Trials of Pregnancy

As the calendar pages flipped and the seasons subtly shifted, the initial elation of Violet's pregnancy began to wane, replaced by gritty challenges that tested not just her endurance but also the metal of her alpha mates.

Violet's body seemed to revolt against her in every way imaginable. She woke up most mornings clinging to the edge of the bed, nausea ripping through her like a tornado. Then came the backaches, so relentless that they made her wonder if she was carrying twins or boulders. The emotional swings were the worst, one moment reveling in a sort of euphoric anticipation and the next plummeting into anxiety so acute it left her breathless.

One harrowing night, a pain so sharp and sudden lanced through her abdomen that it doubled her over, robbing her of her breath. In a panic, Archer and Mateo raced her to Elder Aislinn's abode, each twin struggling to maintain a hard-edged composure, their faces set in identical masks of grim determination.

They barely spoke as they n