The woman called Celeste shook her head frantically, cradling her belly. "No, my Luna, Celeste knows nothing of such things. It was the Heir who looked after Celeste all along."
"Before he left the capital, the Heir promised he would give Celeste a proper place when he returned. But the date has passed and he hasn't come back. My time is nearly here, and I'm terrified."
"I beg the Heir's mate to be generous. Give this pup a birthright."
"The baby I carry is the Heir's firstborn son. He cannot be left outside the Shadowmere Pack."
"Unless my Luna, unable to bear pups herself, refuses to let any other she-wolf give the Heir an heir. Do you mean to let the Shadowmere bloodline end?"
Her words set the gathered wolves buzzing, low murmurs rippling through the crowd like hackles rising along a spine.
"Well, it's true. The Heir's been mated for years and there's still no pup. His mate, not so much as a whisper of a pregnancy."
"You can't just let the Shadowmere name die out."
"I heard the Heir's mate hasn't even presented him with a chosen companion. Jealous type, if you ask me."