94 Chapter 94
Seraphina’s POV 1
Three weeks had passed since the interrogation room incident, and the sudden silence from the rogue camps was more unnerving than any attack could have been.
I stood at the kitchen window of Damien’s-our-mansion, watching the morning mist rise from the gardens.
while my hands cradled a cup of ginger tea. The warmth felt good against my palms, and the familiar scent helped settle the queasy feeling that had be my constantpanion over the past week.
“No movement on any of the border sensors,” Lucas reported from the dining room, his voice carrying the
same tense confusion that had marked all our recent security briefings. “It’s been eighteen days since thest confirmed rogue sighting.”
“That’s not normal,” I heard Damien reply, the worry evident in his tone despite his attempt to sound calm. “Rogues don’t just disappear. They regroup; they n, they-”
A sudden wave of nausea hit me like a freight train, cutting off my eavesdropping as I rushed toward the
nearest bathroom. My hand flew to my mouth, but I barely made it to the toilet before my body betrayed me
yet again.
“Mommy?” Adrian’s concerned voice came from the doorway as I knelt on the cold marble floor, trying to catch my breath. “Are you sick again?”
I wiped my mouth with a damp washcloth and attempted what I hoped was a reassuring smile. “Just morning sickness, sweetheart. The baby doesn’t like it when Mommy eats certain things.”
Adrian’s little eyebrows furrowed with the kind of serious concern that looked almostical on his four-
year-old face. He tilted his head to one side, studying me with those silver-blue eyes that were so much like
his father’s.
“But Mommy, you threw up yesterday too. And the day before that.” He held up his small fingers, counting carefully, “That’s three whole times! Maybe the baby is just really picky about food?”
Despite feeling like I’d been hit by a truck, I couldn’t help butugh at his earnest expression. “You know what, sweetheart? I think you might be onto something there.”
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“Maybe the baby would like pancakes better than toast,” Adrian suggested, his face lighting up with the kind of innocent logic that only a four-year-old could possess. “I mean, who doesn’t like pancakes? They’re fluffy and sweet and you can put syrup on them and make smiley faces!”
He bounced on his toes with excitement, his dark curls bouncing with the movement. “And maybe we’re simr! Like, maybe the baby has good taste like me! I always choose the best snacks.”
“That’s actually brilliant thinking,” I said, reaching out to ruffle his already messy hair. “Want to help me make
some? We could make them extra special for the baby.”
Adrian’s entire face lit up like Christmas morning. “Really? Can I crack the eggs again? I promise I’ll be more
careful this time! Last time I only got a little bit of shell in the bowl, and Daddy said that was actually pretty
good for a beginner.”
I struggled to my feet. But the moment I stood up, the world tilted sideways and I immediately regretted the
quick movement as another wave of dizziness washed over me.
Strong arms caught me before I could sway too far, and I found myself pressed against Damien’s solid chest.
His familiar scent-that warmbination of sandalwood and something indefinably masculine that was
purely him-helped ground me even as his concern radiated through our bond like a physical warmth.
“Whoa there,” he murmured against my hair, his voice gentle but firm. “Easy does it.”
“I’m okay,” I protested weakly, though my legs felt like jelly beneath me.
“No, you’re not,” he said, his tone brooking no argument as he swept me up in his arms despite my
halfhearted protests. “That’s it. Back to bed, right now. Lucas can handle the security briefing, and our little
chef here can have cereal for breakfast.”
“But Daddy!” Adrian piped up, his voice rising with distress. “Mommy promised we could make pancakes! And
the baby wants pancakes, not boring old cereal!”
I felt terrible seeing the disappointment on Adrian’s face. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I really wanted to make
them with you, but-”
“Then I’ll make pancakes,” Damien interrupted, already carrying me toward the stairs with the kind of careful
gentleness that made my heart flutter despite my nausea. “I think I can handle breakfast for my family.”
Adrian’s eyes went wide with a mixture of excitement and skepticism. “You know how to make pancakes,
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Daddy?” 1
“How hard can it be?” Damien said with the confidence of a man who had clearly never attempted to cook
anything moreplicated than toast. “Flour, eggs, milk, right? Mix it all together and cook it in a pan.”
“And chocte chips!” Adrian added eagerly, practically skipping alongside us as we headed upstairs. “Don’t
forget the chocte chips! Those are the most important part!”
Twenty minutester, I was propped up in bed with several pillows behind my back, wearing one of Damien’s
oversized t-shirts that smelled like him and feeling marginally more human. The sounds of kitchen chaos
drifted up from downstairs-Adrian’s excited chatter mixing with what sounded suspiciously like smoke
rm beeping, followed by Damien’s muttered curses and the sound of something ttering to the floor.
“Oh dear,” I murmured to myself, fighting back a smile. Maybe I should have been more specific about the
whole pancake-making process.
A few minutester, I heard the distinct sound of the smoke rm being removed from the wall, followed by
Adrian’s delighted giggles and Damien’s exasperated sigh.
“Should I be worried?” I called out when Damien finally appeared in the doorway carrying a tray, his hair
slightly disheveled and what looked like flour dusting his dark shirt.
“Define worried,” he said with a rueful grin that made him look boyishly handsome despite the chaos he’d
clearly just survived. “The pancakes are… rustic. Very rustic. And we may need to rece the smoke detector.
Possibly also the kitchen ceiling. But Adrian is extremely proud of his contribution to the cooking process.”
I epted the te he offered, looking down at what could generously be called pancakes if you squinted
and used a lot of imagination. They were oddly shaped-some roughly circr, others looking more like
abstract art-slightly burnt around the edges, and appeared to have been liberally decorated with chocte
chips.
“They’re perfect,” I said, and meant every word.
Adrian burst through the bedroom door at that exact moment, his face streaked with flour and what looked
like syrup, his shirt decorated with what appeared to be the entire contents of our spice cab. His hair was
standing up at odd angles, and he had a smudge of what might have been vani extract on his nose.
“Mommy! Mommy! Look what we made!” he announced proudly, scrambling onto the bed with the kind of
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94 Chapter 94
boundless energy that only small children possessed. “I made you special pregnancy pancakes! They’re super duper special because I put extra love in them!”
I took a bite of the pancake, bracing myself for the worst, but to myplete surprise, my stomach didn’t
immediately rebel.
“These are absolutely delicious,” I told Adrian, who practically glowed with pride.
“Really? Really truly?” he asked, bouncing again. “The baby likes them too, right? I can tell! They’re not making
you sick like the toast did!”
It was true. For the first time in days, I felt like I might actually be able to keep breakfast down. The nausea
that had been my constantpanion seemed to have retreated, at least temporarily.
“I think you might be right, sweetheart,” I said, taking another bite. “You might just be a pancake genius.”
Adrian beamed and carefully ced his small hand on my still-t stomach, his expression growing serious
and tender in that way that always surprised me-moments when my little boy showed wisdom beyond his
years.
“Hi baby,” he whispered to my belly, his voice soft and sweet. “It’s me, your big brother Adrian. Did you like
the pancakes I made for you? I tried really hard to make them perfect.”
My heart meltedpletely. “Adrian, that’s so sweet, but the baby can’t taste the pancakes yet.
“When will I be able to feel them move? Like, will they kick me back if I poke your tummy gently?”
“Well,” I said, stroking his dark curls, “you won’t feel yourself moving when you were in my tummy because
you were the baby then. But in a few more months, when this baby gets bigger, you’ll be able to feel them
moving when you put your hand right here.”
“Will they be able to hear me talking to them?” Adrian asked, his curiosity clearly piqued. “Like, if I tell them
stories, will they listen? Can I teach them things before they’re even born?”
“They can probably hear you a little bit already,” Damien said, moving to sit on Adrian’s other side, hisrge frame making the bed dip slightly.
Adrian’s eyes went wide with wonder. “Really? So they already know I’m their big brother?”
“I think they do,” I said softly.
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Adrian immediately leaned down toward my stomach again, this time speaking in a stage whisper that was
probably louder than his normal voice. “Hi again, baby! It’s still me, Adrian! I just wanted to make sure you
know that I’m gonna be the best big brother ever! I’m gonna teach you SO many things!”
I felt tears spring to my eyes at the sweetness of the moment, overwhelmed by the pure love radiating from
my little boy. This-this was exactly what I’d dreamed of during those long, lonely nights when I’d been
pregnant with Adrian five years ago.
“Are you crying because you’re happy or because you’re sad?” Adrian asked, immediately noticing my tears
and reaching up with his small hand to gently wipe one away. His touch was so tender, so careful, like he was
afraid I might break.
“These are definitely happy tears,” I assured him, my voice thick with emotion.
I wasughing and crying at the same time,pletely overwhelmed by how perfect this moment was, when Damien’s phone buzzed with an iing call. His expression immediately shifted as he nced at the caller ID, the rxed happiness on his face reced by the alert focus of an Alpha who was never truly off duty.
“It’s Lucas,” he said apologetically, his voice carrying a note of regret at having to interrupt our family time. “I
should probably take this.”
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