Page 33

"Both of you stop betting on my pregnancy," Mia ordered, though without heat. "And someone please tell the pack before Jim spontaneously combusts from excitement."

As if on cue, a small crowd had begun to gather at the base of the hill, curious wolves drawn by Jim's earlier shout and the obvious celebration happening at the overlook.

"May I do the honors?" Beatrice pleaded, practically bouncing on her toes.

Mia exchanged a glance with Jim, who nodded enthusiastically. "Go ahead. But no fireworks this time."

Beatrice's grin was positively wicked as she turned toward the waiting pack members. Taking a deep breath, she lifted her hands dramatically and called out, "ATTENTION WOLF VALLEY! PREPARE FOR OPERATION BABY ALPHA! THE COUNTDOWN TO CUB DAY HAS OFFICIALLY BEGUN!"

The response was immediate and deafening—a chorus of cheers, howls, and what sounded suspiciously like the beginning of an impromptu celebratory song. Several wolves shifted on the spot, unable to contain their excitement in human form.

"There goes any hope of a peaceful evening," Jasmine remarked, but her smile betrayed her own happiness.

Jim dropped down beside Mia on the rock, his arm sliding around her waist as they watched the celebration unfold below.

Already, wolves were running to spread the news, and if Mia wasn't mistaken, Beatrice's apprentices were setting up what looked like the beginnings of an impromptu party in the central clearing.

"So," Jim said softly, his lips close to her ear. "A baby."

"A baby," Mia confirmed, allowing her head to rest against his shoulder. "Half deadline wolf, half time-traveling mystery man. This should be interesting."

"Terrifying," Jim agreed cheerfully. "Wonderful. Miraculous."

From below, the first notes of what could only be described as howling karaoke rose into the evening air—a surprisingly melodic rendition of "Baby Love" performed entirely in wolf song. Beatrice, natural performer that she was, had somehow already organized a canine chorus line.

"They're going to be insufferable," Mia observed, watching as more pack members joined in, some shifting back to human form to add lyrics while others maintained the howling harmony.

"Absolutely," Jim agreed, his hand finding hers and squeezing gently. "For at least the next hundred years or so."

Mia turned to look at him, taking in the joy radiating from his face, the wonder in his eyes, the love that flowed through their bond—stronger and brighter than ever.

"I can live with that," she decided.

In the valley below, the celebration continued to grow, wolves dancing and singing beneath the rising moon. Jasmine had disappeared, likely to ensure the impromptu party didn't get too out of hand, while Beatrice directed her howling choir with enthusiastic gestures.

"You know," Jim mused, his fingers tracing gentle patterns on Mia's still-flat stomach, "I've traveled through centuries, seen empires rise and fall, witnessed moments that changed the course of history."

"And?" Mia prompted when he paused.

His smile was soft and full of wonder as he met her eyes. "And nothing—absolutely nothing—has ever felt as important as this moment, right here, with you."

Later, Mia would blame hormones for the tears that sprang to her eyes. For now, she simply leaned into him, their foreheads touching as the bond between them pulsed with shared joy and the promise of a future neither could have imagined alone.

Below them, the pack's howling reached a perfect harmonious crescendo that seemed to touch the very stars—a song of celebration, of family, of love.

A song for three, where once there had been two.

Miles away, at the border where Wolf Valley's protection ended and the wilderness began, a figure in a dark coat watched the celebration through binoculars. The howling reached even here, carried on the night wind.

"They're happy," the watcher murmured into a phone. "The Alpha is pregnant. The pack is unified."

A pause as someone responded on the other end.

"Yes, my lord. Matthews was a fool—too arrogant, too obvious.

He thought vampire blood alone would be enough.

" The figure adjusted the binoculars, focusing on the celebrating wolves.

"But his failure taught us something valuable.

The deadline wolf who learned to shift..

. her blood is even more potent than we theorized. "

Another pause.

"The pregnancy confirms it. A child born of her bloodline, conceived after she defeated a vampire-blood hybrid?

The potential is..." The watcher's voice held barely contained excitement.

"Matthews died proving her blood could neutralize our greatest strengths.

Imagine what properties the child might possess. "

A longer pause as instructions were given.

"Understood. We wait. Let them enjoy their moment of peace." The figure lowered the binoculars, revealing eyes that glowed faintly red in the darkness. "The Blood Tide is patient. We've waited centuries for a bloodline like hers. We can wait a few months more."

The figure melted back into the shadows, leaving only the faintest scent of copper and death on the wind. In the distance, the howling continued, blissfully unaware of the storm gathering just beyond their borders.