1. Claude Phoebe(ManxMan)

•Chapter 22

I watched Ace sleep for most of the part that I had woken before him. I was just glad he was able to sleep at some point. I moved a bit so that I could head for the window. I opened a little bit and recalled the events.

One moment in particular stuck with me. I stared at my hand then wondering if I had dreamt it all and if not, struggling to make sense of it all. I did take note though that I had no feeling of my usual headache since then which I found significant due to how I'd barely ever been able to escape their neverending cycle.

My brows furrowed as I tried to shift my arm alone. I focused on my arm, the one that went right through Alaric. I pictured what I remembered and my skin began to crawl, I watched my skin ripple before my head burst open. I fell to the ground with a shout, not even an actual shout, the sound was like a cross between a howl and a roar.

I panted at the pain that suddenly enveloped my body as I lay unmoving on the ground my eyes shot, stuck on the curtain before Ace's scent surrounded me strongly and his touch reminded me that I was alive.

The feeling was indescribable. As though my body had almost attempted to rip itself into two different parts.

"-laude! Claude!" He was crying as he shook me and I blinked. "Please! Claude wake up!"

"Ace," my voice was rough, deeply scratchy as though I'd been screaming for longer than I realised. I sat up with a grown as my body ached dully.

"What happened?" He sniffed inspecting me. I raised my hands in confused shock.

"I-I- don't know..." I looked at him crying and clutching his stomach and shaking his head.

"Don't so that!"

"What I do?" I frowned at him, cupping his face and wiping his tears while he shook his head.

"You were shaking, I thought you were having a seizure, you screamed so loud, so... Just don't." Looking at my crying mate I hated myself for scaring him. I kissed him then calming him by rubbing his back and holding him close.

He calmed down and we found ourselves in bed just staring at one another.

"I..." He pursed his lips, his finger was tracing my hand which was between us. "I saw something." He murmured in the dark.

"When?"

"When... When you punched through Alaric." His eyes scanned mine for the longest. "I never knew wolves could do that, by I don't know, you just...went through him like nothing, you didn't even flinch." He told my hand and rolled it over. "It was awesome," he chuckled breathlessly, "but scary too."

"I didn't know I could do that either." He watched me and I spoke honestly. "I did see my hand change though, it was-" I shook my head with furrowed brows. "Scaled but furry at the same time, I had black claws and it was bigger than my paw as a wolf," I shook my head and sighed. "I don't even know if that's possible."

"I saw it too." He whispered running his hand over my jaw. "I just wasn't sure."

"Ace... What's happening to me?"

My question was soft and low, my voice cracked and I felt it then, the dread that was slowly creeping up on me. Ace held me and I kissed his stomach whose bruising had indeed faded.

In only three days my trackers had found Alaric's den and had reported to having had a near death confrontation.

"There was around 16? Maybe 18 vampires in total present." Marshal reported, I hadn't even known that he had gone. "He's not okay, Alpha, he was all wide eyed and crazy, he kept saying that we have his princess, that he needed her back and he was going to get her even if it meant killing the entire pack."

"Really?"

"Yeah," another warrior and tracker said. "It was like he was on drugs and suffering from withdrawal or something. It, was not good. He was incredibly strong despite this."

"Like abnormal."

I recalled Theo and nodd d in understanding. "Well, we need to prepare for the worst. Judging by his statements it's only a matter of time before he comes here and we won't have to go after him."

We spent some time passing around strategies, finding it better they come to us than for us to go to them and even though they were vampires we would have strength in numbers this way. Some argued we were sitting ducks because if they sneak onto pack land somehow it would be unfortunate and I had to remind them that Travis unlike our sister Danielle or our brother Xavier or even Theo was not at all against raising alarms using magic.

Ace complained of cramps which ultimately out me on guard, I made him get checked out only to be assured that the baby was fine it seemed. That didn't ease me as he still had a tendency to double over in shock sudden pain.

It made me feel useless.

For the most part things were settling, we had training every morning as usual and the pack was warned against our new enemy so they wouldn't be vulnerable going out into town. The vampires seemed to have gone quiet but I still had them watched.

By report they hardly moved, keeping to their estate, more bodies had been found around town drained of blood and I knew that sooner rather than later the council would interfere as such events usually draw too much attention.

I spent time with Ace talking about our baby, who we decided would be Cassian if they were a boy and Clio if they were a girl. We had begun setting up the baby room in the empty room across from us.

"I think we should go with neutral colours." I pouted at my mate as I held a bucket full of pink.

"But pink is so cute!"

"But what if they don't like pink?"

"What if they don't like neutral?" I shot back glaring and he laughed.

"Unbelievable." He shook his head. "Okay, how about we share." I squinted at him.

"Share how?" I noticed him wince subtly and touch his side before smiling like nothing happened and I narrowed my eyes.

"We spread the pink and the neutrals so they kind of work together."

"Are you okay?" I walked over to him abandoning the paint and holding onto him.

"I'm find, just had a bit too much to drink is all." He smiled gently and moved out of my grasp to pick some neutral paint while I sighed.

"Well, homecoming is two weeks away. You still wanna go?"

He hummed wiggling his head a bit and I chuckled.

"I guess if I'm not showi-"

"I'm pretty sure Theo can help with that." I went over and wrapped my arms around him, I felt his stomach, the bump was barely noticeable and yet I noticed simply because I knew.

He shrugged. "True, but I would still feel pregnant." He laughed, his eyes were so bright and joyful one could hardly look away.

My mate was glowing really, pregnancy really suited him, I wasn't going to lie.

"I love you."

"I love you." I kissed him in that paint store, the fumes of it trying to overpower his heavenly scent which was faintly mixed with our unborn child.

There was just something about that moment that gave me so much peace, the simplicity of it, the natural feeling of it that I just hoped never went away. Holding onto my love, I pictured our baby born healthy and strong, between us and laughing and crying and I felt so excited, I felt I could never be anywhere else.

Forever.

A\N
Written: 14 October 2021