Amara woke in the soft bed at Moonveil Manor, morning sunlight streaming through her window. For a moment, she forgot where she was.
Then everything came rushing back - Kade's betrayal, her escape, Jaxon's rescue. She touched her stomach gently.
"We're safe now, little one," she whispered.
A soft knock made her look up. Jaxon stood in the doorway with a tray of food.
"How are you feeling?" he asked, putting the tray on her bedside table.
"Better," Amara said, though her heart still ached. "Thank you for saving me."
Jaxon sat in the chair beside her bed. "I told you last night - I knew your mother. Elena was... special to me."
Amara's breath caught. "What do you mean?"
"We were childhood friends," Jaxon stated. "Our packs were friends back then. Elena was meant to be my mate, but she fell in love with your father instead."
"You loved her," Amara said softly. It wasn't a question.
Jaxon nodded sadly. "I did. When she picked Marcus, I was heartbroken. But I wanted her to be happy." His eyes darkened. "Then the attack happened. Rogues destroyed their pack. I tried to get there in time, but..."
"They were already dead," Amara finished.
"Yes. And you had vanished. I looked for months, but you were gone." Jaxon looked at her intently. "I never stopped looking."
Amara felt tears building. "Why didn't you find me at Blackthorn?"
"Because Kade's father hid you well. He told everyone you died in the attack."
Jaxon's jaw tightened. "It wasn't until I caught your scent yesterday that I realized the truth."
"So you saved me because of my mother?" Jaxon was quiet for a long moment.
"At first, maybe. But now..." He reached out carefully and touched her hand. "Now I want to protect you for yourself. And for that sweet child you carry."
Warmth spread through Amara's chest at his touch. Something stirred deep inside her - a feeling she'd never experienced before. Not even with Kade.
"I feel strange," she whispered. "When you touch me, something happens."
Jaxon's eyes widened. "You feel it too?"
"Feel what?"
"The pull," Jaxon said quietly. "The Moon Goddess sometimes gives second chances. New ties for those who've been hurt by fate."
Amara's heart raced. "Are you saying...?"
"I think we might be second-chance mates," Jaxon revealed. "It's rare, but it happens when the goddess sees injustice."
Before Amara could reply, shouting erupted from outside. Jaxon was on his feet instantly.
"What's happening?" Amara asked.
"Trouble," Jaxon said sadly. He moved to the window and cursed. "Kade's here. With fifty men."
Amara's blood turned to ice. "He found me."
"Not just him," Jaxon said, his voice deadly calm. "Celina's with him. And she's carrying a silver sword."
Amara jumped out of bed. Through the window, she could see the Blackthorn warriors surrounding the house. Kade stood at their front, his face twisted with rage. Beside him, Celina held a sparkling weapon that made Amara's skin crawl.
"Silver kills werewolves," Jaxon explained. "She came here to finish what her trackers couldn't."
"What do we do?" Amara asked, fear rising in her throat.
"You hide," Jaxon said strongly. "I'll handle this."
"No!" Amara grabbed his arm. "I won't let you fight my battles."
"Amara, you're pregnant. You can't-"
"I can't run forever," she interrupted. "This has to end."
Downstairs, someone pounded on the front door.
"Jaxon!" Kade's voice boomed through the house. "Send out the omega! This doesn't concern your pack!"
Jaxon's eyes flashed gold with anger. "Everything about you concerns me, cousin."
They went downstairs together. Jaxon's pack members had gathered in the main hall, ready to fight. But they were overwhelmed.
Jaxon opened the front door. Kade stood there in full Alpha fury, his storm-gray eyes burning. When he saw Amara behind Jaxon, something dark crossed his face.
"There you are," Kade said coldly. "You've caused enough trouble."
"I'm not going back," Amara said, moving forward.
"You made your choice when you told me to kill our baby."
"Our baby?" Kade laughed bitterly. "You mean your bastard child that you're trying to pin on me?"
The words hit Amara like a slap. "You know it's yours!"
"I know you're a lying omega who seduced me for status," Kade shot back. "Now you're trying to destroy my marriage with false claims."
Celina stepped up beside him, the silver sword glinting in her hand. "Enough talk. Let me end this sham."
She raised the weapon, but Jaxon moved faster. He changed into his wolf form and leaped at Celina. The silver blade caught him across the shoulder, drawing blood.
"No!" Amara screamed.
That's when it happened. Something inside Amara burst with fury. Power coursed through her blood like lightning. Her eyes blazed with golden light.
"STOP!" she yelled. The force of her voice sent shockwaves through the air. Every wolf present - Kade's fighters, Jaxon's pack, even the Alphas themselves - fell to their knees.
The power coming from Amara was unlike anything they'd ever felt.
"What the hell?" Kade gasped, fighting against the invisible force holding him down.
Amara stepped forward, power sparking around her like electricity. "You want to know whose child this is?" she said, her voice booming with supernatural strength. "Fine. Let the Moon Goddess herself provide proof."
She put her hand on her stomach. Immediately, a silver glow surrounded her belly. Inside the light, the shape of a tiny baby appeared - and it was glowing too.
"Moonborn," someone whispered in awe.
"Impossible," Celina breathed, her silver sword shaking in her hand.
The glowing child let out a sound - not quite a cry, but something that echoed in every wolf's soul. It was the sound of pure power, of fate calling.
"The prophecy," Elder Thorne's voice came from behind Kade's soldiers. The old man pushed through the crowd, his eyes wide with wonder."The Moonborn Alpha has awakened."
Kade stared at Amara in shock. "What are you?" But before Amara could answer, her power flickered and died.
She fell, the strain too much for her pregnant body. Jaxon caught her as she fell, blood still seeping from his silver wound.
"The child," Amara whispered weakly. "Is it...?"
"The baby's fine," Jaxon assured her. "But you've revealed something that changes everything."
Kade stood slowly, his face pale. For the first time since this started, he looked unsure.
"She's not just an omega," Elder Thorne said quietly. "She's of royal blood. The lost princess of the Eastern Territories."
"That's impossible," Celina growled. "She's a servant!"
"Hidden in plain sight," Elder Thorne responded. "Just as the old prophecies foretold."
Kade's eyes met Amara's. In them, she saw something she'd never seen before - fear.
"If that child is truly Moonborn," he said slowly, "then everything changes."
"It changes nothing," Celina hissed, raising her silver sword again.
"Royal blood or not, she dies today!"
But as she lunged forward, something stepped out of the trees behind her. Something massive and old, with eyes like burning coals. A dangerous wolf. The legendary guards of the royal bloodlines. It had come to protect its daughter.
Celina froze as the huge dire wolf stepped into the clearing. Its burning coal eyes fixed on her silver sword with deadly purpose.
"Impossible," she whispered. "Dire wolves are extinct."
"Not extinct," Elder Thorne said with quiet awe. "Just sleeping. Waiting for their true queen to awaken."
The dire wolf was enormous - twice the size of any normal werewolf. Its black fur seemed to absorb light, and power radiated from it like heat from a fire.
Kade backed away slowly. "What is that thing?"
"A guardian," Amara whispered, though she didn't know how she knew. "It's here to protect me."
The dire wolf neared Amara and Jaxon. Despite its terrifying size, it moved with gentle ease. When it reached them, it dropped its massive head and nuzzled Amara's hand.
The moment they touched, visions flashed through Amara's mind. She saw her real parents - not Elena and Marcus Hale, but a powerful Alpha King and his Luna Queen. She saw their country under attack.
Saw herself as a baby, hidden away by loyal servants who died guarding her secret.
"I remember," she gasped. "I remember everything."
"What do you remember?" Jaxon asked, holding her weakening body.
"I'm not just royal blood," Amara said, her voice getting stronger. "I'm the lost heir to the Eastern Kingdom. The last of the Ancient Bloodline."
Kade looked at her in horror. "That's impossible. The Eastern Kingdom fell twenty years ago."
"Because they killed my parents and thought they killed me too," Amara responded. "But the Moon Goddess had other plans."
The dire wolf let out a howl that shook the ground. In answer, more howls echoed from the trees - dozens of them.
"The pack is coming," Elder Thorne said with joy. "The Ancient Pack, loyal to the true royal line. They've been waiting for their princess to call them home."
Celina raised her silver sword frantically. "I won't let some servant girl destroy everything I've built!"
She lunged at Amara, but the dire wolf was faster. Its huge jaws clamped down on the silver blade, crushing it to pieces. Then it turned its burning look on Celina.
"Please," Celina begged, falling to her knees. "I was just following orders!"
"Whose orders?" Amara demanded, her royal power ringing in her voice.
"The Shadow Council," Celina whimpered. "They're the ones who destroyed the Eastern Kingdom. They've been hunting the royal genes for twenty years."
Amara's blood ran cold. "They're still out there?"
"They know you're alive now," Celina continued, tears running down her face. "Your power awakening - they'll feel it across all the regions. They're already coming for you."
Kade stepped forward, his face pale. "Amara, if what she's saying is true-"
"It is true," Elder Thorne interrupted. "I've been protecting you all these years, waiting for this moment. But now the real danger starts."
From the trees came the sound of approaching paws - not just a few wolves, but an entire army. The Ancient Pack was coming home to their lost princess. Jaxon helped Amara stand.
"Whatever happens next, I'll be beside you." Amara looked at him gratefully, then at Kade, whose face showed confusion and sorrow.
"The Shadow Council won't just come for me," she realized. "They'll kill anyone who stands with me. My child will never be safe until they're stopped."
"Then we stop them," Jaxon said strongly.
"We?" Kade asked, his voice unsure. Amara looked between the two Alphas - her first mate who had betrayed her, and her second-chance mate who had saved her. She thought of the innocent child growing inside her, and of all the wolves who would suffer if the Shadow Council continued their rule of terror.
"Yes," she said, power running through her voice again. "We fight them together. All of us."
The dire wolf howled approval, and the sound was answered by a hundred voices from the bush.