Vireya's POV
The news changed everything.
I walked home in a daze, each step heavy with the weight of something too vast to hold. I didn’t know whether to be happy or terrified. My body had become a vessel of life, but my soul carried the mark of death. I was caught between two tides.
Zevarion was pacing outside the house, his eyes wild with worry. He had returned early from his hunt and found me gone.
“Vireya!” he rushed to me, gripping my arms gently, scanning my face. “Where were you?”
I forced a smile through the numbness clinging to me like frost. “I’m… pregnant, Zev.”
For a heartbeat, he just stared. Then laughter. A raw, uninhibited sound burst from his chest as he hugged me and swept me off my feet. His arms wrapped around me with such joy.
“I’m going to be a father?” he whispered, eyes shining with wonder.
I nodded, and the tears that had gathered finally spilled. I laughed through them, letting the moment lift me.
He carried me inside like I was made of glass and set me dow
