LOGINMy eyes creaked open and I was almost immediately blinded by the sharp ray of sunlight that aimed directly at my eye.“Oh shit,” I groaned, rolling to the other side of the bed. I was immediately jolted awake by how cold that part of the bed was. “Sandro?” I called out, moving to a sitting position. “Where are you?”“I'm right here, Princess,” I heard his voice join in. A breath of relief escaped my lips. “Where'd you go?” I asked with a pout as he walked closer to place a kiss on my forehead. “And why isn't it sunset yet?” I added, looking back at the open window that led streaks of sunlight into the room. Sandro looked at me with amusement dancing on his lips as he plopped on to the bed beside me.“What?” I asked, laughing slightly. “What's so funny?”“You are, Princess,” he said, bopping my nose with his finger. “It's a new day and the sun rose a few hours ago. You slept through yesterday,” he told me.My eyes widened. I didn't think I would sleep as long as I did or even half as
Sandro's POVThe words I had heard echoed in my head, refusing to settle into something that made sense.“Congratulations Luna, you're pregnant.”Pregnant.My hand froze mid-air, inches from the door. My heart hammered against my ribcage so hard I thought it might break through.Elara was pregnant. With my child. Our child.A baby.Joy flooded through me instantly but was quickly strangled by something darker, something that made my chest constrict until I couldn't breathe properly.Malachi was still out there. Umbra Mundi was still there. The entity that had nearly killed her, killed both of them, was still out there, plotting and getting ready to hunt us.And now there was a child involved. Our child.I pressed my palm flat against the door, steadying myself. My other hand clenched into a fist at my side.She knew. The realization hit me like a physical blow. She'd known before coming to the clinic to get confirmation. That's why she'd rushed here without telling me where she was go
The man's eyes widened when he saw me. “Luna,” he greeted with a bow of his head. I waved him off, not having the stomach for pleasantries. “What's the news?”“Well I…I,” he stammered, looking from Maria to me as he adjusted his white coat in clear discomfort. “Whatever you want to say to me, you can say in her presence. What happened to my mate? I want to see him,” she demanded, looking through the small slit that was left in the door. A small smile broke out on the man's face. He looked familiar but I didn't know his name. “Your mate is out of danger at the moment. However, we still need to monitor him closely. Two of his main organs were affected and his wolf could do little to nothing to help.”Maria's body collapsed onto mine and i pulled my body up to steady her. Sobs racked through her body, causing her to tremble against mine. “He's okay, Elara. Oh moon goddess, Silas is okay,” she cried out, placing her hand on her chest. “He's not going to die. My mate is okay,” she kept
A long wooden stick was mounted in the middle of the clearing and a single object sat on it.My eyes widened in a mixture of shock and fright. “That's Vittorio,” I whispered to myself. The dead Alpha’s decapitated head sat firmly on the mounted stick, dripping blood onto the dirt and grass beneath it. “Alpha Moretti has arrived!” someone exclaimed from a distance away and I heard cheers following his announcement. Trevor jogged ahead and got news from the pack members. They had killed all of the corrupted wolves and Vittorio as well, with evidence in the middle of the clearing. Warriors reunited with their families, hugs and tears were exchanged between people. It was a beautiful and emotional moment for everyone. As we moved further towards the main buildings, my eyes scanned the crowd for any signs of Maria. My heart dropped to my stomach when I found none. Did something happen to her? Her baby? Panic exploded in my chest and I protectively placed a hand over my flat stomach.
I opened my eyes to see that the clearing was almost empty. The departed souls that previously covered the ground had disappeared. Only our warriors remained alongside the bodies of our fallen.“Are you okay? Do you feel pain anywhere?” I heard Sandro ask me as he pulled me back to my feet and inspected my body. Shaking my head half mindedly, my gaze travelled to where Lady Thalia had stood beneath the veil. It was empty. It had completely disappeared like there was never a slit in the skies and I had just imagined it. But Lady Thalia's absence was proof. It happened. We closed the realm and sent all departed souls back to the beyond.But that wasn't all that happened. The blood moon had passed too and bright sunlight covered the clearing. The feeling of sun on my face was impeccable, I could cry.“She sacrificed her life to save us,” I muttered, unable to move my eyes from that position. “I just hope it's worth it in the end.”Sandro's grip on my hand tightened. “I’ll do everything
“What do we need?” I asked Lady Thalia who pulled me further away from the battle. Lin followed closely. I wondered if they could feel that I was pregnant now but from their silence, I doubted it.Lady Thalia grimaced. “I haven't done this before, we're just going to lean into our magic and see what we can do.”I nodded in agreement. My whole body was still on edge. Malachi had me in his hold just barely moments ago and the fear was still in my bones. But more powerful than fear, was the new surge of power I felt flowing from my head to my feet.“Did you see the veil take a physical form when it tore?” Lady Thalia asked me. Before I could answer she waved the question away. “It doesn't matter. We'll summon it to take a physical form.”My eyes bulged out of their sockets. “Here?”“Yes. Here.”I turned to check. Sandro and the other warriors had almost completely gotten rid of the risen dead. If we summoned the veil here, what if we're not able to close it in time? They could be floode







