Aiden (Wolf POV)
The cold didn't bother him.
Snow crunched beneath his paws as he moved through the forest, black fur blending into shadow and moonlight. His breath came out in slow, steady puffs—but his chest was anything but calm.
Anger.
Frustration.
Hurt.
It's all twisted together, sharp and restless.
He didn't run far.
He could have.
But he didn't.
Because no matter how angry he was—
This was still his territory.
His pack.
His home.
Aiden slowed near the clearing, the same one where the pups had played earlier. The snow had settled now, soft and untouched.
Quiet.
Too quiet.
He stopped.
Then he lowered himself to the ground.
His wolf huffed softly, ears flicking back.
Not weak.
The thought echoed, stubborn and defensive.
But beneath it—
Something else.
His body felt... different.
Not wrong.
Just…
Aware.
His wolf shifted slightly, curling inward—not protectively like before, but instinctively.
Guarding.
Something small.
Something new.
Aiden's ears twitched.
He stood still.
Slowly—hesitantly—his head lowered.
His nose brushed lightly against his own stomach.
There.
Faint.
Barely there.
But real.
A soft warmth.
A quiet presence.
His breath hitched.
"…you're there," he whispered, voice low even in his wolf form.
Do not be afraid.
Don't panic.
Just…
Recognition.
His wolf settled more firmly, tail curling slightly around his body.
Protective.
Calm.
Certain.
Different from before.
With the pups, it had been chaos.
Denial.
Resistance.
But now?
Now his wolf accepted it instantly.
No hesitation.
No fight.
Just:
Mine.
Aiden exhaled slowly.
"…great timing," he muttered.
Three toddlers.
One is just recovering.
A possessive mate.
And now—
Another.
His ears flickered back slightly.
Theron.
The argument replayed in his head.
"He's in love with you."
Aiden huffed sharply.
"I know," he muttered under his breath.
Of course he knew.
He just…
I didn't want it to matter.
I didn't want things to change.
Didn't want to lose someone who had been there before everything .
But Theron—
Aiden's jaw tightened slightly.
"…you don't get to decide who I trust."
Still—
His wolf shifted again.
Restless this time.
Not out of anger.
From something else.
Something deeper.
A pull.
Toward the den.
Toward—
Home.
Aiden closed his eyes briefly.
"…I'm not done being mad," he said softly.
But he didn't move away.
Not further.
Not really.
🌙 Theron (Den POV)
The den felt empty.
Even with the pups still inside.
Even with their small voices echoing faintly from outside where Eirik had taken them.
It felt—
Wrong.
Theron stood in the center of it, unmoving.
The silence pressed in.
Heavy.
Unforgiving.
His hands clenched slightly at his sides.
Too tight.
Too controlled.
"…I shouldn't have said it like that," he muttered.
Not what he said.
How.
That was the problem.
He exhaled slowly, running a hand through his white hair.
Aiden's words echoed back at him.
"I'm not weak."
Theron's jaw tightened.
"I know that," he said quietly.
He had always known.
From the beginning.
From the very first moment.
Aiden wasn't fragile.
It wasn't soft.
Wasn't something to protect like glass.
He was—
Strong.
Stubborn.
Fierce.
And right now?
Hurt.
Because of him.
Theron turned slightly, looking toward the entrance.
Toward where Aiden had left.
His wolf stirred beneath the surface.
Restless.
Uneasy.
Possessive.
Not just Aiden.
But of everything connected to him.
The pups.
The bond.
The life they were building.
And now—
Another.
Theron stilled.
His eyes widened slightly.
"...another..."
He hadn't even processed it fully.
Not past the joy.
Don't past the instinct to celebrate.
But now—
Now it hit.
A fourth child.
His child.
Aiden carrying it.
And he had—
Argued.
Instead of protecting that moment.
Something sharp twisted in his chest.
Regret.
Deep.
Immediate.
"…idiot," he muttered under his breath.
He stepped toward the entrance.
Then it stopped.
Because something else lingered.
Something colder.
More dangerous.
Erik.
Theron's expression darkened slightly.
"…I'm not wrong," he said quietly.
Even now.
Even after the fight.
He knew what he saw.
What he felt.
That look—
It wasn't imagined.
It wasn't harmless.
And with Aiden pregnant again?
It mattered more.
Not less.
Theron exhaled slowly.
"...but I handled it wrong."
That part—
He could admit it.
His gauze lifted toward the forest.
Toward where Aiden had gone.
His wolf pushed forward slightly.
Not aggressive.
Not dominant.
Just—
Reaching.
A soft pull through the bond.
Not forcing.
Not demanding.
Just:
Come back.
A pause.
Then quieter—
Please.
The word wasn't spoken.
But it was there.
Clear.
Raw.
Honest.
For once—
Not a king.
Not a god.
Just a mate.
Waiting.
Hoping—
That Aiden would come back on his own.
