17Ian’s POVI stared at Sophia Anderson’s tests scripts longer than I intended. It had been two good weeks after the last test and she has continued failing them. It was almost like she was failing on purpose but why would anyone with brains be failing on purpose when they knew that it would accept their grades badly and it could lead to them being withdrawn from the school? Sophia seemed smarter than that. She couldn’t possibly be failing on purpose. What gain did she have from that?I ran my hands through my hair in annoyance. I didn’t like the prospect of her failing her tests too much, like the way she was doing now.A sound emitted from my laptop and my gaze shifted to it. There was an incoming video call from Mike. I answered the call and went back to marking the scripts of the other students. I had set Sophia’s own aside.“No rude greeting or sarcasm? That’s new,” Mike said in an amused tone.“So you want me to be rude or sarcastic to you?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.“Not
18Ian’s POV Sophia Anderson had failed her test once again. Today was the sixth week of resumption and she had failed her test, for the fifth time. She wasn’t the only one doing bad, but I had asked her other lecturers over and over again and they had assured me that she was a bright student and she was doing very well.And it was very weird and suspicious for a student who has been doing excellently in everyone subject, to be doing terribly in mine.It was seeming like I had no choice but to call her and speak to her. I just didn’t know how I was going to reach her. This wasn’t like secondary school where the teachers could just go to whatever class she was and tell her they wanted to see her.There was no way I’d be able to find her that easily. Not in a college as big as this. She could be anywhere. Or she could be back at her dorm.Although I knew that there was a class she had after mine. And that lecturer happened to be a pal of mine. If she was in his class, then I’d be able
19Sophia’s POV The way he grabbed me by the waist and slammed his lips on mine took me by surprise. I hadn’t been expecting it. I didn’t know what come over me and how I got so bold to talk to him about everything but I hadn’t been expecting him to hold me. To kiss me. I had been expecting him to push me away or deny ever knowing me or deny ever having anything to do with me.I expected him to say that he didn’t know me and that I should get out of his office. I just hadn’t expected him to touch me. To kiss me as he was doing now.I moaned and melted in his touch, my knees buckling a bit. He kiss my lips and then bit it, sucking in my lower lips before breaking the kiss and then kissing my neck, sucking on my skin.I moaned again, fisting his shirt. “We should be doing this,” I mumbled, yet I bent my neck for him, giving him better access to it.“Yes we shouldn’t,” he answered, but his hands were sliding under my skirt and pulling my panties down.“If we get caught,” I muttered, moa
20Ian’s POVSlowly, I slipped out of Sophia, kissing her neck while she moaned slightly. I turned her around so she was facing me and kisses her, sliding my tongue into her mouth while my hand caressed her hair.She broke the kiss, fear in her eyes and her chest rising and falling hard. “We shouldn’t have,” she murmured.I nodded in agreement. “We shouldn’t have,” I agreed. “But we have, and I will not let you go. You hear me?”She smiled slightly and nodded. “I should go back. I still have classes.”I stared at her from head to toe. Her hair was tangled, her skirt rumpled and my cum sliding down her legs. I could scent myself all over her. She looked freshly fucked. And that was a look reserved for me and me alone. I wouldn’t allow another man to see her looking like this.I shook my head at her. “You should go clean up in my restroom and go straight to your dorm,” I said instead. “I can’t have you looking like this in your other classes.”She touched her hair. “Do I look terrible?”
21Sophia’s POVI stared at Ian in confusion as he turned his back on me while blood dripped from my wrist. I didn’t understand why he turned away from me the moment I cut myself. Could it be that he didn’t like the sight of blood?“Ian?” I called out, watching him intently. His whole body had gone rigid and he was grilling the edge of the table so hard that I feared he might get himself injured.“Why aren’t you talking?” I asked him quietly. “Stop holding the table that way, you could get yourself injured,” I added in worry but he was still rigid like he couldn’t even hear what I was saying at all.I sighed. Maybe he had a bad history with blood and seeing it triggered a memory he didn’t want to remember. I gulped and sighed. “I’m leaving now,” I added even though I was very sure that he couldn’t hear one word I was saying.I rubbed my face and turned away from him, grabbing the tissue box that was on the top of his freezer and removing one. I used pressed it to the wound as I left h
22Ian’s POV I watched as Sophia ate her food, wishing that I was able to join her in her dinner but I couldn’t. I had started my work, shadowing her since yesterday and staying opposite her dorm so I could keep track of when she left the building and I could follow her. Her roommate, the best friend, seemed to have gone out for the weekend and it was just Sophia left in her room. I wondered why she didn’t go with her.Today was Saturday, and I had better ways of spending my weekend, but I didn’t think I’d spend it shadowing a girl who didn’t know that I had made her a subject of danger when I marked her without her consent.I ran my hands through my hair in frustration. This was only happening because I had been thinking with my dick and not my head. I hadn’t been thinking properly then. And now ( was paying the price for it.Maybe I should talk to Mike and tell him to help me get two of his most trusted men to watch her for me instead. My phone vibrated and I picked it up, checking
23Ian’s POVI sat by the kitchen island in my house, staring at nothing in particular. I was wondering who tried to kill Sophia yesterday, and why they tried to kill her. I had made a mistake. I should have asked for his name before I killed him. Maybe I would have gotten an information about who he was and the kind of people he dealt with.But it was a good think I had killed him before he could get away and tell his people that he saw me. That Sophia was indeed important to me, if I was shadowing her. It meant they’d try every possible means to use her to get to me.The supernatural realm was a very dangerous one and there was always some sort of fight for power. If I died…I didn’t want to think of all the cruel things that would start happening if I died.This is why I shouldn’t have marked her. But in my defense I didn’t know that marking her would mean everyone would put their eyes on her and start attacking her. I needs her to be safe. And I needed to protect her to keep her sa
24Sophia’s POVI turned around slightly, moaning slightly and hugging myself beneath the blanket. It was a bit cold here since it was raining. Even shutting the windows and closing the curtains and turning off the air conditioning didn’t help with the cold. The only thing that it helped with was helping me sleep well.My phone began vibrating again on the bed. That was what had woken me up in the first place. I groaned, spreading my hands around on the bed as I looked at my phone. I found it and picked up the call. “Yes?” I asked without even looking at the caller ID. I yawned and covered my mouth with my palms.“Have you been sleeping, sweetie?”I jerked awake as I realized it was Ian. Ian?“Yes,” I answered slowly. “The weather is cold. Decided to put it to good use.”“The weather is cold,” he agreed. “I want you to come over.”“You want me to come over,” I repeated slowly. “You don’t have any visitors anymore?”“That was yesterday, sweetie,” He answered. “I do have a visitor thoug
191Ian’s POVThe weight of my child in my arms was heavier than I expected, but not in a way that tired me. It was a weight that filled me with awe, a kind of responsibility I had never imagined could feel so peaceful. Ava’s tiny fists curled against my chest, soft breaths rising and falling in the perfect rhythm of sleep. For the first time in what felt like forever, everything was still, everything was peaceful.I sat in the rocking chair near the window, dim light filtering thought the curtain. The house was quiet—Sophia was resting in the bedroom, exhausted but content after the birth. I had barely left her side since she’d gone into labor, unable to help the overwhelming sense of protectiveness that surged through me.But now, as I held this tiny life in my hands, all the fear and chaos we had gone through seemed to fade away. It was just us—our family.“Hey there,” I whispered softly, my voice barely more than a breath as I gazed down at my child. “You’re finally here.”I felt
190Jenny’s POVThe news hit me like a tidal wave. I stared down at the test in my hand, my heart pounding in my chest, unsure whether to scream in shock or laugh in disbelief. Pregnant. I was pregnant.Jacob was in the kitchen, making us a late breakfast. I could hear the soft clatter of pans and the gentle hum of music from the living room, but I couldn’t move. For a moment, I felt frozen in place, my thoughts racing.We weren’t trying for a baby. We weren’t ever going to try. I was a vampire and even though Sophia was able to get pregnant, it didn’t mean I could too. But here it was, plain as day. The test didn’t lie.I felt a mixture of emotions swirl through me—happiness, fear, excitement. All at once, it seemed like everything in my life was about to change. But most of all, I was happy. I was so happy. Everything that had happened the past year ran through my mind all at once. The attacks, falling in love with Jacob, turning into a vampire, fearing that Jacob would leave me for
189Sophia’s POVIt was happening. It was really happening. After months of waiting, months of uncertainty, fear, and hope, she was finally here. My body was aching but not as much as I guessed it should be.I glanced over at Ian, who stood by my side, his hand gripping mine tightly. His face was filled with anxiousness. His thumb rubbed small circles against my palm, trying to soothe me, but I could feel the tension in his grip. This was a moment that neither of us could control, a moment we could only experience.“You’re doing amazing, Sophia,” Ian whispered, his voice low and steady, although it was trembling. His eyes met mine. “Just breathe.”I nodded, though the pressure in my abdomen made it hard to do anything other than focus on the next breath. I squeezed his hand in response, letting him know I heard him, even if I couldn’t find the words right now.The room around us was a blur. I barely registered the blur of voices—the midwife, a nurse—guiding me through the process. My
188Jenny’s POVThe day had finally come—my wedding day. I should’ve been nervous, or maybe overwhelmed by everything, but instead, I felt oddly calm as I sat in the small room at the back of the church, waiting for my moment to walk down the aisle. My fingers traced the intricate lace on my wedding dress, a soft white gown that had been perfect the moment I saw it. It was exactly how I had imagined my wedding to be—simple, intimate, and with the people I cared about most.Sophia sat next to me, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “You look incredible, Jenny,” she said with a smile that reached her eyes.“Thanks, Soph,” I said, trying to sound nonchalant, but there was a catch in my throat. “It’s kind of crazy, isn’t it? That I’m actually doing this?”She laughed softly, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “A little bit, yeah. I thought you were joking last week when you said you and Jacob are getting married. But you and Jacob are meant to be. I’m just happy you’re doing
187Ian’s POVThe sun was setting, making the vampire realm look pale. It used to be pretty to look at, but now the usual beauty felt hollow. Some parts of the ground was still red from all the blood that had dried on it, and though the air was quieter, it felt heavy. I stood in the middle of the courtyard, watching as the survivors moved about, trying to restore what had been broken.It wasn’t just the buildings that needed rebuilding. It was us—me, Sophia, the council, everyone.As the king, I had always known the weight and responsibilty of leadership but never like this. The battle exhausted on all of us, but there was a strange sense of relief hanging in the air, as if the worst had finally passed. The constant fear was gone. For now, at least.I felt Sophia approach before she spoke. Her presence felt like a soft, steady energy that I could feel even when I wasn’t looking. She stepped beside me, her hand slipping into mine, and for a moment, we just stood there, side by side, lo
186Sophia’s POVThe air in the realm felt different after the battle settled down. The energy that pulsed through the vampire realm seemed dulled, weighed down by loss and grief. The rogue faction was defeated, but the victory felt hollow. So much had been sacrificed. Too much.I stood on the edge of the courtyard, looking out over the horizon. The sun was setting but I barely noticed its beauty. My thoughts were heavy with the weight of everything that had happened. Lyanna was gone. The thought of it felt like a punch to the chest every time it crossed my mind. She had saved us, saved me and our baby, but the cost was her life.“I can’t believe she’s gone,” I whispered to Ian, who was standing beside me, his hand resting on my shoulder.Ian’s expression was hard, his jaw clenched as he stared out at the horizon. He hadn’t said much since the battle ended, the stiffness in his body telling me how much he was struggling to keep his emotions in check.“She was one of the strongest witc
185Lyanna’s POVThe visions had been coming in waves—dark and scary. I’d seen this battle long before it arrived, the pieces falling into place, the danger coiling around us like a snake waiting to strike. But no vision had prepared me for this.The air was thick with the stench of blood and fury, and the sounds of bodies coliding with each other filled my ear. I was at the edge of the battlefield, my senses tingling with the power I held. Magic pulsed in my veins, begging to be released, but I held it back, waiting for the right moment. Timing was everything.In the distance, I saw Ian fighting Mike, lunging at each other, blow after blow. Ian was struggling, that much was clear. Mike was pushing him to his limits, and it took everything in Ian just to stay on his feet.And then there was Sophia. I could feel her fear from here, her desperation. She was with Jacob, fighting off a swarm of rogue vampires, her body slower than usual. Her own power was wearing out. The pregnancy was ta
184Ian’s POVIt felt as if the world itself was holding its breath, waiting for the battle to begin. We were in a neutral territory, a clearing deep in the forest that was between the vampire realm and the outskirts of the human world. I could tell that the place had seen conflict before, the ground stained with the blood of wars long past. Now it would see another.I could hear the sounds of my forces assembling behind me—vampires sharpening their blades and stakes, speaking in low, tense whispers as they prepared for the fight that would start any moment from now. The weight of responsibility hung heavy on my shoulders. I had never wanted this, to be a king at war. But here I was, leading an army to stop a rebellion that threatened everything I had fought to protect.Sophia stood at my side, her eyes scanning the area. She was pale but resolute, and I could see the fire burning in her. Even now, pregnant with our child, she refused to leave my side. I had argued, pleaded with her t
183Ian’s POVI paced about in the room, my heart beating hard and fast and my mind running through different thoughts. Every moment felt like a taut wire, stretched thin between the safety I wanted for Sophia and the threats that I couldn’t fully shield her from. The attacks had slowed, but that only made me more nervous. It was like the calm before a storm, and I could feel the storm brewing.Sophia was sitting on the couch, her hands resting on the gentle swell of her stomach. Our child. It only made me think harder about all the different things I could do to keep Sophia out of danger.“We need to talk,” I said, breaking the silence.Her gaze met mine, steady but expectant. “I know what you’re going to say.”“I don’t think you do,” I replied, running a hand through my hair, frustration leaking into my voice. “Sophia, I need you to stay in the human realm. You and the baby—”“No,” she cut me off, her voice firm. “We’ve talked about this already, Ian. I’m not staying behind while yo