Chapter 87 87
A full month had passed since she discovered she was carrying his child.
Sofía felt as though she were floating. The warmth that had wrapped around her heart the moment she learned she was pregnant had not faded not even slightly. It was indescribable. Priceless. She had repeated the words to herself thousands of times I’m pregnant just to make them real.
That day, she had cried uncontrollably. Tears of shock, relief, joy. The three girls had surrounded her, soothing her until she could breathe properly again, guiding her gently back to bed as if she were made of glass.
Corinne, however, had immediately taken charge. She made it crystal clear to Jeanne, Claire, and the pack doctor that the news must remain secret no matter what.
At first, Sofía hadn’t understood the urgency. But when Corinne explained, the weight of it settled heavily on her chest.
This child wasn’t just a baby.
It was the firstborn of Alpha Fernando.
If even a whisper of this reached the wrong ears, their enemies would not hesitate. They would come not just for the baby, but for Sofía too.
And so they all agreed. The pregnancy would remain hidden until Fernando returned.
But one month turned into one month and two weeks.
And still, no sign of him.
Many nights she lay alone in his bed, clutching his jacket to her chest, breathing in what little of his scent remained. Sometimes she cried quietly into the darkness. The thought of him injured… or worse… sliced through her heart like a blade.
Whenever those suffocating fears threatened to consume her, she would place her hand over her growing belly and speak softly to her baby. She would whisper strength into both of them.
We have to be strong for him.
She often wondered how Fernando would react when he found out.
They had never spoken about children. Then again, they hadn’t spoken about marriage either and yet they had been wed within an hour of her blurting out the idea.
Fernando didn’t exactly strike her as someone who cooed over babies. He was hard. Intense. Dangerous.
But Corinne had reassured her that werewolves were fiercely protective of their mates and even more so of their offspring. She had promised that when an Alpha learned his mate was pregnant, happiness unlike anything else would take over him.
Sofía prayed that would be true.
She had never imagined marrying so young. Never imagined carrying a child while her studies were still unfinished. The new semester had begun, and she hadn’t returned.
It was too dangerous.
The idea of abandoning her final semester after all her effort hurt deeply. But now, nothing mattered more than the life growing inside her. She would sacrifice anything to protect her baby.
Three months passed.
Three months since she had last seen him.
Three months without his warmth. Three months of aching loneliness.
Every day, every hour, Sofía prayed for her husband, her mate, and every warrior fighting beside him.
She had begun to notice it the shift in the pack. The quiet despair creeping into conversations. The fading hope in their eyes.
It hurt her to see his once-unbreakable pack beginning to fracture under fear.
So tonight, she had called them all together for dinner.
“Are you sure you can do this?” Corinne asked gently.
Sofía smiled softly and nodded before stepping out into the backyard to face them.
Fernando’s people.
Her people.
“I’m grateful you all came tonight,” she began, her voice carrying clearly across the gathering. “We may not be celebrating victory yet but make no mistake. Victory will be ours.”
Her tone was firm. Commanding.
The air shifted.
“Why do I feel like some of you are losing hope?” she continued, her gaze sweeping over them. “Our Alpha is out there fighting to protect us. And what are we giving him in return? Doubt? Disappointment?”
Her voice rose, not in anger alone but in fierce loyalty.
She had overheard the maids in the kitchen the day before, crying in fear, convinced he wasn’t coming back. The memory still bruised her heart.
“He’s risking his life for us while you sit here and surrender to fear. I expected better from his pack. My Fernando does not give up. So why are you?”
Silence fell heavily. Several heads bowed in shame.
“You are warriors,” she declared. “And warriors do not give up.”
The pack doctor raised his fist into the air and roared, “LUNA!”
The title echoed across the yard as others joined in, chanting her name. The fire was returning to their eyes. The strength. The belief.
Her words had reached them.
“Our Alpha will win!” a man shouted.
“Victory will be ours!” a young boy growled fiercely.
And there it was the blazing spirit of the Ancient Blood Pack reigniting.
In their glassy eyes, she saw him.
Her heart swelled with pride, tears shimmering in her own eyes. Corinne stepped closer, discreetly wiping at her cheeks before offering a supportive smile.
“Enjoy tonight’s feast,” Sofía announced, her voice steady once more. “The next feast will be shared with our Alpha and our warriors.”
Cheers erupted.
After greeting a few members personally, she returned inside the mansion.
It struck her then how much she had changed. At the last feast, she had stood there trembling when Fernando formally made her a member of the pack. Tonight, she had stood in the same place with authority and confidence.
Time truly did fly.
Werewolves possessed sharp senses. If left unchecked, someone would eventually detect the subtle change in her scent. Corinne had anticipated that and brought in a witch to help.
The witch cloaked the baby’s scent with protective magic, hiding it from curious noses until Fernando returned.
But magic could only do so much.
Her baby bump was already beginning to show. Loose dresses had become her closest allies.
“Your stomach looks a bit big for just three months,” Cécile observed the moment Sofía entered the kitchen.
Cécile was the witch who had woven protection around her child.
Sofía placed a tender hand over her small curve, smiling softly. “My baby is healthy,” she murmured. “After all, it’s a werewolf. Just like his father.”
Cécile smiled knowingly as she prepared warm soup for them both.
“And you,” Cécile added with a teasing look, “you sounded exactly like Fernando out there tonight.”
A soft laugh escaped Sofía’s lips.
It was the highest compliment she could have received.