<h4>Chapter 326: Chapter 326 Moonbound Secrets</h4>


    Cecilia’s pov


    My mind had been a mess all day.


    Last night’s revtions kept reying in my head like a movie I couldn’t turn off.


    Sleep barely happened.


    My chest hurt, my head was loud, and nothing felt okay.


    When my phone lit up with Mom’s name, my stomach dropped.


    For one crazy second, I thought she’d somehow figured out I was pregnant through mom-senses or something equally terrifying.


    "Hey, Mom," I said, trying to sound normal.


    "Cece, the neighbor called. She saw some strange man hanging around outside our house this afternoon. Said he took off when she walked toward him."


    Her voice had that exact worried tone I’d grown up hearing.


    I sat up a little straighter.


    "That’s not good," I said, frowning."I’ll order a security camera and have it set up. Don’t stress. You, Dad, and Grandma are fine where you are."


    "About Colorado Springs next month... your grandmother and I talked. If you really don’t want to go, we won’t.


    Also, that ce Sebastian set up? Total fail. Your grandmother is losing her mind over there. Tried to drag me to the mall the day after we arrived. We’re thinking of just going back to her old house. Your dad and I will stay with her for now."


    That was a sudden change.


    But Dad was there. He wouldn’t let anything shady happen... right?


    Maybe they were just starting to realize how dangerous the Lockes really were.


    "Yeah, going back to Grandma’s sounds like a good idea," I said."We’ll send someone to take you over next week."


    With them settled and still in the dark about the pregnancy, I’d have some space to figure things out.


    One less thing to stress about for now.


    After we hung up, I leaned back in my chair, hand resting on my still-t stomach.


    My thoughts spiraled between the baby, the Lockes, Maggie,st night’s chaos, and now this creepy stalker guy.


    Everything felt like a mess, and I just didn’t have the energy to deal with it.


    My head throbbed. Each problem felt huge on its own.


    Together? Completely overwhelming.


    --


    After work, Sebastian and I rode home together. Tang was driving.


    We rode in silence in his sleek ck Audi, city lights shing across the windshield.


    I told him about the strange man outside my parents’ house and said I’d handle the cameras.


    "I’ll send someone," he said, brushing it off.


    "You shouldn’t be doing anything stressful in your condition."


    My ‘condition.’


    Ever since he found out I was pregnant, he treated me like I was going to shatter.


    The Alpha of the Silver Peak Pack, now acting like I needed to be bubble-wrapped.


    "Thanks," I said, too tired to argue.


    There was no point pushing back against his protective instincts.


    I didn’t say who I thought sent him. Maybe Maggie. Maybe Zane.


    Maggie was just the enemy now. Zane? That was a whole different kind of problem, and I wasn’t ready to deal with it.


    Sebastian kept ncing over at me, eyes flicking between the road and my face.


    "You don’t have to carry all this alone," he said gently, reaching over to brush his thumb across my cheek.


    "I’ve got broad shoulders for a reason. Let me carry some of it, alright? Your stress bes the baby’s stress."


    I nearly choked.[ Did he just say that out loud? ]


    Tang’s head snapped around so fast I thought he might sprain something.


    I smiled tightly and stared out the window like I hadn’t heard a thing.


    Great. Just great. Subtlety? Dead.


    --


    Back at home, Sebastian pulled Liam aside right away to talk about the Cassian.


    I didn’t stick around. I dragged myself upstairs, feeling like I’d been hit by a truck.


    Was this what pregnancy felt like?


    The nausea. The exhaustion that sank deep into my bones.


    The strange sense that my body wasn’t really mine anymore.


    It was all getting worse. Fast.


    I barely made it to the bed before copsing face-first into the mattress.


    Then came the knock. Sharp. Demanding.


    Thinking it was Sebastian, I mumbled, "Come in."


    Wrong guess. Hurricane Harper mmed her way in, eyes zing like she was seconds from full meltdown.


    "Harper?" I groaned, not even lifting my head. "What are you doing here?"


    I was way too exhausted for whatever storm she was about to bring.


    She marched to the side of the bed, hands on her hips like a furious PTA mom. "Are you pregnant?"


    My heart stopped. Just for a second.


    "Wow," I said, trying tough, "maybe start with ‘hi’ next time?"


    Harper didn’t blink.


    I looked away, suddenly very interested in the IV line taped to my arm. "Can we maybe... ease into that question?"


    She raised an eyebrow so high I was surprised it didn’t lift off her face. "Do we really need to?"


    "Yes. Yes, we do," I muttered. "Give me a second to invent a really solid lie."


    It was supposed to be a joke.


    Harper wasn’tughing. She reached over and pinched my arm. Hard.


    "I’ll give you a lie," she snapped. "What, you thought pretending it wasn’t real would make the baby disappear?"


    "Ow! Seriously?" I yelped, jerking back.


    "What were you thinking?" she hissed, dropping her voice. "What’s your game n here?"


    I flopped dramatically across herp. "I don’t know. He wants the baby, and he’s an Alpha wolf. I don’t exactly have the upper hand."


    She gave my back a light smack. "Cece! How could you be this reckless?"


    "I..." I started, but she cut me off.


    "Forget it. That’s not the point." Her tone shifted, a little less angry, a little more sisterly. "So, he wants the baby. Fine. But what’s he offering? What’s his long-term n? Sure, he cares about you. But what about you? What do you want out of this?"


    I sighed, shoulders sinking.


    "I’m not ready for marriage. He knows I’m pregnant, and I know there’s no way he’ll agree to... you know, not have the baby."


    My hand instinctively moved to my stomach.


    "And?" Harper pressed. "This isn’t just going to pause while you figure things out. The baby’s growing. You need a n."


    "I made a deal with him," I said quietly. "The baby gets myst name. I raise the baby. He stays out of the picture."


    Harper stared at me like I’d just said the moon was made of cheese. Then she pressed the back of her hand to my forehead. "No fever. So why are you saying crazy things?"


    "I’m serious."


    "Cecilia, he’s not some chill ex-boyfriend who’ll Venmo you child support and disappear. He’s Sebastian ck. Alpha of the Silver Peak Pack. You really think he’s just going to let his heir be raised like some side character in your life?"


    I pulled her hand away and looked her in the eye.


    Of course I didn’t believe him. I wasn’t that naive.


    "Even if I tell him I don’t buy it, he’ll just keep repeating it until I pretend I do."


    "Sometimes pretending is the only way to breathe."


    Harper’s face softened, just a little. "That’s what happens when you’re dealing with Alpha-level delusion."


    Before I could reply, there was a knock at the door.