My fingers tighten around the phone 173

Aria’s POV
Light flooded my senses as consciousness returned, the harsh brightness of the hospital room making me squint. The
anesthesia was wearing off, leaving me with a strange floating sensation as my body hovered between numbness and
awareness. I could feel pressure on my abdomen—not pain exactly, just the knowledge that something significant had
happened there.
My twins. My daughters.
The thought sent a surge of panic through me. Were they okay? Had they survived the emergency delivery? Sarah’s
brutal kick replayed in my mind, making my heart race with fear. The steady beeping of the monitor beside me
accelerated, matching my rising anxiety.
“Aria.” Ethan’s voice, warm and reassuring, broke through my spiral of worry. I turned my head toward the sound, my
vision still slightly blurred at the edges. He sat beside the bed, his broad shoulders hunched forward as he cradled not
one but two tiny bundles wrapped in pink blankets. The sight stole my breath away.
“They’re okay?” My voice came out as a raspy whisper, my throat dry from the intubation tube they must have used
during surgery.
Ethan’s smile was radiant, his eyes suspiciously bright as he nodded. “More than okay. They’re perfect, Aria. Absolutely
perfect.” He shifted carefully, angling the bundles so I could see them better. “They’re small, of course—they’re early—but
the doctors say they’re remarkably strong for premature twins.”
Relief crashed through me with such force that tears sprang to my eyes. They had survived. Despite everything—the
poisoning, the kidnapping, Sarah’s cruelty—my daughters had held on. Cassandra’s protection had worked.
“Can I…?” I lifted my arms weakly, desperate to hold them.
“Of course.” Ethan rose, gently transferring one tiny bundle into my waiting arms while keeping the other secure against
his chest. “This is your firstborn,” he said softly. “Five pounds, two ounces of pure attitude. She came out screaming like
she was already challenging the world.”
The weight of her in my arms felt simultaneously lighter than I’d expected and heavier than the entire world. I peeled
back the edge of the blanket with trembling fingers, revealing a tiny face scrunched in sleep. Dark wisps of hair—Ethan’s
color—crowned her head, and her miniature features held hints of us both. Her tiny fist had escaped the swaddling and
was pressed against her cheek.
A sob broke from my throat, part joy and part overwhelming love that threatened to consume me entirely. I’d felt
protective of these lives growing inside me for months, but this—this was something else entirely.
“She’s beautiful,” I whispered, running one finger gently along her petal-soft cheek. Her skin felt impossibly delicate
beneath my touch, and I marveled at how something so perfect could have come from me—from us.
“And this,” Ethan said, lowering himself to sit carefully on the edge of the bed, “is her sister. Four pounds, eleven ounces,
and absolutely determined not to be outdone by her slightly older sibling. She’s the quieter one, but don’t let that fool
you. The nurse says she’s got an iron grip.”
He carefully placed our second daughter on my other arm, arranging her so I could hold both twins simultaneously. This
one had less hair, but what she had seemed lighter—perhaps a hint of my coloring. Her eyes were closed in sleep, her
tiny chest rising and falling with each precious breath.
“Two daughters,” I murmured, unable to tear my gaze from their perfect faces. “Cassandra was right. She protected them
all this time.”
Ethan’s hand came to rest gently on my shoulder, his thumb tracing soothing circles against my skin. “You both did,” he
said softly. “You fought harder than anyone I’ve ever known to bring them into this world safely.”
I looked up at him then, noticing for the first time the exhaustion etched into his features. Dark circles shadowed his eyes,
and a day’s worth of stubble darkened his jaw. His clothes were wrinkled and stained, hair disheveled from running his
hands through it repeatedly—a nervous habit I’d come to recognize. He looked like he’d been through war, which in
many ways, he had.
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“How long was I in surgery?” I asked, my fingers still tracing the delicate features of my daughters. I had completely lost
track of time since Sarah had dragged me into that trap.
1/2
Ethan’s jaw tightened, the muscle there jumping with tension. “Three hours,” he replied, his voice rough with
remembered fear. “You lost so much blood, Aria. There were complications…” He swallowed hard, his eyes darkening with
the memory. “The doctors weren’t sure if… we thought we might lose you.”
“But Cassandra returned,” I murmured, the memory of our reunion in that ethereal meadow flowing through me with
crystalline clarity. I could still feel the warmth of her fur against my skin, the strength in her powerful form as she pressed
against me. “She came back to me, stronger than before.”
A flush crept up my neck as I remembered what happened next. “She felt Felix, you know. When you were there beside
me in the operating room, she recognized him immediately.” I smiled at the memory of Cassandra’s reaction—the primal
recognition that had surged through both of us. “She practically took control for a moment, growling ‘mate’ so loudly in
my mind I’m surprised you couldn’t hear it.”
Ethan’s eyes widened, a knowing smile spreading across his face. “That explains it,” he said, his voice dropping to that
low, intimate tone that still sent shivers down my spine. “Felix went absolutely wild. I’ve never felt him so desperate
before—he nearly took over completely.” His hand came up to cup my cheek, thumb tracing my lower lip in a gesture
that felt more wolf than human. “He kept pushing me closer to you, demanding contact. The nurses probably thought I
was crazy, nuzzling against your neck in the middle of a medical emergency.”
“Our wolves recognized each other,” I whispered, leaning into his touch. “They were reuniting while the doctors were
trying to save me.”
Ethan nodded, his expression softening as he leaned closer. “Felix sensed her first. He was… frantic to reach her.” His lips
brushed mine in the gentlest of kisses. “I’ve never felt him so desperate before. She must be quite special.”
“She is,” I confirmed, feeling her presence within me more strongly than I had in years. The hollow emptiness that had
plagued me since drinking that poisoned tea was gone, replaced by the comforting wholeness of having my wolf
companion restored. “Where’s Lucas? Is he okay?”
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“He’s fine,” Ethan assured me quickly. “My mother took him to get something to eat. He was…” He hesitated, searching
for the right words. “Aria, I’ve never seen such courage in someone so young. When Sarah had you, when that knife was
against your stomach, Lucas didn’t hesitate. He attacked her without any thought for his own safety.”
Pride swelled in my chest, mingling with concern. My brave, reckless little boy. “He could have been hurt,” I whispered,
the thought sending fresh fear through me.
“But he wasn’t,” Ethan said firmly. “And if he hadn’t intervened when he did…” He didn’t finish the sentence, but he didn’t
need to.
The tiniest mewling sound drew my attention back to the bundles in my arms. Our firstborn stretched minutely within her
swaddling, her eyelids fluttering. Slowly, they opened, revealing eyes that seemed too knowing for a newborn—a deep,
stormy blue-gray that would likely change, but already showed hints of amber flecks around the pupils. She stared up at
me with an intensity that took my breath away.
“Hi there,” I whispered, my voice thick with emotion. “I’m your mommy.”
Her gaze seemed to focus on my face despite newborns’ typical inability to see clearly. I felt a strange connection form,
something beyond the physical bond we’d shared for months. Her tiny mouth worked for a moment, forming what
almost looked like an attempt at a smile, though I knew it was more likely a reflex.
“She knows you,” Ethan murmured, his finger gently stroking her cheek. “Both of them do. They’ve been listening to your
voice for months.”
As if on cue, our second daughter’s eyes opened as well, blinking up at me with the same intensity as her sister. The
symmetry of the moment—holding them both as they gazed up at me for the first time outside the womb—sent a fresh wave of tears spilling down my cheeks.
“Welcome to the world, little warriors,” I whispered, pressing the gentlest of kisses to each tiny forehead. “You’ve already
fought so hard to be here.”