<h4>Chapter 93: Family...</h4>


    <strong><i>*~Hazel’s POV~*</i></strong>


    <i>It’s not every day you wake up to see your dead babies alive and crying.</i>


    And it’s definitely not every day you wake up to see your supposedly dead mate, the one who caused the death of those babies... standing right in front of you like nothing happened.


    My entire body shivered as I instinctively backed away. I nced around the room, confused, trembling. Where am I?


    <i>Where’s Cayden? Where’s Aurora?</i>


    Why would they bring me here? Why would they let him bring me here? Why would they let a dead body take me away?


    L


    I turned my head again, almost afraid to look but there they were. The babies. My babies. Still Crying.


    <i>No.No, no, no.</i>


    This has to be a dream. Some sick, twisted nightmare. I pinched myself. Hard. Nails dug into skin. But I didn’t wake up.


    <strong>This was real. </strong>And then my gaze shifted..past the babies, past the surreal warmth in my chest andnded straight on him.


    Cyrius...Standing there like he hadn’t torn my world apart.. I narrowed my eyes, my fleece brushing past as I stepped forward. "Why did you kidnap me?" I snapped. "What are you doing here, alive?"


    His expression was unreadable, calm in a way that only fueled my panic. No..this couldn’t be real. But everything about it was.


    "We never died," he said, voice low and careful. "We were summoned. A part of us, anyway. You all just assumed we were dead."


    I blinked. My head was spinning.


    "You’re saying you’re not dead?" I asked. "What do you mean ’summoned’? Who summoned you? And why the hell did you bring me here?"


    My voice cracked at the end, rising into desperation. But my eyes..my soul—kept going back to them...To the babies. They were still crying.


    I rushed forward, heart pounding as I scooped them into my arms, whispering their names, touching their soft faces. My baby girl smiled, shing the toothless mouth. My baby boy was still asleep, peaceful like nothing ever touched him.


    "Oh my God..." They were warm. Their little hearts beat against my chest. .


    And then they both began to cry louder, clinging to my dress like they remembered me, like they were begging me not to disappear again. My baby girl gripped the fabric tight, her wails stirring her brother awake in my arms.


    I held them closer. Tighter. My arms trembling from the weight of emotion more than the weight of their bodies. They needed food. Milk...Instinct took over.


    Without a second thought, I moved to a quiet corner and turned my back to Cyrius. My hands were shaking, but my body... it knew. I didn’t know how to breastfeed...but something in me did.


    I unhooked the back of my gown with shaky fingers, pulled it down gently, and brought out my breasts. I guided the right one to my son’s mouth and the left to my daughter’s.


    Theytched instantly and just like that, they stopped crying. Eyes closed. Sucking softly. Safe. At peace.


    Something inside me...something I thought had died with them lit up again. A piece of my soul I thought was gone came surging back.


    <i>They’re not dead. My babies are not dead.</i>


    <i> It was still sinking in.</i>


    And as I held them to my chest, nursing them with all that I had left in me, I made a silent promise to them: I will watch you grow. I will protect you. I will give you the life I always swore I would.


    "I’ve given them names, you know."


    I turned my head slightly, ncing at him over my shoulder. He stood leaning casually against the entrance of the hut, arms folded like he wasn’t the reason my entire life had just spun off its axis.


    "The girl is Heather," I said quietly. "And the boy... I thought about naming him Sebastian. But I haven’t really settled on it yet."


    He didn’t respond. Just watched. Studied me. Like he was trying to read the pieces of me I hadn’t even figured out myself yet.


    I turned away, choosing to ignore him—choosing not to feed into the confusion still storming through my head. None of this made sense. My babies were alive. He was alive. I didn’t even know where I was, and my heart was barely keeping up.


    When the babies finished feeding, they both drifted off in my arms—so soft, so quiet. My body still trembled from the overwhelming reality of it all. I looked down at them, their little chests rising and falling against mine, and I held them tighter.


    Then, I noticed him turn again. Still watching me. Still soaking it all in like it wasn’t a miracle. Or a curse.


    I stood up slowly, my daughter still sleeping in my arms. I started walking toward the door, toward whatever freedom I could find—only for him to move. He stretched out his arm and blocked the exit.


    "Let me go," I said sharply. My voice wasn’t loud, but it cut like a de.


    "Where am I? And you need to take me back to the High House right now. These babies need to see their family. Everyone probably thinks they’re dead."


    He didn’t budge. "And when they wake up, why can’t you just give them to Cayden or Caspian?" I snapped. "Why drag all of us here?"


    His gaze was firm. Steady. Too calm. "Because I’m here to start my family," he said simply.


    "Family?" Iughed, bitter and disbelieving. "What family are you talking about?"


    He didn’t flinch. Not once. "Even if you want to start some twisted little family, why me? Why bring me here?"


    His answer came without hesitation. "Because you’re my mate." The words dropped between us like a p.


    "And those babies," he added, "whether I like it or not, they’re already mine." I stared at him, stunned. "So let’s just stay here peacefully," he finished.


    <i>Peacefully?</i>


    I took a step back, my lip curled in disbelief. "They must be mistaken if they think I’ll just start a family with you."


    I looked him dead in the eye.


    "Are you out of your mind?"


    "My mate?" I scoffed. "Yes, you may be my mate by fate, but you’ve never marked me. And hell will freeze before I ever let you mark me."


    I stepped closer now, just enough for him to feel the power simmering beneath my skin. "Don’t even dream of calling me yours."


    My voice dropped lower. Dangerous. Controlled.


    "So you better move that hand now before I show you my dark side."


    I leaned in, almost whispering. "And trust me, Cyrius... that’s a side you don’t want to meet."