Chapter 209 My Angel | 102

Chapter 209 My Angel | 102
NOELLE

Tears well up instantly in his beautiful blue eyes.

"Az—" My voice cracks as I grab his hand, pressing it to my cheek. "I'm here—I'm here—"

He exhales as if he'd been drowning and just broke the surface.

"I thought you were—" His voice cracks. "I saw—"

"I'm not," I whisper quickly, tears slipping down my face. "I'm right here. I didn't go anywhere."

He stares at me, dazed.

"...you're real," he gasps.

"I'm real."

He stares at my face for a moment, then he tries to move.

"Hey—easy," I say, sliding an arm behind his back. "Don't rush—"

"I need to look at you," he croaks, stubborn even through the weakness.

A smile tugs at my lips. I help him anyway, easing him up against the pillows.

"There. Take it slow—"

But his gaze has already dropped. And then, he goes dead still. His eyes lock onto my belly, silence setting in.

"...what the hell...?" he breathes.

I wince slightly.

"Okay—so—before you spiral—"

He doesn't even blink. Then, very slowly, his tongue drags across his lower lip.

"...Noelle," he rasps, "why do you look like you swallowed a whole watermelon?"

My mouth drops open. "That is not—"

But he's already moving. He's weak but determined, resting his hand against my baby bump. And right then, our baby kicks multiple times. His eyes bulge in their sockets for a few seconds as recognition kicks in.

Eventually, a smirk spreads across his face.

"...well," he exhales, his voice rough but unmistakably smug, "guess I've still got excellent aim."

"AZREN—!"

Heat floods my face instantly. He lets out the faintest laugh, even as tears cling stubbornly to his lashes.

"I mean—" he croaks, his thumb brushing over my stomach. "I knew I was putting in quality work."

I smack his shoulder lightly, mortified.

"You are unbelievable—"

"—and apparently very effective," he cuts in, completely unrepentant.

Another small kick happens, and his smirk falters just a little, fresh tears welling up.

"...that's ours," he says more quietly.

I nod, my throat tight.

"That's ours."

His hand spreads wider over my belly now, reverent in a way he's trying—and failing—to hide.

His gaze darts back up to mine.

"...you okay?" he asks. "They didn't hurt you? You're safe?"

They? Huh? That was a mistake, wasn't it?

"I'm okay," I whisper. "We're both okay."

He exhales shakily, relieved. Then, he pulls me into a hug. His body is shaking from exhaustion, but his hug is warm and comforting.

"Thank you," he whispers. "Thank you for staying safe. I'm going to take care of you now."

I beam, knowing he means it. But I'm most grateful that he's back...and I won't be doing this alone. He kept his promise.

"I'm scared," he suddenly whispers. "I'm afraid this is all a dream. My head still feels fuzzy, and I can't feel my face. My heart is pounding so hard. I think I'm dreaming. What if this is still a dream?"

My heart breaks when I hear the fear in his voice.

....

AZREN

I'm still not convinced this is real. Not even a little.

Because things like this don't happen to people like me. Not after everything I just... did. Or after what I almost became.

Her smile widens. "No, Azren. You're not dreaming. I'm here. We're both here."

I don't believe it. I can't. My hand reaches for the sash of her robe, my fingers trembling so hard I can barely grip the fabric. "Let me see... I need to see..."

The knot defeats me. My hands shake too much, weak and uncoordinated from the depletion. A frustrated, exhausted sound escapes my throat.

Noelle's hands cover mine gently. "Here," she whispers, her voice soft and steady despite the tears.

She unties the sash herself, letting the robe fall open.

The sight hits me hard.

Her body—my angel's body—is transformed. Her breasts are fuller and heavier, the soft curves swollen and ripe. And her belly... Gods, her belly is so round, so beautifully swollen, stretching taut and perfect with our pups.

Two heartbeats. I can hear them even louder now.

I thought... I thought I'd been hallucinating.

Every thought of mine scatters. Then the tears unleash harder, a choked sob tearing from my chest as fresh waves crash over me. "Noelle..."

I lean in, pressing my lips to one of her bigger breasts, kissing the warm, sensitive skin with desperate reverence.

My hands cup them gently, feeling their new weight and their fullness. They're heavier than I remember, perfect in my palms. I kiss the other one too, lingering, overwhelmed by the reality of her.

Then I slide lower, my mouth brushing over the tight curve of her belly. I kiss it again and again.

"I'm sorry," I whisper against her, my voice cracking with exhaustion and love. "I'm so sorry I wasn't awake for you. I'm so sorry you had to wake up to this alone. My angel... my beautiful angel."

She strokes my hair, her fingers threading through the longer strands with such tenderness it makes me shake even harder.

Our babies kick right beneath my lips. I jolt, a weak laugh mixing with my tears as I feel it again, our children responding to me, to us.

I'm trembling uncontrollably now, the shock rolling through my weakened body in waves. My hands won't stop shaking as they rest on either side of her swollen belly, cradling it like the miracle it is.

Noelle lets out a soft, tearful laugh. "I should probably record this on camera. Your expression is pure gold."

A weak smirk tugs at my lips despite everything. I look up at her through blurred eyes, utterly obsessed, completely in love with every changed inch of her.

"And you're perfect," I whisper, my voice hoarse. "So damn perfect. Carrying our future like this... My everything."

I press another kiss to her belly, feeling another kick, and rest my forehead against the warm swell, tears still falling as I hold onto her, too overwhelmed to do anything else but worship the woman who owns every shattered, devoted piece of my soul.

My forehead is still pressed to hers when the door opens. I barely register it at first.

"—Noelle, sweetheart, you need to ea—"

Mum stops and an awkward silence hangs in the air.

I lift my head slowly.

She's standing there with a tray in her hands, frozen. Her eyes are locked on me like she's just seen a ghost crawl out of its grave.

"...Azren?"

My chest tightens. "Hey, Mum."

The tray rattles slightly in her hands before she quickly lowers it onto the nearby table, carefully.

Then she's running.

"Azren—!"

Noelle scrambles beside me, quickly pulling her robe closed and tying it. Mum crashes into me. Her arms wrap around me so tight it almost knocks the air out of my lungs.

"Oh stars above—" Her voice cracks against my shoulder. "You're awake—you're awake—"

I hold her back, tight, my body relaxing in her arms.

"...yeah," I whisper. "I'm here."

She pulls back just enough to cup my face, her hands shaking as she looks at me like she's checking for cracks.

"I thought—" Her voice breaks again. "You wouldn't wake up—I thought I lost you—"

"I'm not going anywhere," I say.

Her eyes fill up with tears, and she pulls me back into another hug, burying her face into my neck.

And just like that, more footsteps and voices flood in.

"—Mum, what happened—"

The room fills up fast.

Jake. Blue. Darrell. Cam.

They all stop dead the second they see me sitting up.

"...holy shit," Jake breathes.

"Alpha—" Cam exhales, stunned.

Blue just stares, and Darrell blinks like he's recalibrating reality. Then, they all move at once.

Jake gets to me first, gripping my shoulder hard before pulling me into a rough hug. He's trembling. The realization makes my eyes sting.

"You scared the hell out of us, brother," he croaks thickly. "You entered god mode, for real. Defeating a goddess is no easy feat. You could have died."

"Missed you too," I rasp. "And why would I die? I still have to annoy you some more."

He laughs, pulling back and wiping at his eyes.

Blue's next.

She doesn't even pretend to be composed. She just throws her arms around me.

"You idiot," she mumbles into my shoulder, her voice shaking. "You absolute idiot."

I chuckle softly. "I'm okay, Bluebell."

"Thank you for coming back to us, Alpha," she sniffles, pulling away.

Darrell claps my back after that, firm and solid.

"Good to see you breathing, man."

"Debatable," I mutter.

Cam gives me a quieter hug, but his grip lingers a second longer than usual.

"You're not allowed to pull that stunt again," he says under his breath.

"I know."

Then, a lighter weight slams into me.

"AZREN!"

Azalea. She crashes into my side, her arms wrapping around me as tightly as she can. When did she get here?

"You took forever!" she cries.

I let out a soft breath, my arm coming around her automatically. "Missed you too, menace."

She sniffles, clinging to me harder.

And behind her is Levi. He's holding his baby, a smile tugging at his lips.

"...hey," he says.

"Hey," I reply.

He leans in, pulling me into a careful one-armed hug.

"Don't do that again," he murmurs.

"I'll try," I mutter.

The baby in his arms makes a soft sound, tiny and unaware, and something in my chest twists all over again.

Fuck me.

There's so much life here. Too much. It almost doesn't feel like I deserve to be sitting in the middle of it.

I notice Dad right then. He hasn't moved much.

But now he steps forward slowly. His eyes drag over me once—checking and assessing—before he pulls me into a hug that's just as tight as Mum's... but quieter.

"...took your time," he mumbles.

I let out a weak snort. "Had to make it dramatic."

"Of course you did."

There's a brief pause. Then he pulls back just enough to look at me. That familiar, dangerous glint appears.

"Did you see it?" he asks slowly, glancing very deliberately towards Noelle... and her very obvious baby bump. "Did you see what you were doing while we were worried sick?"

I choke.

"Dad—"

He raises a brow.

"Five months in a coma and you still managed to be productive," he continues dryly. "I'm almost impressed."

Noelle goes rigid beside me.

"Mum—" she starts, mortified.

But Mum is already wiping her tears with a soft laugh.

"Oh, leave them alone," she says, though she's clearly amused too.

Dad smirks faintly.

"I'm just saying," he adds, completely unbothered, "next time you plan to disappear, maybe don't leave behind a seven-month reminder of your extracurricular activities."

"DAD."

The room bursts into laughter, filling me with so much warmth. My hand finds Noelle's again. Her fingers lace with mine instantly, and I squeeze gently.

We're going to be okay.