Ella's POV

The morning sun came in through the windows of the Shadowmere guest room, but I couldn't feel hopeful. I just kept thinking about Nathaniel finding out I was gone. Not just away, but that I'd picked someone else to protect me instead of him.

I put my hand on my stomach, feeling it stick out a bit. Soon everyone would see my secret. Eight weeks. Two months carrying a baby whose dad dumped me before he knew I was pregnant.

A soft knock pulled me out of my head. "Ella? It's Luna. Kane wants you to see Dr. Sarah now."

A doctor. Right. I needed baby checkups since I wasn't with Crescent Moon's doctor anymore. Telling my story to some stranger made me nervous, but I had to do it so my baby would be healthy.

"Coming," I said, grabbing a comfy sweater Kane's people gave me. All the clothes in the closet were picked to be comfy, not too flashy, and not sexy. Not like the fancy clothes I wore as Luna.

Luna Winters was in the hall, looking warm but studying me. She was pretty in a natural way, her dark hair in a braid and her eyes sharp.

"Did you sleep okay?" she asked as we walked to the medical area.

"Better than I thought." I lied easily. I mostly stared at the ceiling all night, wondering if I did the right thing. Wondering if Nathaniel got Harrison's report yet. Wondering what he was feeling and planning.

"Kane wants you to know you're safe here," Luna said carefully. "No matter what happens with your ex, Shadowmere will always protect you."

That should have made me feel better, but something in her voice made me stop. "Is there a catch?"

Luna smiled a little. "You're smart. That's good. You'll need it here." She stopped at a door with a medical symbol. "Dr. Sarah is amazing. She's been with Shadowmere for twenty years and has delivered most of the pack's babies. But Ella, she's going to ask tough questions about your mate, your bond, and what happened."

"I can take tough questions."

"Can you take the answers?" Luna asked quietly before opening the door.

The doctor's office didn't feel like Crescent Moon's cold clinic. It felt cozy, like people lived there, with plants and kids' drawings. A woman in her fifties looked up from her desk, her gray hair around a kind face with smile lines.

"You must be Ella," Dr. Sarah said, standing up to greet me. "Luna, thanks for bringing her. I've got it from here."

Luna squeezed my shoulder in a supportive way, then left me with the doctor who would tell me what I already knew.

"So," Dr. Sarah said gently, pointing to an exam table. "Kane says you might be pregnant. When was your last period?"

The medical question made it easier to answer. "Ten weeks ago. I took a test two weeks ago, and it was positive."

"And the father?"

I got nervous. "My ex. Alpha Nathaniel Blackthorne of Crescent Moon pack."

Dr. Sarah didn't show if she knew the name or judged me. "I see. And the mate bond? Kane said it was over."

"He dumped me. In front of everyone. Six weeks ago." It still hurts to say, like admitting I failed.

Dr. Sarah's eyes softened. "That must have hurt really bad, mostly if you were already carrying a child."

"I didn't know until later." It just came out. "He dumped me, kicked me out, and I found out the next day."

"Did you tell him?"

"No." I held my stomach. "He made his choice. I made mine."

Dr. Sarah nodded, writing on her tablet. "Okay. Let's do a checkup and an ultrasound. I want to see how the baby is doing and how you're handling being pregnant without a mate bond."

The checkup was careful but gentle. Dr. Sarah told me everything she was doing. When she showed the ultrasound, I gasped at the tiny shape on the screen.

"There's your baby," Dr. Sarah said softly, pointing to the small thing. "About eight weeks, like you said. Strong heartbeat, everything looks good."

I felt so relieved, I almost cried. "They're okay?"

"For now, yes." Dr. Sarah's voice changed, getting serious. "But Ella, I have to be honest about some worries. Ending a mate bond during pregnancy can cause problems. Your body is stressed and making hormones for a bond that's not there anymore."

I went from relieved to scared. "What kind of problems?"

"High blood pressure, early labor, and problems for the baby if the stress keeps going." Dr. Sarah turned to me. "Normally, we'd tell you to get counseling to fix the mate bond. But that's not an option for you."

"So what do I do?" I said quietly.

"Rest. Don't stress so much. Let yourself heal." Dr. Sarah stopped. "And think about if there's another way to balance your hormones."

"Another way?"

"A new mate bond. Eventually. When you're ready." She held up her hand before I could say anything. "I'm not saying you should hurry. But your body needs the balance that a mate bond gives. Without it, you and the baby are at risk."

It hung in the air. Find a new mate. Replace Nathaniel. Pick someone to be the dad this kid needs.

Someone like Kane, who offered to protect me without wanting anything back.

"I can't think about that now," I said, shaking. "I just need to keep this baby safe."

"That's smart." Dr. Sarah printed some ultrasound photos. "But Ella, don't wait too long. The longer you're without a stable bond, the bigger the risks."

I looked at the blurry pictures of my baby, so small and needing me to make the right calls. Calls I didn't know how to make.

Someone knocked, and we both looked up. Kane was at the door, looking worried. "Dr. Sarah, you wanted to see me?"

"Come in, Alpha." Dr. Sarah invited him in. "I was just talking to Ella about her situation."

Kane looked at me, and I saw real worry. "Is everything okay? The baby?"

"The baby is okay for now," Dr. Sarah said carefully. "But there are problems we need to fix. Problems from the ended mate bond."

Kane's jaw tightened. "What kind of problems?"

As Dr. Sarah told him about the medical risks, I watched Kane go from worried to serious. His hands turned into fists. When Dr. Sarah said I might need a new bond, his eyes flashed with something I couldn't read.

"What can I do?" he asked, and his voice made my heart skip. "How do I help her?"

"Now, just make sure she doesn't stress and that she rests and eats well." Dr. Sarah looked at both of us. "She'll need to make choices about her future."

Kane nodded, then turned to me. "Ella, can we talk? Alone?"

Dr. Sarah took the hint and gathered her stuff. "I'll leave you two alone. Ella, I want to see you next week for a checkup. And call me if you have any cramps, bleeding, or feel really nervous."

She left, and the room felt small with just Kane and me. He came closer, strong but not scary.

"I heard what she said," he started quietly. "About the risks. About what you might need."

"Kane, I can't think about finding a new mate. It's too soon, too hard—"

"I'm not asking you to." He held up his hands. "I just want you to know you have options. That you're not alone."

His kind words made me feel weak. "Why are you doing this? Why do you care about helping me?"

Kane's face changed, looking sad. "Because I know what it's like to lose someone you love. To feel like you can't do anything as they slip away."

"Your mate," I said softly, remembering what Luna said. "The one you lost."

"Lyra." He said her name like a prayer. "She died when she gave birth. Our son too. I was the Alpha of a strong pack, and I couldn't save the two people who mattered most." His voice broke a little. "I promised I'd never feel that weak again. If I could protect someone, I'd do anything."

His honesty made me feel sad. "Kane, I'm not Lyra."

"I know that." But his eyes said something else, like he saw her in me, my voice, and my situation. "But you need help. Someone I can save this time."

The word "save" made me shiver, but I ignored it. I needed to be protected. My baby needed to be safe. And Kane was offering both without wanting anything I wasn't ready to give.

"Thank you," I whispered. "For everything."

Kane slowly reached out, giving me time to move away, and tucked my hair behind my ear. It was gentle, almost like he was devoted. "I won't let anything happen to you, Ella. Or your baby. I promise."

I should have felt better, but his strong voice and the way his fingers stayed a bit too long made me worry about something I didn't want to think about yet.

"Kane?" Luna called from the hall. "We have a problem. Nathaniel Blackthorne is at our border."

My heart stopped. He came. After everything, after he dumped me and the divorce and me leaving, he came for me.

Kane looked dangerous. "How many wolves did he bring?"

"Just Beta Harrison and two guards. He wants to meet. Says it's important." Luna was at the door, looking serious. "He knows she's here, Kane. And he won't leave until he talks to her."

I touched my stomach. Nathaniel couldn't know I was pregnant. Not yet. Not when I was finally settling with my child.

"Tell him no," Kane said. "Ella's under my protection. He can't—"

"Let him come," I said, surprising them. "Let him say what he wants to say."

Kane turned to me, angry and worried. "Ella, you don't have to see him. Not after what he did."

"I know I don't." I stood up, feeling strong. "But I want to. I want him to see I'm not weak. That him dumping me didn't break me."

It tasted like a lie, but I needed to think about it. I needed Nathaniel to think about it.

"Are you sure?" Luna asked.

I thought about the ultrasound in my pocket, about my baby needing me to be strong. About Dr. Sarah's warnings about stress.

I thought about Nathaniel's face when he dumped me, the coldness in his voice when he called our love fake.

"I'm sure," I said, stronger than I felt. "Let him come. Let him see what he lost."

Kane watched me, then nodded. "Okay. But I'm staying with you. And if he upsets you, he's gone."

His protectiveness should have made me feel safe. Instead, I wondered what I was trading for Nathaniel dumping me.

But as we went downstairs to see the man who hurt me, I let it go. I had bigger things to worry about than Kane.

I had to see the father of my child and make him think I moved on.

Even if I knew I never would.