The tension in the room was thicker than smoke, but it didn't matter to me. The elders were already irritated that I was even here, let alone contributing. But that wasn't my problem. They'd invited me back into the conversation, and I wasn't going to sugarcoat anything. I was here now, and they were going to listen if they didn't want to keep fucking up. "This whole setup is flawed," I said bluntly, arms crossed, Canon squirming lightly in my arms. One of the elders, a wrinkled old asshole with a permanent scowl, scoffed at me like I'd just spilled juice on his floor. "Then how do you suppose we capture the spies?" "If I were trying to breach this territory," I said, raising my voice just enough to cut through the murmuring, "I'd do it in three ways. One, I'd leak just enough misinformation to see who reacts to it—maybe spread a false rogue attack at one border while sneaking through another. Two, I'd use your patrol schedules being predictable as fuck—switching them up randomly w
"Oh sweetie, all babies cry and whine at this age," my mom said gently to Conan, who looked like he hadn't slept in a week. "Levi was like that too. Canon's actually pretty calm compared to him." Conan didn't even try to hide his exhaustion. "I can't even use the bathroom in peace, even at three months in," he huffed. Personally, I thought it was a very reasonable complaint. Canon had a sixth sense for when Conan wasn't in the room. He could be sleeping soundly in his bassinet, but the moment Conan so much as stepped into the shower? Instant siren. We shared the work—Conan definitely more than me—but Canon had made his preference clear from day one. "Use a sling," Mom offered brightly. "It's what I used with Levi until he was ready to not be like this. Now I have an excuse to dig out that old thing! And you're spoiling him too much anyway. Sometimes you have to put him down so he gets used to it." Put him down? Impossible. How could anyone look at that tiny face and not want to p
When I opened my eyes, the room was dark and quiet, the sterile scent of the clinic still sharp in my nose. For a few seconds, I couldn't remember where I was—just that I hurt. Everywhere. Every inch of my body ached like I'd been hit by a truck. Not just the parts I expected either—my back, hips, and legs—but my hands, arms, even my neck felt like I'd fought a war in my sleep. Then I looked down. The baby—my baby—was resting on my chest, bundled in a blanket, his tiny face smushed against me as he slept. Everything else melted away. This was real. I did it. He's here. I smiled, stroking a hand gently over the soft patch of curls at the top of his head. I didn't think anything could ruin this. And then they walked in. The air shifted the second the door opened—cold, heavy, and suffocating. My body tensed, instincts screaming at me before my brain even registered what I was seeing. My parents stood just inside the room. My mother's nose wrinkled as if my scent offended her, wh
"Levi!" The sound of Conan's voice from the hospital bed hit me like a freight train. He looked so fragile. His skin was pale, his lips were dry, and his eyes—those beautiful eyes—were red and puffy from crying. It shredded me. "Why're you crying?" he asked softly. I tried to walk normally, but my legs were still trembling from the sprint through the clinic. I stumbled a little. Behind me, Charlie entered, looking a little less wrecked but just as breathless. "He sped all the way over here," Charlie said. "We almost crashed a few times but... we're here." I reached the bed and dropped to my knees beside it, hugging Conan gently. He was burning up, and I could feel how exhausted he was, even under the meds. "Why do you look so sick?" "I'm not—" "You must've been in a lot of pain to cut your day so short," I murmured, glancing past him and noticing him—Alex—hunched in the corner, for once blessedly silent. "I'm okay now," Conan said. "You're as pale as a ghost. How are you oka
“Hey, it’s been at least a week and a half. How was your lovers’ quarrel?” Alex asked the second I slid into the passenger seat. “You’re an ass,” I snapped, punching his arm. “Ow! What kind of preggo punches people that hard?” Alex shot back, rubbing his shoulder. “I could be driving a girl around right now, you know.” “But you’re not. Because women don’t like you,” I said with a smirk. “Bitch. Your stomach looks like it’s about to pop.” “Yeah, there’s like a week or so left.” “Is it even okay to be out like this right now?” he asked, glancing at me warily. “I’m sure it’s fine,” I said casually. “Plus, Levi isn’t upset at all. He even encouraged me to go hang out with you. We just have to come back early.” “Look at all the good I’ve done,” Alex grumbled. “Just to be smacked around and unappreciated.” I shot him a sideways glance. “You’re just such an asshole though. Anyway… this is a nice car. Not better than Levi’s though.” “It’s unfair to compare the rich and the poor,” Al
There were only ten days left until Conan gave birth, and I couldn’t help but marvel at how fast everything had gone. It felt like yesterday I was dragging him home after finding out he was pregnant—and now, here we were. I caught him staring down at his belly like it still didn’t feel real to him. “There really isn’t much time left,” Conan said quietly, his fingers absentmindedly tracing the curve of his stomach. Since our fight a while back, Conan had retracted what he said about feeling smothered and started letting me dote on him again—but I took his words to heart anyway. Even if it was hard, I gave him space when he needed it. One night without him had been enough to make me realize I didn’t want to push him that far again. “We still have to settle on a name to tell everyone for now,” he added. We’d gone through countless options but still hadn’t chosen one. Nothing stuck. So we decided to wait—see what felt right when the time came. “The little one will come out just fine