Her Vow of Winter

I could have sworn I saw a smirk flash across her lips, but it vanished before I could be sure.

I turned to Vaughn, who was still silent, his head bowed as if he couldn't bear to look at me.

"Is this true, Vaughn?" My voice trembled. "You're going to abandon our child to save hers?"

"I'm sorry, Elara," he whispered, his voice hoarse.

The tears came again. "Is her child so important that you would cast ours aside?"

Vaughn hesitated, and the pause sliced through our mate bond like a silver blade.

"You don't understand the Council of Elders," he murmured, his voice low and heavy as he finally met my gaze.

"The Council would never tolerate a pup conceived with a descendant of our sworn enemy. They've made it clear they'll only accept this child as mine if I have no other heirs. I can't acknowledge our child right now—at least, not until after Rosalie's is born." He looked at me as if he were defending a noble cause, as if every word was justified.

But the logic was laughable.

Vaughn was right about one thing: no one on the West Coast dared to defy him. He was the Alpha of the Black Moon Pack, with business enterprises spanning the continent.

Although my adoptive family, the Thorne Pack, held some renown, we were nothing compared to him.

That was why, when my adoptive parents discovered he was my fated mate, they all but pushed me into the bonding ceremony.

Vaughn, always cold and imperious, had only ever shown his softer side to me. But today, I saw him do the same for Rosalie.

He reached for me again, his arms open. "Don't worry. I won't leave our pup without a name. Trust me, please? As soon as Rosalie's pup is born, I'll set things right."

After the ceremony, Vaughn insisted on driving me back to the pack house. Rosalie was all too eager to follow, claiming she was thrilled not to be the only pregnant wolf. I saw right through her act.

She was trying far too hard to play the concerned friend.

Vaughn returned with a bouquet of moonblossoms, their cloying fragrance meant to soothe me.

I kept my expression blank, though my stomach twisted. Something was hidden behind Rosalie's overly bright smile.

Rosalie slid into the back seat, her hand instinctively brushing Vaughn’s arm. "I was thinking... maybe we could stop and pick out some pup blankets after dinner. I haven't found the right ones yet."

"You don't mind, do you, Elara?" she turned to me, a clear challenge in her eyes. "I'm all alone now. Vaughn is the only Alpha I can rely on."

It was absurd. My mate and Rosalie looked more like a couple than we did.

"Are you mad at me, Elara?" Rosalie asked, blinking her wide, innocent eyes, which flashed with something far from pure. "You can come with us, if you'd like."

"No, thank you. I've already prepared everything for my pup." I refused to play her game.

When Vaughn handed me the bouquet, a sharp, familiar scent hit me.

Wolfsbane.

Had he forgotten my pregnancy made me sensitive to it? Or had he simply forgotten it was Rosalie’s favorite?