48: Lily

The moon shined in through the dark curtains, casting shadows across her black comforter. She

knew it was late, but her mind just wouldn't shut down. She wished to blame it on wedding jitters,

but the way her chest constricted with the usual panicked feeling, she knew it was worse than that.

The idea of Karmina hunting her down specifically, the Supernatural world being much larger than

she realized. Jayce knew. They all did, and she was kept out of the loop. He can say it was for her

safety, but she thought he would know better by now.

Lily looked up into the dark of her canopy, one hand on her pounding chest while the other rested

on her belly. All she wished was to keep her child safe, but could she really do that as a simple

human being? She didn't have the strength and dominance as a Werewolf, even with Nox

occupying a sliver of her soul, she was no match for whatever was out there.

A light tap on her window drew her attention. With the moon shining so bright, she didn’t spot

anything and figured it was just the wind. Yet another tap came, this time just a little bit louder. Lily

sat up quickly, gazing at the window as another tap followed the second. She had seen horror

movies that played out this way. A finger tapping on the window to get her attention, to draw her

close until it trapped her. She wished she could push aside those thoughts, but she was three stories

high.

She crept out of bed slowly, looking around for a weapon as another light tap contacted the glass,

Should she call out for Erica? Maybe she'll just call Jayce, even if it was a silly request made by her,

but when she looked at the nightstand, her phone was missing.

"Dammit, Isis took my phone away." she groaned softly. The tapping stopped, and she was tempted

to crawl back into bed, but her curiosity got the best of her. She slipped up to the window, carefully

pushing the curtain aside and glanced around. The moon sat gracefully in the clear, star lit sky. The

dim lights of the path that wrapped around the side of the building casted the trees shadows, and

someone else. Lily as quietly as she could, clicked the window lock open and pushed open the

window. Down below was Jayce wearing his winter jacket and jeans. He had his arm pulled back

slightly until she popped her head out and he lowered it.

"You scared the Hell out of me." she whispered angrily, but she couldn't deny that she was happy to

see him. He dropped what she noticed were small rocks back to the ground, brushing his hands.

"I wasn't allowed through the front entrance, so I figured something a bit more romantic to gain

your attention.” he said, his breath creating foggy puffs of air in front of his face.

"As romantic as that sounded in your head, Romeo, didn't stop the horrors I thought of.” she

glanced down at the ledge, pouting, "Did you come to wish me goodnight?" she asked him. He

blew into his hands.

"I tried calling you, but your phone was off.” he said, glancing around. He took a few steps back into

the tree line, and when she thought he might have disappeared, he took three large steps and leapt

up onto the second story window ledge. Lily watched in amazement as he climbed from the second

story window onto her own. She stepped away as he stepped into her room, shutting the window

behind himself and locking it once more.

"Isis confiscated it to avoid, well, this." she gestured to him. He shook his hair as he took off his

jacket, revealing a black tee beneath it. Lily took it and laid it over the back of a chair and turned on

the lamp on her nightstand. When she gazed back at Jayce, she noticed he had cut his hair a bit. It

was still long, but it no longer grazed his shoulders. He took off his boots, rubbing his hands

together. She looked around, spotting a quilted blanket draped over the couch that sat in the

corner of the room and wrapped it around his shoulders.

"I'm fine.” he told her, but it didn't stop him from tightening the blanket around himself a bit. She

smiled at his stubbornness, grabbing his arm and led him to her bed. It squeaked under his weight,

and Lily held her breath as she waited for one of the Lunas to barge in, but to her surprise, all was

quiet. She looked around her room, nearly the same size as their bedroom back home. It had a

Texas King size bed that she felt tiny in, a lounging area tucked off into a corner and a flat screen TV

mounted across from the bed. A set of white doors were closed off to her walk in closet where her

wedding gown rested.

"How are you feeling?" she asked him, still standing in front of him. He inclined his head at her, his

crimson eyes soft on her. He reached out to her, and when she took his hand, he pulled her onto his

lap, wrapping the blanket around her as well. She found herself snuggling against him instantly,

melting into his warmth.

"Nervous." he said, gazing down at her, "I knew this day was coming, and yet I can't seem to get my

heart to slow down.” he told her. She was a bit surprised he spoke so honestly. Before he was tight

lipped, barely expressing his emotions aside from anger, but now he was opening up his heart to

her. She played with his shirt mindlessly as her eyes traveled around her room.

"Same, but it's not so much for that reason.” she admitted. He tightened his hold around her, his

hand reaching up to lift her chin so she was looking at him.

"I know, I sensed it. It was part of the reason why I rushed over here.” he said, his thumb brushing

against her cheek lightly. Sometimes she disliked that their bond was so strong, but she was grateful

for it to. "You can talk to me, Lily, you know you always can." he encouraged her. She chewed her

bottom lip, wondering where to start.

"For starters, I just want our wedding to go off without a hitch. No crazy exes, no violence, no death.

I want to be able to celebrate our love for one another without any hindrance.” Lily started to speak

her mind, slowly finding it easier to talk about it than withholding it.

"Second, I feel like there is so much more to the world now than what I knew in history books. What

sucks is that you kept it from me. I know you want to protect me, to protect your family, but I want

to protect you to." she felt her emotions shake her voice. She took a deep breath before continuing

on.

"I want to be a good Luna for your people. I want you to depend on me just like how I depend on

you. I know I'm not a Werewolf and I'm weak, but I know I will give my all to you when you ask for

it," she said. She mentally pushed back her tears that stung the back of her eyes as she looked up at

him. A part of her half expected him to straight up tell her she had no reason to know the workings

of his world, that it was better to be safe than sorry. She watched his eyes though, how they

shimmered in the lamp light. She felt his hand move away from her waist and rest on her belly.

"You're right. I kept secrets from you. Not just because I want to keep you and our child safe, but

because sometimes it's just easier to feign ignorance." he cocked his head as he contemplated his

next words, "To soothe your mind about the wedding, I already have my soldiers in place. No one

will have clearance to attend that doesn't live within my pack or already a part of the wedding

party.”

"The last time we had security, Jasper still managed to get inside our home." she countered. The

corner of his lip lifted in a snarl, but he sighed.

"I know. I failed on keeping you safe that day, and a few times after that as well.” he frowned, his

forehead creasing slightly. Lily reached up and rested her hand on his cheek.

"You didn't fail me. You saved me from Jasper. You saved me from Lukas. I just felt the need to do

something. I didn't want to sit still and wait for whatever happens to happen. I wanted to confirm

Jasper was still around, even though it would have risked putting me in danger. I wanted to sway

your dad and Lukas because I believed full heartedly that I could convince them to put their trust in

me." her mind went back to Lukas’ Wolf, "I hoped to put his Wolf at ease before he passed on." she

blinked away the tears. Jayce leaned into her hand.

"Lily, you are an extraordinary woman. There is no doubt in my mind that you will be an excellent

Luna. You have this energy that draws people in. I feel it all the time. I witnessed it first hand at the

fall solstice when you opened up about your abuse in front of the entire pack. I watched my people

listen to your every word.” he nodded his head toward her bedroom door, "I watched the same

effect happen to the Alphas and their Lunas. Being human doesn't mean that you are weak. You

have your own strengths that none of us could compare to." he leaned down and kissed between

her brows.

"You make it sound like I have some super power." she joked, but his eyes showed how serious he

was.

"Maybe that is your power. The way you communicate with people, having them listen to your every

word. Maybe you're actually a Witch." he said, kissing her cheek next. She let out a soft giggle,

pressing her hand against his chest.

"I highly doubt that's the case.” she smiled as he rubbed his cheek against hers. She brushed her

fingers over his smooth jawline.

"You've definitely bewitched me." he grazed his lips against her neck, leaving soft kisses on her skin

She shivered in response, moving so she straddled his lap. His hands moved around her waist, his

fingers lifting her shirt. She reached down and stopped his hands from pursuing. He growled in

protest.

"You still have some answering to do.” she informed him. He grumbled against her neck before

sitting back, looking at her.

"I did plan on telling you about what else the Supernatural world contained, but only when the time

was right.” Jayce's jaw twitched slightly, "Due to recent events, I don't think I can prevent hiding it

from you." Lily moved so she sat beside him on the bed. He placed a hand on her thigh, squeezing

it gently and she settled her hand over his.

"This is what I know." he began, "The common Supernatural species known to humanity are the

Werewolves, Vampires and Witches. We are the only three races that don't mind being out in the

open, however, since we're vastly different, a treaty had been created between the Supernatural

beings and humankind.

"Though it was just the three main races, the treaty states that it classified all Supernatural beings,

but the humans outside the white house wouldn't have a single clue how deep our world is." he ran

his fingers through his hair, letting it slowly fall back into place.

"Of course, humankind was never afraid to create their stories which were claimed as myths and

legends without proper evidence." he clicked his tongue.

"So, the Lochness monster?" she asked him. He raised a brow at her.

"Why do humans refer to him as a monster? He simply just wants to live his life, yet everyone wants

to continuously invade his territory.” he said with slight annoyance in his tone. Lily moved so she

was sitting on her knees, staring at Jayce with wonder.

"You've met him?" her voice squealed a little too loudly. He clasped his hand over her mouth, eyes

darting to the door. They waited and waited. When they didn't hear anyone, he slowly released her

mouth.

"A few times. We vacationed in Scotland for a summer.” he went on. Lily could feel her jaw hit her

lap as she listened to him. "It was mere coincidence that I met him."

"What about dragons?” she leaned in closer. He chuckled at her.

"No, sorry. Those are myths and will stay as such.” he said. Lily's smile dropped as she sat away a bit.

He squeezed her thigh gently.

"You mentioned Demons before.” she brought up. Jayce shifted his gaze away from her, visibly

uncomfortable about the subject.

"Yes." he rubbed the back of his neck, "I don't know much about them, honestly, and I'd prefer not

to know. I've never met one, and I hope I never do." he finally met her gaze. He reached up and

cupped her cheek with his large hand.

"Then tell me about Witches." she said. He let out a sigh as he placed a lock of her hair behind her

ear.

"There are the two factions; Light and Dark Witches. Light Witches from my understanding are more

about Healing and the Elements. Dark Witches are rumored to have practiced Necromancy and

curses." he grimaced. "I've met a Light Witch once. Sweet woman. Owns a bookstore in northern

Wisconsin."

"And Karmina is a Dark Witch, right? Yet she's managing to influence the world of the living? What if

she's not actually dead?” she asked him. Jayce's eyes darkened as he thought her question over.

"It could be possible, and if that were the case, I would be expected to meet with the other leaders

to discuss this then." he pulled off the blanket, moving so he sat with his back against the

headboard. Lily watched as he opened his arms to her and she practically dove into them. He

chuckled deeply as she maneuvered so she snuggled against his side. He grabbed her comforter,

pulling it up to her shoulders. Jayce reached over, turning off the light and leaned back against the

board, rubbing her arm slowly.

"Who are the other Supernatural leaders?" Lily whispered.

"Dante Iscariot, he's the original Vampire." Jayce said with distaste, "He's been around since Christ

was crucified.”

"Wait, Iscariot? Isn't that the same last name as Judas?" she asked him.

"It is." he put up a finger, "It is written that he was an only child,” Jayce shrugged, "which also means

Dante's existence was hidden from humanity for obvious reasons.”

"How did he become a Vampire?" Lily asked him. He grumbled softly, running his fingers through

her hair and started to massage in slowly circles. She felt her eyes get heavy as she rested her head

on his chest, his heart beating against her ear.

"I can't tell you everything. Perhaps one day you'll meet him, though I hope you never do." he

continued to massage her head. She let out a yawn, her eyes fluttering shut.

"Hey Jayce?"

"Hm?"

"Happy Birthday."

Soft chirping sang from outside her room, the sun breached over the trees. The sky shifted

gracefully from navy blue, purple, red and orange until those colors gradually faded away into a

beautiful and clear sky. Lily stirred in her bed, her hand reaching over the vacant, yet still warm spot

Jayce had occupied the night before. Her eyes fluttered open, sitting up and gazed about the empty

room. She could still smell him on the pillow and sheet. Fresh rain. Her favorite scent.

"Lily?" Penelope called out before opening her door. Her soon to be mother-in-law stepped into the

room, her hair in a slightly messy bun above her head, wearing a light blue blouse and grey slacks.

For the one person that had one of the best brands in the make up industry, her face was clean. Her

natural lightly tanned skin better complimented her golden eyes compared to the regular

foundation she would normally cake on. Penelope gave her amused yet innocent smile when Lily

searched the room.

"Late night guest?" she asked her. Lily blushed lightly in embarrassment.

"You didn't tell Luna Isis, did you?" she asked her nervously, but Penelope shook her head as she

shut the door behind herself. She glided over to her and sat down at the edge of the bed.

"I know she has good intentions, but I believe keeping you two separated for too long is unhealthy.”

she said, taking Lily's hands in her own, "Are you ready?" she asked her. Lily felt the motherly

warmth seep into her skin. She met the woman's gentle gaze and gave a firm nod.

"I'm ready." she said confidently. Penelope smiled, getting to her feet and helped Lily up.

"Good, let's feed you and my grandchild before we start hair and make up.” she clapped her hands,

the door opening behind her as Erica stepped into the room next. Her best friend had shaved down

her left side into a fade, her red hair curled in a fifties style look. Her Mark given to her by Damion

was radiating a gold and green hue.

"Hey girl, Ella whipped up some breakfast.” she said, her eyes settling on Penelope and her own

cheeks flared up. Penelope smiled though as she walked past Erica into the other room. Lily walked

up beside her questioningly.

"Did something happen?” Lily asked her. Erica rubbed the back of her neck, her fingers just grazing

her Mark.

"Well, she may have caught Damion and me in one of the storage closets earlier.” she placed a hand

over her face, shaking her head, "I should have known better than to second guess a Wolf's

hearing.” she said as they left the room together. Lily glanced around, taking notice of the other

Lunas already awake and sitting around a small table that was in the kitchen. Selena glanced up

from her mug of hot coffee, smiling tiredly.

"Good morning, I hope you slept well.” Selene said as Lily took a seat beside her at the table.

"As well as it was going to get.” Lily told her as Erica and Ella started setting plates down at the

table. Lily's eyes lit up excitedly at the sight of bacon, sausage, and scrambled eggs.

"Trouble sleeping?" Isis asked her with prodding eyes. Lily looked at her with a piece of bacon half

way through her mouth.

"It was just jitters, I guess.” she said, not wanting to speak the full truth. As she bit down on the

crispy bacon, Lily felt slight movement along the low side of her belly. She hesitated on her next

bite, worried that the bacon had caused possible nausea. When the movement paused, she took

another bite and waited. This time nothing happened.

"You good, Lily?" Erica asked as she sat beside her, tearing up her sausage and bacon and mixing it

with her eggs.

"Yeah, I just thought I was going to get sick.” she replied as she continued eating with no further

interruption from her stomach. All of the women stopped eating at once, their full attention on Lily.

"Do you think...?" Selene started to ask.

"Perhaps this means..." Ella's eyes sparkled.

"It could really only mean one thing." Isis added in. Lily looked between them before looking over to

Penelope who was smiling sweetly at her.

"Lily, it could be likely that you felt the baby move." she told her. Lily raised a brow before glancing

down at her belly. She rested a hand over the small bump, rubbing in slow circles

"Isn't it a bit early still?" she asked. Penelope pulled out her phone and started texting away.

"Not necessarily. You were sixteen weeks when you found out that you were pregnant. It's been

roughly two, almost three weeks since then. What did it feel like?" Erica asked her eagerly. Lily was a

bit surprised at her best friend's enthusiasm.

"Well, it was sort of like pressure against my belly. I thought it was just nausea because of my

nerves, but could it really be the case?" Lily asked them. Penelope put her phone face down on the

table and continued eating.

"Stephanie is on her way to check on you." she informed her while she ate. Lily nodded, but she

couldn't start eating again. She felt giddiness bubble in her chest which caused Nox is growl

pleasantly.

Lily.

His husky, deep voice rumbled softly against the walls of her skull, feeling like it was almost

vibrating. Lily couldn't stop the smile approaching her lips as she went back to eating her food.

After they finished eating breakfast, a light knock came from the door and Stephanie walked in. She

wore a thick red and black sweater with gold “Merry Christmas’ letters written across the front. She

had shaved her head completely, small gold hoops dangled from her ears. She closed the door

behind herself, holding a black leather bag.

"Stephanie, you look amazing." Lily complimented the She-Wolf. She inclined her head, a faint smile

on her lips before looking around the room at the extra audience.

"I don't mean to be rude, but could we do this in private?" she asked her. One of the Lunas must

have tried to speak up behind Lily, but she raised a finger to stop them, "It's nothing against you

ladies, but as her therapist, the less people the better.” she told them. Lily was a little confused as

she believed the women were trustworthy, but then she realized what Stephanie was saying. The

secret to her child already having a Wolf spirit was supposed to remain secret. Lily didn't think the

she-wolves would break her trust, but when she placed a hand over her belly once more, she knew

what needed to be done.

"Of course. Can't have me relapsing, right?” Lily turned to Erica and Penelope, "I know you two came

with me, but I'd like to be alone with the doctor.” Lily told them. Erica and Penelope exchanged

looks for a moment before nodding in agreement. Hopefully they were thinking the same thing.

Stephanie and Lily went into the room Lily was using and shut the door behind themselves. Jayce's

scent was nearly gone as Lily took a seat on the bed, looking up at Stephanie. She placed her bag

on the bed beside her, rummaging through it until she pulled out a stethoscope.

"Lay back for me." she ordered her, and Lily obeyed. She wasn't going to fight a She-Wolf on her

wedding day. Stephanie lifted Lily's shirt to expose her stomach and placed the very cold metal

piece of the stethoscope against her bare skin. She shifted from one spot to another before pulling

away.

"Is everything alright with the baby?" she asked her as she fixed her shirt and sat back up. Stephanie

put the equipment away and leaned against the vanity, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Yes, the baby is perfectly fine. Strong heart beat. If you'd like, I could tell you the gender now

instead of having to wait until your appointment.” she offered. Lily opened her mouth to agree, but

immediately closed it.

"No, I want Jayce with me so we can find out together.” Lily said, and Stephanie nodded. She

glanced toward the door, her forehead creasing slightly. She put a finger to her lips and pointed to

Lily's walk in closet. Lily at first didn't understand what the woman was getting at until she moved

over to the closet herself and opened the door, gesturing for her to follow. Stephanie turned on the

light as Lily walked in behind her and closed the door. In the center of the closet was two round and

plush seats. To the left of the doorway were shelves containing heels, shoes, and jewelry. To the

right were outfits ranging from formal, semi formal and casual. Across from them hung her dress

still in the bag that it came in. Stephanie took a seat on one of the stools and Lily sat across from

her.

"Who did you tell about the child?" she asked right off the bat.

"Jayce is the only one I told about the child already having a Wolf spirit. I can guarantee that

Penelope and Erica didn't tell anyone.” Lily defended the two most important women in her life. If

asked, Erica would take the secret to her grave, and Penelope was still working with Derek on

rekindling their marriage after everything that had happened. Stephanie nodded as she took in her

words.

"I don't know why its possible. There is no record of this ever happening.” she said before meeting

Lily's eyes, "Does Jayce's Wolf know?" she asked, but Lily shook her head.

"If he did, he would have told me. Nox and I are really good at communicating with one another.

Jayce doesn't know how its possible either since he's the King. What if this is the first time this has

ever happened? What could this mean?” Lily asked her eagerly. The more she questioned about the

matter, the more worried she became for her child. Stephanie reached over and took Lily's hands

into her own. Her soft touch warmed and calmed her raging thoughts instantly.

"Right now I don't know. It could mean just about anything with the little to no information that we

currently have.” Stephanie let out a sigh, "It will be difficult to contain the child's power after birth,

but we have time until then.” she tapped her chin thoughtfully, "As much as I don't like the idea, we

could reach out to a Light Witch who may be of assistance, but until then, we'll keep this between

the five of us. If anyone outside this group discovers the truth about the child, the Alpha may have

to take it into his hands." she told her. Lily remembered as Jayce beat Jasper until he was a bloody

mess in their foyer, and nearly killing Lukas in the hotel room for attempting to kill her. When it

came to Lily, she knew Jayce would do anything to protect her. Anything.

"I understand.” she said after a long moment of letting it all digest. Stephanie moved the stool

closer to her, reaching out with her hand.

"May 1?" she asked, and Lily nodded, lifting her shirt once more. Stephanie placed her hand over the

bump and shut her eyes. Lily sat as still as she could as the warm energy flowed from Stephanie's

palm and into her skin. After a few silent minutes, Stephanie pulled her hand away.

"Well?" Lily asked her as she lowered her shirt. She looked into Stephanie's eyes.

"The Wolf spirit is very strong, even as an unborn child. It could be possible that this child may even

overpower the King's one day." Stephanie cocked her head slightly, and Lily watched as her

forehead creased for a second before returning to normal, "What you felt earlier was definitely

movement. It'll be light at first, but the further along you get, the more frequent and stronger the

movements will be." she said. Lily let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding in.

"Thank you, Stephanie. I'm sorry for pulling you away from your Christmas." Lily apologized to her.

Stephanie stood up, her eyes moving over to the bag

"It's no problem at all. I planned on attending anyways in case something were to happen to you.

Now," Stephanie said as she walked over to the bag and unzipped it, "let's get you ready."