My fingers tighten around the phone 174

Ethan’s POV
Time seemed to blur as I sat next to Aria, both of us gazing at our newborn daughters with a mixture of awe and
exhaustion. The steady beep of the monitors provided a reassuring rhythm, confirming that all three of my treasures were
stable after the harrowing events of the day. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from these tiny miracles nestled in Aria’s arms —their perfect miniature features, their impossibly small fingers, the way they seemed to know exactly who their mother
was despite being only hours old.
The sound of hurried footsteps in the hallway broke through my reverie. The door burst open, and Lucas appeared in the
doorway, his eyes wide with excitement and nervous anticipation. My mother followed close behind, her hand on his
shoulder as if she’d been trying to slow his eager pace.
“Can I see them now? Are they really here?” Lucas whispered, his voice high with restrained enthusiasm. He bounced on
his toes, straining to see the pink bundles in Aria’s arms.
“Come here, buddy,” I said, holding out my hand to him. “Come meet your sisters.”
He approached the bed cautiously, his steps measured as if he feared one wrong move might somehow harm these new,
fragile members of our family. When he reached the edge of the bed, I lifted him up so he could see better, settling him
carefully at Aria’s side.
“They’re so tiny,” he breathed, leaning forward to study their sleeping faces. Aria adjusted her arms so he could get a
better view. “Their faces are all squished up. Do they always look like that?”
Aria laughed softly, the sound like music after the terror of almost losing her. “Just for a little while,” she assured him.
“They’ve had a pretty rough day. Being born is hard work.”
Lucas’s face suddenly turned serious, his brow furrowing in perfect imitation of his mother’s concerned expression. “Did
the bad lady hurt them when she kicked you?” His voice trembled slightly, and I felt my chest tighten at the memory of
how he’d witnessed such violence at his young age.
“They’re fighters, just like their big brother,” Aria told him, her eyes shining with pride. “They’re a bit early, but the doctors
say they’re strong and healthy.”
Lucas nodded solemnly before a grin spread across his face. “I helped save them, right? And mom too!”
“You most certainly did,” I confirmed, ruffling his hair. “You were the bravest wolf in the pack today.”
My mother approached the other side of the bed, her eyes misting over as she gazed down at her granddaughters.
“They’re beautiful,” she whispered, one trembling hand reaching out to gently touch each tiny cheek. “Perfectly
beautiful.”
The door opened again, and my godmother Vicky swept in, bringing her characteristic energy into the room despite her
obvious attempts to move quietly. “Oh, my goodness,” she exclaimed, keeping her voice low but unable to contain her
excitement. “Let me see these precious angels!”
She hurried to the bedside, cooing over the twins with all the enthusiasm of a first-time grandmother. “They have your
chin, Ethan,” she declared, pointing to the firstborn. “But that’s definitely Aria’s nose on both of them. Perfect little
combinations!”
“Do they have names yet?” my mother asked, looking between Aria and me expectantly.
I glanced at Aria, our eyes meeting in silent communication. We’d discussed names during the pregnancy but hadn’t made any final decisions. Now, looking at our daughters’ faces, it seemed more important than ever to choose names
with meaning, with power.
“Actually,” Aria began, her voice still slightly rough from the intubation, “I’d like to name one of them after my mother.” Her eyes grew distant with memory for a moment. “Olivia. She sacrificed herself to save others… including you,” she
added, looking at me.
My throat tightened with emotion. Olivia’s sacrifice had saved my life, had given me the chance to be here today with her
daughter and our children. “It’s perfect,” I agreed, reaching out to touch the cheek of our firstborn. “Olivia for our first
daughter.”
“And the second?” Victoria prompted, her eyes bright with anticipation.
I looked at our younger daughter, her features so similar to her sister’s yet somehow distinctly her own. She needed a
name as meaningful as her sister’s, something that represented strength and perseverance—qualities both twins had
already demonstrated by surviving against overwhelming odds.
“I was thinking…” Aria hesitated, looking up at me. “What about Cassie? Short for Cassandra.”
1/3
The suggestion sent a wave of emotion through me. “Cassandra,” I repeated softly, the name carrying profound meaning
for both of us. Cassandra, Aria’s wolf, who had protected our daughters against impossible odds, who had shielded them
from poison and trauma with her own essence.
“It feels right,” Aria continued, her fingers gently stroking our second daughter’s cheek. “Without Cassandra’s protection,
neither of our girls would be here today. She sacrificed so much of herself to keep them safe, even when she was weakened by the poison.”
I gazed down at our younger daughter, seeing something of that same fierce determination in her tiny features. “Olivia
and Cassie,” I tested the names together, feeling the weight and harmony between them. One honoring Aria’s mother
who had given her life to save others; one honoring the wolf spirit who had preserved our family’s future. “They’re
perfect.”
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Lucas, who had been listening intently to this exchange, nodded his solemn approval. “Liv and Cassie,” he declared,
immediately adopting the nicknames with the casual confidence of a big brother. “I’m gonna teach them everything. Like
how to climb trees and throw snowballs and how to howl at the moon really loud.”
His matter-of-fact statement drew laughter from everyone in the room, easing the lingering tension of the day’s events. I watched as he reached out one small finger to touch Cassie’s tiny hand. To everyone’s surprise, her fingers uncurled and
wrapped around his in a surprisingly strong grip.
Lucas’s eyes widened in delight. “She likes me!” he exclaimed, looking up at Aria with pure joy.
“Of course she does,” Aria assured him. “You’re her big brother. You protected her before she was even born.”
Olivia, not to be outdone by her sister, chose that moment to open her eyes, blinking up at the circle of faces above her. Her gaze seemed to move from person to person before settling on Lucas, who leaned closer in fascination.
“Hi, Liv,” he whispered, his voice filled with wonder. “I’m your brother. I’m gonna keep you safe forever, okay?”
Vicky disrupted the reverent silence by pulling out her phone. “We absolutely must capture this moment,” she insisted,
already positioning herself for the best angle. “The first family photo!”
My mother rolled her eyes affectionately at her friend’s enthusiasm but moved to help arrange us for the picture. Lucas was positioned carefully beside Aria, his face glowing with pride as he continued to hold Cassie’s tiny hand. I sat on Aria’s
other side, one arm wrapped protectively around her shoulders while my free hand rested gently on Olivia’s swaddled
form.
“Perfect,” Vicky declared after taking several shots. “Absolutely perfect. These will be treasured forever.”
The impromptu photo session seemed to drain what little energy Aria had regained after surgery. I noticed her eyelids
beginning to droop, her responses becoming slower as exhaustion caught up with her. The doctor had warned that she
needed rest to recover from both the trauma and blood loss.
“I think we should let Aria get some sleep,” I suggested, catching my mother’s eye meaningfully. She nodded in
immediate understanding.
“Of course,” she agreed, moving to take Lucas’s hand. “We’ll come back later when you’ve had a chance to rest.”
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Lucas started to protest but seemed to realize his mother’s condition when he looked more closely at her tired face. “Feel
better, Mom,” he said, leaning forward to place a gentle kiss on her cheek. “I’ll help Dad take care of Liv and Cassie when
you’re sleeping.”
After they left, a nurse came in to help settle the twins in their hospital bassinets beside Aria’s bed. She checked Aria’s
vitals and adjusted her medication, seemingly satisfied with her progress.
I settled into the chair beside her bed, reaching through the railing to hold her hand as she drifted into much-needed
sleep. The steady rise and fall of her chest matched the tiny movements of our daughters in their bassinets. The simple
act of watching them breathe became a meditation, a prayer of gratitude to the Moon Goddess for protecting what was
most precious to me.
My phone vibrated in my pocket, breaking the peaceful silence. Checking the screen, I saw David’s name and stepped
quietly into the hallway to take the call.
“David,” I answered, keeping my voice low.
“Alpha,” he greeted formally before his tone softened. “First, congratulations on the birth of your daughters. Zoe and I will come to see them as soon as things settle down here.”
“Thank you,” I replied, warmth filling me at the thought of introducing my daughters to the pack. “We’ve named them
Olivia and Cassie.”
“Beautiful names,” David commented, before his voice took on a more serious edge. “I also need to update you on the
situation at the northern border. Blake and Martinez, along with the additional warriors, maintained surveillance at the
location where Sarah was killed. They waited for hours, but there was no sign of Emma or any rogue wolves.”
My jaw tightened at this news. “They must have realized something went wrong when Sarah didn’t make the delivery.”
“That’s our assessment as well,” David agreed. “However, we’re still seeing increased rogue activity along the borders. In
fact, there have been three more incursions since yesterday—all quickly repelled, but the frequency is concerning.”
2/3
I glanced back through the doorway at Aria and our newborn daughters, a fierce protectiveness surging through my
veins. “The confrontation with the rogue wolves is inevitable now,” I said quietly. “Victor won’t stop until he faces me
directly.”
“The pack is ready when you are,” David assured me.
“Good,” I replied, my decision made. “Because this ends soon. I won’t have my family living under threat. Not anymore.”