Chapter 69: Chapter 68

Lanie Nope.

No way.

This couldn’t be happening.

I | was absolutely NOT pregnant.

“That’t can’t be true,” | said, “We only mated a week ago.”

And then again two more nights...over and over. Xander and Zane had both spilled their seed inside me more times than seemed possible in a week, but | wasn’t about to tell them that.

Instead, | asked, “Isn't it to early to tell?”

Gabriela’s eyebrows were knitted in thought, and my mother was staring blankly ahead, clearly just as shocked as | was.

“| can see from the tests that you're at the tail end of your mating heat,” Isolde said. “It’s more common than not for she-wolves to produce pups during this cycle.”

| knew this, and | knew the gestation period for she-wolves was short, but somehow, ever since I’d reached an agreement with Xander and Zane, it felt like pups weren’t in the cards.

Guess my body had other ideas.

“The timing isn’t ideal given the spell,” Isolde said gently. “Termination is always an option, if you'd like.”

“NO!” | cried before | even knew what | was saying.

But suddenly it seemed so clear.

This pup was a piece of each of us-me, Xander, and Zane.

It was a reminder of the strange, undeniable thread that seemed to keep drawing us together, even now when | was about to do a spell designed to rip us apart.

“| want to have this baby”

My mother walked over to me and placed a shaking hand over my own. Her eyes were glassy with tears.

“She isn’t going to remember anything from this life. surely this one carryover is acceptable, isn’t it?”

Gabriela looked concerned.

“It seems risky,” she said. “You'd wake up with too many questions.”

“| don’t know,” Isolde jumped in. “It might be a comfort to Lanie. Plus, vampiric powers often sk ip generations in hybrids, which means Lanie’s baby will likely never go through what she is going through.”

| felt a sudden rush of warmth for Isolde, | needed to keep this baby. I’d never felt more sure of anything in my life.

“But wait... What will happen with the rest of my family and my friends?” | asked.

| thought of Selena at home with my dads, and Mindy with her men at the Constantine mansion, probably blissfully unaware of all the sh it that had blown up in the last three days.

F uck.

| hadn’t even gotten to say goodbye to her.

Tears sprang to my eyes.

“| know you made a deal with my boys, Lanie,” Gabriela said. “They agreed to let you disappear after you helped them make Alice look like a picture-perfect Luna.”

“You knew about that?!” | asked.

“Please.” Gabriela smirked. “I have eyes and ears everywhere.”

Dam n, she was good.

“Anyway, now you're getting your wish, Lanie. You can disappear, and you don’t have to do a thing.”

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, and a hand reached in holding a small vial of dark, thick liquid.

“Except to drink this,” Isolde said, taking the vial and holding it up to the light.

“Just drink that.” Gabriela smiled and nodded toward the vial. “And you can get exactly what you wanted.”

“Yeah...” My voice was choked with emotion. “I just didn’t think getting it would mean giving up everyone I've ever loved.”

“If you don’t do this, Lanie, then you die,” my mother whispered as fresh tears fell. “And so will your pup.”

“So.” Gabriela pointed to the potion. “Are you going to take it or not?”

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