LOGINChapter 152"They're both crying at the same time. How is that possible? They're not even coordinated about it."Ronan's voice carries a specific exhausted bewilderment as he paces the nursery with Kael, while I sit in the rocking chair attempting to nurse Ashira, both babies apparently having decided, three days into their new lives, that the middle of the night is prime time for simultaneous distress."Twins," I say, exhaustion coloring my voice despite my best efforts to stay patient. "This is apparently just going to be our reality for a while."Ryker appears in the doorway, having apparently just settled Landon back to sleep after his third check-in of the night our son having taken his sibling protection promise seriously enough that he keeps waking to make sure everyone's actually okay."How are we doing?" he asks, taking in the scene with careful assessment."Surviving," I say, finally getting Ashira settled enough to nurse properly, her small frantic cries gradually easing
Chapter 151"Ryker. Ryker, wake up."I shake his shoulder in the pre-dawn darkness, my voice carrying an urgency that has him instantly alert, sitting up beside me with the specific rapid transition from sleep to full attention that I've come to associate with genuine emergency."What's wrong?" he says, already reaching for the bedside lamp."I think it's time," I say, breathing carefully through a contraction that's stronger than anything I've experienced during the past week of increasingly frequent practice contractions. "The real thing this time. I'm sure of it."He's out of bed instantly, waking Ronan and Rafe with quick efficient movements, and within minutes the whole household has erupted into organized chaos Ronan already on the phone with Winifred, Rafe gathering the bag we packed weeks ago in preparation, Ryker helping me into comfortable clothes while monitoring my breathing with careful attention."Landon," I say, between contractions. "Someone needs to explain to Landon
Chapter 150"It looks smaller than I remember."I stand at the edge of the cottage road, seven months pregnant now, my hand resting against my rounded stomach, and look at the small home that sheltered six years of my life before everything changed. The kitchen wall, fully repaired, shows no trace of the fire that nearly destroyed everything. Fort Landon stands in the backyard, weathered now by seasons of use, though someone Mrs. Osei, according to the note we found has clearly been maintaining it in our absence."You built an entire life here," Ryker says beside me, his hand finding mine. "Of course it feels different now, seeing it as a visitor rather than someone still living inside it."We've come back to Silverveil for a week, ostensibly to check on the property before deciding whether to sell it or maintain it as a vacation home, though I suspect all three of us understand this visit carries more emotional weight than simple real estate management.Landon runs ahead of us towar
Chapter 149"Elara Voss. Or should I say Luna now?"I turn at the familiar voice and find Marcus standing near the entrance to the Nightshade market square, a warm smile spreading across his face as he takes in my rounded stomach and the specific glow that apparently comes with successful pregnancy. I haven't seen him in nearly six months not since I moved to Nightshade, our contact reduced to occasional messages checking in on each other's lives."Marcus." I cross the distance between us, pulling him into a hug despite my awkward new center of gravity. "What are you doing here?""Visiting, actually," he says, stepping back to look at me properly. "I have a colleague here, Dr. Pat mentioned some interesting case studies from your healer's suite, and I thought I'd combine professional curiosity with checking in on an old friend.""I'm glad you did," I say, and mean it completely. "How have you been? Really."He considers the question seriously, the way he's always considered importan
Chapter 148: Elara's POV "Are you ready to know?"Winifred holds the ultrasound wand steady against my stomach, and I look at Ryker, Ronan, and Rafe gathered around the examination table, all three of them holding their breath in various states of barely contained anticipation. Landon sits in the corner chair, having insisted on attending this specific appointment despite the modified bed rest that's kept him mostly excluded from the previous several weeks of monitoring."I'm ready," I say. "Is everyone else ready?""Ready," Ronan says immediately, practically vibrating with excitement."Ready," Ryker confirms, his composure straining visibly against his own anticipation.Rafe simply nods, his eyes already fixed on the screen with quiet intensity."I've been ready for weeks," Landon announces from his corner, having apparently been holding this specific opinion in reserve until directly asked.Winifred smiles, adjusting the wand slightly, and the screen shifts to show clearer detail
Chapter 147: Elara's POV "Something's wrong."I say it quietly, my hand pressed against my rounded stomach, and I feel Ryker go instantly alert beside me, abandoning the Council document he's been reviewing to focus entirely on my face."What kind of wrong?" he asks, already reaching for his phone to call Winifred."I don't know," I say, trying to identify the specific sensation that pulled me from sleep. "Cramping. Not painful exactly, but present in a way it wasn't an hour ago."We're five months into the pregnancy now, my stomach visibly rounded with the specific shape of twins, and every appointment so far has confirmed steady healthy progress. This is the first time something has felt off enough to worry me."I'm calling Winifred," Ryker says, already dialing. "And Ronan and Rafe."Within twenty minutes, Winifred has arrived at our home, her expression carefully neutral in the specific way healers maintain composure regardless of internal concern, and she conducts a thorough ex
Chapter 4“Mom, please… just keep walking.”My voice came out as a broken whisper, barely audible even to my own ears. Landon’s small hand felt impossibly fragile in mine, his fingers sticky from the dried blood on his knuckles. I kept my eyes fixed straight ahead, refusing to meet any of their gaz
Chapter 3“Take it back!” Landon’s furious shout cracked through the air the second I stepped into the principal’s office. My son stood rigid in the center of the room, small fists clenched at his sides, blood smeared across his knuckles and a fresh bruise blooming on his cheekbone. Opposite him,
Chapter 2“Mom… why doesn’t my dad want me?”The question hit me like a silver bullet to the chest. I froze in the middle of chopping vegetables, the knife hovering above the cutting board as my six-year-old son, Landon, stood in the doorway of our cozy kitchen, his small backpack still slung over
Chapter 1“You belong to us tonight, little omega. Try not to scream too loudly.”The words still burned in my ears as I shoved open the heavy oak door of our small cottage, the night air clinging to my skin like a second, filthy layer. My legs trembled with every step, thighs aching, core throbbin







