Chapter 104

POV Balthazar

"Do you want a shot of tuicã?"

Riuk offered after our meeting in the office, with an ironic tone.

"I'll never try that again!" I grimaced, which made him laugh. I stood up. "It was a mistake to try it at my wedding."

"You threw up everything afterward. A vampire's body isn't as strong as a wolf's."

"A vampire's body isn't made for drugs. We are pure. We only need the sap of life."

"Sap of life, huh? An excuse to say you limit yourselves to just blood!"

To prove his point, he finished the alcoholic drink in his glass.

I shook my head, ignoring his teasing. We had become experts at it, and I wouldn't admit it, but I enjoyed it.

During the nearly nine months I spent in Constantini, I went through some adjustment struggles. But almost everything fell into place, and I ended up gaining the respect of everyone, admiration from many, and a family. Because the Alpha might not admit it, but he liked me.

"Speaking of blood, you should leave some bags in the fridge here." I headed toward the door. "Sometimes thirst hits during work."

"Now that there’s a steady shipment of blood bags coming in, you want to stuff yourself!"

I found it funny. Before I left, his tone grew more serious:

"Balthazar, don't you miss drinking blood straight from the source? Biting someone?"

I turned to face him, looking him straight in the eye. I was absolutely honest.

"I do. Warm blood is incomparable, coming straight from the vein, still pulsing."

"But you've never asked to bite anyone, nor gone out to hunt."

"I don't bite those in my family or my social circle. I did it with the servants, who accepted it and were prepared for it. I'm civilized, Riuk."

"I've noticed. Very responsible, an excellent professional, a great husband for my daughter. But I know you miss certain things. Living among your own."

It wasn’t easy to get compliments from him, and I liked it. In a way, he knew me well.

I had news from my clan. There, things were still mostly at the same level, except for Caliban, who had become engaged to a pureblood from the Akunda Clan in South Africa. It seemed my father was investing in him as his successor since I had been excluded from his existence.

My life among the Severus was very different from the one I had there. For months, I had become lighter, more affectionate, appreciating new kinds of affection, laughing more. Especially because of Lio, who had changed everything.

Being near her was never enough. I wanted to live within her soul; I couldn't even imagine what my life would have been like if I hadn't chosen her. Arid, cold, thinking about clan disputes, laws, rigid rules. Being unhappy.

"I miss a few things, Riuk." It was the absolute truth. "My sister, my mother, but I speak to them sometimes through telepathy. And about fresh blood, I can live without it. If any enemy comes close, someone from the Infantry patrols around, I’ll go out and kill as I wish."

"Take the opportunity to kill the individual too."

"Part of the deal."

He agreed, as if he missed a good fight. Fortunately, things had been calm there.

I waved at him and left.

The village was in full swing that late afternoon, the smell of food in the air, chatter in the distance, children running around. I greeted a few and headed to the castle.

I saw her as soon as I entered, coming down the corridor, swaying from side to side with her big belly weighing her down. Her hair was even longer, cascading in waves over her shoulders and waist, making her glow.

"Hey, duckling." I caressed her red locks, and she pouted.

"Stop calling me that!"

"But my wolf now looks more like a duck."

"Not funny!"

She tried to push me, but I smiled and kissed her. Then I leaned forward, greeting our son.

"Did you have a good day, daddy's vampire?" I kissed her stretched and very round belly.

"Mom's wolf."

"We'll see."

We liked teasing each other. Lio smiled and hugged me.

I caressed her, from her much fuller breasts to the protrusion where our son kept moving nonstop.

"If I hadn’t done an ultrasound at the university clinic and knew it was just one, I’d think there were three babies in there!" She sighed, snuggling into me. "A boy. We still have to decide on a name."

"We'll do that today."

"Together?"

"Together."

She smiled more, and we walked hand in hand toward the stairs. But the front door opened, and Teodora entered, accompanied by a gypsy I met at our wedding.

She was a kind of witch from their village and wore a colorful scarf on her head with decorations hanging from it.

"Alzira!" Lio loved seeing her and went to hug her. "So good to see you!"

"Your mother invited me for dinner. How can you get more beautiful every day?" She kissed her. Then she looked at me with full attention. "Balthazar."

"Good afternoon, Alzira." I nodded. We had never talked, and I thought about leaving them alone. But her question was directed at me:

"Was she a danger?"

"What?" I didn’t understand.

Teo shook her head, finding it funny. Lio did too. Then the gypsy explained:

"I saw a strong and turbulent love in her future. And blood, something so important for vampires. Then Teo asked me if her daughter was in danger, and I said, 'She is the danger.'"

"She hit the nail on the head." I stared at my wife intensely, which made her flustered and blush. "We’ve been through a lot together. But it worked."

"It always does when the essential is valued." Tenderly, she turned to Lio and placed her hand on her belly.

Her expression grew more intense, even surprised.

"Is everything okay with him?" Teo approached, somewhat concerned.

The gypsy smiled, enchanted.

"More than okay! He has a very strong energy here. He's very powerful."

Lio and I exchanged a look. We didn’t know what would come of our union, of our intertwined species. What we knew was that our baby would be loved too much, no matter who he was.

Alzira removed her hand, becoming more serious, her gaze distant.

"Much will still happen between wolves and vampires. Fights, mysteries, but also victories. The world turns this way, never stopping. But never forget the primordial."

"What?" I was the one who asked, paying close attention.

She looked at me deeply.

"Your love overcame the differences, faced the laws. It is the same that unites worlds. It always wins. Love each other. And love him, this beautiful being who will be born. And everything will be fine."

I nodded, understanding what she was saying.

It was like that for me.

I pulled my wife and my son closer to me.