MasukThree days had passed since Lyris and Aldron came into the world, and time had taken on a strange quality—stretching and contracting in unpredictable ways. A single feeding session felt like it lasted hours, yet entire days vanished in the blur of diaper changes, swaddling, and the overwhelming need to simply stare at the perfect faces of my children.Ares had barely left our chambers. He'd dismissed himself from most alpha duties, claiming that Thora and the other commanders could handle the routine work. I suspected that what he really meant was that he couldn't bear to leave us, couldn't trust that we'd still be here if he turned his back for too long."She's got your stubborn chin," he said for the hundredth time, watching Lyris suckle at my breast with fierce determination. His silver eyes were impossibly soft, filled with a wonder that still caught me off guard every time I saw it."She's got your everything else," I countered, adjusting the blanket wrapped around us. "Look at t
The last four months passed in a blur of preparation and careful management. My belly swelled until I could barely see my feet, the twins growing stronger every day. Perla's tonic became as much a part of my routine as breathing, and the strengthening rituals became second nature. Elias checked on me constantly, his weathered face growing more concerned as my due date approached."Your energy levels are holding steady," he said one afternoon, his hands pressing gently on my swollen abdomen. "But you're depleted deeper than I'd like. Once labor begins, you'll need constant transfers from Ares. Don't try to be a hero about this, Luna. You ask for help the moment you need it.""I will," I promised, though we both knew I had a tendency to push myself harder than was wise.By the ninth month, Ares had essentially banned me from leaving our chambers. Not that I wanted to. The weight of carrying two nearly-full-term babies was exhausting in ways I hadn't anticipated. My back ached constantly
That night, I dreamed of drowning.I was underwater, looking up at two moons rippling on the surface above me. I tried to swim toward them, but something was pulling me down—hands, dozens of them, cold and grasping, dragging me into the depths.Let go, a voice whispered. Just let go. It will be easier.But I couldn't let go. I had to reach the surface. Had to breathe. Had to—I woke with a gasp, my hand flying to my throat. The energy stones pulsed warmly against my skin, their steady rhythm grounding me back in reality."Bad dream?" Ares's voice was rough with sleep. His arm tightened around my waist, pulling me back against his chest."Just pregnancy nightmares," I lied, not wanting to worry him. "Elias said they're normal.""Mmm." He pressed a kiss to my shoulder. "Go back to sleep, little wolf. It's still early."I closed my eyes and tried to obey, but sleep wouldn't come. The dream lingered like a bad taste in my mouth, and beneath my palm, I swore I could feel the twins moving.
I felt my defenses rising, that familiar stubbornness that had gotten me through so many impossible situations. "We're not hiding anything. We're just being strategic about when we share the information. There's a difference."Ares studied my face for a long moment, and I could feel his conflict through the bond—concern warring with the desire to trust my judgment. Finally, his expression softened slightly."Three days," he said. "You have three days to do your research with Perla. Then we tell Elias everything. Agreed?"Relief flooded through me. "Agreed. Thank you for understanding.""I'm not sure I do understand," Ares admitted, pulling me close. "But I trust you. And I trust that you're doing what you think is best for our children."Our children. The words sent a thrill through me every time."Come here," Ares said, guiding me to one of the chairs around the war table. "Sit down. You shouldn't be on your feet so much.""Ares, I'm pregnant, not broken," I protested, but I sat any
I couldn't stop thinking about Elias's words.Things that seem too good to be true usually are.They circled in my mind like vultures, picking at my certainty, making me question everything I'd felt so sure about just hours ago. I sat in the library, staring at the same page of text I'd been pretending to read for the past twenty minutes, the words blurring together into meaningless shapes.The door opened, and I didn't need to look up to know it was Perla. I'd started to recognize her presence—the subtle shift in the air, and something floral that always accompanied her."Yara," she said softly, settling into the chair across from me. "You look troubled. What's wrong?"I set the book aside."I saw Elias this morning," I said finally. "Ares wanted him to check on me.""That's wise," Perla said, nodding. "What did he say?""He said the baby's heartbeat is too strong. That my energy levels are too high. That something has changed and he doesn't understand what." "He wanted to run more
That night, I had a dream.I was standing in a meadow filled with wildflowers, their petals shimmering with colors that didn't exist in the waking world. The sky above was a deep, endless purple, and two moons hung low on the horizon—one silver, one gold.A child laughed somewhere nearby.I turned, searching for the source of the sound, and saw a little girl running through the flowers. She had auburn hair like mine, but her eyes were silver—Ares's eyes. She couldn't have been more than four or five, her face round with baby fat, her laughter pure and joyful."Mama!" she called, waving at me. "Mama, look what I found!"She held up something small and glittering in her palm. When I moved closer, I saw it was a tiny crystal wolf, perfectly formed, catching the light from both moons."It's beautiful," I said, kneeling beside her. "Where did you find it?""It was waiting for me," she said simply, as if that explained everything. "Everything that's meant to be yours waits for you to find i







