I noticed the changes slowly.
At first, I thought it was nothing. Fatigue from training. Nausea from something I ate. Mood swings from the bond settling deeper.
But the symptoms persisted.
Tiredness that no amount of sleep could cure. Aversion to foods I'd always loved. Strange cravings in the middle of the night.
Kael noticed before I did.
"You've been different lately," he said one evening.
"Different how?"
"Softer. More—" He searched for words. "More. Like you're glowing."
I laughed. "You're biased."
"I'm observant." He pulled me close. "Also, you fell asleep during patrol today."
"I did not."
"Jax carried you home."
My face burned. "That's—he shouldn't have—"
"He was worried. We all were." Kael's eyes searched mine. "Elena, when did you last have your cycle?"
I went still.
"I—" I thought about it. "I don't remember. Weeks? Maybe more."
His eyes flared gold.
"Elena."
"I know what you're thinking, but—"
"Humor me. Let's check."
---
We went to Marnie's hut.
The healer took one look at me and smiled. A knowing smile that made my heart race.
"Sit, child."
I sat. She pressed her hands to my belly. Closed her eyes.
The silence stretched.
Then her eyes opened. Wide. Wonder-filled.
"Well?"
"You're pregnant, Luna." She smiled. "Very pregnant. At least two months."
The world tilted.
"Two months?"
"The bond sped things along. It happens sometimes with wolf-human pairs." She squeezed my hand. "You're going to have a baby."
I couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. Couldn't do anything but stare.
Kael's arms wrapped around me from behind.
"A baby," he whispered. "Our baby."
"Kael—"
"A family." His voice broke. "Our family."
I turned in his arms. Looked at him.
"We're having a baby."
"We're having a baby."
He kissed me. Long and deep and full of everything.
---
The pack celebrated that night.
Word spread fast. Wolves appeared with food and gifts and congratulations. Sasha cried. Jax clapped Kael on the back so hard he stumbled. Lia sat beside me, hand on my belly, wonder in her eyes.
"A baby," she whispered. "A real baby."
"A real baby."
"Will it be wolf? Human? Both?"
"I don't know. We'll find out together."
She nodded. Leaned against me. "I'll help. I'll be the best aunt ever."
I hugged her. "I know you will."
---
Kael found me later, on the porch.
The celebration continued inside, but I needed air. Needed a moment to process.
"Hey."
"Hey yourself."
He sat beside me. Took my hand.
"How are you feeling?"
"Overwhelmed. Happy. Terrified." I laughed. "All of it."
"Me too." He kissed my knuckles. "But mostly happy. So happy."
"Really?"
"Really." He pulled me close. "I never thought I'd have this. A mate. A family. A future." His voice broke. "You gave me everything, Elena."
"You gave me everything too." I touched his face. "We gave each other everything."
---
That night, he made love to me differently.
Reverent. Worshipful. His hands traced my belly like it was sacred.
"Our baby," he whispered. "Growing inside you."
"Kael."
"I love you. Both of you." He kissed my stomach. "More than anything."
I pulled him up, kissed him.
"Show me."
He did.
Slow and gentle, the bond blazing with love and hope and desperate joy.
Afterward, he held me close.
"Thank you," he whispered.
"For what?"
"For everything. For existing. For finding me. For giving me a family."
I kissed his chest. "Thank you for being worth finding."
We slept tangled together, the future stretching before us—bright and beautiful and full of possibility.