Chapter 7 Shattered Ice

Selene

I left the café earlier than planned, a wave of dizziness washing over me without warning. I needed to get home—now.

The drive back to our rented cabin felt interminable. By the time I pushed open the front door, my hands were trembling slightly.

“Mom?” I called out, steadying myself against the doorframe.

My mother looked up from her design sketches spread across our small dining table, her creative sanctuary since taking the position as creative director at the local design studio.

Her eyes narrowed instantly as she registered the drop in temperature that always accompanied my emotional distress.

“Selene? What happened?” She was already on her feet.

I shook my head, making my way to my bedroom. I sank onto the edge of my bed, feeling the mattress dip beneath me as she sat beside me moments later.

“Vortend is coming to the Winter Moonlight Ball,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

Mother’s sharp intake of breath disturbed the delicate frost patterns forming on my bedside lamp. “That’s impossible. He would never come to Mist Mountain Pack. Our packs have been enemies for generations.”

“Alpha Archer confirmed it himself.” I rubbed my arms. “The Black Pine Pack has accepted the invitation.”

“Darling,” Mother’s voice softened as she took my hands in hers. “You need to stay away from Alpha Archer. He may seem kind, but there’s always been something... calculating about him.”

I sighed, looking out the window at the mist that perpetually shrouded the valley. “We’ve only heard those rumors from our old pack. He’s given us sanctuary when we needed it most.”

“Just be careful,” she insisted. “And we absolutely must avoid any contact with Vortend. In your condition...”

She didn’t need to finish. The severed mate bond was already causing me enough pain. Seeing him again could be catastrophic for my health, especially during pregnancy.

“Vivian told me something else,” I confessed, meeting her worried gaze. “Vortend knows I was pregnant.”

Mother’s expression tightened. “Do you think he’s looking for you?”

“I don’t know.” I remembered the sensation of being watched when we’d considered leaving the country. “But it’s a possibility.”

“Your ice abilities have been a blessing in disguise,” Mother observed thoughtfully. “When your emotions are unstable, the frost masks your scent as an Alpha mate. Even Archer couldn’t sense your true identity when he first met you.”

I nodded, but kept my deeper fears to myself. My health was deteriorating faster than I let on.

The hollow coldness inside me had been growing since Vortend severed our bond, expanding as my pregnancy progressed.

Later that afternoon, I sent Vivian an encrypted message, asking her to call when she had privacy. When my phone finally vibrated, I answered immediately.

“Tell me everything,” I demanded without preamble.

Vivian’s voice came through clear. “I don’t understand it either. Why would Vortend suddenly decide to attend a formal event at Mist Mountain? The packs have been hostile for decades.”

“If Vortend is attending,” Vivian continued, “I could come with Jason. We could see each other.”

“That’s too dangerous,” my mother interjected, having silently entered the room.

“I’ll be careful,” Vivian promised. “I miss you, Selene. And I need to see for myself that you’re alright.”

The Market was bustling with activity as twilight settled over the valley. I meandered through the crowds, selecting ingredients for dinner to distract myself from my churning thoughts.

My attention caught on a particularly beautiful winter apple, its skin a striking silver-red gradient.

I couldn’t help remembering Vortend after his morning runs, sweaty and disheveled, dark hair falling across his forehead as he bit into an apple just like this one. His dark gold eyes would be bright with exertion, alive with energy...

Several months had passed, yet he appeared in my thoughts daily.

“We meet again, Selene.”

The mist around me suddenly thickened, coalescing into a definite shape. I looked up to see Alpha Archer emerging from the fog, his tall figure commanding attention despite his casual attire.

“Alpha Pierce,” I acknowledged, lowering the apple. “Good evening.”

“Please, just Archer when we’re not in formal settings,” he smiled, his gray eyes warming. “What a fortunate coincidence.”

I nodded politely, preparing to excuse myself, when his hand settled on my arm. An uncomfortable sensation crept up my spine as the thin mist began swirling slowly around us.

“I apologize if I startled you,” he said, releasing my arm. “I saw you from across the market and called out, but you seemed deep in thought. I wondered if you might join me for dinner?”

His fingers lightly brushed my shoulder in a gesture that felt odd.

I glanced around, noticing several pack members watching us with interest. Refusing the Alpha’s invitation would cause unnecessary attention.

“That would be lovely,” I replied, calculating how I could use this opportunity to politely decline the ball invitation. “Thank you.”

The interior of Archer’s car was suffused with a faint mist that seemed to emanate from him naturally.

As he started the engine, he asked, “What kind of music do you enjoy?”

“Classical,” I answered without thinking—a preference I had shared with Vortend during our years together.

He selected Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, the haunting melody filling the space between us. Leaning across to help with my seatbelt, his arm brushed against my chest. We both froze at the contact, our eyes meeting in the dim light.

Archer’s eyes briefly flashed misty white before returning to their normal gray. He quickly averted his gaze, completing the task of buckling my seatbelt, but I could hear his heartbeat accelerate.

The small space felt charged with a tension I couldn’t quite define.

“Which pack did you come from originally?” he asked as we pulled away from the market. “Melanie mentioned a small northern pack, but you carry yourself like someone from an elite one.”

I kept my expression neutral. “I spent time in the city for my education. Harvard and the social circles there probably rubbed off on me.”

He nodded, seemingly accepting this explanation, but the question unsettled me. Were they beginning to suspect my true identity?

Perhaps it was time to leave this pack, especially with Vortend’s impending arrival. I unconsciously placed a protective hand over my belly, feeling a faint response from the twins.

“You’re safe here,” Archer said quietly, reaching over to cover my hand with his own.

I was surprised when he didn’t flinch from my cold skin. “I know you’re running from someone in your past. You don’t have to talk about it, but I want you to know that you’re protected in Mist Mountain Pack.”

His misty tendrils gently curled around my wrist, feeling more like protection than threat.

“I apologize for prying about your origins,” he continued, his voice gentle yet firm. “I won’t ask again.”

I smiled softly, looking down at his large hand covering mine. “Thank you,” I whispered.

Even though he appears extremely friendly and enthusiastic, I still can’t fully trust him—this is a mother’s vigilance.

"My mother fell ill recently," Archer began, his voice laced with uncharacteristic vulnerability. "I’ve tried delegating the Winter Ball’s decorations to others, but their ideas lack... vision. With so many Alphas attending, this must be perfect. You—you understand what’s at stake."

The plea hung between us, wrapped in the unspoken truth: as the Alpha who’d granted me sanctuary, he’d left me no real choice.

I exhaled through gritted teeth. "...Fine." My nod was surrender, not agreement.