Alijah towered over me the entire night. His embrace overwhelmed me in every sense of the word. The sweet voices that filled our ears echoed in the room. He was determined to fulfill my wish. Well, our wish.

My wolf knotted me each time, making sure that I fully felt all the love he could give so that I would never forget it. Every kiss made me melt into the bed. Each breath became harder to come by. Even though he held me as I wanted, my mind could not stop wandering to my sister, who was acting strange.

Even though I wanted to ask Vera everything she felt, I could not push her in her current condition. Her pregnancy had already been difficult. Not that she had told me, but I saw all the home visits made by Amara, a sun elf medic that helped my mother bring us to the world.

This woman was the best medic out there, too. So, I knew Vera was in excellent hands, but… I could not get rid of the feeling that had plagued me. A dread.

“Oi… You aren’t allowed to stray from me when I’m with you.” Alijah panted for air, snapping me out of my thoughts.

Shit…

I had been facing the wall without even realizing it. Slowly, I turned to him, noticing his concern over me.

“Sorry… I…” I trailed off, biting my lip.

My wolf shook his head, licking my bottom lip. It was so warm that it caused me to shiver a bit.

A soft smile rose on his lips. “So cute…”

Pulling me into a kiss, his tongue intertwined with mine. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, stabilizing myself once his movements began once again. His sharp fangs grazed over my lips and tongue.

It almost felt like he was about to suffocate me with his affection. Unable to take it, I tugged on one of his fluffy ears. My sudden touch on his sensitive fluffs caused him to pull away from our kiss, allowing me to breathe freely.

However, instead of allowing me to compose myself. Alijah clasped onto my hips, shoving himself all the way in before knotting me once again. The action alone sent me over the edge. A sharp mewl left my lips when my body responded to his, leaving me convulsing in pleasure under him. He panted heavily because of it.

“I love you, Rem.” Alijah tried to catch his breath.

I lost my composure a bit. Feeling him twitch within me as he unloaded himself into me, hearing him profess his love to me, overwhelmed me a bit.

“Rem?” he whispered my name softly, noticing tears trailing down my face.

They were met by his thumb, wiping them away. I was horrible. Even though I was being pleased by him, I could not help but cry when my fears rose once again.

“Will everything be okay?” I sobbed, doubting everything that was happening.

It did not help my voice was already hoarse from everything. We were locked together, too. He closed his eyes, biting onto his lip before kissing my forehead.

“I don’t want to promise something that can change in a matter of seconds, love. But may I know what exactly worries you?” Alijah asked, gently caressing my cheeks.

His warmth was so comforting, yet I was a mess. Why was I always a mess? I wanted to be suave like him, too.

“I feel like something has been wrong since the blood moon. And Vera is… acting so weird, too. Everything is making me uneasy.” I began, unable to convey fully what I wanted.

I, myself, did not know what was going on with me either. Just that this awful thought was building in my mind. Perhaps... I was overthinking it.

“Vera’s having a surge of issues because of her pregnancy. So, I think it’s rather normal with all the changes she’s experience. I mean, I even caught her crying about spilling water. Stress can be hard on her.” Alijah tried to explain my sister's weird behavior.

He had noticed her changes, too. And he was right. Pregnancy could cause all those, but for some reason, it felt different. Like there was something Vera was hiding. Especially when she accepted to allow Leonard to come into her life. She was so adamant about not do so before the blood moon.

I mean, they had been friendly, but that was it. Perhaps I was overthinking it. Even so, I…

“I don’t think is just that,” I whispered, feeling a shiver go down my spine just at the thought alone.

“Something isn’t right.” I clasped onto my bare chest.

My wolf simpered, suddenly grabbing hold of my breast before gently kneading them with his fingers. Licking my nipple, a small whimper left my lips. He pulled away from it to gaze at my flustered face.

“Okay… I believe you. Then, should I try to monitor her?” He asked, eager to continue what we had been doing.

To him, that was more important than anything Vera was feeling.

“Please.” I whimpered.

He released my lump before kissing me lovingly on my lips. We were both a sweaty mess, but I did not mind it, and neither did he.

“Okay, I promise I’ll try to figure out what’s going on with Vera, but for now. Focus on me, okay?” he assured.

I nodded in response, only to receive his full love soon after the knot. Just like I said, I tried to focus on him alone. He made love to me throughout the night. My wolf held me close until the moment I lost consciousness.

The next morning, I found myself wrapped in his arms. The sight next to me was one to behold. It was one I would never get used to. My wolf was sleeping peacefully with me in his arms. Instinctively, I snuggled into his chest.

It was so warm and comforting. Though he chuckled awake because of my sudden cuddle. It caused me to smile, making me caress his cheek.

“Who would have thought that the once scary Alijah-tan would be so soft and cuddly in the morning?” I purred into his chest.

He grabbed onto my chin, pulling me up to meet his crimson orbs. They seemed hungry for me even though we had each other a few hours ago. Then again, our lust for one another was insatiable.

“Only to you, my love.” Alijah simpered.

I felt blessed for every moment; I spent with him. An itch soon came to me, finding myself unable to help it.

“I sure hope so,” I smirked, pinning him onto the bed, straddling him.

A low growl came from his lips as a playful smirk rose.

“Oi, that hurt. What do you take me for?” my wolf asked, licking his lips.

I stroked his heat, triggering a moan to leave his lips. There was a time that I would never have thought of touching him there. A forbidden fruit I could never have, but now he was all mine. My husband and eternal love. No one could take him from me again.

I would not allow it.

“You’re my wolf. My little gentle and loving wolf. That’s what I take you for.” I simpered.

My words caused his cheeks to turn lightly pink at my assessment of him.

“Then, are you going to bury me in you again?” Alijah grumbled a bit, feeling impatient at my touch.

His heat got harder and hotter with each stroke. Though it was already hard when I touched it. Morning wood men called it.

“If I still smell sweet, I will, but our time’s ending soon. So, do you think you can finish fast?” I asked, pressing the head of his member against my entrance.

It almost felt like an unfair tease to me. My itch was growing bigger with each second that passed. He released a nervous chuckle. My training with Leonard was soon, but I did not want to go. Not when I had a feast like this in front of me.

“Rem, that’s unfair. You always smell sweet to me.” He huffed, reaching to my face.

“And finish fast? Again, what do you take me for?” my wolf growled.

All I saw was a go sign. I slowly descended my bum on his member, allowing it to enter me. It slipped in with barely any resistance. This was thanks to everything we did the previous night. The way he filled me was alluring, as well as his expression.

And it was all mine.

“You know what I mean.” I licked my lips seductively, triggering him to growl again, grabbing onto my waist before shoving himself in.

A loud mewl left me. I did not expect him to do that. Instinctively, he sat up before kissing me lightly. Gabbing the back of my head, he pulled me towards his chest, still holding my hips in place with his other hand.

“Then… allow me to bury myself in your deepest depths. So, I can try to get you pregnant with my pup.” Alijah purred into my ear.

I felt him to the brim. The head of his member rubbed the entrance of my womb. Any twitch made me tremble in anticipation. Even though I wanted to lose my cool, I tried to hold on. His tease would not make me lose it. Or at least I would try.

“You think all the times from last night won’t?” I simpered, trying to act tough, but he knew better.

Releasing my head, his hand traveled to my breast, playing with them in his hand.

“Never hurts to keep trying. Plus, I wouldn’t care if it did already. I want you, always. So, move my little luma. I’m impatient.” Alijah demanded.

I grumbled a bit, quickly making love to him by swaying my hips. At that moment, he suckled on my other breast, kneading the other one. His tail wrapped around mine when I clasped onto his hair with my hands. In response to me tugging on it, he removed his hand from my hip, taking it towards my vulva's bell.

My wolf played with my sensitive lump, triggering me to mewl. It was almost overwhelming again. His heat was invading my depths, rubbing on every wall I had. It was unfair. He was stimulating every one of my delicate areas, triggering me to whine uncontrollably.

The feeling of my wolf's sharp fangs on my breast always made me feel on the edge. I never knew if he would sink them into my skin. Though ever since the first time we had sex, he never bit me again. Although I had bitten him more than once.

Remembering the night when I forced myself on him made me feel guilty all over again. My movements became a bit sluggish, too. I was consumed with remorse that had been repressed since the day he ‘forgave’ me. That time I had made him try to impregnate me, too.

Is this okay with him? I mean, he married me. So, he must want me to have his children, right? Rem stop, get a hold of yourself! He wants it!

Even though I tried to shake it off, I could not. He quickly noticed the change in my rhythm.

“If you move like that, it won’t be enough to make me…” Alijah commented, only to stop himself from finishing his sentence.

I did not know what expression I had on my face, but it worried him.

“Rem, what’s the matter?” he asked, cupping my cheeks in his hands.

Soft pants left his lips too. Instinctively, I gazed down to see where we were still connected. He was mine. I knew that yet...

“You have never bitten me since the first time you held me,” I whispered, closing my eyes.

He sighed because of it. It was one of relief, though. He must have thought it was something else.

“I was out of my mind then. If I bite you, your healing will slow down for around two days. We don’t know when we’ll be attacked. So, I can’t afford to do so, my love. Even though I...” Alijah tried to make me see sense.

I knew we were in constant danger. We could get attacked any day, but living like that made me wonder if we were living at all. Did I want to continue like this? No… I needed to live each day like it was my last. I also… need an excuse to not train for the next couple of days. So, I could try to watch Vera, but it was mostly because of my guilt as well.

I was turning into a cunning woman.

“But… I want you to mark me.” I whispered, placing my hands on his chest, turning my gaze to the side.

The feeling of his chest slowly rising and falling with each breath was the best he ever gave me. Well, other than his member twitching inside of me. Part of me wanted him to make me feel like I had done to him. A little of pain out of all the pleasure he always filled me with.

Even though it had been months ago, I needed him to make me feel something other than this.

“Rem… if I do this, you’re staying in this room for the next two days. You know that, right? Even if the world falls apart. I don’t care.” Alijah mumbled.

I should have listened to his words, but all I did was avoid his gaze. Deep down, I knew I would try to sneak out to go to Vera, but I also wanted this. Releasing a sigh, my wolf noticed he was not winning this one. He picked up his phone from the nightstand.

My father, well, he was our father now. Got it for Alijah. It was a must in our present technological world. He had it for the past few months. The first few days, the damn thing utterly confused him, but in the end, it was a breeze for him to learn. He had always been smart for things, even the unknown ones.

My wolf was steadily learning how to live in the era that we were in, with some help, of course. Thankfully, barely anything caught him by surprise anymore. Before I knew it, he was calling someone on the phone as it rang in the speaker.

“Hello?” Leonard answered.

I gazed at Alijah, who quickly replied.

“Hey, Leon, Rem won’t be going to training for about three days. So bother Vera instead. Oh, and tell the two pups that they are on their own for the next couple of days. Bye.” He hanged up before Leon could say anything in return.

My wolf was always like that. Straight to the point instead of dawdling in things. It seemed like he was intent on keeping me in this room, but without knowing it. He had played the perfect move for me, too. Not only would I be free of training for a couple of days to observe Vera. Well, try to. But Leonard would also have a chance to close the gap between them.

Though that would be if I survived Alijah’s love. After hanging up the phone, he placed it on the nightstand, smirking at me playfully once again.

“Just remember, you asked for it, darling.” He hummed happily, suddenly pulling me into him.

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My bare chest touched his, leaving no space between us.

Eh?! Do I remember that night differently? Why is he so happy to bite me?

Though hearing the pitch in his voice made me delighted too. He kissed his way past my neck and onto my shoulder, sending shivers down my spine. Grinding himself into me from below the whole time, too. He never pulled himself out of me.

The pleasure was overwhelming me. I rewarded his efforts with mewls from my mouth. I held onto him for dear life, too. Before I knew it, he sunk his fangs into my shoulder, causing a sharp whine to leave my mouth. The pleasure and pain were mixed, mixing into one.

Somehow, this had turned out better than I had hoped. Even though I had been plagued by my guilt, that much was true. I also wanted Leonard to get more time with Vera, hoping he could sway her to speak about what was happening to her.

In an instant, my body responded to Alijah, finding my release thanks to the new sensations he was giving me.

“Shit! You came from that?” Alijah murmured close to my ear, feeling me clench his heat.

His tongue caressed the fresh wound on my shoulder, licking the blood away. He was trying to not stain the bed, but it would not work. He suddenly pushed me down onto the sheets below before pulling out of me, marking my body with hickeys.

Blood dripped from me into the sheets below me. Not that I cared. No, my voice echoed in the room when his lips sucked in various parts of my body, leaving behind love marks. Each time he did one, he would lick on it before gazing back at me, lustfully almost as if to tease me.

By the time he was done, most of my body was covered in tiny marks. Well, at least everywhere that was visible to me. I panted for air before he suddenly shoved himself again inside of me. The sudden motion caused me to squeal to his pleasure. His eyes were glowing.

“My little luma. You’re all mine.” He licked my neck.

“Of course, I’m your wife. And you’re mine. My one and only husband.” I smiled, triggering his cheeks to flush red.

“Fuck, you know how to tame me.” He chuckled, kissing me deeply.

Each rough movement he gave made me feel alive, mewling loudly, matching his rhythm with my hips. We spent the entire morning in each other’s arm. Maids were the ones who brought us breakfast, too. In the afternoon, he picked me up, bringing me into the shower, before fucking there too.

Even though I wanted to watch Vera, Alijah was more interested in me. It made it impossible to do so. The only times I was free were when we needed to eat or other necessities. Otherwise, Alijah kept me under him the entire time. Part of me wanted to regret the choice I made, but could not. Any moment I spent with my wolf was bliss.

It was not like I could resist him, either. There was no way I could ever reject him, even if I somehow found the strength to do so. He was my everything and seeing him want to make love to me like this. It made me squirm in pleasure instead of anything else.

So, instead of being able to watch over Vera, all I did was send Leonard to her, hoping it would help her somehow. With that alone, I wished something would change. Alijah, like he said, did not allow me to leave the room for the days I was marked.

Even though I only smelled sweet for around twenty-four hours, a full day, Alijah did not allow me to leave him until my healing sped up once again. The bright side to this was that I was loved every minute for the past two days, but I also lost two days of surveillance.

Not that I would ever figure out what Vera was hiding. She was too cunning for me. After my healing came back, my life went back to training every day. It seemed impossible to figure out Vera while also honing my skills. So, I focused on the one thing I could control, and that was my training.

Then came the day when Alijah tried to make me shift once again. This was something I had rarely done on command. In fact, it had only happened once, when I was desperate to find my wolf after the raiders had taken him. Even though I tried to let the beast out, nothing ever came of it.

It was the same scenario as the flames. Even so, I never gave up. Luckily, my wolf believed me when I told him I was actually trying. But it seemed something was blocking me. This did not stop me, though.

I promised Vera I would not allow these things to define me. Instead, with every hic-up, I kept pushing forward even though progress seemed to be at a standstill. I barely found myself with free time anymore other than eating and sleeping.

When Leonard was not training me, Alijah was, and when it was not him, Vera. My time with her was also barely what it used to be. Although every night she would spend a couple of hours with me before bedtime.

Even the times I lay dead on the bed from the rough handling my wolf and Leonard gave me. They were not taking it easy with me, either. So, with that, my plans to watch her went all down the drain. Yet again, they never worked usually.

Leonard, though, seemed to grow closer to her somewhat during that time. The vampire was usually late to the night sessions. It had happened more than once already. And it started right after I made Vera promise to give him a chance.

Each time Leon came late, Alijah would make fun of him for smelling like Vera. And each time, he would try to make my wolf shut up. It seemed they both were finally getting along like friends. One I never expected to happen. Though the duo loved to tease one another, in ways I thought would not be possible.

Even though Leon was getting teased by Alijah almost every night, a smile rose on his lips because of it. He was happy; it seemed he never really had a friend like him before. And neither had my wolf had a friend like Leon. The air around the vampire was different, too.

Even though Vera insisted the babies were not his, his relationship with her shifted. I even caught them kissing once from a bathroom break gone array. It was more like me skipping on Alijah, trying to see what Vera was up to. That alone made me hope she would share with him what she could not with me.

Though, a week before her due date… I caught Vera complaining about a few back pains while training me to use magic. Something that was also at a standstill. Ruzgard was laying behind her while she struggled to get up, even with my help. She seemed paler than any other day, too.

Perhaps the cramps are already starting?

It was not rare for them to be felt a week before, though it should be soft ones at most. I had no way to figure any of it out too. All I could do was ask her if she was comfortable.

“Maybe it’s time for you to rest for a while.” I tried to get Vera to go into her bed.

She pulled away once she was up from the floor, though.

“No, I have to teach you, and it won’t matter until I am 10 cm dilated either way. Perhaps I’ll need a c-section like mom did too. Who knows?” Vera blabbered things I was ignorant to, but it sounded like it would be awhile before the babies were here.

Well, maybe.

“Oh, then should I call Leonard? I’m sure he would give you a back massage.” I tried to lighten the mood.

Vera glared at me, freezing me solid right where I stood. It was not one full of hate or anger, just pain.

What was that?

It was the first time I had ever seen her like that. Alijah noticed nothing different in Vera, even though he watched her for me. Neither had Mom, Dad, or anyone. To them, Vera was being herself, and I was the only one feeling off by it.

A feeling I could not label. Perhaps it was because I was her twin. Yet again, the boys were not feeling like this either. However, there was one person I could not ask. No matter how much I wanted to. After all, what happened between them was nothing of my concern.

But even so, perhaps I had been naïve into thinking that Vera would rely on Leonard. She was too strong for her good. Yet I loved that about her.

“No, it’s fine, Rem.” My sister softened her eyes, noticing how she had spooked me.

If only I could…

I tried to move past it a bit. If I were direct, it would not work. In fact, would it work either way? All I wanted to know was what was wrong. Was that so bad?

“He doesn’t give good back massages?” I tried to play dumb to not alert her too much to my suspicions of her.

Not that it would matter.

“It doesn’t have to do with that,” Vera assured, shaking her head from side to side.

I took the chance that she had walked into it.

“What then? You two are a thing now, right?” I asked directly.

Vera walked towards the desk in her room, sighing.

“Yeah, we are. It’s selfish of me, though. He should go back to Night City and forget I ever existed.” Vera mumbled.

I grabbed onto her shoulder. Why would that be selfish? Why forget her? She made no sense.

“And why are you saying that? He’s the father of your babies. I think you both deserve to be happy! No matter what anyone says.” I reassured.

She softly smiled, grabbing onto my cheeks. My eyes widened upon seeing tears fall down her cheeks. She was scared, but of what?

Vera... open up! Please let me in!

“We do, don’t we, my loving sister?” Vera simpered.

I clasped onto her cheeks, wiping the tears off. They did not belong on her face. She only deserved happiness.

“Vera, what’s wrong? Please tell me...” I fumbled to say, unable to handle her expression.

Was it one of fear, sadness, or anger? I had no way of knowing. But it filled me with dread. Did it have to do with her babies? With their fates or hers? Even though I wanted to know. All I desired was to help her. The only thing that she did was correct herself with a simple smile.

“Nothing, just scared of this whole birthing thing. And everything that comes after. It’s terrifying to be a mom.” Vera’s voice trembled.

I engulfed her in my arms. Was it the pregnancy scaring her? I mean, it was a terrifying thing. The way her body suddenly changed in the short period she was pregnant. And the way she was feeling about the uncertainty of everything. It probably was more than frightening.

Perhaps Alijah was right. Maybe it was all the hormones and the terrifying act that was coming soon. Yet... Midnight's words... still lingered in my mind. Was it her boys, though? Or someone else? Our brothers?

“Well, you’re the strongest woman I know. It’ll be a breeze for you. I just know it.” I encouraged her.

She chuckled, holding onto me too. My tail wagged slightly, triggering Ruzgard suddenly to nip it. I yelped, letting go of Vera before I glared at him who smirked with my tail was in his mouth.

“Oi, you! My tail is not a toy!” I growled at him.

“Rem, never give up.” Vera simpered, wincing a bit.

I gazed back at her with a slight frown on my lips. She should have controlled her familiar better. He never behaved like this either, though. Then again... perhaps my fluffy tail was too alluring for the hound.

“What?” I grumbled, a bit annoyed at Ruzgard, who had cut my moment with her shortly.

“On having kids. On being whatever you want. I want Loki and Oswald to have a family to play with. And for you to be there for them always.” Vera declared, turning away from me.

Wait… why….

I for a moment felt the ugliest feeling I ever felt. It should have been a joyous moment. After all, it was the first time I had heard her babies' names. I should have felt happy, but all I could muster was that if I touched my sister that she would break into million pieces.

No… something was terribly wrong…

Even though my period had become more regular, and I had been sweet to Alijah, I had not conceived yet. It was not easy for every couple, especially for lumas. For some, it would take many months to years of trying to get preggers. For others would happen from the first time.

Say nothing stupid…

“I’m sure one day it will happen. And I haven’t been able to shift but it might be just me still fearing it deep down.” I confessed, rubbing my arm.

I should have said what I wanted. She turned to me. Did she always seem this brittle?

Is this how Dad felt when Mom was pregnant with us? What is this feeling that was getting so hard to ignore? Vera... please tell me. Why don’t you trust me?

“I...” Vera stopped, biting onto her lip before smiling.

“Good. I want you to be happy. I’ll wait until you can finally give me that ride on your wolf form too, but don’t keep me waiting too long!” She noted, turning away from me once again.

What?

“You’ve never wanted a ride before.” I pointed out, snagging my tail out of Ruzgard’s mouth, slightly petting his head with a low growl.

He jumped up to the bed before I set my eyes back on Vera.

“Because I wanted it to be you, not the boorish men in our family. They’re pathetic creepers.” Vera huffed, acting more like herself.

But it all felt just like that. An act. For a moment I watched her grab onto the table, before suddenly groaning in a bit of pain. A weird scent I had never sniffed filled the air. Even though my sense of smell was weaker than most Lycans. The sweet smell of her water breaking filled my nostrils.

She turned to me, terrified. At that moment, everything was clear to me. It was a week early, and the babies were coming. I went to grab her when suddenly the lights flickered off. The alarms flared everywhere.

A shadow beast was emerging in Silverant at the same moment my sister had gone into labor.

Just peachy...

Closing my eyes, I picked Vera up with brief hesitation, running out of the room and into Mom’s library. Luckily, Amara was drinking a cup of tea with her there. Mom had not gone to the shadow beast yet, too. This was because the trackers had not yet pinpointed where the beast was.

The backup power came back online. In an instant, Mom forgot about the impending attack. Amara again seemed to be caught attending another labor that would require all her skills. Even though the backup power was on, it would be treacherous to move Vera to the hospital. Especially with an unknown shadow beast out and about.

Dad, Uncle Liam, Ben, and Sophie were all at Cerberus while Alijah, Leonard, Caden, and Aiden were at the stadium. The moment I set Vera down by the floor, I wanted to go get them, but my body stopped the instance Amara said something was not okay with Vera.

“Something’s wrong. You’re speeding up too fast.” Amara announced, with her initial checkup spell.

I could barely keep up with everything that was happening. Was any of this normal? I almost felt like a portrait that had been drawn on the wall while everything moved around me.

“I see… then they’re coming, right?” Vera tried to follow the breathing exercises Amara had taught her.

However, the pain was too much for her to handle.

“Is this Edna’s doing?” Mom snarled, angered.

Shade went to Vera’s side while I remained frozen where I stood.

Edna? Why would Edna want to harm the babies? I mean, she tried to kill us when we were being born too, but why would she hurt Vera’s babies? Does this have to do with the earlier attack too? Oh, by the gods...

I was... powerless to do anything.

“I don’t know, Lily. All I know is that two babies are coming in hot and heavy. Get Amelia and tell her to bring some blankets and an extra pair of hands.” Amara ordered.

Mom ran past me, doing exactly what Amara had said by screaming for the aunties, who were in the kitchen. Luckily, Melody was here too, and was down the hall. Mom ran back towards Vera, trying to assess her wellbeing through magic.

There was no way Mom could go defend against the shadow beast with all of this going on. A worrisome thing, though, was that phones did not work during these events. Well, cellphones at least.

The energies that came from the soul cairn messed with every wavelength, including the ones used for communication. And phone lines were in my dad’s studio on the other side of the manor.

“Okay… what do I do?” I panicked, unable to stay quiet.

Amara barked orders at me too.

“Go get some warm water from the kitchen!” Amara continued like the medic she was, leaving me with little doubt about what to do.

I ran towards the kitchen, only to be passed by Amelia, who had towels in her hands with Melody on her toes. The moment I went for the bowl, it fell to the ground. My hands trembled too much to keep steady.

Why was I acting this way? Trying to push aside my emotions, I filled the bowls full of warm water.

Get a grip! Vera needs you! Be there for her, you stupid useless luma! Ah… Fuck!

I could not help but scream for Alijah at the top of my lungs, hoping he would hear me. My hands quivered uncontrollably. Sadly, my nerves got the best of me. Luckily, in seconds, Alijah came through the door, having somewhat heard me even though I was far from the stadium itself.

It was more like he sensed my distress before I even screamed. His arms engulfed me the moment he saw me. Though he quickly noticed the sweet scent that came from me when I had picked up Vera.

“It’ll be okay, my love.” Alijah tried to comfort me, but it was not happening.

Even though I was not the one in pain, it terrified me. It was an eerie feeling that would not let me go from the moment I saw her water break. Why... did this fill me?

“Vera was t-teaching me and e-everything h-happened so f-fast. Early too a-and now there is an s-shadow beast that the p-people will have to take care of because M-mom can’t leave Vera a-alone.” My voice stumbled to inform Alijah.

He held me closely as Aiden and Caden entered the room too. Holding me close with one arm, he handed the bowl of water to Aiden, who rushed towards Vera’s side, having heard everything I said. Caden lingered for a moment, struggling to leave me like that, but Vera was who needed him most right now.

Alijah held me close to his chest, waiting for me to get a hold of myself, yet I could not. What was this? Why was I being such a wimp? I was not even the one in the spotlight; it was Vera. She needed me and here I was, shaking in my shoes.

Unable to take it any longer, I pushed myself away from Alijah, running towards where Vera’s screams. There I saw Leonard waiting outside of the room, hoping for someone to tell him it was okay to go in. Sadly, it was not my place to tell him that.

I passed by him and into the room when explosions erupted from the city thanks to the shadow beast that was raging through. Cerberus was trying to deal with it without knowing why Mom was missing. Ignoring everything, I grabbed onto my sister’s hand.

She gripped it tightly before screaming, tears rolling down her cheeks. Mom’s hands trembled, trying to cast a spell to see what Edna had done. They had already checked before Vera, and there were not any traces of Edna’s attack. Yet Mom still scanned her with everything she had. I had never seen her so desperate before.

I noticed Ruzgard was missing from here too.

Just where did that hound go? He never leaves her alone.

Everyone had been so preoccupied with Vera to notice him missing, too.

Come to think of it, ever since she went into labor, he disappeared. Had he stayed sleeping? Impossible.

Unable to think about it thoroughly, I noticed Aiden was also gone. Caden was still here, though. It seemed Aiden had gone to get Dad from Cerberus. I could only hope the beast did not catch him in that explosion from earlier.

Suddenly, a throbbing sensation surged through me, causing me to groan. Before I knew it, a portal opened in front of the window from where we were in. It looked like the ones that Mom and Vera could open from the soul cairn, but this time, no one had done so.

For a moment, it stunned everyone to see a giant arm emerge from it.

What the fuck? Two shadow beasts in a row?

Vera’s heavy and labored breathing became even more unstable. The stress of everything was too much for her. The moment she turned to me. I knew was about to be thrown into the demon’s den unwillingly.

“Go, Rem.” Vera suddenly said astonishing me.

Go? No… way.

“What? No, I…” I mumbled, unable to keep up with how fast things were happening.

A moment ago, we had been practicing, now she was giving birth. This was pure chaos. I was not ready for any of this. Then again, when would I be?

Chaos brings order... Midnight's words echoed through my mind.

My body shook because of it.

“Go! Rem! You have to go!” Vera screamed, shoving me aside.

I stood up because of it. Slowly, I glanced over to the window, bewildered by everything. Alijah was already by it along with Caden, who had opened open a chest in my mother's library. There was the blade that Midnight had reforged for me. It was now in his hands.

The same blade that had once been used to kill me all those months ago. Even though my response time was slow, thankfully, whatever was coming out of the portal seemed to struggle to come out too. All that seemed to have emerged was a large scaly leg with deadly claws attached.

A dragon? A fucking dragon?! Great!

Mom had described them once long ago, but right now, she concentrated on Vera. Shade stood near them to protect them.

“By the god, you silver blood never make it easy,” Amara commented fully into what she was doing.

“Hah, I wish we were easy.” Amelia chuckled nervously.

Both my aunties helped the sun elf out with Vera’s labor. I had promised to be there for my sister, but here I was about to break it. Alijah opened the window to step out towards what was coming. He was ready to face it alone if he had to.

Another thing I could not allow. I ran towards the door, grabbing onto Leonard before yanking him into the room where everything was happening.

“Keep her company for me, please!” I begged Leon, knowing full well he would not deny it.

In fact, it was all he wanted since he heard Vera screaming. His eyes glossed before nodding firmly.

“Of course, I will. Go, you’re ready for anything.” Leonard’s voice trembled.

It was morning, rendering him almost completely useless to everything that was happening. If this was an attack, they always knew how to choose when the vampires were at their most vulnerable. Something that was not his fault at all. No, the only one who was guilty was the witches or witch behind this.

At least he would be Vera’s support, which was all that mattered to me. Unable to rob another moment to spend with my sister, I gazed at her, who simpered at me before I turned away. It felt like they were tearing me apart from something precious. And for that, they would pay dearly.

The hardest fight of my life was awaiting me, yet I could not back down. No, I had to fight for Vera and her babies that were on the verge of being born. All I could do was have faith everything would play out like it needed to be. Too bad life… never was fair.