Reed POV:
"I'm sorry, Reed. I truly am. But a human? There is no place for a human in our world. Especially not as Luna. Think what this means for the pack. For our bloodline. For the Elders. The council would never accept her."
"She's my mate."
"And she's a liability." He snarled now. "You think this is about love? About some bond you felt in your gut? You're a future Alpha, Reed! Your choices affect hundreds. You do not get to throw all that away for a girl who is weak and will die before she's thirty!"
"I'll claim her," I said, hoarse.
His face darkened. "No, you won't."
I stared at him—at the man who had raised me. Who taught me to fight. To lead. To never fear the truth.
"You'd rather kill her," I whispered, "than let your son be with the one the Goddess made for him."
He didn't deny it.
He didn't have to.
The silence was his answer.
I stepped back. My heart pounding. My wolf pacing beneath my skin, snarling and restless.
