Chapter 73

Chapter 73
Violet's POV:

The video call connected faster than I expected, Sienna's laptop screen flickering to life with Lucian's face filling the frame. He sat in what looked like a conference room, wearing a dark blue suit, his expression professional and controlled.

Sienna didn't waste time with pleasantries. She leaned forward, her voice sharp. "Listen up, Cross. I might be pregnant with your pup. What are you gonna do about it?"

The transformation on Lucian's face was instant. His professional mask shattered completely, shock widening his eyes, then confusion drawing his brows together as if he couldn't process what he'd just heard. His mouth opened and closed without sound, and underneath it all, buried deep but not quite hidden, was something that looked almost like joy, a brightness in his gaze that he immediately tried to suppress but couldn't manage.

"You're—what?" Lucian finally managed, his voice cracking. "Sienna, are you serious right now?"

Beside me, Lily shifted in her seat, and I realized with a jolt that I'd been so focused on Lucian's reaction that I'd forgotten we weren't alone. My brain started working again, processing implications quickly. If Sienna had this kind of direct line to Lucian, then he'd been her source all along. The "friend" she'd mentioned whenever she dropped information about Daemon and his circle.

"Dead serious," Sienna said. "And you better have a good answer ready, because I'm not raising this baby alone."

Lucian's hands came up, palms out. "Sienna, I—hold on, let me think—"

"No." Her voice cracked like a whip. "You go back and tell your parents. Tell them right now. And if the Cross family dares to look down on me for my 'wild past', I swear to God, Lucian, I'll print out every single hotel receipt with your name on it and mail them to your entire Pack. One copy per member. Your grandmother will know which positions you prefer, your cousins will know how many times you stayed the night, and your precious mother will know exactly how wild her son really is."

I watched Lucian's face drain of color, his eyes darting to the sides as if checking whether anyone could hear.

"I'll tell them," he said quietly. "I promise."

Sienna's finger jabbed at the keyboard, ending the call. The laptop screen went dark, and suddenly the only sound in the apartment was her ragged breathing and the faint hum of the refrigerator.

I sat frozen, processing what I'd just witnessed. Sienna, my fearless, take-no-prisoners friend, was pregnant. And not just pregnant, but terrified underneath all that bravado. I could see it now in the way her hands were shaking, in the tight set of her shoulders, in the way her eyes were just a bit too bright with unshed tears she refused to let fall.

"Sienna," I said softly. "Hey. It's okay. We'll figure this out."

"Don't." Her voice came out harsh. "Don't try to comfort me right now, Vi. I can't—if you're nice to me, I'm going to lose it completely."

Lily walked over and knelt beside Sienna's chair. "You don't have to be strong every second. We're here. You're allowed to be scared."

"I'm not scared," Sienna insisted, but her voice wavered. "I just—I need to confirm it first. I might not even be pregnant."

"We'll go get pregnancy tests right now," I said, grabbing my car keys. "The pharmacy's open twenty-four hours."

Sienna finally looked at me, fear swimming in her eyes. "What if I really am pregnant? What if Lucian's family refuses to accept me?"

"Then we fight," Lily said firmly. "Even if Lucian dies tomorrow, Sienna, your baby will have us. Always."

The laugh that burst out of Sienna was half sob, half genuine amusement. "You just said 'even if he dies' like it's a real possibility you're considering."

"I am," Lily said with perfect seriousness. "If he tries to abandon you, I'm absolutely considering it."

At the pharmacy, Lily suddenly moved closer to Sienna and inhaled deeply. After a long moment, she stepped back. "Your scent has changed. There's Lucian's scent on you still, but underneath that, there's something else. Something new. Like new life growing."

Sienna's face went white. "You can smell it?"

"I can smell that something in your body chemistry has changed," Lily said gently. "I can't tell you for certain without a test, but yes, there's a different quality to your scent now."

Back at the apartment, Sienna took all three tests. Every single one came back positive. Two lines. Pregnant. Undeniable.

She sat on the edge of my bathtub, staring at the tests, and laughed—the laugh of someone whose entire life had just been turned upside down. "I'm actually pregnant with Lucian Cross's baby."

"What do you want to do?" I asked carefully.

She was quiet for a long time. When she finally spoke, her voice was steady. "I'm keeping it. And I'm taking photos of all these tests and sending them to everyone who needs to know. My parents and, yes, Lucian too. I'm not hiding this."

She pulled out her phone, took photos, composed a group message, and hit send without hesitation. "There. Now everyone knows."

Over the next few days, Sienna fielded calls from her family with impressive calm, refusing to give details about the father despite her mother's demands. She ignored Lucian's texts and spent hours researching wolf pregnancy with frightening intensity.

On the third evening, Sienna was curled up on my couch, scrolling through pregnancy forums. She looked exhausted but there was also a strange peace in her expression.

"Lucian's been calling nonstop," she said, holding up her phone. "Twenty-three missed calls today. He says he told his parents and they want to meet me."

"Do you want to meet them?" I asked.

"No," she said immediately, then sighed. "But I probably should, right? For the baby's sake."

"You don't owe them anything yet," I pointed out. "Let Lucian sweat it out a bit longer."

A slow, wicked smile spread across her face. "You're right. Let him suffer."

That evening, Sienna suddenly sat up straight, one hand going to her stomach. "I want Cajun Gumbo. From Bayou Bites."

Pregnancy cravings in wolf women could be intense, almost overwhelming. If Sienna wanted that specific dish, we needed to get it for her.

"I'll go," I said, grabbing my keys. "You two stay here and rest."

The drive to Bayou Bites was familiar now. I found parking and headed inside, the warm, spicy smell of Cajun cooking hitting me immediately.

I approached the counter. "Hi, I need to order takeout please. Two orders of your Cajun Gumbo and—"

The door behind me opened, bringing with it a scent that made every muscle in my body go rigid. Cedar and leather, dark and commanding. The scent I'd finally broken free from just weeks ago.

I turned slowly. Daemon stood in the doorway, tall and imposing in a dark gray cashmere coat over a black turtleneck sweater. For a moment, we just stared at each other, the air crackling with tension.

His blood-red eyes were unreadable, but I could see the surprise flash across his features before he locked it down.

Daemon recovered first and walked past me toward the counter, close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from his body. He didn't acknowledge me directly, just addressed the woman behind the counter.

"Two orders of the Cajun Gumbo and one order of Beignets, to go."

The woman nodded, leaving Daemon and me standing side by side in uncomfortable silence. After what felt like an eternity, Daemon walked over to the high stools and sat down. Then he turned his head to look at me directly.

"Sienna's at your place?"

The question caught me off guard, but I didn't answer. Instead, I raised an eyebrow and asked, "What a coincidence. Are you and Celeste craving the same thing?"

Daemon's expression darkened slightly. "I'm not living with her."

"But you're buying her dinner," I pointed out, my tone deliberately light.

"The food isn't for her," he said flatly. "Lucian asked me to help him track Sienna down. She's been ignoring his calls."

Of course. "And you thought stalking her was the solution?"

"I'm helping my friend locate the mother of his child so he can have an actual conversation with her."

So he knew. "She's not ready to talk to him yet. She needs time to process everything."

"She's had three days."

"Three days isn't enough when your entire life is being turned upside down," I snapped. "Not that you'd understand anything about giving people the space they need."

I watched his jaw tighten, watched him visibly restrain whatever response he wanted to make.

"Lucian's on his way here," Daemon said finally. "He landed about two hours ago. He's coming tonight. Whether she's ready or not."

My stomach dropped. "You need to tell him to back off. If he pushes too hard, she's going to do something she can't take back."

"Like what?"

I hesitated. "She's prepared to make their relationship public in the most humiliating way possible if his family tries to reject her. She has receipts. A lot of receipts."

Something like respect flickered across Daemon's face. "She always was thorough."

The woman called out a number, and Daemon collected his order. He turned back to me. "For what it's worth, Lucian's not going to abandon her. He's scared, yeah, but he's not going to run. He'll step up."

"He better," I said. "Because if he hurts Sienna, Lily and I will make sure he regrets it."

Daemon's lips twitched, almost like he wanted to smile. "I believe you."

He left, and I was left standing alone, my heart racing.

When I walked back into the apartment, both Lily and Sienna looked up expectantly. Before I could explain, Sienna's phone buzzed.

"It's Lucian," she said, her body going rigid. "He's in Silver Ridge. He wants my address."

"Don't give it to him," Lily said immediately.

But Sienna was already typing. "No. Let him come. I'm done hiding. If he wants to talk, we'll talk. On my terms."

Sienna opened the takeout container, took one bite, and immediately ran to the bathroom. When she came back out, she looked pale and miserable.

"I'm sorry. I made you drive all the way there for nothing."

"It's not your fault," I said quickly. "We'll figure something else out."

But before we could discuss alternatives, a mechanical whirring sound came from the balcony. A black drone hovered outside the sliding glass door, a white takeout bag dangling from it. It descended carefully onto the balcony floor, and a recorded message played.

"Wildcat, check what I brought you."

Sienna walked slowly to the balcony door and retrieved the bag. Inside were two containers of Cajun Gumbo and Beignets, all from Bayou Bites.

"How did he know?" she whispered.

Her phone buzzed again. "Go to the balcony. Now."

We all walked out onto the balcony and looked up at the night sky. At first, there was nothing. Then, one by one, drones began to appear, each carrying a single red rose beneath an LED light. They rose into the sky in formation and began to arrange themselves into a pattern.

"Oh my God," Lily breathed.

The drones formed a massive heart shape with a moon inside. Windows in surrounding buildings began to light up as neighbors noticed the display. Then the formation shifted, spelling out in glowing letters: MARRY ME.

Sienna's hands flew to her mouth, tears spilling down her cheeks. "That dramatic bastard."

She was already moving, practically running for the door. "He's downstairs."

Lily and I took off after her. We burst through the lobby doors and out into the small garden.

Lucian stood in the center of the grass, moonlight painting him in silver. He wore a three-piece navy suit and held an enormous bouquet of red roses. He looked terrified, his usual confidence completely absent.

In the shadows, I caught glimpses of Daemon, Evan, and Felix. They'd all come to support him.

Sienna stopped about ten feet away, tears streaming down her face.

Lucian dropped to one knee. "Wildcat, will you accept me?"

The silence stretched. Sienna stood frozen, and I could see her shaking.

When Lucian spoke again, his voice was rougher, more vulnerable. "I know this isn't perfect. I'm not familiar with this pack, so I couldn't arrange something bigger. But I promise, Sienna, if you agree to marry me, when we get back to Frost territory, I'll give you a ceremony that the entire pack will witness."

He paused, swallowing hard. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I made you face all of this alone. I was scared, and I was stupid, and I let my fear control me when I should have been there for you from the beginning."

The drones shifted again, their formation dissolving and reforming into a shower of lights that rained down around them like digital fireflies.

Sienna finally lowered her hands from her mouth. She was crying in earnest now, but she was also smiling. She walked forward slowly, closing the distance between them.

"Who said I need a grand ceremony?" she said, her voice thick with tears and laughter. "This is enough."

Lucian stood, the roses tumbling from his hands to the grass. He looked directly into Sienna's eyes, and his voice dropped to something primal, something ancient.

"By blood and bond, I claim you as my mate. Will you accept me?"

Sienna's breath hitched, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks. When she spoke, her voice was steady and clear, carrying across the garden so that everyone present could hear her acceptance.

"I accept you as my mate, now and forever."

Lucian's eyes flashed gold, his wolf rising to the surface, and his hands came up to cup Sienna's face with a gentleness that belied the intensity in his gaze. She tilted her head back, exposing the curve of her neck, and Lucian lowered his mouth to the junction where her neck met her shoulder.

His canines extended, and he bit down, not hard enough to cause real damage but firm enough to break the skin, to leave a permanent mark that would identify her as his mate to every wolf who saw her. Sienna gasped, her hands clutching at his shoulders.

When Lucian finally pulled back, blood stained his lips, and his mark stood out stark and fresh against Sienna's skin. She swayed slightly, overwhelmed by the sudden rush of sensation that came with a new bond, and he caught her, holding her steady against his chest.

"Mine," he breathed against her hair. "Forever mine."

Sienna laughed, the sound watery but genuine. "You're such a caveman."

"Your caveman," he corrected, and then he was kissing her, fierce and claiming, and Sienna kissed him back with equal intensity.