Chapter 342

Evaline:
The last twenty-four hours of my life had been nothing short of a whirlwind. One moment, I was tumbling down the stairs, terrified for both myself and the little life inside me. The next, I was drowning in the most agonizing pain I had ever known. And then finally… he was here. My baby.
Now, as I lay propped up against the hospital bed, my eyes fixed on the tiny figure wriggling beside me, everything felt surreal. He was real. He was here. Mine. Official source ıs.net
His little hands were balled into fists, opening and closing as though testing the air. His nose was small, perfectly shaped, and his cheeks looked so soft and chubby I couldn’t resist brushing them with my fingertips. He had the same silver hair as me – fine and silky. His skin was pale, delicate, almost translucent, as though the world hadn’t yet fully painted him.
Every breath he took felt like a miracle.
Without a doubt, I knew he’s the best gift the Moon Goddess had ever given me.
A smile touched my lips as I studied him, drinking in every detail now that we had both had some hours of rest. But then… my gaze fell on his eyes.
They were open, wide and curious, blinking slowly at the light filtering into the room. Considering he’s a pup, his eyesight was meant to be sharper than normal human babies.
But as I looked into his eyes, my breath hitched.
Instead of amber or golden eyes, I found myself staring into deep green orbs.
I inched my face closer, wanting to confirm it wasn’t a trick of the lightening. But no matter from how close I looked, the green didn’t change into golden or amber. Not only that, I also noticed the flecks of gold shimmering faintly in his irises.
Recognition slammed into me.
Those eyes. I have seen them before.
The smile slipped from my lips, dread curling in the pit of my stomach. For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. My chest tightened painfully as my mind screamed to deny what I was seeing.
No. It couldn’t be.
I tore my gaze away, but the image seared into my mind wouldn’t fade.
Just then, the door opened with a soft click, pulling me out of the storm inside me. River and Oscar stepped in, accompanied by my attending doctor.
Both of my mates looked freshly showered, but their exhaustion showed in the shadows under their eyes, in the stiff set of their shoulders. They had spent the entire night on edge – waiting, worrying, suffering alongside me. Even after I had finally fallen asleep with the baby, they hadn’t rested. No, they had run back to the mansion just to shower and force down food before returning here, as if staying away any longer was unbearable.
Oscar was the first to cross the room. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to my forehead, then another feather-light one to the baby’s crown. His warmth anchored me, eased me, and I smiled at him despite the unease twisting inside me.
“Hey, love,” he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. “You both look… perfect.”
The doctor cleared his throat gently, pulling out his clipboard. “How are you feeling, Miss Evaline?”
“Tired,” I admitted, forcing a soft smile, “but better than I thought I would be.”
He nodded approvingly. “Good. Your recovery is going remarkably well. In fact He hesitated, as if searching for the right words. you are healing rather fast despite not having a wolf.”
In the past, these words would have been a knife to my chest. A reminder of everything I lacked. A label stamped on me since childhood – wolfless.
But now… now, I didn’t feel the sting.
Instead, I smiled at him, wanting him to know his words didn’t hurt me. Not anymore. Because now I knew I wasn’t weak because I lacked a wolf. I wasn’t less. And I knew the doctor hadn’t meant it as cruelty.
His brows lifted slightly at my reaction, then he smiled back before making a few final notes.
Moments later, a nurse and healer entered. The nurse quietly replaced my IV while the healer handed me a vial of shimmering blue liquid. I drank it down, grimacing at the bitterness but already feeling warmth spread through my chest.
When it came time to check the baby, the nurse gently lifted him from my side. My arms immediately felt empty, but I didn’t protest. He needed this.
Oscar immediately followed them out, like a protective shadow unwilling to let his pup out of his sight.
River stayed behind.
And as soon as the door closed, the quiet thickened.
He moved closer, pulling a chair to my bedside, his eyes fixed on me with that unshakable intensity that always seemed to strip me bare.
I didn’t need words to know he had felt the shift in me earlier. He always felt everything. My storm couldn’t be hidden from him, bond or not. And yet, it wasn’t just me… he seemed burdened too, as though there was something heavy pressing against his chest.
He opened his mouth, then closed it again, pressing his lips together.
I fiddled with the edge of the blanket, waiting while my heart pounded.
Seconds stretched. Then, as if the silence could no longer contain us, we both blurted out at the same time –
“We need to talk.”
“I need to tell you-”
The words collided, hanging between us like a live wire.
I froze and my heart tightened.
His deep green eyes softened, but they didn’t waver. “You first,” he said quietly.
My pulse started racing, my mind whirling with the truth clawing at me, begging to be spoken. The baby’s eyes. That impossible familiarity. The dread that I couldn’t shake.
But could I say it? Could I voice it out loud and risk shattering everything?
I opened my mouth, then closed it again, swallowing hard. My fingers twisted in the sheets, searching for courage.
And before I could speak, he leaned closer, his hand brushing mine, his voice low.
“Evaline,” he murmured. “There’s something I need to tell you about the pup.”
My heart stopped.