Nearly thirty minutes had passed since Calix’s victory.
The celebration had only grown louder.
Music echoed through the great hall as wolves laughed, danced, and raised wooden mugs high into the air.
The Clearwater Pack had waited years for this day, and now they celebrated the rise of their new Alpha with the enthusiasm of a festival.
Oria had already been pulled into a circle of dancers by several younger wolves, laughing despite her earlier nerves.
Lira and Kael were surrounded by old friends offering congratulations, their table slowly disappearing beneath gifts, food, and overflowing plates.
You smiled at the sight.
Everyone looked happy.
Everyone…
Except there was one person you couldn’t find.
Your eyes searched the crowded hall again.
No Calix.
You quietly slipped away from the celebration, weaving between dancing wolves who were too absorbed in the festivities to notice you leaving.
The wooden staircase creaked softly beneath your feet as you descended toward the quieter corridors below.
Perhaps he needed a moment alone.
After everything today…
You wouldn’t blame him.
You had barely reached the end of the hallway when a familiar hand suddenly caught your wrist.
Before you could gasp, you were gently but swiftly pulled through an open doorway.
The door shut behind you with a firm click.
Moonlight filtered through narrow gaps in the shutters, casting pale silver across the otherwise dark room.
Standing before you was Calix.
His ceremonial cloak was gone.
His shirt had long since disappeared after the trial, leaving only the fading marks of battle across his broad shoulders and chest.
Thin scratches crossed his skin, reminders of the fight that had earned him his title.
For a long moment…
Neither of you spoke.
The celebration outside seemed impossibly distant.
Only the muffled sounds of laughter reached the room.
Calix stepped closer.
“I’ve been looking for you.”
His voice was quieter than usual.
Not the commanding tone of an Alpha.
Just Calix.
“I wanted…” He smiled faintly.
“…one moment that belonged only to us.”
Emotion tightened your chest.
“You found me.”
His answering smile was almost boyish.
“I always will.”
Without another word, he gently cupped your face before leaning forward, pressing a slow, lingering kiss to your lips.
It wasn’t hurried.
It wasn’t desperate.
A celebration all its own.
You returned the kiss, smiling against his lips before whispering,
“I knew you would win.”
He rested his forehead against yours.
“You never doubted me.”
“Never.”
A quiet laugh escaped him.
“I doubted myself enough for both of us.”
You couldn’t help smiling.
As you stepped back slightly, your eyes wandered over the bruises beginning to darken across his ribs.
Your fingers lightly brushed one of them.
“You should let these heal.”
Calix glanced down before shaking his head.
“They will.”
“You fought hard.”
“I had a reason.”
He looked directly into your eyes.
“I wanted to come back to you.”
Your cheeks warmed.
Outside, another roar of celebration erupted.
Someone had apparently begun another toast in the new Alpha’s honor.
You laughed softly.
“Oria, Lira, and Kael are probably wondering where I’ve gone.”
“They are.”
“…They can wait a little longer.”
His smile widened.
“I was hoping you’d say that.”
He reached for your hand instead of your waist this time, intertwining your fingers.
The gesture felt strangely more intimate than anything else.
For several quiet minutes, neither of you spoke.
The silence between you had changed.
It no longer carried uncertainty.
Only comfort.
You rested your head lightly against his shoulder.
“Last night…” you whispered.
He turned toward you.
“It was the happiest I’ve been in a very long time.”
His breathing slowed.
“I kept thinking about it all day.”
“So did I.”
He closed his eyes briefly.
“I thought about you during the entire trial.” New chapters come out on g.com first.
“You were supposed to focus on winning.”
“I was.”
He smiled.
“You were my reason.”
Your heart skipped.
After another long silence, you looked down at your hands.
“There is something I’ve been thinking about.”
His expression immediately became attentive.
“What is it?”
You hesitated.
“If…
if I become pregnant…”
The room became very still.
“…will you stay with me?”
For a heartbeat, Calix didn’t answer.
Not because he didn’t know.
Because he couldn’t believe you had to ask.
Slowly, he reached for your hand, lifting it to his lips.
He kissed your knuckles with quiet reverence.
Then he looked into your eyes.
“I won’t run.”
His voice was steady.
“I won’t hide.”
He stepped closer until there was barely any distance between you.
“If that day comes…”
His hand gently rested over yours.
“…then we face it together.”
He smiled-not as Alpha, not as the future King, but simply as the man you had come to know over these past months.
“You.”
“Our child.”
“And me.”
“No matter what waits outside those doors.”
Emotion welled in your eyes again.
Before another tear could fall, he brushed it away with his thumb.
“I’ve already lost you once.”
His voice softened.
“I’m never making that mistake again.”
Outside, the celebration continued late into the evening.
Inside the quiet room, hidden from the eyes of the pack, the newly crowned Alpha and the woman he loved made a promise far greater than any oath spoken before a crowd.
A promise that, before long, would change not only their lives…
…but the future of Clearwater itself.