecelia and me.
We're fated mates, and that automatically deems me the alpha of the pack, even without the victory of the trials. None of it matters, and I'm done having to prove myself to anyone. Cecelia doesn't need to prove herself, either. Now that she seems to have let me in fully, I can feel the fated mate bond's energetic cords binding us together, sense her emotions, and hear her thoughts as if they're my own. She's still confused about all of this, but it's about time I cleared the air.
Santo and Bart have Simon pinned down, forcing him to shift into human form as he shouts profanities at me through a bloodied mouth. I hold Cecelia tighter to my chest, glaring down at the raging Simon on the floor as my friends restrain him and prepare to return to Nightmist.
“Shut up, Simon. I've had enough of your wailing and crying like a little bitch because you didn't win. You're not fit to be my delta, let alone a member of the Lunaris Pack,” I spat venomously at him. “The only reason I'm keeping you alive is because of your father. You should be ashamed of yourself.”
“You'll never get away with this, Dominic Rivera! My father—”
I turn to Santo, ignoring Simon's wailing. “Gag him. I don't wanna hear another word from him.”
As I turn toward the forest, Cecelia tightens her arms around my neck as we begin our journey back to Nightmist. She remains silent throughout the journey, but thanks to our mate bond, I can sense every emotion running through her. She's scared and confused, while there are small flickers of hope that things will be different now.
, It's almost as if she's doubtful of our fated mate bond, denying the extent of it and doubting that I would accept it with her, since she's been blocking me out all this time. It'swhy I wasn't sure myself, until our growing pup strummed my heartstrings and made me feel invincible.
I ride the wave of that feeling as we enter our hometown, sending a mind link to Sirius to meet us with the council members who are in town.
“To the pack den,” I instruct Santo and Bart, and they drag Simon along until we're deep in the Nightmist forest, where the pack den lies.
I meet Cecelia's eyes and gently say, “I'm gonna put you down for a moment,” to which she nods as she unwinds her arms from my neck. I set her on her feet gently, then hold her hand just as Sirius and the group of council members approach.
“What happened?” Sirius asks, prompting me to explain the situation as his eyes ensnare his son in a gruesome glare, his nostrils flaring.
When I'm done explaining what happened, Sirius steps forward and grabs the cloth stuffed in Simon's mouth, ripping it out without caution.
“What were you thinking?!” Sirius roars at his son, spitting venom in his face.
“Dad, I was only trying to make you—”
“Do not even call methat!” Sirius bellows, striking Simon across the face, pointing a finger between his eyes when he reels back from the slap. “You are the biggest disappointment to me, and to this pack! You're lucky Alpha Dominic didn't kill you on the spot!”
“Please, Dad—”
Sirius cuts him off with a hand in front of his face, turning to me.
“Whatever you decide to do with him, I will not protest.”
I nod as I grip Cecelia's hand more tightly, recalling how she helped her archnemesis during a perilous time despite everything Amber did to hurt her. She showed a level of compassion that was admirable, and despite the raging urge to snap Simon's head off his neck on the spot, I chose to do better.
“He'll be sent into exile. We'll have him locked in the dungeon until my swearing-in ceremony, and then he'll be taken out of Nightmist to live out the rest of his days as a lone wolf. He doesn't deserve a place in Lunaris.”
“But I'm the delta!” Simon protests, to which I scoff bitterly and turn my disgusted face to him.
“You are nothing but a useless omega now,” I retort, turning to Sirius and the other council members. “I should inform you that Cecelia Morales will no longer be ranked as an omega. Hugo Morales was an innocent werewolf, and I have the evidence to prove it. Apart from this, she will now have the title of luna. I will be taking Cecelia Morales as my mate. We've already established that she is myfatedmate, which means that there is no authority higher than mine, and I will not take kindly to any objections.”
