The soft knock on the door pulled me from the fragile silence I had wrapped myself in like a cocoon. My breath caught. For a moment, the whirlwind of anxiety suffocating me paused—because I knew that knock.
Andreis.
His presence was heavy in the air even before the door creaked open. I could feel his worry, his unease, the same way I could sometimes sense his heartbeat a few feet away. The same heartbeat that had kept me grounded when the world threatened to fall apart.
"He must be feeling it too," I thought. Andreis must have sensed that something was wrong — he always did, even when I tried to hide it. That particular instinct of his was both a blessing and a curse.
I sat on the edge of the bed, clutching the corner of the blanket, my heart pounding loud enough that I was sure he could hear it through the door.
"Mia? May I come in?" His voice was low, steady, but laced with a tension that made my chest tighten.
I hesitated, my voice barely above a whisper. "I'm not ready. I only want to talk to Max right now."
But Andreis didn't wait for my permission. The door handle turned slowly, deliberately, and before I could stop him, he stepped inside. The dim light from the hallway cast long shadows over his strong frame. He wore a black button-up shirt, sleeves rolled halfway up his forearms, and dark jeans. His usual calm was fractured — brows furrowed, lips set in a thin line. His deep eyes, usually so composed, now flickered with concern and something unspoken, raw.
Max stood up, her eyes gentle but firm. "I'll leave you two alone to talk," she said quietly, walking toward the door. "But Mia," she added softly, "call me if you need me, okay?"
I reach for Max's hand and squeeze it tightly, not ready to let go, afraid that once I did, I'd be left alone with the storm inside. But Max gave a reassuring smile and slowly withdrew her hand.
Before she left, she bent down and pressed a soft kiss to my forehead. "You can do it, Mia. I know you can."
Her words wrapped around me like a lifeline.
The door clicked softly behind her, leaving just Andreis and me.
He closed the door gently but didn't move closer right away. His eyes searched mine, looking for the truth I wasn't sure I was ready to say.
"What's wrong?" he asked, his voice softer now, the tension easing into quiet worry.
I swallowed the lump in my throat, feeling the weight of every heartbeat. "Andreis... I'm pregnant."
For a moment, he just stared, the silence thick between us. Then, as if all the tension broke at once, his face lit up with a joy so fierce it nearly blinded me. He stepped forward and wrapped me in his arms, holding me like I was the most precious thing in the world.
"My heart," he whispered against my hair. "I felt it... even before you told me. There was something different about you — something I couldn't explain but couldn't ignore."
His warmth spread through me, a balm for my fears.
He pulled back slightly, searching my face with that intense gaze. "This baby... it's a miracle. A blessing."
But then his expression shifted — shadows returned to his eyes, clouding that bright joy.
"But Mia," he said slowly, voice dropping to a grave whisper, "there's something you need to understand. Among us werewolves, the untransformed... carrying a child is dangerous. Forbidden, even. Until you undergo your transformation, there's a risk... not just to you, but to the baby."
My heart sank again, twisting between hope and fear.
"Why?" I asked, voice trembling.
"It's the nature of our bloodlines," Andreis explained, pulling me gently toward the window. The moon hung low, casting a silver glow that bathed us in quiet light. "The transformation unlocks the protective instincts and powers necessary to safely carry and nurture new life. Without it... the body is vulnerable, the child too."
I leaned against him, feeling the steady thrum of his heartbeat. "But my birthday... it's just a week away. What if I can't wait that long? What if something happens?"
He held me tighter, his voice a fierce promise. "I'll protect you. Whatever happens, I won't let anything harm you or our child."
We stood there, the night pressing in around us — heavy with uncertainty, yet laced with fragile hope.
And in that moment, I realized: no matter the battles to come, the transformations, the wars... this life growing inside me was a new beginning. Something that could change everything.