Chapter 164
Emily’s POV
“Where’s Stella?”
The question left my mouth before I even realized I was speaking.
We walked quickly back toward the long dinner tables. Wolves were still eating under the lantern lights, chatting ind trying to pretend life was normal again. I looked through the crowd. No Stella.
“Has anyone seen Stella?” I asked louder.
One of the younger girls near the refugee tables looked up nervously. “She said she didn’t want to join dinner,” he girl answered quietly. “She was packing her things.”
A cold feeling crept over me. “…Packing?”
“She said she was leaving the pack.”
“What is she thinking?” Nathan muttered sharply beside me.
Marcus rubbed the back of his neck. “…That might partly be my fault.”
We turned to look at him.
“What?” Nathan asked, his voice dangerous.
“I’ll explain on the way.”
That did not make me feel better.
We headed quickly through the damaged territory toward the smaller houses near the woods. Halfway there, it
it me—I had never been inside Stella’s house before. Did she even have parents? Family? Anyone waiting for her? A wave of guilt washed over me.
Marcus exhaled heavily. “A while ago, Stella came to me asking for help.”
“With what?” I asked.
“She said she didn’t want to stay in pack territory anymore.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “She wanted
o live in the human world for a while.”
“She told me the same thing during the funeral fires,” I admitted quietly. “But I thought maybe once it all
ended…”
“Apparently not,” Nathan muttered.
Marcus nodded. “So she asked if I knew anyone trustworthy outside wolf territory.” He glanced briefly at Nathan. “And… I kind of do.”
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feurembered someone.” He looked at Nathan. “Eric.”
Nathan blinked once, then relaxed slightly. “…Okay. Eric’s solid.”
“Who’s Eric?” I asked.
“One of our human contacts,” Marcus explained. “He manages several oil territories connected to pack
nvestments.”
Nathan smirked faintly. “And somehow survives doing business with wolves.”
“So Stella’s with him?” I asked carefully.
Marcus nodded. “He needed a wife. Well, a contract marriage, to be exact.” He winced right after saying it. “Okay, vait, that sounded terrible-”
“It really did,” I told him.
“His human family’s insanely rich,” Marcus corrected quickly. “His mother threatened to cut him out of the
nheritance unless he finally settled down and had an heir.”
“…Humans are weird,” Nathan muttered. “Why does he even care about an inheritance? We put him in charge of
our oil lands. He’s already making our money.”
“I mean, family is still family,” Marcus shrugged. “Plus, an extra inheritance never hurts. Who knows how his usiness with wolves will turn out in the long run. He’s just playing it safe.”
Fair point.
“Anyway,” Marcus continued, “I showed him Stella’s photo.” He shrugged. “He liked her. She liked him. He offered er a place away from pack politics and… things moved fast.”
I frowned. “But the human world isn’t safe either.”
“Emily,” Marcus said carefully, “Eric isn’t exactly helpless.”
Nathan let out a rough laugh beside me, rubbing the side of his neck. “Yeah, trust me. I remember.”
Marcus grinned. “Right?”
“What?” I asked suspiciously.
Nathan leaned down and kissed my forehead before I could question him. “Not for your ears, my beautiful Luna.”
“You’re both impossible.” I groaned.
“To be fair,” Nathan admitted, “a breather from the pack is exactly what she needs to reset.”
“Or break poor Eric’s spirit,” Marcus added.
2:05 pm P P
“Probably both,” Nathan agreed smiling.
I should’ve felt relieved. Maybe part of me did. But that burned paper was still heavy on my mind.
“…Silas is still coming for her
The joking stopped instantly. Nathan’s expression hardened. “We only know her name was on the list.”
“With moon phases right next to it,” I reminded him sharply.
“…Maybe it was just record keeping,” Nathan tried. “Tracking pregnancies. Children. Women.”
I stared at him. “That sounds so much worse.”
Nathan looked away grimly. “…Yeah. It does.”
The small house near the forest edge was dark except for one lamp glowing softly through the kitchen window.
Stella was alone. By the time we stepped inside, half the living room was buried under suitcases. Not one or two. At least eight. Clothes, boxes, books, blankets. It looked less like a trip and more like she was trying to erase her
entire life here in one night.
Stella froze when she saw us standing in the doorway. A flash of panic crossed her face before she let out a shaky
breath.
Nathan crossed his arms. “You were planning to leave without telling anyone?”
“I was planning to avoid this exact conversation,” Stella corrected tiredly.
I looked around the empty house. It felt lonely. No family photos, no parents, no scent of anyone except her. It
nade my heart ache for her.
“You really decided already?” I asked softly.
Stella looked down at the suitcase she’d been packing. “I can’t stay here anymore, Emily. Every corner of this
erritory reminds me of… everything.”
r
The war. The rogues. The humiliation. The fear. Declan. All of it.
Nathan’s expression softened. “The human world isn’t safe either.”
“I know.” Stella gave a weak laugh. “But at least humans don’t try to kidnap me for magical breeding rituals.‘
Marcus snorted loudly behind us. “…To be fair, she has a point.”
Nathan shot him a sharp look.
Marcus stepped farther into the room, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Eric’s a good man, Stella.”
She looked up at him and smiled. It was small, but real. “I know.”
2:05 pm P PTM
That surprised me more than anything. It wasn’t forced or desperate. She genuinely liked him.
“He talks too much,” Stella admitted, folding another sweater into her suitcase. “And he keeps trying to send me flowers like I’m living inside some old romance movie.”
Marcus looked offended. “That’s expensive human courting behavior.”
“It’s weird.”
“He bought a helicopter once just to avoid traffic,” Nathan added dryly.
Stella blinked. “…What?”
“Yeah,” Marcus nodded seriously. “You’ll fit right in.”
Stella laughed–a real, genuine laugh. And suddenly I understood. This wasn’t her running away. This was her
rying to survive.
“…You really like him,” I realized softly.
“Don’t make it weird.” Stella rolled her eyes, but her cheeks turned pink. Then, her hand moved toward her
stomach in a small, protective motion.
The movement changed the mood in the room instantly. Nathan noticed it too.
“…You’re sure about this?” he asked.
Stella nodded quietly. “I want my child to grow up somewhere far away from all this.”
None of us could blame her.
Finally, Stella straightened up and zipped the last suitcase. “…I should go. Eric’s people should be arriving soon.”
Nathan stepped forward. “I’ll send guards with you.”
‘Nathan-”
“That wasn’t a suggestion.”
For once, Stella didn’t argue. Instead, she looked at both of us quietly. “…Thank you.” Her voice cracked slightly. ‘And Emily… I’m sorry. For everything I caused.”
I stepped forward before she could say anything else and pulled her into a hug. At first she froze, then slowly hugged me back.
“Just stay alive,” I whispered.
When we pulled apart, Stella looked toward Marcus. “…And thank you for Eric.”
Marcus smirked, leaning against the doorframe. “I expect a finder’s fee for that matchmaking.”
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We ended up carrying half the luggage for her.
Apparently, Stella planned to relocate her entire existence in one day.
Nathan grabbed two heavy suitcases without effort, while Marcus carried boxes stacked almost to his chin just to prove he could.
A few nearby guards noticed what was happening and stepped in to help too.
Outside the territory gates, a line of sleek black vehicles waited. Human security. Armed. Professional.
Then Nathan stepped forward first and opened the back car door for Stells himself.
“If anything feels wrong,” he said firmly, “you call us right away.”
“I know.”
“And if that human hurts you—”
“Nathan,” Stella sighed tiredly.
“I’m serious.”
“I know,” she repeated, softer this time.
Then she looked at me one last time. Something emotional flickered across her face–fear, relief, hope. Maybe all
hree.
“…Take care of yourself too, Emily.”
I nodded slowly. “You too.”
Stella settled into the back seat, one hand instinctively resting over her stomach again.
The moment the door shut, the convoy started moving. Six black vehicles rolled through the territory gates and lisappeared down the dark road leading toward the human world.
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We stood there for a minute, watching the empty road. Then Marcus suddenly snapped his fingers.
“Oh, shoot.”
Nathan blinked. “…What now?”
“I forgot.” Marcus pointed behind himself casually. “Zynair asked me to give you these two crystals. She already
out her part of the runes and energy into them.”
I turned to him instantly. “She did?”
“Only two, and I know you need more–Nathan told me,” he admitted quickly. “But we’re heading back there
tomorrow anyway.” He looked between Nathan and me. “Zynair’s returning to the castle by evening too.”
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My mind jumped ahead. Broken barriers. Destroyed territories. Unprotected packs. Silas.
“…Good,” I said. “I need her help.”
Nathan already looked exhausted again. “Emily—”
“Our territory barriers still need repairs,” I cut him off. “And the neighboring packs need protection too.” I looked back toward the dark forest beyond our wall “We have no idea how long before Silas moves again.”
Nathan stared at me for a second before exhaling heavily. “…You really never stop, do you?”
I leaned tiredly against his chest. “Not while wolves still need us.”
Marcus cleared his throat, cutting us off. “Come back to the tables, guys. You can cuddle later. I’m starving, and Poppy’s probably wondering where I am so long. I want to spend some time with her, too.”
A weak smile almost pulled at my lips, and we started walking back toward the others.
Then, out of nowhere, a wave of raw panic that wasn’t mine tore through my mind, completely catching me off
guard.
I gasped, grabbing Nathan’s arm so hard my nails dug into his skin.
‘Emily?”
I could feel her agony.
‘…Beatrice.”
Nathan stiffened. “What?”
Another wave crashed through our bond, harder this time. I doubled over, clutching my stomach as my sister’s motions rolled through me so fast I could barely tell them apart from my own. Fear, grief, and sharp, biting pain. But beneath the agony, there was something else. Life.
“Oh my Goddess…”
Marcus stepped closer. “What’s happening?”
I looked up at them, my breathing turning shallow and fast. “She’s in labor.”
Nathan blinked. “…Now?”
“She’s alone,” the words tore out of me. I could feel it–the empty house, the panic, the crushing grief. She was creaming through contractions, completely by herself, without Ryan there beside her.
Tears stung my eyes.
Nathan swore under his breath. “Where is she?”
I turned sharply toward the far side of the territory. “…In the main house.”
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Another scream echoed in my mind, and then I felt it–it wasn’t Beatrice’s pain anymore. It was the baby.
My heart stopped.“. Nathan.”
His hands gripped my shoulders to steady me. “What is it?”
I looked up at him, my whole body trembling. “The baby… Nathan, I think something’s wrong.”