<b>Chapter </b>104


    <b>Noah </b>


    94%


    Everything had been running smoothly in the underworldtely, and we’d worked out a


    nice routine: spend the nights here handling soul traffic, keeping the realms bnced,


    and then portal back to Red Moon during the day to manage pack duties and, more


    importantly, be with Envy. We still had a few hours left until sunrise, and with nothing


    urgent pressing down on us, I decided to let Hawk out for a proper run. The Underworld


    was quiet tonight, the veil steady, and the air thrummed with that low hum of death and


    magic that I’d grown oddly fond of. I stepped out of the massive obsidian doors of the


    kingdom and inhaled deeply. That familiar scent, rich, smoky airced with iron and shadowed whispers, filled my lungs and made something settle inside me. Home. Then I


    shifted. Bones snapped and twisted, and heat burst through my spine as Hawk took over.


    We were massive in this form,rger than an Alpha wolf, almost bear–like in size, with


    thick ck fur and deep red streaks that shimmered when we ran. Our paws thudded against the ckened stone, sending tiny cracks of embers dancing into the air. We took off toward the lower stretches of the underworld, away from the path of the forgottenmunities, just for the thrill of the run. The stone gave way to scorched earth, then eventually to the gardennds, an eerie, yet oddly beautiful section of the realm where Evelina had spent most of her nightstely. The moment her scent hit us, Hawk faltered in his step. <i>“</i><i>Mate</i>.<i>” </i>It flooded us, sweet, intoxicating, and impossible to ignore. She’d always smelled sweet, a mix of softness and bite that matched her perfectly. But ever since she’d fallen pregnant, her scent had changed. Sweetened. Ripened. Stronger. Now, it was like a song we couldn’t stop hearing, a maic pull that yanked at every protective


    and possessive instinct inside us. We shifted back mid–stride, panting slightly as I stood upright again. My hand went to my chest on instinct, feeling the thump of my heart slow from the run and speed back up from her nearness. She was close. I followed the scent trail down one of the winding paths that led into the underworld’s royal gardens. Unlike


    mortal gardens, these pulsed with both life and death, petals that shimmered like soul


    dust, vines that slithered gently along ancient trellises, and glowing blue trees with silver leaves that hummed in the quiet. And there she was. Evelina. Envy. My mate. She was kneeling beside a flowering bush with glowing purple blossoms, her head tilted to one side as she whispered something to the petals, probably coaxing it to bloom in some magical way only she understood. The moonlight from the veil shimmered on her hair, catching on the strands that were thickening wildly with new growth, an after–effect, she said, of carrying a half–divine child. Her robe was loose, and I could just make out the slight curve of her stomach. That tiny bump had be our whole world. Hawk growled


    13:27 Wed, Sep 3 <b>GR </b>


    softly in my chest. Not from anger, no. From awe. From want. From the need to protect. She looked up then, and the smile that stretched across her lips was everything.


    “Noah,” she said softly. “I felt youing.” I walked closer, unable to help the way my eyes roamed over her, greedy and worshipful all at once.


    “You know I can’t stay away.” She stood, brushing her hands off on her robe, and reached out. I closed the distance and caught her fingers in mine, bringing her hand to my mouth to kiss her knuckles.“You shouldn’t be out here alone,” I murmured, lips brushing her


    skin.


    “I wasn’t alone,” she replied with a smirk. “There are three guards nearby, and Levi enchanted the garden with a protective ward.”


    “That’s not the point.” She reached up and cupped my face, her thumb brushing my jaw.


    “Then what is?”


    “You’re mine,” I said, voice low and full of that growl that wasn’t quite mine. “You and our pup. You smell like everything I want. And when you’re near… It’s like the rest of the world disappears.”


    She smiled, lips soft, eyes glowing. “You’re such a sap.”


    “Only for you,” I replied honestly. I leaned in, pressing my forehead to hers, both hands sliding down to her belly. She took a deep breath, and I felt it; our pup shifted slightly beneath my palms.


    “They know you’re here,” she whispered.


    I kissed her then<b>, </b>slow and lingering, and when we pulled apart, I stayed close.


    “Come on. I’ll walk you back to your chambers. You shouldn’t be on your feet too long.”


    “Just say you want to curl up with me.” She smirked.


    “I always want to curl up with you.” Sheughed, looping her arm through mine, and together, we walked beneath the glowing silver canopy, back toward the castle, her scent wrapped around me like a promise. A promise of family. Of warmth. Of a future we’d fought damn hard to earn. By the time we reached our chambers, her body was leaning


    heavier into mine. She wouldn’t say it aloud, stubborn as ever, but I could feel the slight tremble in her steps. She was tired. I opened the door and guided her inside, letting it close with a soft thud behind us. The Underworld was quiet tonight, and in here… it was like time slowed just for us. She rubbed at her belly absentmindedly as she moved toward the firece. I watched her for a moment, watched the way the fabric of her robe caught the flickering glow, the way it clung slightly to the swell of her stomach, still small, but unmistakably there. That little bump unraveled something primal in me every time I looked at it.


    “Let me help you,” I murmured, already moving behind her. Her shoulders rxed when I brushed her hair aside and untied the sash of her robe. The silk slid off her shoulders like water, pooling at her feet, leaving her in nothing but a thin slip that hugged every new curve. I sucked in a quiet breath. She’d always been beautiful. But now… now there was something divine in her softness. The fullness of her breasts, the gentle roundness of her stomach, the faint glow to her skin, like moonlight lived beneath it. She was carrying our child, and I’d never wanted anything more than I wanted her in that moment.


    “I was going to make sure you got a nap in…” I said softly, fingers brushing her hips as I eased thest of the fabric down. She stepped out of the slip slowly, until she was bare in front of me. She turned, eyes meeting mine, luminous and knowing.


    “And now?” she asked, voice hushed. I swallowed hard.


    “Now I want to worship you.”


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