The tension in the estate had changed.
It was no longer the quiet caution that had followed Aria's arrival.
Now it was sharp.
Electric.
Every wolf within the territory felt it even if they did not understand why. Guards stood a little straighter. Conversations stopped the moment footsteps approached. Even the air seemed heavier, as though the world itself was waiting for something inevitable.
Inside their private suite, Aria stood near the tall windows, watching the pale morning light creep across the grounds.
Her hand rested lightly over her stomach.
The warmth there had not faded.
If anything, it had grown stronger since dawn.
She could feel it now in small pulses, like faint ripples moving through water. Not painful. Not frightening.
Alive.
Her wolf stirred again, alert and watchful.
Behind her, Damien adjusted the cuffs of his dark shirt with deliberate calm. To anyone else he would appear composed, even indifferent.
