Chapter 133

Tribe Fire

Sandy's due date was approaching; it was her last month of pregnancy. She loved sharing her experiences with her new friend Cateline, even though they didn't always have the same things to talk about, as Cateline's pregnancy was completely different from hers.

Everyone was eager to visit her soon. Joaquim sent gifts for his nephew, mostly little blue hoodies. He staunchly believed it would be a healthy boy, one who would be a great wolf-like his father.

The Alpha turned a blind eye most of the time to the letters and gifts received.

He knew it helped Cateline feel better. It was too painful for the human, and he knew she missed everyone, but she still stayed there, respecting all the rules.

With time, Diego began to secretly admire the human. He still felt that showing his true feelings would make him appear weak if discovered.

The eighth month was almost coming to an end, and the healers knew the time was near. The child was preparing to be born.

Cateline felt almost unbearable contractions, and as the days passed, the human could hardly get out of bed. Cristina was worried but remained present all the time, eager to meet the little one.

At night, when Cateline felt the most intense pains, Felix caressed his beloved's belly, and he felt the child relax. He kissed his wife's enormous belly and felt the warmth through her skin. It would be a strong child.

Sometimes, when the wolf strained to hear the little one's heartbeat, he could hear something else. It was confusing and difficult to understand. The wolf wasn't sure if the number of beats was normal since he had never heard a baby's heartbeat in someone's womb before. He thought it might just be a small confusion he was making in his head. Could those beats belong to more than one child?

Every morning after massaging Cateline, Felix went to his father's office to help with paperwork. The Alpha always asked the same questions and seemed to be in a good mood.

Felix walked into his father's office, eating a piece of bread, and the Alpha barely waited for his son to sit down before asking about his daughter-in-law.

"How is she?"

Diego asked directly, avoiding saying the woman's name, but Felix knew it was just attempt to appear strong.

The alpha kept staring at his son, impatient for the answer.

Felix sat in the armchair in front of his father with the bread in his mouth.

"She's... like that... the baby will be born anytime now. Zebeu thinks he'll be born prematurely, but Thedeu insists Cateline can hold on for a few more months."

The wolf spoke, concerned. He saw how difficult it was for his beloved; he didn't like seeing her in that situation. She was getting weaker every day, and he didn't know how things would be from then on.

She looked worn out, with dark circles under her eyes, and often weak, but even so, she forced a smile and always said she was fine. He knew she wasn't, yet she was strengthening herself for herself and the baby. This made Felix extremely happy for his wife and also very worried.

Meetings took place every morning, and it seemed like the ICE Tribe had disappeared from the face of the earth. Diego knew he couldn't rest and that they were lying in wait.

But now with the arrival of his grandson, it was becoming harder to focus on work. He spent most of his time walking around the castle, near his daughter-in-law's room. He counted the seconds to see the little one.

At night, he even dreamed and heard the baby's cries. He was happy. Everything would be perfect if his Freya were there.

She would be an excellent grandmother; he knew it. Freya was an incredible woman and was a great mother to Felix...

In his room, in the middle of the night, he walked to the window where the moonlight streamed in and gazed out at the frozen expanse, feeling the cold breeze on his face. He remembered when his beloved was alive. She had passed away when Felix was a teenager, just 14 years old.

Diego and Freya used to love thinking about the future, of a day when Felix would marry a strong she-wolf, and the house would be filled with pups.

Diego smiled as he recalled certain memories, and in that instant, he covered his mouth, holding something back.

Sobs emerged, and tears flowed; he had promised never to cry again and to be strong. But now, seeing his son become a man and realizing that his beloved wife was no longer there, he felt alone. He had only himself to remember those feelings and only himself to experience that wonderful sensation Freya had so dreamt of sharing with him.

He stayed there for a while, hiding from everyone. There, he could be himself and crumble in tears. He lowered his head for a moment, feeling the tears stream down, his hands on his face, trying to cry silently, feeling the salty tears on his face, his nose congested, and his hair covering his eyes. The alpha raised his head, tossing his hair back, and looked at the moon outside, whispering, hoping his Freya could hear.

"We'll be grandparents, my love. I know you're with me somewhere. I will be the best grandfather, I promise you, my she-wolf."

He let a few more tears fall and wiped them away quickly, sniffing his nose, appreciating the night for one more moment, and turning, heading to his bed... He wanted to rest for a while...