Chapter 45 They were left in the quiet that followed Marcus and Evan's polite exit - a soft closing of the door , the distant creak of boots in the corridor . The pack house felt larger with only the two of them in it , the shadows in the corners deeper , the lamplight making small , golden islands on the floor . Elaine folded her hands tightly over her belly as if she could hold the pup there with will alone . " Thank you ," she said again , voice small . " I don't know what I'll do if I have to go back and see them . I've accepted what happened ... but I'm not ready to see them . Any of them . " - Her eyes dropped to the worn rug at her feet . Silverblade pack had become , in her mind , a monument to everything she had lost to the mate who should have been her future and to the family that had turned away . The word betrayal tasted like ash . Darius listened without interrupting . He nodded , slow and steady . There was no rush in his movements , only the deliberate calm of someone who carried responsibility as naturally as he breathed . " Speaking of the pup ," he said after a moment , clearing his throat . " You only have - what - maybe three months left before you give birth , right ? Do you have any plans ? " The question landed oddly , intimate in the way only an alpha's concern could be intimate - not intrusive for the sake of prying , but because the fate and welfare of an alpha - blooded pup affected the whole pack . Elaine felt a flush at the implication of pack obligations and lineage . Before she could frame an answer , Marcus's gruff voice came from the doorway , low and polite . " We'll leave you two to it . Got work to do . " They retreated with an exchanged glance and a half - grin from Marcus that said they were giving them space . The sound of their footsteps faded away into the pack house . Privacy settled over them like a warm blanket . " No plan yet ," Elaine admitted , voice rasping . " Aside from staying here with the pup . If that's ... if that's okay ? " Words came rushed , apologetic . " I know you have to think about the pack because my pup has alpha blood . " Darius's expression softened , but he lifted a hand as if to stop a river . " That's not what I meant , Elaine . You're a pack member . You can stay here as long as you want , and your pup can , too . What I meant was , do you plan to tell him when the pup's born ? " The name hung unspoken between them . The absence of Michael was its own presence . Elaine's breath hitched . She had not planned to tell him . Why would she ? He had rejected her , and in her mind , that rejection had extended to the child forming beneath her ribs . " No ," she said finally , a bitter little bark at the end of the word . " I don't want to tell him . The moment he < Chapter 45 More Rewards rejected me , he rejected my pup too . I know , as an alpha , you might think I should . That my pup is an heir , or might be a future- " Her voice broke . " But I don't want my pup to be heir to that pack . Maybe later , when the pup is older , he might want to know . But I don't want him to have to belong to people who betrayed their own . " Darius watched her with an intensity that never judged . If anything , his face held only concern and a steady , almost fierce loyalty that made something in Elaine ache and lift at the same time . He rose from his chair and knelt in front of her , palms flat against his knees . The movement was intimate without drama , a deliberate lowering to meet her at eye level . For a heartbeat , Elaine's world narrowed to his dark eyes and the soft line of his mouth . " I understand ," he said simply . " And that is your decision . You know what's best for your pup . Whatever you decide , I will support you . I will always support you . " His hands , warm and certain , closed around hers . The contact was grounding . It calmed a trembling that had nothing to do with the pup's kicks and everything to do with the fragile place her heart occupied. Darius's voice moved on , softer . " And I will always be here for you and your pup . You know I have feelings for you , right ? " He swallowed , a flicker of vulnerability crossing his features . " We have a connection I can't explain . I know we're not mates , but you're important to me . I wanted to give you time to adjust ... to accept what happened . But I needed to tell you . " Elaine felt the warmth behind his words , the weight of them . Tears came without permission , tracking coolly down her cheeks . Her throat ached - with fear , with grief , with something that felt dangerously like hope . " I feel it too , Darius ," she admitted , voice raw . " But your mate - your fated mate your fated mate - is out there waiting for you . What if I give in to this feeling and then you find her ? What will happen to me ? I'll be someone's discarded mate again . I can't go through that . Not now not with my pup . I won't put my child through that kind of pain ." - Darius's gaze never faltered . He rose and took her face in his hands , thumbs brushing away the tears with a gentleness that made the room seem unbearably small and private . Up close , she could see the resolve in him - not the iron of leadership , but a narrower , personal determination . " Do you think so little of me ? " He asked , not with anger but with a quiet incredulity . " I will not abandon you , Elaine . With what I feel for you , I know I will not leave you . If I ever find my mate , I will tell her the moment I meet her . But I will never walk away from you . " He leaned forward and kissed her . The kiss was careful at first , testing , then deepening , sure and steady . It was not the brutal , possessive press of a stranger . It was a salve , tender and deliberate , as if he meant to stitch something whole with the simple press of his lips . Elaine's defenses - so long built up like stone walls - softened . She found herself returning the kiss , < Chapter 45 More Rewards > hands in the thick hair at his neck , feeling something inside her loosen , like ice giving way in spring . - the muted When they broke apart , both were slightly breathless . The pack house hummed around them life of a living place , but between them , for the first time in a long time , there was a fragile space that felt like shelter . Darius rested his forehead against hers . " We'll take this slowly , " he murmured . " Your safety and the pup come first . Whatever you decide about telling anyone - we'll decide it together . " Elaine let out a shaky laugh that tasted like relief . In the echo of that laugh , she felt a seed of courage . Whatever lay ahead - whether accusations from Silverblade , the return of old ghosts , or the sudden arrival of a fated mate , she was not facing it alone . Darius's words hung in the hush between them like a benediction and a challenge all at once . " I want you to be my Luna . I want to be the father of your pup . My wolf and I accept it . And I promise I will be the best father that I can be . I will love it like my own ." Elaine watched him - really watched him - this time . The iron curve of his jaw softened , the fierce alpha aura dimmed into something almost vulnerable . She could see it then : not just the claim in his voice but the depth of feeling that threaded through it . It made her chest ache in a way she hadn't expected . " I want that too , " she said , voice thin with more than fear , " but- " Comments Get Bonus ( Ad ) > E Vote 48