It had been two weeks since Maxine's encounter with Leo, and Maxine was feeling strangely out of kilter. It started off in the faintest whisper: she wasn't as focused during training, moving slower than herself, her mind wandering. She tried to brush it off and blamed everything on the stress of all that had transpired. It was Leo, showing up in her life as mysteriously as it had vanished, speaking those cryptic words about the nature of the eclipse, and the tension between the pack and whatever dark forces Leo might be stirring up. But the days wore on and she knew it wasn't stress.Something was wrong.Her appetite was gone. Every time she settled into a meal, the sight of food churned her stomach. She couldn't eat a thing, not even food she had loved. At first, she tried to brush it off, thinking it was exhaustion or nerves, but the sickness carried on day by day, growing worse. Training made her feel tortured. The dizziness, nausea, constant sensation that something was wrong - ev
Alph’s arms were warm and steady as he embraced Maxine, holding her close after the shocking news. Maxine could barely breathe. She had felt off for weeks, but the idea of being pregnant—let alone carrying twins—was something she never imagined. The healer’s words echoed in her mind, especially the part about the children not being ordinary.Maxine leaned into Alph’s chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. She could hardly process what was happening. She had been so focused on supporting Alph in his duties as Alpha, on keeping up with her training and preparing for the new university project, that she had neglected the subtle changes in her own body. And now this. Twins. Powerful twins.She blinked back the tears that were forming in her eyes, overwhelmed by it all. “I didn’t know, Alph,” she whispered, her voice shaky. “I didn’t even realize... I thought it was just the stress, the training...”Alph gently cupped her face, his thumbs brushing away the tears that had escap
Just gazing at myself in the mirror has been trying to explain how my body feels and looks. After three months into the pregnancy by Alph, I changed beyond recognition. Body curves had mellowed out and my tummy was stretching out, reminding me of the little two inside. When Alph declared to the pack that I was carrying his pups, everyone was surprisingly welcoming. The dread that I thought the pack could give me for my pregnancy with my brother had instead been washed away by support and acceptance from the pack.My mother, however, took it a bit to heart. Though never actually mentioning her displeasure, I could feel the tension building beneath her composed exterior. She met me immediately after the news, and though her words were kind, it was clear there was an undertone of disappointment. What she couldn't forgive, though, was that I hadn't shared this with her long beforehand, that I had kept something so monumental locked within herself.Even today, weeks after, the uncertainty
Miranda stood in the dimly lit room of her old house, the familiar scent of dust and memories filling her lungs. The room hadn't changed since the last time she was here, a lifetime ago, when she was still filled with hope and belief that her daughter would never be touched by the old prophecy. Her hand hovered over the tattered, ancient parchment, today known to her as the prophecy paper she swore she would never use.A passage of warning, running from generation to generation in her blood: a prophecy wrapped in riddles and ominous portents. From the time, however, Miranda had taken even a glimmering peek at reality, she chose not to listen. She seemed convinced it was just the product of crazy old mystics trying to dominate the future through fear. She had laughed at it; she had scoffed at it as no more than superstition.Now, however, the weight of this prophecy had finally sunk in, and continued to be squeezed in tightly around her shoulders.Not that she'd wanted to believe any o
He hid in the shadows at the back of windows watching Miranda walk out of her old house. Leo's glare was cold and calculating; his fists were clenched at his sides as he waited for the sound of her footsteps to fade into the distance. Still, he can't tear his eyes off of the house that holds so many secrets for him."You do bother, don't you?" Leo said to himself, a sour smile spreading across his face. "You finally use that bean, Miranda. After all these years."He'd waited for this, waited for her to do something, make a move. And now, she had. Miranda had retrieved the paper of prophecy, the one that would decide their fate to save them all or destroy them. Leo wasn't nervous about the prophecy, however. No, his anger went much deeper than that.His chest tightened at the familiar ache of loss. A wound still, unwounded. Remembering Sarah, his sister, and their father who built him into the man he was today-they were gone, taken by the very people Miranda was trying to protect. Maxi
Maxine poured milk into a glass, watching it swirl before handing it to Coreen. She looked at her sister’s swollen belly, trying to imagine what it would be like to hold her own child in her arms.“So, you and Trevor?” Maxine asked, raising an eyebrow as she leaned against the counter.Coreen grinned, placing a hand on her round stomach. “I didn’t know I’d fall for that jerk, either,” she admitted with a laugh. “But he’s hot, I’ll give him that.”They both burst into laughter, the sound filling the small kitchen. It felt good to share a moment of levity, especially given how serious everything had become lately.“How many months now?” Maxine asked, her gaze flickering to Coreen’s belly as she took a sip from her own glass.“Eight,” Coreen replied, her voice casual despite the significance. “It all started after that one wild night, and well… it just kept going from there.”Maxine shook her head, smiling. “So, you’re about a month ahead of me, huh? You always were a bit ahead of the ga
Miranda paced back and forth in the dimly lit room, her heart racing as she tried to keep her tears from falling. The weight of her decision was suffocating, and her chest tightened with every step she took. She glanced at Erick, her oldest and closest confidant, hoping he might have some way to ease the unbearable pain in her heart. But his face was set, his eyes focused."You know what will happen!" Miranda snapped, her voice breaking under the pressure. "I already told you that! This isn’t just some story or legend. It’s real, Erick."Erick leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples. "I know, Miranda, I know. But we have to do it anyway. We don’t have many options left.""What options?" Miranda's voice was laced with frustration as she threw her hands into the air. "What way out do you think we have? I don’t want to lose Maxine! She’s the only one I have left." Her voice faltered as her fear took hold. "You know how dangerous it is to have the eclipse essence in one bloodline. I
There she lay in the bed, her body now enervated but the spirit of her high and big. She could hear the softly crying sounds of her newborns-the twin babies that she had fought hard to bring into this world. They were perfect, tiny, with so much life within them. One boy, one girl. She already decided on the names: Hannah and Hadzen. And as she looked at them there, all rolled up in their cradles, they all seemed like such ordinary babies. Their innocence filled the room, and it was quite impossible to believe that so much danger still surrounded them.Her heart hurts to love and to worry for them. She was a mother now, and truly, she wanted to be able to protect them. However, at the back of her mind is the warning her mother had given her: the curse of the eclipse essence. It still lingers over her, over her family. She needed to know the truth.Coreen, her stepsister, stood in the same room with her maids. She had come to visit as soon as she heard about the birth, but Maxine could