Lucian’s POV
Then Kael collected himself and continued. "If she were his mate, he would have fought to take her back from our pack instead of letting her rot in prison, and later fall into the hands of traffickers."
"That makes sense," I said. "No top-tier Alpha would ever let their mate be used by others. They’d rather kill her."
"Or," Jason added, his voice low and tense, "one can leave their mate to suffer only if the hate is so immense that no reason matters, not even if they love her deeply." He seemed lost somewhere as he said it, but then got back to his senses and looked at us. "If that’s the case, he hates her and won’t take her back—he only keeps the child."
"That aligns with our previous conclusion that we thought she was with Keiren," Roman said, "but we have to replace Keiren with another bastard now. So, as per what we’ve discussed so far, the Alpha of RavenClaw pack and Eira knew each other before and had an affair. But she was a minor, so it was impossible for him to know whether she was his mate. He used her, and when she was sent to prison, he didn’t bother with her."
"But later, her grandparents went to him and begged him to look for her. They found out she was about to give birth, so they decided to buy the child, since it was his. And they left her to rot. Also, the child is precious because it’s product between pureblood shewolf and a top tier Alpha, a child with strongest bloodline. No Alpha will pass on such a powerful heir. But, we still don’t know if they’re mates or not."
We all heard it and tried to process the weight of the revelation.
"This all makes sense now. Only someone as powerful as that Alpha could pay such a hefty sum for a child, because that was his," I said, the conclusion settling like stab in my chest.
Everyone nodded. The more we thought about it, the more confirmed it became.
The burden of that bastard Keiren being her lover was gone, replaced by something far worse—the Alpha of RavenClaw pack.
After a long silence, Rafe’s voice finally broke it. "If that’s his child, we won’t be able to get our hands on him. And our resolve to kill her mate—does it still stand? It would spark another war, not just between two powerful packs, but across the entire werewolf world."
Once more, silence fell.
"What if he finds out the she-wolf we have is the mother of his child? Will he try to take her?" Roman asked.
Another round of silence. All of us turned our eyes to the glass wall to look at her.
Just like mine, I could read the others’ gazes. They all said the same thing—she was only ours.
"Even if he is the father of her child, she is going to stay with us as our mate," Kael finally said, his voice cold and resolute. "Once we all mark her and the bond is complete, nothing can take her from us."
"What if she finds out about her child and asks to go to them, and that bastard is ready to take her," Roman asked.
"Before that she will be ours," Kael declared. "Once she heals from this procedure, lets mark her."
The fear of losing her was evident in Kael’s icy looking eyes.
"And about child, as a mother she has a right over him as well. We shall not keep them separated," Kael said and looked at me, "First make sure if that child is truly his, only then we will decide what to do."
"Yeah, this time let’s not trust our own conclusions like in the past without confirming anything for real, even if we have to do it again and again," Roman added.
"And if the child is not his?" I asked, my voice low.
"Then we bring the child back to Eira," Kael said without hesitation. "It might help her regain her mental state, and she might return to the way she was before."
We all just wished it could be that simple.
"What if one day her real mate shows up? Every pureblood shewolf is meant to have a fated mate for sure." Roman said. "Asking just in case."
"There won’t be any," Kael said resolutely, impatience on his face as if he was tired of saying there was no mate for her. He voice turned icy, "We are the only ones. Just focus on the task in hands."
No one countered him, or dared say a word about her having a fated mate again.
"We’ll need to conduct a DNA test between them- the child and that Alpha," Jason said, his words heavy with practical concern. "That’s going to be a hell of a task."
"You might not come back alive if that top-tier Alpha catches you," Roman warned, his tone edged with sharp caution. "Be careful with what you do."
"We need to find a way to get his DNA sample without raising any suspicion," Kael said, his gaze unwavering.
"I think I know the way," Rafe said, an evil smirk playing on his lips.
"What?" I asked, while the others leaned in, curious.
"You just get your hands on the child. Rest, leave it to me," Rafe said, winking at me. "Don’t worry about me, sweetheart."
"Of course I worry," I shot back with a mocking smirk. "I can’t lose my bitch to that top-tier bastard. Your ass is mine, only mine."
"So is yours for me," he replied smugly. "I will be kicking and alive, only so I could ruin it."
"You two can fuck each other outside," Roman said, frowning, "and leave us alone to talk about something serious."
"Will it hurt to chill sometimes?" Rafe teased him. "All this seriousness will make you lose your hair."
Roman offered a bored smirk in return, clearly unimpressed.
While we bickered, Kael and Jason, as if deaf to our voices, were staring past the glass wall toward Eira.
Kael seemed calm, but what was going on in Jason’s head? Was it the look that said she would always remain the murderer of our sister, or was there something else entirely? Sometimes, it was truly impossible to read my own brother.