Two weeks had passed since the day everything fell apart and then slowly began to realign.

The pack house had returned to its usual rhythm, though tension still lurked in the corners—especially between Damon and Talia.

Talia had moved into one of the private guest rooms, far from Damon’s wing, and although she no longer avoided him, their conversations remained short, civil, and heavily guarded.

Every morning, Damon made sure to check in.

“Do you need anything?” he would ask.

And every morning she would reply, “No. The baby and I are fine.”

But she didn’t shut him out completely—not anymore. She let him accompany her to the healer’s appointments,...