Katrina’s POV
The guard cleared his throat, his gaze flicking nervously over my shoulder to where Adolphus stood behind me. “I’m afraid something has happened, Alpha Katrina.”
I stepped forward, feeling the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. “What is it? What happened?”
The guard hesitated for a moment, then spoke, his voice low. “Cassandra… she… she committed suicide.”
The words hit me like a blow to the chest. I felt the air leave my lungs, and my stomach twisted. A tear rolled down my cheek before I could stop it.
“No,” I whispered, shaking my head in disbelief. “No, that’s not possible.”
But the guard didn’t say anything more. He just stood there, looking at me with pity in his eyes.
I couldn’t process it. Cassandra was... gone? My mind refused to accept it. But before I could say anything else, a sharp pain shot through my abdomen, forcing me to clutch my stomach.
“Adolphus,” I gasped, barely able to stand.
He was instantly at my side, his hands on my shoulders as he guided me back toward the bed. “Katrina? What’s wrong? What happened?”
“I... I don’t know,” I said, gritting my teeth as the pain intensified. “I feel… something’s wrong. It hurts.”
His eyes widened in panic. “Stay with me, Katrina. I’ll take care of you, I promise. Just breathe.”
But I couldn’t focus on his words, not with the pain twisting inside me. I could feel something shifting, a pressure building in my body, and I knew, deep down, what was happening.
“I think... I think I’m in labor,” I managed to say, my voice shaky.
Adolphus’s face turned white, his panic intensifying. “What? No, no, no—this isn’t the time for this. We need to get you to the clinic.”
He scooped me up into his arms before I could protest, his movements fast but careful. “Hold on, Katrina. Stay with me.”
I barely registered the passage of time as he rushed through the hallways, carrying me toward the clinic. The pain was unbearable, and I gripped onto him tightly, squeezing my eyes shut as another wave hit me.
“Please, Adolphus,” I whispered through clenched teeth. “I need you.”
“I’m here, Katrina,” he said, his voice firm. “I’m not leaving you. Just breathe, okay? You’re doing great.”
Somehow, we made it to the clinic, and everything after that was a blur of activity, the room filled with medical staff rushing around, preparing for the birth.
I was barely aware of anything as the pain grew worse and worse, but I could hear Adolphus’s voice, steady and comforting as he never once left my side.
And then, after what felt like an eternity, I heard the sound that would change everything. The loud, piercing scream of a baby.
A boy.
And then, just moments later, another scream. A girl.
I blinked in confusion, my mind still foggy from the labor, but the realization hit me like a wave. I had given birth to our heir and our heiress.
Our son, Damien, would inherit the Indigo Light from Adolphus. Our daughter, Daniella, would inherit the Lunar Flame from me.
Tears filled my eyes as I looked at Adolphus, who was holding our children in his arms, his eyes wet with tears of joy.
“We did it,” he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. “Our family. It’s perfect.”
I smiled weakly, my heart swelling with pride. This was it. This was our beginning.