Chapter 70

Suddenly Elroy's eyes darkened, his jaw tightening as he spoke. "That plan will only be an option if everyone is alive," he said. A chill ran down my spine at his words.

I couldn’t deny the feeling of power that had radiated off him in waves when he first arrived, or the way I was certain his aura could have killed me if he didn’t control it quickly. If I’d felt like that, what had the other, weaker wolves felt?

"Elroy," I asked, pulling back from him, “how do you have so much aura? It's at least twice as strong as anything I've ever felt before. My mom was considered one of the strongest Alphas in Lunaris and she didn’t come close to that.”

He visibly flinched at my question, averting his gaze, and instantly I went on alert. It didn’t feel like I’d kicked a landmine, per se, but this was obviously a sore subject and I didn’t understand why. The muscles in Elroy’s shoulders tensed, and I could see the internal struggle playing out on his face.

Please don’t lie to me, I thought. I was terrified he was going to try to hide whatever this was—it was obvious he was never going to mention it if I didn’t, so this was probably my only chance to find out.

After a long moment, he met my eyes again. He looked anxious, and a little guilty. My heart began to race.

Elroy took a deep breath. "There was a prophecy."

The world screeched to a halt around me as those four words hung in the air. The prophecy. Was he finally telling me about the prophecy?

"A prophecy about what?" I asked, my voice trembling slightly.

Elroy's expression was pained as he began to explain. "About the strongest Alpha to ever be born,” he said. “It was why my father was so desperate to keep my mother when he hated her so much.”

“Elroy, what are you saying?” I asked, my ears ringing. I should have felt excited to finally be getting my answers, and to some degree I was, but more than anything else I was anxious. We had finally gotten things cleared up between us—was it going to crumble already?

I listened, transfixed, as he continued. "In the prophecy, it’s said that the strongest Alpha would be born when Eclipse and Moonshadow bloodlines found each other again. My father wasn’t the only Alpha who ever kept a Moonshadow mistress, trying to make it come true.”

“Elroy—“ I choked, terrified, but he cut me off.

“Please, let me—let me finish,” he begged, looking at his lap. “It’s hard for me to talk about.”

I let my mouth slip closed, and kept my questions locked behind my teeth.

“My father—and his father, and his father—did terrible things to create this prophecy child. It was why we hid my early presentation for as long as we could, so he wouldn’t know my true strength. We knew he’d created me to be a tool, but at the time we didn’t know what he planned to use me for.”

My thoughts were a whirlwind, pieces slowly slotting into place. A child of Moonshadow and Eclipse, with an exceptional power—Elroy fit the bill. I’d been so focused on the possibility of my baby being the one the prophecy meant that I hadn’t even considered the idea that the prophecy child might have already been born.

“I know I should have told you, but…I didn’t want to scare you, Olivia,” Elroy continued, still unable to look me in the eye. “I didn’t want you to think I was some dangerous animal, or some ultra-powerful being.

“You were the first person in years who looked at me and didn’t see either of those things. I didn’t know how much it weighed on me until I met you, and then I couldn’t give it up. I’m so sorry for hiding this from you, but I promise it doesn’t change anything.

“I’m still Elroy, still your husband and Mate. I promise, I’m just a person.”

He finally glanced up at me, but I was too busy processing to say a word. For the second time in the last twenty-four hours, I could feel my worldview somersault. I’d been thinking about it all wrong this whole time.

Elroy wasn’t trying to fulfill the prophecy, he was the prophecy.

The implications of this hit me like a tidal wave. Our meeting, my unexpected pregnancy, my ascension to Luna - none of it had been driven by some mystical prophecy or convoluted plan. Elroy had slept with me because he wanted to, not because I was Moonshadow.

He picked me. Unrelated to anything else, he picked me.

“So our baby…” I murmured, placing my hand over my stomach.

“Is normal!” Elroy said quickly. “Or, well, a little stronger than most with how much nourishment they need, but my mom said it’s nothing like it was with me. It’s about what she’d normally expect for the child of two strong wolves, nothing more.”

I stared up at him. Did…was he completely unaware that this prophecy could apply to me and our baby too?

“Elroy,” I said. “I was Moonshadow when we met.”

It took him a second, but the way his face dropped when he realized what I was saying told me he hadn’t even considered it. Weirdly enough, that was a relief.

“That’s not why—I didn’t know who you were, that first night!” he swore, grasping for my hands. “I only figured it out the next morning from the engagement ring, I swear. And once I knew it became obvious what perfect Luna material you were, and—"

He looked horrified, and in spite of myself I had to smile a little—not because he was panicking, but because he thought I was important enough to be worth his panic. And not just because of the baby in my belly.

“Okay,” I cut him off. “I believe you.” He stared at me, eyes wide and frantic.

“You do?” he asked, leaning in.

“I do,” I smiled. I watched as the weight of the world seemed to fall off Elroy’s shoulders, and he pulled me in for another embrace even though he looked like he didn’t quite believe it yet.

“No more hiding things,” I said, relaxing into him. “You have no idea how worried I’ve been.”

“About…about what?” Elroy asked, confused. I chuckled, realizing the disconnect.

“About the prophecy,” I said. “Rita told me about it, so I thought…” Elroy rumbled out a low growl.

“Fucking Rita,” he hissed. “Why didn’t you ask?”

“We barely knew each other,” I shrugged, closing my eyes and just enjoying his presence. “I thought you were a call boy until you showed up at my wedding, and you’ve gotta admit, ‘be my Luna or give birth in prison’ wasn’t a great pick up line.”

I felt more than saw the way Elroy cringed back. I’d decided to forgive him for those words, but clearly he still held it against himself. (Selfishly, that made me a little bit glad.)

“I’m still so, so sorry,” he said guiltily. I just hummed.

“I know,” I said. “You told me why it happened, and I’ve forgiven you. Not forgotten, not condoned, but I’ve decided to move past it.”

Elroy sighed heavily, leaning further into me. “What did I do to deserve you?” he asked, more to himself than to me.

I opened my mouth to speak, to tell Elroy how much he meant to me, how relieved I felt. But before I could utter a word, the flap of the hut rustled, and Fay stepped inside. The serious expression on her face made my words die in my throat.

My elation dropped into my stomach so fast it was dizzying. As impossible as it felt, I had to try to shelf this conversation with Elroy for the one we were about to have with Fay, because from the look on her face it wasn't going to be easy.