BloodMoon: Captivated by the Forbidden Lycan Alpha
Chapter 276: YOUR PUPS, I WANT THEM

Chapter 276: YOUR PUPS, I WANT THEM

{"Born of fur and fire, a shifter pup is not just a child; they are a legacy waiting to awaken."}

The room was dimly lit, the only glow coming from the moonlight that streamed in through the curtains. We lay side by side in her bed, the warmth of her skin pressed against mine beneath the light covers. The silence was soft, comforting the kind of quiet that did not demand to be filled. Elle’s head rested against my chest, her fingers slowly tracing the old scar along my ribs. I was not sure if she even realized she was doing it, but it grounded me.

I exhaled slowly. "I never thought I would be here again. Not like this."

Her voice was gentle. "With someone in your arms?"

"No," I said quietly. "With someone who made me feel... alive."

She lifted her head slightly, looking at me with those steel eyes that always seemed to see too much. "Tell me."

I hesitated, the words catching in my throat. Then I let them spill, because if there was anyone who deserved to hear the truth, it was her.

"After the death of my wife... a part of me shut down. I focused on duty. Raising Rita. Protecting the realm. I did not have the time or heart for anything else. And when Rita’s mother passed too, I told myself that was it. That I had lived the life I was meant to live, and that love was not in the cards for me anymore."

Her hand found mine beneath the sheets, fingers lacing with mine.

"I made peace with it," I continued. "Or at least, I thought I had. Until you."

A soft laugh escaped her lips, half-teasing. "Me, with all my chaos and sharp edges?"

I turned my head toward her, brushing her hair from her face. "You’re the only storm I’ve ever wanted to stand in without armor."

She did not speak, but the way her breath caught, the way her fingers squeezed mine it said everything.

"My beast knew you before I did," I murmured. "He recognized you. Choose you. And for the first time in years, I did not fight him."

"I’m not afraid of your past," she said, voice low. "Or your pain. I just want your truth."

I brought her hand to my lips and kissed it. "The truth is... I did not expect the Moon Goddess to bless me with a second chance. Especially not someone younger. Fierce. Brilliant. But she did. And I would be a fool to question it now."

"You’re not a fool, Rou," she whispered. "You’re mine."

I pulled her closer, wrapping my arms around her like I could keep the world out just a little longer. Her scent, her heartbeat, the quiet strength in her presence. It was the first time in years I felt safe.

"I promise I won’t waste this," I said into her hair.

"You won’t," she replied. "We won’t."

And in that bed, tangled in each other and something far deeper than lust or fate, I let myself believe.

"Rou," she said, without looking up. Just my name, spoken quietly and sure. That was her way: no wasted breath, no flinching.

I grunted, settling down on the other side of the fire, shaking the wet from my hair.

She turned to me then, her dark eyes catching the firelight. There was something unreadable in them. Do not worry. Not battle-planning. Something softer. But deeper.

"I’ve been thinking," she said. "About pups."

I blinked. "Pups?"

"Having them," she said. "With you."

The silence that followed was sharp. I felt it in my chest like a blade pressed flat against bone.

I laughed, awkward, abrupt. "Are you serious?"

She did not flinch. "I wouldn’t have said it if I weren’t."

I stared at her. I had faced down nightwalkers, wraiths, and a stone-skinned berserker that nearly tore my spine in half. None of that had rattled me like this.

"You want pups?" I said, Slow, careful. "With me?"

"Yes," she said. "With you, Rou."

I shook my head, trying to make sense of it. "Elle... you are young. Strong. You could have a dozen warriors fall at your feet if you wanted."

"I don’t want them," she said simply. "I want you."

I swallowed hard. "You know how old I am. You know what I have done. What am I? I have lived through wars you have only read about. I am not the kind of male you raise pups with. I am the kind you send out to keep monsters away from the den."

"You are the den," she said, her voice soft but sure. "You’re the place I feel safe."

I stared at her like she had just said the stars were burning in reverse. "Elle..."

"I don’t care how old you are," she said. "I have seen the way you look at the little ones when we pass through the villages. You pretend not to, but I see it. The way your whole body goes still. Like you do not think you are allowed to want it."

I did not know what to say. No one had ever said things like that to me. No one had ever looked at me and seen something worth trusting with a child.

I ran a hand through my hair, the edges of my claws catching the braid at my nape. "You think I could be a father?"

"I know you could." She leaned forward, brushing her fingers against mine. "If you want it."

Did I?

The idea had always felt distant. Something for younger men. Softer men. But now it was here in the firelight, in her eyes, and I could feel it blooming inside my chest. Raw. Unexpectedly.

"I... don’t know if I deserve that kind of peace," I said.

"You don’t have to deserve it," she murmured. "You just have to choose it."

And stars help me, I wanted to. I wanted to see her belly round with life, to teach our pups how to track the wind and read the bones. To build something that lasts longer than war. She wanted me not despite who I was, but because of it.

"I’m not sure I know how," I whispered.

"We’ll figure it out," she said. "Together."

The fire was dying down to embers. Elle slept beside me, her breathing slow and steady, her body warm beneath the blanket we shared. She slept like someone who trusted me. That alone was enough to unravel every defence I had ever built.

But sleep eluded me, and I could not shut my eyes, not with her words still echoing in my chest.

Do you want to have pups with me?

It should have been simple, a question, a soft thing whispered between mates, but for me, it was a lightning strike. I stared at the ceiling of the cave, my hands folded over my stomach, claws retracted, the beast inside me oddly quiet. ? By the moons, I had not let myself think about that in decades. Not since I learned what happened to things I cared about. I used to believe that Rita and Ralph were the only legacy I could leave behind. But now, I saw them. Little ones. One with her fire, one with my eyes. Tiny things with sharp little teeth and stubborn jaws. Crawling over my back in the evenings. Clinging to Elle’s braid. Learning how to track by scent. Learning how to fight, not because they had to, but because I would be there to teach them.

Stars help me, I wanted that life again and that terrified me. I turned my head, looking at Elle. Even in sleep, she looked resolute. There was a strength in her that went deeper than battle strategy. She had chosen me, knowing exactly what I was. Knowing how old I was.

And still, she wanted to build something with me, and the word "Mate" curled around my ribs like a living thing. It hurt, but not in the way pain used to. It was hope and a lifetime of good things. I exhaled, long and slow, then reached over and gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She did not stir. But I whispered it, anyway, barely audible even to my ears.

"I think I want them too."

I ran a hand over my face, exhaling slowly, my chest tight with something unfamiliar. Not fear. Not exactly. But something close. Hope. That old, dangerous thing. If I were going to ask her to build a life with me, to carry our pups, to trust me with a future, I had to give her more than just want. I had to give her respect and take her to the mountains. To the stone ridge where the Rogourau elders still gathered in smoke-thick halls. I had not been there in decades, but tradition still mattered. And she deserved that.

She deserved to be honoured. Introduced before the ancient fires. Recognized as my mate in the old way, with my name given beside hers. They would see her, this fierce human commander with eyes like wildfire, and they would know I did not bring her as some token of peace. I brought her because she was my home.

The sheets rustled behind me. I turned. She was blinking sleep from her eyes, mouth curved in that faint, lazy smile she only wore before her mind clicked back into soldier mode.

"You’re brooding," she said, voice low and hoarse from sleep.

I smiled before I meant to. "Thinking."

"Dangerous."

"For me."

She sat up, rubbing her eyes, her bare shoulder brushing mine. "About what?"

I looked at her. Looked. And I felt the weight of the moment settle into something solid.

"I want to take you to the mountains," I said. "To meet the Rogourau elders. To introduce you. As my mate."

She blinked; whatever drowsiness remained vanished in an instant. "You’re serious?"

"Deadly." I paused, then added quietly, "It is our way. A sign of respect. Of permanence."

A beat of silence passed, and then her fingers slid through mine under the covers, warm and steady.

"I would like to go, see, and meet your people. "