Kyra’s POV
"What about this one?"
The bustling mall buzzed with weekend shoppers as Nathan held up two tiny baby dresses—one soft pink with ruffles, the other pale blue with embroidered clouds. His eyes sparkled with excitent, a sight that made my heart flutter.
I chuckled."Nathan, we don’t know the gender yet."
"It’s fine," he replied, his forehead creasing slightly. "We can just get both."
"Then half the clothes will just sit unused," I reasoned, running my fingers across the delicate fabrics.
Nathan shrugged."It doesn’t matter. We can just have another baby."
I laughed again and pinched his side playfully. The scent of his minty cologne mixed with his natural musk. "Whatever you want. Let’s go to the next store."
We already had plenty of baby clothes piled up at ho. So unisex, others clearly gendered.As Luna of the Nightfall Pack, I could have ordered anything we needed online, but Nathan wanted this experience, choosing each item personally for our first pup. It would be months before the baby could wear any of it, but his excitent was infectious.
He smirked as he followed through the crowded shopping center. At the counter, he insisted on paying while I waited, watching how other shoppers instinctively gave him space—humans unconsciously recognizing the Alpha power he exuded even if they didn’t understand why.
"Ready for the baby furniture store?"I asked as we exited. Earlier, we’d been lounging at ho doing nothing when he suddenly suggested this shopping trip. Now that we were here, his joy at selecting items for our child was unmistakable.
We were about to enter another boutique when soone stepped directly into our path, blocking our way.
My entire body tensed as the familiar scent hit my nostrils before I even saw her face. Orange blossom perfu trying to mask her natural scent,one I’d grown to despise. Sylvia growled inside , hackles raised.
"Calm down", I told her silently. "We can handle this bitch."
"Been a long ti, Sophia," I said, scanning her from head to toe with deliberate slowness. "You look... miserable."
Her normally perfect hair appeared unwashed, and dark circles shadowed her eyes. Good.
She gasped dramatically and turned to Nathan. "We need to talk, Nathan! It’s urgent!"
I smiled, all teeth and no warmth. "Unfortunately, I won’t let you borrow my mate again."
Her eyes narrowed as she whipped back toward . "I’m pregnant with his child, Kyra!"
"But I don’t care," I replied.
"You’d be that selfish to a child?" Sophia’s voice rose, drawing attention from nearby shoppers.
I laughed dismissively. "Co on, Sophia! I’m being protective of my child with Nathan. I couldn’t care less about your supposed pregnancy. Are you even really pregnant?"
"I am pregnant!" she insisted.
I gritted my teeth, studying her closely. During my investigation into my father’s death, I’d discovered sothing interesting, sothing that explained why I couldn’t bring myself to believe Sophia. She was related to Amanda. They were aunt and niece. The two won who’d caused the most pain in my life shared the sa blood. Not shocking, really.
"I am pregnant, Kyra! My baby needs a father—"
"Amanda Gilbert is your aunt, isn’t she?" I interrupted.
Her lips parted, shock flashing across her face before she could compose herself. I tilted my head, watching her reaction closely. I hadn’t planned to expose her secret in public, but she was forcing my hand.
"W-what are you talking about? I don’t know her," Sophia stamred.
"Amanda Gilbert was my dead father’s third wife," I explained, keeping my voice low enough. "She’s infertile, and I learned that in every generation of her family, there’s soone with the sa condition."
Nathan, standing beside , turned with surprise. He hadn’t known this connection. Of course he hadn’t. Sophia had been planning to deceive him from the beginning.
She shook her head frantically. "I’m not infertile, Kyra! I’m carrying Nathan’s child—"
"Don’t push yourself into further embarrassnt, Sophia. Have so dignity left," I cut in, feeling the anger radiating from Sylvia.
"Let at her", Sylvia growled internally. "Let’s show her what happens to those who threaten our family."
Sophia glanced around nervously, suddenly aware of the small audience we’d attracted. Several shoppers had stopped, pretending to browse nearby displays while clearly eavesdropping. She took a step back, shaking her head in disbelief, her eyes sharp with undisguised hatred.
Publicly humiliating her wasn’t my intention.
I generally avoided calling out soone’s personal struggles, particularly when it involved sothing as heartbreaking as infertility, but I wouldn’t let her destroy my family. If she persisted with these lies, I would punish her myself. Moon Goddess be damned.
My eyes tracked her until she disappeared into the crowd.
The mont was broken by my phone ringing. I glanced at Nathan as I answered Emily’s call.
"Hello? Emily?"
"Kyra, are you with Matt?" Her voice was tight with stress.
My forehead creased with concern. "I’m with Nathan, not Matt. Why?"
"Kyra, he’s missing!"
"What?"
"He told he was going to spy on his father again last night," Emily explained rapidly. "But he hasn’t shown up or called since. This isn’t like him—he always checks in, always bothers with updates."
I pressed my lips together, trying to stay calm. "He might just be busy, Em."
"Mason Foster confronted ," she continued, "He was furious, demanding to know where his brother is. Matt’s missing, Kyra, and I have a strong suspicion about who took him."
My fingers tightened around the phone. "Go to Nathan’s house, Emily. We’ll et you there."
"I’m on my way," she said, then hesitated. "Kyra... I’m going to send you the voice recording Matt gave . Just in case..."
"Nothing will happen to you, Emily," I interrupted firmly. "Don’t send it. I want you to show it to in person. Just drive and don’t stop until you reach the Anderson mansion."
"I’ll... be there," she promised.
I ended the call and took a deep breath, fear for Emily settling in my chest. I rembered what happened to Luke. When he discovered sothing he shouldn’t have, he was killed. Now Matt might have found sothing equally dangerous and had vanished. I couldn’t lose Emily too. She wasn’t just my friend but my protection.
I t Nathan’s concerned gaze. "We need to go ho now."
He nodded and intertwined our fingers, his grip firm and reassuring. "We’re going ho, Kyra. She’ll get there. She’ll be safe."
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