Chapter 366

[ 924 words ]

Talia’s POV

I woke up slowly, feeling warm and heavy, with Nolan’s arm still around me and his

breath gently moving my hair.

“Morning,” he said, kissing my cheek.

“Morning.” I burrowed in closer, in no hurry to move.

“Talia, it’s noon actually.”

I opened my eyes, then shut them again. The light coming through the curtains wasn’t a gentle sunrise. It was the bright midday sun.

“So, it is,” I murmured.

Neither of us tried to move. Nolan traced shapes on my shoulder without thinking. For once, there was no crisis, no one calling for help, nothing pulling us away. I wanted to hold onto that feeling as long as I could. We stayed together until my stomach growled loudly, making him laugh.

“Fine, I’ll get up,” I whined.

Once we were ready, we went downstairs for lunch. As soon as we walked in, it was clear the chef had outdone themselves. The table was packed with food, almost like a week’s worth of meals all at once. Everything was fresh, hot, and made with care. I didn’t think it was just for us; it felt like the kitchen was celebrating the end of the war and the pack’s survival, putting all that relief into the meal.

I couldn’t remember the last time I was this hungry. I ate my meal quickly, as if I was making up for lost time. By the time I finished, I had gone through three plates, and Nolan was clearly amused.

“I’ve seen warriors put away less food after a raid,” he joked. “That Moonfire must really wipe you out.”

I felt myself blush when I remembered last night. I threw my napkin at him, and Nolan caught it, laughing.

“Shut up.” I stood before he could say anything worse. “Come on. We’re supposed to go see Solon.”

“As you wish, my Luna.”

We heard their voices before we reached the door. Solon’s laughter mixed with Leslie’s as they joked about something I couldn’t quite catch. That sound was the best thing I’d heard in a long time, so I paused to listen before finally knocking and going in.

Solon was propped up in the bed, still pale, but himself, all the way himself. He grinned when he saw us.

“There she is. Come to check I haven’t died on you?”

“Something like that,” I said. “You’re still really pale. Are you feeling okay?”

“I feel fantastic, thank you. The doctor says I can go home tomorrow.” He sounded a

little too pleased, as if he had convinced them to let him leave early.

“If,” Leslie cut in from the chair beside him, “he actually takes the medication he’s supposed to take, on the schedule he’s supposed to take it, instead of deciding he’s fine and skipping doses. Which he will try to do.”

“I would never.”

“Of course you would.” She gave him a playful eye-roll.

“You believe me, right, sis?” Solon asked.

“Not at all,” I said, and Solon’s smile faded, making Leslie laugh. She reached into the folder on her lap and pulled out a glossy photo. “You two have good timing. Here.”

Leslie passed me the photo. It was grainy and out of focus, nothing but shadows until I looked closer. My pulse picked up as I tried to make sense of it. When I finally found the little curled shape in the center, everything else in the room faded. My breath caught and a bright surge of hope and awe filled me. For a moment, all I could see was the new life on the page.

“That’s your pup?” I exclaimed.

“Four months to go,” Leslie said, and there was so much pride in her voice that it turned thick at the end.

My throat tightened, and I had to blink quickly to keep from tearing up.

“So cute,” I said. “Nolan, look, the baby’s cute.” I passed the photo to Nolan.

Nolan studied it with total seriousness. “It is. Very cute.”

Leslie laughed and wiped her eyes. “You two are ridiculous. It’s a smudge. You cannot possibly call a smudge cute.”

“I can and I will,” I said. “That pup is going to be beautiful, because both of you are, and I won’t hear otherwise.”

“She has a point,” Solon said, smug about it.

“She does,” Leslie admitted, placing her hand over the small curve of her belly.

She gave me her usual mischievous grin. “So, when are you and Nolan going to make this little pup a cousin? Honestly, now’s as good a time as any.”

My cheeks flushed with heat, and I couldn’t meet her eyes. Did she really want me to answer that in front of my brother, no less?

‘You shouldn’t be embarrassed. It is an honest question,’ my wolf said. ‘If we have more nights like last night, we’ll be with pup soon.’

I felt a flicker of excitement, but it quickly gave way to nervousness. The war was behind us, and for once there was space for dreams like this. Even so, it felt unfamiliar, like I was standing at the start of something I didn’t know how to approach.

“We’re working on it,” Nolan said before I could get a single word out.

I turned on him. “Nolan!”

“What? We are.”

“Good,” Leslie said, delighted. “The war’s over. No more excuses for any of us. I expect you both to work very hard at it.”

Solon almost choked from laughing, and my face burned with embarrassment. I decided I was finished with this whole conversation.

“On a completely different subject,” I said loudly, trying to talk over the three of them laughing at my expense, “we should have a party. Tomorrow evening, once Solon is cleared to leave. Everyone deserves a night to celebrate our victory. What do you think?”

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