ANMELDENChad's POV My heart completely stopped. Had something terrible happened to my mate upstairs? Had he been shot while I was down here fighting? Was I standing in front of his actual spirit?! “Danny, if that's really you...” My voice broke, tears burning my eyes. “Please... please don't be dead.” The figure remained silent for one long, agonizing second. Then, a sweet, exasperated voice spoke from beneath the bedsheet. “Happy Halloween, I guess.” I froze. The figure reached up with both hands and yanked the bedsheet off. Messy blonde hair. Brilliant blue eyes. Pink pajamas. Teddy-bear slippers. My heavily pregnant husband stood before me, holding a black 9mm handgun, his massive belly making it physically impossible for him to look even remotely intimidating. Except he had just put a bullet straight through Cassian Lucien’s chest. I stared at him, completely speechless. Danny offered a small, sheepish smile. “Hi, honey.” I couldn't speak. I looked at my husband. Then at Cass
Chad’s POV I ducked behind an overturned mahogany table as heavy automatic rounds tore through the entryway. “Take cover!” I roared over the noise. Noah was crouched a few feet away behind a marble pillar, returning fire with lethal, surgical precision. The estate was under full-scale siege. Not by some pathetic street gang trying to make a name for themselves, but by our primary syndicate rivals. The Luciens had finally come for blood. I leaned out, firing three rapid rounds at an operative trying to cross the foyer, watching him crumple before turning my sights toward the main doors. My jaw clenched tight. Cassian Lucien stood among the vanguard. The last surviving son of the Lucien empire. I had personally executed his brothers—one by one, we had systematically dismantled his bloodline, and now he had brought a mercenary army to return the favor. Cassian raised his assault rifle, his face twisted in pure, unadulterated hatred. “You will all die tonight for what you did to m
Danny’s POV The moment Chad stepped out into the chaotic, flashing corridor, I turned around and locked the bedroom door behind him. My heart was pounding against my ribs so violently I could hear the pulse thrumming in my ears. Outside, the deafening rattle of automatic weapons fire and heavy breaching charges echoed straight through the estate's concrete structure. Every sudden explosion made my shoulders flinch, and I instinctively wrapped both of my hands over the enormous curve of my bump, shielding my boys. “Please be safe, my husband,” I whispered into the dark, quiet room. I didn't know how many syndicate operatives had invaded our home. I didn't know whether Chad and Noah had enough tactical support to drive them off. All I knew with absolute certainty was that I was utterly terrified. But sitting passively in this bedroom, wringing my hands, waiting for someone to burst through the door and tell me my Alpha was dead? Absolutely not. I turned toward the master wardrob
Chad’s POV I watched Danny’s breathing slow down, the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest steadying as he finally surrendered to pure exhaustion. He was curled up in the very center of the nest I had built for him, his delicate fingers still loosely clutching the collar of my flannel shirt against his cheek. Wrapped in my cedar scent, his face looked so soft, so completely at peace, that I couldn't stop the quiet smile tugging at my lips. I reached out, gently tucking the soft velvet blanket higher over his shoulders to make sure his round bump was completely warm and comfortable. God, I loved this man. I had spent the vast majority of my life firmly believing that the only things worth protecting in this world were the assets I could physically control—my empire, my territory, my weapons, and my family name. I had learned to solve every single problem with money, lethal threats, and swift violence long before I ever comprehended what it truly meant to be loved. Then Danny had s
Danny's POV "I don't have a remote control for them, Chad!" Chad pulled back slightly, looking up at my belly with a comical frown. "Well, tell them their father is down here waiting to feel another one." I burst into a fit of bright laughter. "You are absurd!" He leaned back in, pressing a soft, lingering kiss right over my belly button through the silk. "Come on, boys. Give your father another little sign." I stood there in the quiet hallway, looking down at my dangerous, feared husband kneeling on the floor, softly pleading with our unborn triplets to kick his hand again. If anyone had told me months ago that this lethal mafia boss would be doing this, I would have laughed in their face. And yet, here we were. I loved him so deeply it physically ached in my chest. Chad slowly stood up, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me into a warm, secure hug. He pressed a sweet kiss to my lips. "Thank you for sharing that with me, love." I blinked up at him, smiling soft. "
Danny's POV She made it crystal clear that no one was going to push me into doing anything physically dangerous while carrying my babies. I appreciated that boundary far more than I was willing to admit out loud. When she moved on to discussing defensive explosives and perimeter breaches, she focused entirely on situational awareness—recognizing tactical threats, understanding blast radii, and knowing when to delegate heavy demolition work to trained operatives. After a while, as we stood near the tactical displays, a quiet question that had been weighing on my mind all day finally slipped out. "Granny?" Granny turned her head toward me. "Yes, my puppy?" I rested my hand over my bump, looking at the complex maps. "Does... does being the Godmother mean I have to physically do every violent thing myself?" Granny studied my face for a quiet moment, her expression softening into something surprisingly gentle. "No, Danny." I blinked. "No?" "True leadership is never a







