I swore in my head. Anara had struck me with the ultimate magic of the Packs to ensure Aric’s bloodline would remain untainted. I swallowed back my bitterness, not wanting to waste my thoughts on someone so heinous the weres would no longer refer to him by name.

I studied the colossal suite while I worked to settle my breathing. A long white couch and two plush chairs made up the sitting room beside a grand picture window. The shades were drawn, but I had no desire to open them, despite the bright sun peering through the cracks. The slate blue walls remained bare, along with the dark wood furniture. Aric hadn’t hung a picture, a painting, or anything to make it more his home. To him, it had only been a place to sleep.

A small hallway led to his bathroom. Aric leapt off the bed and followed me when I walked toward it. On either side of the hallway were massive walk-in closets, one half-full, the other empty save a few hangers. The empty one was large enough to be a bedroom…or perhaps a nursery. I shuddered, trying to shake the thought.

I quickened my pace to the toilet and shut the door for privacy, grateful Aric couldn’t see me. I wouldn’t have been able to hide my grimace or prevent myself from doubling over in anguish. As it was, Aric growled at my sharp intake of breath. He hated that I continued to suffer. But my pain would someday end. My scars? That was a different story.

A spiderweb of hideous red lines marked my lower abdomen where Anara’s claws had punctured my skin—a permanent reminder of how he’d robbed us of our child. My pants hid the worst of the damaged tissue, but the embodiment of his torture would haunt me the rest of my days.

Aric followed me to the sink when I stepped out. I looked in the mirror and tried not to cringe at my reflection. Pale skin, swollen from crying, stretched over my thin face. God, I needed more calories. The little food I’d managed to consume wasn’t enough for my inner beast. We needed more. I brushed my teeth and washed my face, promising Aric I’d make more of an effort to eat.

Something in the half-filled closet caught my attention on my return to bed. There, on top of a small bureau, lay two beautiful and familiar wooden frames—gifts once given to me by Aric. When he’d left me, they’d disappeared from the room we’d shared. I’d thought my sisters had taken them to spare me from the memories, but here they were in his possession.

I lifted them and examined the black-and-white photos. The one in my left hand was taken when we first fell in love. We were staring at each other with such intensity, Shayna had captured the loving moment with her camera. In the other, Aric held me while I laughed and he nuzzled my neck. They were both from the beginning of our relationship. A happier time. Never could I have imagined then how much darkness would surround our lives.

A single tear escaped my right eye. “You kept these. After how much I made you hate me, I can’t believe you didn’t destroy them.”

Aric’s muscular human arms wrapped around my waist, and he kissed my head. “I felt a lot of anger, sadness, and hurt. But hate? No. You are my love. I could never hate you.”

I smiled weakly and returned the pictures to their spots. Aric held my face in his hands when I turned to him, soothing my body with his touch. Deep circles shadowed his sad and tired eyes. He hadn’t shaved and his thick dark hair was mussed. Still, he was the most beautiful being on earth to me. I stood on my toes and swept my lips over his. The taste was so sweet, I wanted more. I kissed him softly until our tongues met, igniting our passion in one mighty burst.

Aric’s hands traveled the length of my back to cup my backside. Mine were more daring. He stood naked, giving me full access. I took advantage, making him grunt and moan until he tore himself away from me.

I stumbled back from the force he used to separate us. His hands gripped either side of the door frame. The muscles on his back, arms, and legs bulged with growing strain. He lowered his head, panting heavily. “No,” he groaned.

I slid numbly to the thick carpeted floor. Of course…of course he didn’t want to make love to me. What would be the point? I couldn’t continue his bloodline.

“You don’t want me anymore,” I acknowledged aloud.

Aric glanced over his shoulder, his eyes widening. He rushed to my side and gathered me in his arms. I wept as my head fell against him. “I’ll always want you, sweetness. But you’re in pain. You need time to heal.” He swallowed hard. “I don’t ever want to hurt you again.”

I wiped my eyes. “Are you sure? I heard what the Elders said. I can never give you a child.”

Aric regarded me with enough force to melt my soul. “I don’t need my heart to beat. I don’t need to take a breath. As long as I have you, there is nothing else I need.”

He meant what he said, for now. But I remembered the joy on his face when I told him I was having our baby. In time, I alone wouldn’t be enough.

He carried me back to bed and resumed his wolf form. A soft knocking stirred me from sleep sometime later. I glanced at Aric, surprised when he whined instead of growled. The door opened and in stepped a beautiful woman with white hair cut stylishly to her shoulders. She wore a pale green sundress and a poignant expression. “Hello, son,” she told Aric.

Eliza Connor walked around the bed and sat at the edge. I pushed up on my elbows, embarrassed by my disheveled state. She stroked my hair away from my face, reminding me of my own mother’s touch. Maybe it was the memory of my mother that started my tears, and perhaps her own maternal intuition drove her to embrace me. “I’m so sorry, dear.” She held me for a long while and played with the ends of my long waves.

The position eventually became too painful. She released me, likely sensing my discomfort, and wiped her tears and mine with some tissues from the nightstand. “I would have come sooner, but I wasn’t well.” Eliza caressed Aric’s fur. “When Martin phoned to tell me about the moon sickness, I fell ill and believed it was time for me to be with your father.” She glanced at me and smiled. “But you didn’t let something like an irreversible curse stand in the way of helping your mate, did you?”

I smiled weakly when she covered my palm with her hand. “Oh, Celia. What a wondrous gift you’ve been to my son.” Eliza stopped smiling. “Just when I started to recover, I felt Aric leave this earth.” She wouldn’t look at Aric then, I guess it was too hard. “My poor health returned, so I must ask your forgiveness for the time it took me to arrive.”