"I don't want to hear it, Lila. I don't want to see you or hear anything you have to say. Matter of fact, I don't want any part of this bond." "Ethan." "I, Ethan Maroni, Alpha of the Shadow Pack, reject you, Lila Pierce," he growled, his voice dropping to that Alpha bass that made my knees weak. "I reject you." I felt it the moment our bond got severed, like a white-hot knife slicing through my soul. I couldn't ignore the howl of pain my wolf gave or the hot tears that cruised down my cheeks as my chest tightened painfully. ----- Lila's world comes crumbling down when she is accused of selling out her pack, earning her the title of a traitor. She absconds when she can no longer bear the hurt of seeing her Alpha with another, seeking solace among the humans. However, when she finds out that she's pregnant with Ethan's child, she returns to share the news with him, but he rejects her before she could tell him the secret- one that would change the course of not only Lila's life but the werewolf world as a whole. The pain she felt seeing her lover with another pales when Ethan officially rejected her, severing the mate bond. She vows to leave, never to return, a vow she breaks almost immediately as her beloved pack gets attacked by an enemy pack. Lila's journey to strength and rebirth begins with being taken by the enemy pack. Through a series of tough decisions and sacrifices, Lila forges her path through motherhood and healing. Ethan finds that he's been tricked by his Luna's seemingly gentle demeanor, uncovering a web of lies and deceits that has him yearning for his one true mate. He begins his search for her and is shocked to discover the new addition to her life- the most beautiful daughter who is his spitting image. Truths are uncovered, leading to the discovery that Lila is a descendant of the silver wolf, a wolf with extraordinary powers that is born every 2000 years. When evil rises to seize his mate and daughter for their immense power, it would seem the moon goddess has given Ethan a chance at redemption. What lengths will Ethan go to protect his daughter and his mate from forces that seek to use them for their power? Find out in this journey of healing, reconciliation and redemption.
Chapter 1 The storm
(Lila)
(A few hours before the Crimson Moon attack)
The rain poured down in torrents, dark clouds hanging heavily over the pack house as I stared at it from a distance under the cover of the trembling woods. So far, my plan had worked and I hadn't bumped into any pack members.
I knew it was dangerous returning here like this. But I didn't exactly have a choice.
Droplets of rain hit the earth, making a furious beat. A chill ran down my spine. Branches trashed wildly as trees swayed to the unforgiving force of the rain. A storm tripped over the mountains, howling with an ominous sound.
There was a mean sizzle to the already charged air, filling me with fear.
I exhaled heavily, trying to catch my breath. A few feet away, a doe and her fawns huddled, trembling in the cold and my heart thudded painfully. Even she was doing her best to shield her babies from the harsh weather.
A fierce wave of emotions slammed into me as I pulled my jacket tighter and placed a reassuring hand over my tummy. I was soaked to the bone.
"You're going to be fine. We will protect you," I whispered to my fetus.
I was going to be a mother. The realization hit me like a punch to the gut every time it crossed my mind. My world had tilted off its axis the moment I began to observe the symptoms- the sickening bolts of nausea, the swelling, the gnawing hunger that never seemed to stop.
But more than all of that was the undeniable truth burned into my soul. The child was Ethan's. I pressed my hand to my stomach again, and I could almost swear I felt a faint flutter within me. The flutter of a life I didn't even ask for. A life I knew I would happily give mine up for regardless.
My child.
Thunder boomed, shaking the ground. Lightning sliced through the night sky, washing the forest in eerie blue glows. The woods bathed in these electric blue lights seemed to pulse with life.
The rain washed away my tears as they fell from my eyes and still, I forged ahead. Tonight, before anything else, I was a mother and I would do anything to protect my child. Anything.
I didn't want to be weak. I hated more than anything, having to see the man who I loved the most and who had also hurt me the most. I didn't want to beg him for anything, especially not for him to take responsibility.
But this baby, deserved a father. And Ethan, as much as he'd been a coward, deserved a chance to know his child.
The decision had been made. I had to tell him.
Him. Ethan Steele. My fated mate. The Alpha who had in the worst way ruined everything I knew about love and fate. The man who turned his back on me and hurt me in the worst possible way for a crime I didn't commit.
Yet here I was, returning to his lair with a baby I wasn't sure he would want, knowing it in my soul that he would turn his back on his child too, like he did on me.
My legs caught in a shrub as I blindly continued my journey, throwing me into another feat of self-pity as I struggled to break free of the bind. The weight of uncertainty lurked over me, a thousand questions dancing on my mind.
I could feel my wolf in the corner of my mind. She was quiet, but I could feel her silent judgement. She'd taken Ethan's betrayal the hardest.
"Would he even care? Would he truly turn his back on his child as easily as he did me?
The thought made my stomach churn. But no, I couldn't think that way. I needed to be strong. For the baby.
I paused to take in a breath when I was a few feet away from the main building- the Alpha's, Ethan's lair. A wave of nostalgia washed over me as I looked at the building that had been my home for so long.
The sudden sharp sound of boots over gravel made me jump. The sweet scent of honey and wood enveloped me as I turned around to face the man I loved the most in the world. The man who'd hurt me the most too.
Ethan stood before me, his tall frame towering over me like a dark shadow. His presence charged up the space- cold, commanding and distant. His eyes, the color of burning embers met and bore into mine as tension crackled between us.
I hated myself for still feeling this way about him, despite all that he had done. But more than that, I hated him. I didn't expect him to come to me.
"Ethan," I called out in a voice raspy from the cold. My words came out barely above a whisper, thick with fear and uncertainty. "I have to tell you something," I said, my hand instinctively smoothing over my stomach.
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