"Don't worry—he only wishes to be called Father. He won't threaten your position as the Valeheart Pack's bonded mate. You are still the one I love most."
Everyone believed I had loved Selene so completely that I could not defeat her lover, so I simply joined them in their arrangement.
But only I knew the truth.
This pup had been forced upon me by Matriarch Aurelia Valeheart, who invoked the ancient Life-Debt Oath from years ago to compel me to see the pregnancy through.
Now that the Valeheart Pack's firstborn heir had arrived, the Bond Severance she had promised me should finally take effect.
1.
The night before Selene gave birth, I had been injected with enough sedatives and bone-weakening draughts to ensure I could not harm her or the pup.
When the drugs wore off and I opened my eyes, she was cradling the newborn with pure joy on her face.
"Mate, the Matriarch has already chosen a name for our pup. Just sign here, and we can register him in the pack records."
She handed me the birth documentation.
The moment I saw the name inscribed there—Noah Frostclaw—my hazy mind snapped into sharp clarity.
Noah.
Remember your first oath.