The hall had barely returned to normal after the Seer's chilling words when a quiet tension lingered like fog.
Kael, though only five, stood unusually still, small hands clutching the hem of his father's cloak. The warmth he had felt earlier—the soft thread of life reaching toward him—was still vivid in his senses. Even at his age, his wolf stirred instinctively, attuned to the tiny heartbeat within the woman's womb.
The Seer had said something then that no one else fully understood.
"The child you carry… will be his mate."
The words had seemed simple, almost gentle, but they resonated like thunder through the Great Hall.
Kael didn't understand the meaning of "mate," not fully—not yet—but his instincts did. That tiny life inside the womb was no ordinary child. It was… connected to him in a way that made the air itself vibrate.
Over the following months, Kael's parents watched the child Alpha transform. He no longer played idly among the younger wolves. His mind, even at five, was sharpened by instinct and prophecy.
But it was his connection to the unborn girl that surprised everyone.
Whenever the pregnant woman passed through the halls, Kael would appear from nowhere, tiny hands outstretched, as if he could somehow reach into her belly and guard what was inside.
"Stay close to me," he whispered once, pointing a small finger at the bump. "No one will touch you."
His parents exchanged uneasy glances. True Blood Alphas were dangerous when their instincts drove them—but this… this was different. There was no aggression. Only protectiveness, fierce and unwavering.
The elders, still uneasy after the Seer's prophecy, whispered among themselves.
"That child is… unnatural," one muttered. "Even for a True Blood Alpha."
"Or fated," another replied. "The prophecy did not say he would destroy, only that she will bind him. Watch how he clings to her now. Even at five years old, he understands something we do not."
And Kael did understand.
He watched the bump as if it were a treasure, an extension of his own being. When the woman shifted in her chair, Kael darted forward before anyone else could react, crouching protectively.
"No one… will hurt you," he murmured.
The other children in the pack stared from the corners of the hall, whispering and laughing nervously. But Kael ignored them entirely. His world had shrunk to a single heartbeat, a single life that seemed to echo within his own.
His mother, watching from behind, touched his shoulder gently. "Kael… you're too young to feel so strongly."
He turned his dark, piercing eyes on her, and for a moment, she thought she glimpsed the weight of centuries in a five-year-old's gaze.
"I'm not too young," he said quietly. "I can protect her. I have to."
Even the adults felt a chill. The Seer had said the next time he would return would not be when they wished, but when fate demanded it. And now… Kael's bond with the girl had already begun long before birth.
A tiny thread of destiny had woven itself around him, subtle but unbreakable. And whether the packs liked it or not, the future was already being written—one heartbeat at a time.
The living room of the merged packs was unusually quiet that afternoon. Sunlight filtered through the high windows, casting golden streaks across the polished floor. Wolves lounged here and there—some sleeping, some pacing—while the elders discussed minor pack matters.
Kael, perched on the edge of a low chair, was restless. His small hands fidgeted with the hem of his tunic as his eyes continually drifted toward the pregnant woman, his mate in waiting, still seated calmly but with a faint smile tugging at her lips. His wolf stirred, uneasy. Something in the air was off.
Before anyone could voice it, the heavy wooden door creaked open.
A guard stepped in, his posture tense. "Alpha… Luna… there are two women at the gate. Rogue wolves. They're asking for shelter."
The room froze.
Rogue wolves rarely came here. The True Blood Alpha family was untouchable, their territory feared across the north, and yet here were intruders—bold enough to approach the pack's heart.
"Rogue women?" Kael's father's voice was calm but sharp. "Describe them."
"They… they appear unarmed. One of them is… pregnant," the guard said carefully, bowing slightly. "Same month as the Luna."
A murmur passed through the room. Even Kael's mother stiffened.
Kael's small brows furrowed. His wolf growled low in his chest, instinctively sensing the unborn life nearby. Another child, carrying the same bloodline timing… but not hers.
"Let them in," the Alpha said finally, though his tone carried caution. "Hesitantly. Assign them chores—maids. Nothing more."
The guard nodded and returned moments later, guiding the two women into the room.
The first, a tall woman with dark hair pulled back into a loose braid, walked with cautious grace, her eyes flicking nervously from one wolf to another. The second woman, rounder and noticeably pregnant, held her belly protectively, her gaze never leaving the ground.
Kael watched every movement. His instincts flared, small claws tightening against the chair. Something about them was… wrong.
They bowed deeply when they reached the center of the room.
"Please," the taller one said. "We only ask for shelter. Just a place to rest for a few days."
Kael's mother studied them silently, then nodded reluctantly. "You may stay. But… you will follow our rules. You will work as maids, and you will not roam freely."
"Yes, Luna," the women chorused.
Kael's father's gaze was sharper. "Any disobedience, and the punishment will be severe. Remember, you are guests in a True Blood Alpha home. Do not forget your place."
The women inclined their heads, and the guard immediately led them toward the service quarters.
Kael's small figure rose, and before anyone could stop him, he walked toward them. His dark eyes, even at five, were unwavering.
"You're not supposed to touch anything in here," he said softly but firmly. His wolf growled low. "And stay away from her."
The pregnant rogue froze. A flicker of fear passed over her face. Kael's tiny hand hovered instinctively toward his chest, though he was too young to understand why—his instincts alone knew this was his territory, and his mate.
Kael's mother stepped forward, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Kael, remember your manners," she said quietly. But even she felt the subtle warning in her son's presence—the way his aura flared ever so slightly, a reminder that even at five, he was no ordinary child.
The women were taken away, but Kael's gaze never left them. His wolf stirred uncomfortably. That unborn child—like his mate in waiting—was a thread of danger and fate, and he would protect his own at any cost.
Even before he fully understood, Kael knew one thing: these strangers were not here by chance. And their arrival would change everything.