Chapter 54

Life settled into a routine with Dr. Matthias continuing his regular check-ups on my pregnancy, and visits with Lily and Sophia. Things seemed to have regained a sense of normalcy, and a calm was settling in around us.

The tension that we had all felt was finally starting to ease, and the future was a bright light for us all once again.

The doctor had become a comforting presence in our home, his expertise reassuring us all. And having the girls around kept me from feeling restless and alone, when my mates had to go off on werewolf business throughout the pack.

One evening, as we discussed my progress, Dr. Matthias asked if he could introduce us to someone new—a skilled midwife named Elara.

“You are making wonderful progress, but having help with the pregnancy, and the baby after it is born is going to require an extra pair of hands. I can assure you, Elara is the best at what she does, and she’s an amazing person as well.”

Armand and the triplets were hesitant at first, but Dr. Matthias’ reassuring smile was all the convincing I needed, and my mates and Armand soon followed suit. Dr. Matthias called for Elara, and she arrived the next day.

I was at once taken with her. She was a calming presence, her gentle demeanor putting us all at ease, just as Dr. Matthias had done. When she offered to move in and help with my care as well, we accepted with gratitude.

“I feel as though I was drawn here, to help you and your blessed baby enter this world safely.” Elara told me as we sat alone one day. She smiled at me, and I knew that she was right, we had been brought together for a reason.

It felt as though the moon goddess had provided exactly who we had needed in this troubling time. These professionals didn’t feel like a doctor and midwife, but just another two members of our pack.

I began to get a sense of our baby, and I felt that he or she was important to the future of the pack, possibly all of werewolf kind.

As the days turned into weeks, Elara and Dr. Matthias worked seamlessly together, ensuring that both the baby and I received the best care possible. Their combined knowledge and dedication brought a sense of security that eased the tension that had settled over our pack.

However, just as we started to feel a semblance of normalcy, a forgotten foe reintroduced itself, and set us off balance again.

Trouble with the vampires resurfaced. Small, seemingly random attacks began to occur, targeting our pack members. The vampires were clever, striking under the cover of darkness, when we were most vulnerable, their attacks swift and brutal.

The first attack took place on a moonless night. One of our pack's guards, Elias, was patrolling the outermost perimeter when he was ambushed.

The vampires were swift, silencing him before he could raise the alarm. They left him battered and unconscious, a dark message scrawled in blood on the ground— "This is just the beginning."

The second attack was more audacious. Amelia, a young member of our pack who was serving as one of the mansion staff, was returning from a late-night visit to her family's home on the compound.

She was almost back to the mansion when the vampires descended upon her. Their assault was savage, leaving her with deep wounds and a message carved into her flesh— "We're watching."

Fear rippled through our pack. How had they gained access to the compound undetected? We intensified our patrols, heightened our defenses, but the vampires were elusive, striking seemingly at random. Panic began to simmer beneath the surface.

Sophia, Lily, and I went out shopping one day for a rare change of scenery. I had begun to become restless, needing to move around and get out of the house. I felt as though I would go crazy with the need to move.

On the way home, though, trouble struck again. Time had gotten away from us, and as dusk fell, the world grew dark and dangerous. The attack was sudden, a blur of feral figures descending upon us. Somehow, they had snuck in between the guard surrounding me and my friends.

Their movements were coordinated, their intentions clear— they were after me. Lily and Sophia were caught off guard, but they fought valiantly to protect me. I found out later that our guards had been teaching them both to fight, just in case of an occurrence like this one.

Chaos erupted as the vampires closed in. Elara's, who had started to go where I did, just in case she was needed, instincts kicked in, and she rushed to aid my friends, her hands glowing with a healing light.

My guards moved in, quickly recovering from the sudden shock of the attack. The fight was fierce and brutal.

I felt a surge of fear and adrenaline coursing through me as I struggled to defend myself. Nicholas, Brian, and Cheney were by my side in an instant, having been planning to meet us on the way home. Their protective instincts in full force.

The vampires were relentless, their attacks coordinated and precise. Sophia suffered a deep gash to her arm, while Lily was thrown to the ground with a force that left her gasping for breath. The vampires' message was clear— they wanted to inflict pain and fear.

As I watched those that I loved fight all around me, the chaos became overwhelming. I closed my eyes and summoned the power of the moon goddess, feeling a surge of energy flowing through me.

When I opened them, my eyes blazed with an otherworldly light as I pushed back against the vampires, a fierce determination taking hold.

Slowly but surely, we began to overtake them. The vampires, realizing they were outnumbered, began to retreat, their hisses of frustration echoing in the night.

We were battered and bruised, but our determination remained unbroken. As we regrouped, tending to our wounds, we knew that this was just the beginning of a dangerous game with the vampires.

They had made their intentions clear, and we were prepared to defend our pack and our family with everything we had.

The attacks were a grim reminder that our world was filled with unseen threats, and we would have to stay vigilant, ready to face whatever darkness lay ahead.