Chapter 157
LUCY
The danger and the uncertainty of what came next. All of it fell away, eclipsed by the tiny life nestled between us. Our daughter. The living embodiment of our love, our struggle, and our unyielding hope.
Alexander leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to my forehead. “She’s perfect,” he whispered, his voice thick with emotion.
I nodded, too overwhelmed to speak, my eyes never leaving the baby’s delicate face. Her skin was soft and warm against mine, her breath light and even. She was here, she was real—and she was already so much more than either of us could’ve imagined.
I felt a tear slip down my cheek, but it wasn’t from pain or fear. It was relief. A raw, almost disbelieving kind of peace. After everything—after all the blood spilled, the betrayals, the sleepless nights clinging to the hope that she’d make it—we were here. Together. Whole.
“She has your nose,” Alexander said suddenly, his voice breaking the quiet reverence. He reached out, gently brushing a fingertip across her tiny, barely opened eyelids. “But her aura… it’s something else entirely.”
Sharma, who had been silently working and cleaning, stepped back quietly now, giving us space but watching closely. Her expression had shifted—her usual guarded calm had been replaced by something unreadable. Her eyes flicked from me to the baby, then briefly to Iris, who still stood in the corner of the room, silent.
Iris’s arms were folded tightly across her chest. Her eyes were fixed on the baby too. Something flickered in her expression—something not quite envy, not quite sorrow. Regret, maybe. Or longing. It was impossible to tell. But she didn’t speak, didn’t move. Just watched. Her presence made the air feel heavier somehow, like a storm that hadn’t broken yet.
Outside, beyond the room’s warm bubble, we could hear faint murmurs from the pack—whispers and footsteps, hushed voices thick with anticipation. The distant rustle of leaves stirred by the wind, the low rumble of thunder far off in the distance. There was a storm coming, in every sense of the word.
“I’ll need to do a full check,” Sharma finally said, breaking the silence. Her tone was professional, but underneath it, I caught a trace of wonder. “But… her aura… it’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen.”
Alexander stiffened beside me. “What does that mean?”
Sharma’s lips pressed into a thin line. “It means she’s more than just a child of an Alpha and his Luna. There’s something ancient in her blood… something powerful. I don’t think even you realize how important she is.”
I instinctively tightened my arms around my daughter, a rush of protectiveness flooding through me like wildfire.
“What kind of power?” Alexander asked, his voice calm but edged with steel.
Sharma hesitated. “It’s too soon to say. Her energy is… layered. It resonates with celestial signatures I’ve only read about in old texts. Moon-blessed, but touched by something older. Something that hasn’t walked this realm in generations.”
Alexander and I exchanged a glance. My heart began to pound, not out of fear, but something heavier—an awareness of a future we couldn’t yet see.
I looked down at our daughter again. She shifted slightly in my arms, her small fingers curling around the edge of the blanket. She was peaceful, serene… but there was strength in her stillness. A quiet intensity that felt bigger than her fragile body.
“We name her Astrid,” I said, my voice firm but gentle.
Alexander turned to me, surprise flashing in his eyes. “Astrid?”
“It means ‘divinely beautiful’… and ‘strength of the gods.’” I ran my fingers gently along her soft cheek. “It fits her. She’s going to change everything.”
He didn’t hesitate. His gaze dropped back to her face, and something in him settled, like a vow had been made without words. “Astrid.”
Sharma bowed her head slightly, her eyes closed in silent reverence. “Then may the moon bless Astrid, child of light and shadow. She is destined for greatness… and danger.”
I looked up at her sharply. “Danger?”
Sharma’s gaze met mine, steady and unflinching. “You’ve made powerful enemies, Lucy. And Astrid’s birth… it may have just set a prophecy in motion. One that speaks of a child born from opposing forces. A bringer of balance—or destruction.”
A chill slid down my spine.
Iris stirred finally, her voice soft but clear. “You’re right to be afraid.”
Alexander growled low in his throat. “You’ve said enough.”
But Iris didn’t back down. She stepped forward, her face unreadable. “The child will need protection. More than you or even he can provide.”
My eyes narrowed. “And you think you can?”
“No,” she said, simply. “But I know who can.”
Before Alexander could respond, Sharma raised a hand, cutting through the rising tension. “Enough. There will be time for warnings. For now, let them rest. This is a moment of life, not war.”
And for a brief second, it was. Alexander sat beside me on the edge of the bed, his hand resting gently on my back. He leaned in, resting his forehead against mine, and we breathed in sync, the weight of what was to come not yet fully pressing in.
Astrid’s breath, steady and warm, rose and fell against my chest. Her scent—soft, clean, tinged with something sweet and unplaceable—wrapped around me like a spell. I didn’t want to let her go. Ever.
“I never thought I’d feel this,” I whispered. “After everything… after losing so many… I didn’t think happiness like this was real.”
Alexander kissed my temple. “She’s real. We made her real.”
For the first time in what felt like forever, I let myself smile. A full, honest, tear-filled smile. The kind that came from the deepest part of me. He was right. She was real. She was ours. And no prophecy, no threat, no shadow of the past could take this moment from us.
But even as I thought it, the flickering candles in the room dimmed suddenly, the flames wavering as a gust of wind slammed against the window. The shadows on the walls stretched unnaturally long, as if something ancient had stirred outside.
Sharma turned slowly toward the window. Her eyes narrowed.
And then it came—a whisper. So faint it could have been imagined. Carried on the wind like a forgotten secret.
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