Chapter 2

The ultrasound screen glowed in the dim exam room, and this time, after years the doctor’s smile actually reached her eyes.

“Eight weeks,” Sadie said, tilting the monitor so Daphne could see. “And definitely holding strong.”

Daphne stared at the flickering image, her fingers digging into the plastic arms of the chair until her knuckles ached. Eight weeks felt like a fever dream. After two devastating losses that had both ended at six weeks, this felt like a life borrowed from someone else. She almost wanted someone to pinch her. This couldn’t really be happening, could it?

“In your previous pregnancies, your body started rejecting them early,” Sadie’s gentle voice was comforting. “But your hormone levels are solid this time. No bleeding, no signs of distress. You’re doing remarkably well, Daphne.”

Sadie had been her doctor for nearly three years now, and the only real human friend she had left in this world. She would never sugarcoat anything, especially when it came to her pregnancy.

“So, it’s really going to stay this time?” Daphne’s throat was parchment dry.

Sadie hesitated, a pause that made Daphne’s heart skip a beat, but then the doctor gave a firm nod. “Nothing is ever a hundred percent certain, especially with wolf pregnancies, but this is the strongest development I’ve seen from you.”

Daphne let out a shaky breath, her hand instinctively hovering over her flat stomach. Her baby was still alive, growing.

“And there’s something else,” Sadie adjusted the probe.

Daphne forced her eyes back to the screen.

“There are two heartbeats. Both fast, both strong.”

For a second, the words didn't compute. When they finally did, Daphne’s eyes snapped wide. “What?” she rasped.

Sadie’s smile widened, warm and a little emotional. “You’re carrying twins, Daphne.”

Twins. Not just one fragile miracle, but two?

A broken, tearful laugh slipped from Daphne’s lips as joy flooded her chest. Her eyes burned while she stared at the two tiny pulsing lights on the screen. “That can’t be right, I could barely manage one before.”

“Sometimes the body surprises us,” Sadie folded her arms. “You did it, Daphne. You’re going to be a mother.”

Daphne wiped her eyes, nodding even as fear and joy fought for space in her chest. She spent so long bracing for another loss that she didn’t quite know how to hold onto this kind of hope.

Outside the clinic, the warm afternoon sun brushed against her skin as Daphne walked slowly toward the waiting car. One hand stayed pressed to her stomach the entire time, as if the babies might disappear if she let go. It still felt surreal.

Twins. Healthy, thriving twins. Storm would lose his mind.

For the first time in what felt like forever, the thought of telling him didn’t twist painfully in her chest. He would be shocked, maybe even speechless at first. Then that rare, crooked smile would break across his face, the one with the single dimple that always made her stomach flutter. He might pull her close, waist and all, and look at her like she mattered beyond their contract.

Maybe this was the turning point that would finally bring them closer, just like before.

Lost in the daydream, she didn't see the stranger until she walked straight into them.

“Oh! I’m sorry,” she gasped, stepping back.

The stranger was unremarkable, face partially hidden by a dark hood, but something about them felt off. Their presence felt like stepping into a freezer that aggressively chilled her bone.

“You dropped this,” the stranger murmured, pressing a folded slip of paper into her palm. Their fingers were icy against her skin.

“I didn’t—”

“Read it alone,” the masculine voice urged. “The wolves don't want what’s best for your future.”

Before she could ask what that meant, the figure melted into the crowd and vanished completely.

A shudder crawled down Daphne’s spine. She had heard stories about human radicals from the resistance sneaking around wolf territories, spreading warnings like this to cause problems between her kind and wolves.

Shaking her head, she slipped the note into her bag without opening it. Whatever it was, it could wait. Today was for her babies. She wasn’t going to let some stranger’s cryptic warning ruin this day.

Back at the estate, the kitchen felt cooler and comforting, stirring up some of her favorite memories.

Daphne rolled up her sleeves, moving around the kitchen with more life than she had felt in months. Vivi, the young maid who usually hovered nearby, appeared right away, ready to help as usual.

“Miss Daphne, you’re back! Let me assist—”

“No, it’s okay, Vivi,” Daphne said gently, touching the girl’s arm. “You’ve been working so hard lately. Why don’t you take the rest of the evening off? Treat yourself.”

Vivi hesitated, but eventually nodded with a grateful little curtsy. “If you’re sure… Thank you, miss.”

Once she was alone, Daphne let herself breathe and focus on the meal. She couldn’t risk Vivi's sharp eyes catching onto her secret yet.

Storm liked simple, hearty things after long days, nothing too fancy. She remembered the first time she cooked for him roasted vegetables, grilled meat with his favorite spice blend, and a simple chocolate cake.

He hadn’t said much, but he’d cleared his plate twice and then made love to her right there on the same table like a wild beast. That night felt like victory.

She worked carefully, plating everything beautifully on a glass tray to settle the flutter in her chest. When the small chocolate cake was ready, she picked up the icing tube, forcing her trembling fingers to stay steady.

She piped a single, hopeful sentence: WE’RE GROWING.

She paused, then added in smaller letters below: Not one, but two.

Daphne stepped back and stared at the words. Happy tears blurred her eyes. She didn't want to tell him with a medical report but with something made by her own hands.

She picked up her phone and stared at Storm’s name on the screen. Part of her wanted to call him right now, to hear his voice change when she shared the news. But she chewed her lip and set the phone down. Better to wait than bother him but she was getting too impatient and excited about seeing the look on his face when he read the cake.

She was wiping the last traces of icing from the counter when headlights swept across the kitchen window. Multiple cars, more than usual, pulled into the drive in a sleek black line.

Daphne’s heart lifted. He was back earlier than expected. Perfect timing.

“Storm…” she whispered, smiling softly as she carefully lifted the tray.

She stepped out of the kitchen just as the grand front doors swung open.

The entrance hall was alive with noise. Servants and staff were laughing, and their voices overlapped in excitement. People hurried back and forth carrying chilled champagne bottles and fresh flower arrangements. The energy felt electric, like the entire pack was celebrating something important.

With the tray wobbling in her hands, Daphne slowed her steps. A celebration was clearly underway, but no one told her anything. Not even Vivi, who usually kept her informed of everything. That was strange.

Storm always made it clear to the staff that she was to be informed and treated with the respect of Luna, especially when he wasn’t around. They weren’t married, but the authority he gave her made it feel close enough.

So why was she being ignored now?

Storm walked in and her breath paused the way it always did. He was commanding as ever, his dark hair perfectly windswept and his expensive suit tailored to his powerful frame. She didn’t remember him leaving the house with that last night but it didn't stop the butterflies in her stomach from taking vibrant flight, happy to see him.

Then she saw who was tucked against his side, and the butterflies died.

Elegant in a soft cream dress that hugged her curves with long black hair falling down her back like a dark waterfall was Katerina. She was clinging to Storm’s arm, pulling him close, while her free hand rested significantly over her own stomach.

Daphne clutched the tray so hard her knuckles turned white.

“Make way for the Alpha and his mate!”

Daphne went cold at the sound of that voice. Lady Morwen, Storm’s stepmother, walked forward in a flourish of diamonds and a fitting dress. She never liked Daphne, and the feeling was mutual. The woman found fault in everything from the meals Daphne ordered, the way she ran the household, even the clothes she wore. It was the reason Storm had moved his stepmother to a separate residence, to stop the constant criticism, especially about Daphne’s failed pregnancies.

Now, Morwen was back, and she looked triumphant. “Finally,” Morwen announced, her voice ringing through the hall delightfully. “I have great news to announce to everyone.”

The room fell quiet and all eyes focused solely on the couple.

“We welcome Katerina Balvini as the future Luna of Blood Shadow Pack,” Morwen said, her eyes gleaming with malice as they landed on Daphne, drinking in her shock. “And the mother of our Alpha’s true heir.”