Chapter 1 The Heir

• Kara's POV
• I could feel it, the pain cutting through me like a blade. Every muscle in my body screamed as I pushed, my hands clutching the cold stone bed beneath me. The midwife’s voice sliced through the air, sharp and commanding.
• “Push! Push now!”
• I sucked in a ragged breath, the room spinning around me. Sweat trickled down my face, but I barely noticed. All I could focus on was the pain and the need to bring my child into the world. My body was fighting me, but I had no choice. I had to do this for him.
• “You’re almost there, Kara. Almost there!” One of the women by my side urged, her voice trembling with both fear and excitement.
• The Alpha, Kaden, stood just outside the door, his presence like a storm in the room. His dark eyes were fixed on me, and I could feel the weight of his gaze even though he wasn’t close. He had waited for this moment, his son, his heir and he couldn’t tear himself away.
• “Is it done yet?” His voice was low, almost predatory, filled with an intensity that matched the tension hanging in the air.
• I could hear the worry in his voice. I wasn’t sure if it was for me or the child, but it made the pressure in my chest grow heavier. The baby was coming, but it wasn’t just any child. It was his son. Our son!.
• “Not yet, my Alpha.” One of the wolves inside the room turned, his face slick with sweat, his eyes wide with anticipation. “It’s coming, though. Just a little longer.”
• My grip on the bed tightened. This pain... it was beyond anything I had ever felt before. The room was silent except for my sharp, desperate gasps and the sound of Kaden’s breath outside.
• Then, it happened.
• “It’s coming! It’s coming!” The midwife shouted, and everything in the room shifted into frantic motion.
• A loud, agonizing scream escaped my lips, and I pushed with everything I had left.
• “It’s a boy! It’s a boy!” The midwife screamed in triumph.
• I exhaled, my body trembling with relief. It was over. I did it.
• “A son!” Kaden’s voice rang through the room. His pride and joy were evident, but there was a flicker of hesitation in his eyes when he saw our son.
• I couldn’t help but smile, exhausted as I was. “He’s perfect,” I whispered, looking down at the tiny face in my arms.
• But Kaden’s gaze was on something else, the mark on the child’s neck. The moment he saw it, I saw his entire body stiffen. His expression darkened, his eyes narrowing.
• I felt my heart skip a beat. Something was wrong.
• “Take him.” Kaden’s voice was cold as he handed the baby back to me. His eyes never left our son.
• The room was still full of joy. The pack was celebrating, howling in victory, but Kaden was lost in thought, his face full of doubt.
• Zara, the first mate, didn’t join in the celebration. She stood in the corner, her eyes never leaving the baby. I saw her lips move, barely a whisper, but I heard it.
• “There’s something wrong.”
• I froze, my stomach twisting with unease. I wanted to tell myself that it was just her usual skepticism, but the weight in her voice made my blood run cold. I looked down at my son again, but I couldn’t ignore the mark any longer. It didn’t belong.
• Before I could speak, the door to the room burst open. A guard rushed in, panting, eyes wide with panic.
• "Alpha! The borders are under attack! The enemies are at the gates!”
• Kaden’s body went rigid. He turned on his heel, his voice sharp, filled with authority.
• “Prepare the pack. We fight now!”
• Kaden’s command rang through the room. The joy that had filled the air moments ago vanished in an instant. The pack, the kingdom, everything was at risk. There was no time to celebrate.
• “Kaden, wait,” I called out, my voice weak and desperate. I tried to sit up, but my body refused to cooperate. “You’ve just become a father. You need to stay here. We need you.”
• But Kaden was already moving toward the door, his eyes cold, his face set in stone.
• “I have no choice,” he muttered, his voice low. He didn’t look back, but his eyes lingered on our son for a second too long, the uncertainty still there.
• “I leave him with you. Take care of him. Protect him. I’ll be back.”
• The door slammed shut behind him, and I was left in the quiet, the room suddenly too still.
• The other wives stood there, some of them with forced smiles, some pretending to be happy for me. Zara, though, stood apart, watching, calculating, never once looking away from the baby.
• I felt the weight of her gaze on me, but before I could process it, the door opened again. Another wolf rushed in, breathless, his eyes wide with fear.
• “They’ve breached the gates! The enemy is inside the castle!”
• My heart dropped. I felt the walls closing in on me. Kaden was out there, leading the fight, and I was trapped in here, helpless. My son in my arms.
• Zara didn’t wait. She grabbed my arm, pulling me toward the door. “We need to move. Now.”
• “What’s happening?” I gasped, trying to keep up, but the weight of my exhaustion slowed me down.
• “We’re leaving,” Zara said, her voice sharp. “The pack is under attack. We can’t stay here.”
• I stumbled, my vision blurring. The sounds of battle reached my ears, the clash of metal, the cries of wolves. I could feel the ground beneath me tremble. Everything was happening so fast.
• We reached the courtyard, but the scene that greeted me was nothing like I had imagined. Wolves were fighting, chaos everywhere. Kaden was in the middle of it all, surrounded by enemies. His wolf form was fierce, but there were too many.
• I watched, helpless, as Kaden fought to stay alive, his eyes meeting mine across the chaos. But there was no time for a reunion. A loud roar echoed through the night, something monstrous, something that more than a werewolf.
• Before I could react, the creature emerged from the shadows, its eyes glowing with malice, its claws slashing through the air.
• Zara acted fast, her knife flashing in the moonlight. But it was no use. The creature was too powerful.
• “Get back inside!” Zara shouted, shoving me behind her as the creature lunged forward, knocking her to the ground.
• I couldn’t breathe. What was that thing?
• I moved forward, my hands trembling, but before I could reach her, the creature turned, its eyes locking onto me.
• Everything went black.