LOGINI tried to get some rest but only managed to toss and turn for a few hours. Around 3 AM, I decided that was probably the best I’d get, and I checked out of the motel and hit the road.
The hum of my bike beneath me was the only sound breaking the silence. Every few miles I passed a semi-truck or two, but otherwise it was just me and the empty pavement.
My thoughts were a tangled mess, half-formed questions and doubts swirling in my mind like smoke. I shook my head, trying to clear the thoughts, but they were stubborn and persistent.
I glanced at the clock on the bike’s dashboard. 4:45 AM. The hours were dragging, each mile feeling longer than the last. My body was on autopilot, muscles tensed and alert, but my mind was restless.
The sky started to lighten, the first hints of dawn breaking on the horizon. The hazy glow cast long shad
TalonIt was two months since my trip to Philly before we felt the first aftershock. I was at the clubhouse, going over paperwork with Jake and Ledger, when Viktor’s call came in. His voice was calm as always, but there was an edge to it that made my blood run a little cold.“Talon,” he said, his tone measured. “We need to talk. I will be at your clubhouse in fifteen minutes.”I ended the call and glanced at Jake, who was leaning back in his chair. He raised an eyebrow at me, sensing the tension. “Everything alright?”“Not sure,” I said, standing and grabbing my cut from the back of my chair. “Viktor’s on his way here.”Jake’s expression darkened as he pushed away from the desk. “What the hell does he want?”
The room smelled faintly of dust and forgotten dreams, the air thick with the weight of words I’d never written.I stood in the doorway, staring at the blank walls, the untouched desk, the tower of unpacked boxes still sitting in the corner.This was supposed to be my writing room, a sanctuary where I would pen stories that would change the world — or at least my world. But instead, I got pregnant with Scarlett, lost my focus to other things, and the room had become a storage closet.A graveyard for ambitions I’d let slip through my fingers.Talon came up behind me, his presence a solid warmth at my back. His hands slid around my waist, his breath brushing against my neck as he spoke. “You sure about this, angel? We can turn my office into a nursery. It doesn’t have to be this room.”
LauraThe weeks passed by in a daze. Doctor Harris confirmed my pregnancy, and the morning sickness wasn’t nearly as bad this time around.Still, the exhaustion was relentless, weighing me down like a lead blanket by mid-afternoon.Talon hovered constantly, his green eyes tracking my every move with a mix of awe and concern. He’d press a hand to my belly when he thought I wasn’t paying attention, his calloused fingers gentle against my skin, as if he could already feel the life growing there.Scarlett, meanwhile, was ecstatic about becoming a big sister. She’d kiss my stomach every morning and whisper secrets to “Baby,” her tiny voice earnest with promises to share her toys — though I noticed she never mentioned her beloved stuffed dragon.Some sacrifices were too great, apparently. 
TalonThe words hit me like a freight train, knocking the air out of my lungs. I froze, my mind scrambling to process what she’d just said.Pregnant. Laura. Pregnant. My chest tightened, a mix of emotions surging through me so fast I couldn’t catch my breath. Shock. Joy. Fear. All of it tangled together until I felt like I was drowning in it.“What?” I managed to rasp.Laura lifted her head from my shoulder, her blue eyes searching mine. “I think I’m pregnant,” she repeated, her voice soft but steady. “I’ve been feeling off lately… tired, nauseous. I haven’t taken a test yet, but…”I stared at her, my heart pounding in my chest. I couldn’t speak. My mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, all colliding with each other. Another baby. Ano
I woke up early the next morning to sunlight filtering through the blinds, and found Talon already in the kitchen, sipping coffee and scrolling through something on his phone.Scarlett was still asleep, the house was still, and it hit me then — we needed a distraction, something to pull us all out of the funk that had settled over the house. Something fun, something normal.“Hey,” I said, leaning against the doorway, my voice light. “How about we take Scarlett to the zoo today?”Talon looked up, his brow furrowing slightly. “The zoo?”“Yeah,” I said, crossing the room to pour myself a cup of coffee. “She’s been talking about elephants almost as often as dragons lately. I think it’d be good for all of us to get out of the house for a bit. Fresh air, animals, maybe some ice
LauraThe next week passed uneventfully. It seemed like Talon was still feeling weighed down by something, but I knew better than to press him. He carried it quietly, the tension in his shoulders more pronounced on some days than others.He’d linger in the garage longer than usual, tinkering with our bikes or the lawn mower. Sometimes, I’d catch him staring out the kitchen window, his green eyes distant, as if he were watching something far beyond the tree line.Talon wasn’t the type to talk about his burdens unless he was ready, and I knew pushing him would only make him retreat further. So, I let him be, offering small comforts where I could — a hand on his back as I passed him in the hall, a cup of coffee left on the counter when he wandered in from the garage.Scarlett, blissfully unaware of her father’s turmo







