Lahat ng Kabanata ng Bound by Fangs and Blood: Kabanata 31 - Kabanata 40

EVE'S POV - TWO WEEKS LATER"Again," Lucian commanded from across the training room. "Block me out."I closed my eyes, focusing on the mental shields he'd been teaching me. Imagining walls of iron around my mind, keeping out unwanted intrusions.Lucian's presence pushed against my defenses, testing them. I felt him probing for weaknesses, trying to slip through."Stronger," he said. "You're letting emotion weaken the barriers. Fear makes cracks."I took a deep breath, reinforcing the walls. The pressure against my mind eased."Better." Lucian relaxed. "Now try with Circe."The moment I opened myself to the connection with my sister, she was there."Hello, Eve. Miss me?"I focused on my shields, trying to push her back."Oh, that's cute. Did Lucian teach you that?" Her laugh echoed in my mind. "Too bad it won't work on me. We're connected by blood, sister. You can't shut me out any more than you can stop breathing.""Watch me." I poured energy into the walls, making them thicker, stron

EVE"You're distracted," Dr. Reyna said, watching me heal a warrior's broken arm. "Is everything alright?""Fine. Just tired." I pulled my hands away, the bone now perfectly mended. The warrior flexed his fingers experimentally, grinning."Amazing. Thank you, Dr. Eve."I'd insisted they drop the "Dr." part, but it had stuck. Now everyone in the pack called me Dr. Eve, and I'd given up fighting it.The truth was, I wasn't just tired. I was exhausted. And nauseous. And my breasts were tender, and I'd been craving blood mixed with orange juice at odd hours.All symptoms I recognized from my previous pregnancy.But I couldn't be pregnant. Could I?Vampires had notoriously low fertility rates. And I was only half vampire, or maybe full vampire, I still wasn't entirely sure what I was."Eve?" Dr. Reyna's voice cut through my spiraling thoughts. "You look pale. When was your last feeding?""This morning." I'd taken a small amount from Adam, enough to sustain me without draining him. We'd fou

EVE"Stop fidgeting," Madam Bella commanded, adjusting my veil for the tenth time. "You look perfect."I stared at my reflection in the mirror. The dress was simple but elegant, ivory silk that flowed over my barely-there baby bump. My hair was swept up, small white flowers woven through it.I looked like a bride.Adam's bride."I think I'm going to be sick," I muttered."That's the morning sickness, dear, not nerves." Madam Bella handed me some crackers. "Eat these. You need to keep your strength up."Zara entered, wearing a dark blue dress that made her look almost feminine. Almost."The guests are seated. Adam's already at the altar looking like he's about to jump out of his skin." She grinned. "Ready?""No. Yes. I don't know." I pressed a hand to my stomach. "What if something goes wrong? What if someone objects? What if Circe shows up and ruins everything?""Then we deal with it." Zara took my hands. "Eve, stop looking for disasters. Just enjoy your wedding day."A knock on the d

Eve"This is insane," Zara said, looking at the map spread across Adam's desk. "You're talking about going to war with the Council.""Not war. Negotiation from a position of strength." I pointed to the territories I'd marked. "These five packs have hybrid members. They'll understand our position better than the pure-blooded packs.""And you think they'll stand with us against the Council?" Adam's arms were crossed, his expression skeptical."I think they'll stand with us if we give them a reason to." I looked at him. "The Council doesn't just want to monitor our baby. They want control over all hybrids. If we let them do this to us, every mixed family becomes a target."Lucian, who'd been silent until now, leaned forward. "She's right. This isn't just about your baby. It's about setting precedent. If the Council can force monitoring and evaluation on one hybrid child, they can do it to all of them.""Which is why we need allies." I circled three territories on the map. "These Alphas h

TWO WEEKS AFTER The media response was overwhelming.Within days of our interview going live, supernatural news outlets picked up the story. "Alpha King and Vampire Healer Fight for Their Hybrid Baby." "Council Threatens to Separate New Parents." "Unprecedented Pregnancy Sparks Rights Debate."My phone hadn't stopped ringing."Another interview request," Zara said, scrolling through emails. "This one from Supernatural Today. They want to do a live segment.""Accept it." I was folding baby clothes, a task that soothed my nerves. "The more people who hear our story, the better."Adam looked less certain. "Eve, you're six months pregnant. You're supposed to be resting, not doing publicity tours.""I'm sitting down during interviews. That counts as resting." I held up a tiny onesie, my heart swelling. "Besides, it's working. Did you see the petition?""Fifty thousand signatures demanding the Council respect hybrid family rights," Lucian said from the doorway. "And growing by the hour.""