Chapter 17
Kora’s POV
The day after the gala felt like it had come from another world entirely. The air was thick with silence, the kind that wraps itself around you when things are about to break but haven't quite yet. Edward was... quieter than usual. He stayed mostly in his office, handling business, making decisions with that cool, unshakeable calm. But I could feel his presence hovering in every room, like a constant reminder that I was never really alone.
I spent the morning with the pack’s healer, getting checked over just to be safe. I hadn’t mentioned the tension I felt in my body, the strange, aching weight at the back of my skull, but I could feel it growing with each passing day. The healer—an older woman named Mara, with kind, weathered eyes—had insisted on a few extra scans just to make sure everything was fine with the pregnancy. She didn’t ask questions, which I appreciated.
I returned to the packhouse after that, feeling a strange mixture of relief and unease. Everything was fine, Mara had said. The baby was healthy, strong. Yet I couldn’t shake the sense that something was... wrong.
I barely made it inside before Edward found me. His eyes caught mine from across the foyer, and there was something unreadable in them—something dark that immediately made my pulse spike.
“I need to speak with you,” he said, his tone tight but controlled. I nodded, following him upstairs.
Once we were inside our room, he shut the door behind us with a soft thud. He turned to face me, his expression serious.
“I’ve called a meeting with the Council,” he began. I blinked at him, taken aback. “The Council? Why?”
“Because of what happened last night. I don’t trust Aaron to stay out of our business. He will try something again.” His words were clipped, controlled. He wasn’t asking for permission, just laying down a fact.
I swallowed, unsure how to feel. Part of me wanted to shrug it off, to tell him it wasn’t necessary. But I knew Aaron too well. He had never let go of anything—especially not control over something, or someone, he thought he owned.
“Do you think he’ll do something more? He won’t just leave us alone, will he?” I asked, my voice quiet but tight with the tension building inside me.
Edward’s jaw tightened. “I’ll make sure of it. You don’t have to worry about him.”
“I’m not worried about me,” I replied, before I could stop myself. “I’m worried about the baby.”
Edward’s gaze softened slightly, but he didn’t move closer. There was still a wall between us, one that neither of us seemed willing to tear down completely.
“You don’t need to worry,” he said again, the words soothing but too cold to sound entirely sincere. “I’ll handle everything.”
I nodded, but the knot in my stomach only tightened.
I don’t need your protection, Edward, I thought bitterly. I need you to trust me. Trust me enough to let me fight my own battles.
But I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t.
The meeting was scheduled for the late afternoon, after the pack had finished their training. I watched as the pack members filtered in and out of the training grounds, the werewolves moving with an ease that came from years of practice. I knew the strength of this pack, knew the loyalty they had to Edward, but there was a strange chill hanging over everything now. The energy in the air felt different, like a storm was coming.
I sat at the back of the room as the Council gathered, Edward standing at the front of the table, his presence commanding and strong. The pack’s elders—a mix of old wolves and younger ones who had been with him for years—sat around him, their eyes all focused on him like he was the sun.
I couldn’t hear all the words they spoke, but the tension in the room was palpable. They were discussing Aaron, of course—his actions, his influence on the pack, and the threat he posed. Edward was giving them all the details, making sure they knew exactly what had happened at the gala.
I sat in the corner, trying to ignore the whispers that occasionally floated my way. It wasn’t my place to be part of this conversation, not really. I was just the Luna—just the bride of the Alpha. But my position was one I didn’t take lightly, and I was beginning to feel the weight of it more and more with each passing day.
The room fell silent as Edward spoke again, his voice calm but firm.
“We will not let Aaron get away with this,” he said, his eyes flashing with determination. “I’m going to handle him, but I need the Council’s support. If he makes another move, we act swiftly.”
One of the elders, a grizzled wolf named Darin, raised his hand. “What if it comes to a challenge?”
Edward didn’t hesitate. “Then we will fight. But we’re not letting him take anything from us. Not the pack, not Kora, not the baby.”
There was a murmur of agreement around the table, but I could feel the weight of the room’s attention on me. Edward had made it clear that this wasn’t just about Aaron trying to control the pack—it was about me, about the baby.
But I wasn’t just a helpless pawn in this. I had my own power. I had my own role to play, even if I hadn’t fully figured out what that role was yet.
I stood up slowly, drawing Edward’s attention away from the Council. His eyes narrowed at me, but I could see the flicker of surprise in them. He hadn’t expected me to speak.
“I’m not just a prize for you to protect,” I said, my voice cutting through the tension like a knife. “I’m not some delicate thing you can hide away.”
The room fell deathly silent.
Edward stared at me, his expression unreadable, but I could see the storm rising behind his eyes. “Kora...”
“No, Edward,” I said, my heart pounding in my chest. “You don’t get to make all the decisions for me. I will stand by you, yes, but I won’t be hidden away like a secret. If Aaron comes after me, I will fight him, too. And if I need to protect my own, I will.”
Edward didn’t respond right away. He just watched me for a long moment, his features hard, his thoughts unreadable. I thought he might explode, that he might tell me I was being reckless or foolish.
But instead, after what felt like an eternity, he nodded.
“I know,” he said, his voice surprisingly soft. “I know you will.”
There was a moment of quiet understanding between us, like a bridge being built over the space that had kept us apart. But even as he gave me that acknowledgment, the threat from Aaron hung over us like a cloud waiting to burst. We weren’t safe. Not yet.
Later that evening, as I sat on the balcony overlooking the darkening woods, the wind cool on my skin, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was coming. Something was shifting, something we couldn’t control.
And though I was tired of pretending everything would be fine, I had to trust that we could handle it—together.
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