Chapter 7

Mira

The dark velvet blanket Japel had placed over me was heavy, warm, and smelled like rain and pine. I lay still on the massive bed in the royal suite of Grimstone Palace, listening to the soft turn of pages in the adjoining study. The oak door stood slightly open, spilling a thin ribbon of yellow light across the floor.

I lifted my right hand. The skin over my pulse still glowed faint gold where Japel had marked me in the courtyard. Beneath it, my blood no longer felt dead or cold. It hummed with quiet strength I had not known in two years.

June? I called inside my mind.

I’m right here, partner, she answered, clear and steady. Resting, but awake.

Relief flooded me. In Duskhaven, Sarah and Zane had locked me in cold rooms, forced bitter teas down my throat, and called me a wolfless, barren Omega who could never give the pack an heir. June had always been there, waiting for the right mate’s presence to break free.

We are free, Mira, she whispered, stretching silver paws in my subconscious. No more cells. No more their abuse.

“No more,” I murmured aloud.

A quiet knock came from the doorway. Japel stood there, leather coat and sword harness gone. He wore only a black silk shirt, top buttons open, sleeves rolled to his elbows. His dark gold eyes fixed on me with quiet intensity.

“You’re awake,” he said, voice a deep baritone that seemed to vibrate through the floorboards.

“Yes.” I pushed up against the pillows. My muscles ached from the sudden shift in the square, but the crushing weight from Duskhaven was gone.

He crossed the room with silent strides and stopped beside the bed. Massive—six-foot-three of broad shoulders and controlled power—yet he did not try to intimidate me. He simply stood there like a wall between me and the cold world outside.

“You should be resting, Mira,” he said gently. One broad hand brushed a lock of dark hair from my eyes. His warm skin against my cheek sent a sharp spike of electricity down my spine. The touch was soft, careful—nothing like Zane’s rough carelessness.

“I’ve rested enough.” I leaned into his palm before I could stop myself. “Thank you, Japel. For the courtyard. For stepping between me and that blade. For everything.”

His red eyes darkened, crimson blooming near the pupils. He bent, one hand braced on the mattress beside my hip, boxing me in with his frame. Heat rolled off him.

“Don’t thank me for taking what was always meant to be mine,” he said low. His thumb traced the curve of my lower lip. “You were never useless. Never broken. You were waiting for a real king to claim you.”

My heart slammed against my ribs. He closed the last inch between us.

The kiss was slow, deep, and gentle—a silent promise that seemed to knit every scar. He tasted clean, like rain and wine. I tangled my fingers in the thick hair at his nape and pulled him closer until my chest pressed flush to his. A heavy warmth filled my belly. He groaned, hands sliding to my waist, lifting me against him as the kiss turned hungrier.

I wanted him. Every part of me and my newly awakened wolf craved this male—the one who had saved my life and given me back my voice.

His hands slipped under the hem of my sweater, hot palms against bare skin as he laid me back onto the pillows. His mouth left mine, tracing my jaw and the sensitive skin of my throat. I tilted my head in surrender. The hard muscle of his thighs pressed against mine; the weight of his body felt safe. I wanted to forget Zane, forget Duskhaven, and lose myself in the heat of the Lycan King.

Mira.

June’s voice cut sharp and urgent.

Stop. Mira, stop right now.

I froze, hands stilling on his shoulders.

June? What’s wrong?

Quiet your mind. Look inside your own body. Listen to your pulse.

I drew a slow breath, tuning out his breathing and the thud of my heart. I dropped deep inward.

Beneath the silver presence of my wolf, beneath the warm gold of Japel’s mark, I felt a tiny flicker low in my womb.

A faint heartbeat. Fast and delicate, like a bird’s wing.

My eyes snapped open. Silver light surged in my irises.

You are carrying a child, June said, awe and dread tangled in her voice. A single growing life. But Mira… this child was created before we ever came to Grimstone. It carries the dark, cold blood of Zane.

“Mira?”

Japel pulled back at once, glowing red eyes scanning my face. His chest rose and fell hard; one hand stayed steady on my bare waist.

“What is it? Did I push too fast? Did I hurt you?”

I could not speak. The words locked in my throat.

I sat frozen, staring up into those intense golden-red eyes, clutching his shoulders while the truth settled deep. Two years of being called barren. Two years of being told my body was empty. And all along, right as Zane threw me away for Nella, I had already been carrying his true Alpha heir.

I looked at Japel—the male who had claimed me as his Luna, ready to give me a kingdom. Everything had happened too fast: the execution, the broken bond, the shift, and now this. I could not breathe. I needed a moment to make sense of the storm inside me.

“Mira,” he whispered, thumb smoothing my tense forehead. “Talk to me. Tell me what you need.”

I took a shaky breath and pushed against his chest, creating a few inches of space.

“I… I need a moment,” I managed, voice cracked and small. “My body… everything happened so fast. The rejection, the awakening, the mark. I want you. But my head is spinning. I need time to catch my breath.”

Japel held my silver gaze for a long, quiet moment. No anger. No demand. Only a single slow nod.

“Take all the time you need, my Queen.” He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to the center of my forehead.

He rose, tucked the heavy velvet blanket around my shoulders, and stood watching me with that fierce protective stare.

“I’ll be right in the next room,” he said softly. “Rest now, Mira.”

He walked back into the study, leaving the door cracked open an inch so I would not be alone in the dark.

I lay back against the pillows, trembling hand resting over my lower belly. Deep inside, that tiny secret heartbeat continued to flutter.

Zane thought he had stripped everything from me. He thought he was starting fresh with Nella while I rotted. He had no idea I held his only true bloodline—inside the fortress of the Lycan King who was ready to tear Duskhaven to the ground for me.

We protect this baby, June whispered fiercely. And when the time comes, we take everything Zane loves.

“Everything,” I whispered into the quiet room.

Morning arrived at Grimstone Palace wrapped in a dense, silvery fog that hung low over the pine trees outside my window.

I sat near the edge of the large bed, my fingers resting lightly over my stomach. The tiny, secret heartbeat inside me fluttered quietly—a hidden truth that changed everything. Zane had discarded me, claiming I was empty and broken. He had no idea that his true Alpha heir was already growing inside me, right under the roof of the Lycan King.

We keep this close to our chest for now, June whispered inside my mind, her silver wolf form stretching lazily in my subconscious. Japel protects us because he chose us, not out of obligation for a child.

I know, I thought back, taking a deep breath to calm the nervous fluttering in my throat. And today, I choose him.

The heavy oak door to the study creaked open softly. Japel stepped into the bedroom, carrying a silver tray with hot herbal tea and fresh fruit. He had already dressed for the day in a fitted dark tunic, his broad shoulders and towering frame taking up half the doorway. The golden light of his eyes softened the second they landed on me.

“You slept,” he said softly, setting the tray down on the bedside table.

“I did,” I replied, offering him a small, genuine smile. “Better than I have in two years.”

Japel sat on the edge of the mattress, his heavy weight causing the bed to shift slightly. He reached out, his broad hand cupping my cheek with that same devastating tenderness that made my pulse race.

“The palace healer is waiting outside whenever you’re ready for a full check-up,” Japel murmured, his thumb gently tracing my cheekbone. “I want to ensure your core energy has fully recovered after yesterday’s shift.”

“I don’t need a healer right now, Japel,” I whispered, reaching up to cover his hand with mine. “I’m whole. June is back. And it’s all because of you.”

Japel’s golden eyes darkened, crimson fire flaring at the edges of his pupils as he leaned in close. “You healed yourself, Mira. I simply gave you the sanctuary you deserved.”

The air between us grew thick and heavy with raw heat. The lingering hesitation from last night had vanished, replaced by a quiet, fierce certainty. I didn’t want to think about Zane, about Duskhaven, or about the betrayal waiting behind me. I wanted to anchor myself to the male who had stood between me and death.

I leaned forward and closed the small distance between us, pressing my lips firmly against his.

Japel let out a low, gravelly growl deep in his chest. His arms wrapped around my waist, effortlessly pulling me onto his lap so that I straddled him. The kiss was no longer gentle—it was deep, possessive, and electric. His tongue slid past my lips, tasting of dark tea and rich honey, claiming every corner of my mouth until a breathy gasp tore from my throat.

I tangled my fingers into his dark, thick hair, pulling him closer until there was no space left between us. His hard cock pressed against the soft juncture of my thighs through the thin fabric of my sleep clothes, already thick and insistent. His hot hands slid up under my shirt, trailing fire over my ribs, thumbs brushing the undersides of my breasts before he cupped them fully, kneading the soft flesh.

“Mira…” Japel rasped against my neck, his lips biting softly along my collarbone, making my head roll back in complete surrender. “Are you sure?”