136 Two Weeks Later 1
+8 Points?
Lucian
“You need to try harder,” I said, cutting through the tension in the car. “Tiffany told Mara she’s leaving you. Even afterthe DNA test proves the baby is yours.”
Darian turned pale. The weight of that truth hit him like a blow to the gut.
“I didn’t mean for it to get this messed up,” he said, voice cracking. “I f****d up big time, Lucian. And I’m sorry-about everything. The way I used to come after Mara… I didn’t know how to deal with what I felt. But I get it now. She’s happy with you, and I’ve never seen you like this. Really happy. I’ll always love her, but I’m letting her go because she’s where she
belongs-with you.”
He paused, jaw clenched. “But Tiffany… she’s different. I didn’t love her at first. I just liked her. But I’ve been trying lately, and I think it’s growing into something real. And hearing she wants to leave-take the baby and disappear-that’s hard, man. It hurts more than I expected.”
I stayed silent, letting him unravel.
“I promise I’ll try harder. Just… talk to Mara for me? Ask her to talk to Tiffany. Tell her I’m willing to move out of the Nighthorn mansion. I’ll marry Tiffany if she’ll have me. We can raise the baby somewhere far from my mother. Just… tell
her that.”
I pulled into the hospital parking lot, tires crunching the gravel. “You should tell Tiffany yourself. That kind of promise
needs to come from you.”
We got out and rushed toward the maternity ward. The second we stepped in, I saw Mara pacing in her sweater and jeans, her eyes red and swollen from crying.
My heart sank. I hurried over and pulled her into my arms. “What’s wrong, baby?”
She clung to me, and her sobs hit my chest in shaky waves.
“It’s Tiffany,” she said through the tears. “There were complications. We didn’t get here in time. They’re trying to avoid an emergency C-section, but her blood pressure is dangerously high. They need to stabilize her before they operate.”
Fear twisted in my chest. I looked over to see Darian-frozen, his face pale. He ran a hand through his hair, blinking rapidly,
but the tears came anyway.
“You need to hold it together,” I told him firmly. “Now’s not the time to break down. Be strong-for her.”
He nodded, but the regret in his expression was raw, gutting. This wasn’t just fear. This was guilt bleeding through.
I turned back to Mara and cupped her face. “How did you get here? You should’ve been resting.”
“Tiffany called me when her mucus plug came out,” she said, her voice hoarse. “I drove straight to the mansion, picked her up, and brought her here. Then I called Darian. I tried calling you, but I figured your phone was on silent.”
I kissed her forehead and held her tight. She shouldn’t have had to do that alone, not in her condition. But that’s who Mara was-selfless, loyal, brave when it mattered most.
Then Darian stepped forward, his voice low and rough. “Did my mother know she was in labor?”
Mara looked at him, a flash of frustration in her eyes.
“I don’t know,” Mara said, her voice shaky. “I moved fast. Austin and Jason helped me get her into the car. By the time I got to the mansion, she was already in pain.”
1/2
<136 Two Weeks Later 1
136 Two Weeks Later 1
+8 Points
Lucian
“You need to try harder,” I said, cutting through the tension in the car. “Tiffany told Mara she’s leaving you. Even afterthe DNA test proves the baby is yours.”
Darian turned pale. The weight of that truth hit him like a blow to the gut.
“I didn’t mean for it to get this messed up,” he said, voice cracking. “I f****d up big time, Lucian. And I’m sorry-about everything. The way I used to come after Mara… I didn’t know how to deal with what I felt. But I get it now. She’s happy with you, and I’ve never seen you like this. Really happy. I’ll always love her, but I’m letting her go because she’s where she
belongs-with you.”
He paused, jaw clenched. “But Tiffany… she’s different. I didn’t love her at first. I just liked her. But I’ve been trying lately, and I think it’s growing into something real. And hearing she wants to leave-take the baby and disappear-that’s hard,
man. It hurts more than I expected.”
I stayed silent, letting him unravel.
“I promise I’ll try harder. Just… talk to Mara for me? Ask her to talk to Tiffany. Tell her I’m willing to move out of the
Nighthorn mansion. I’ll marry Tiffany if she’ll have me. We can raise the baby somewhere far from my mother. Just… tell
her that.”
I pulled into the hospital parking lot, tires crunching the gravel. “You should tell Tiffany yourself. That kind of promise needs to come from you.”
We got out and rushed toward the maternity ward. The second we stepped in, I saw Mara pacing in her sweater and
jeans, her eyes red and swollen from crying.
My heart sank. I hurried over and pulled her into my arms. “What’s wrong, baby?”
She clung to me, and her sobs hit my chest in shaky waves.
“It’s Tiffany,” she said through the tears. “There were complications. We didn’t get here in time. They’re trying to avoid an emergency C-section, but her blood pressure is dangerously high. They need to stabilize her before they operate.”
Fear twisted in my chest. I looked over to see Darian-frozen, his face pale. He ran a hand through his hair, blinking rapidly,
but the tears came anyway.
“You need to hold it together,” I told him firmly. “Now’s not the time to break down. Be strong-for her.”
He nodded, but the regret in his expression was raw, gutting. This wasn’t just fear. This was guilt bleeding through.
I turned back to Mara and cupped her face. “How did you get here? You should’ve been resting.”
“Tiffany called me when her mucus plug came out,” she said, her voice hoarse. “I drove straight to the mansion, picked her up, and brought her here. Then I called Darian. I tried calling you, but I figured your phone was on silent.”
I kissed her forehead and held her tight. She shouldn’t have had to do that alone, not in her condition. But that’s who Mara was-selfless, loyal, brave when it mattered most.
Then Darian stepped forward, his voice low and rough. “Did my mother know she was in labor?”
Mara looked at him, a flash of frustration in her eyes.
“I don’t know,” Mara said, her voice shaky. “I moved fast. Austin and Jason helped me get her into the car. By the time I got to the mansion, she was already in pain.”
1/2
<136 Two Weeks Later 1
+8 Points >
Darian nodded, but he looked shattered. Guilt sat on his face like a second skin.
Then the doctor walked in, clipboard in hand, expression tense. “Alpha Lucian. Beta Darian. Good morning.”
I quickly scanned his name tag,Dr. Keith Jefferson.
“How is she?” I asked.
He exhaled, a heavy sigh that said more than words. “We’re doing everything we can. She hasn’t progressed past six centimeters, and the baby’s in distress. We need to perform an emergency caesarean.”
Darian stiffened beside me.
“But her blood pressure is dangerously high,” the doctor continued. “Operating right now is extremely risky. There’s a real chance she won’t make it through the procedure. But if we wait, the baby might not survive. We need to get the baby out, then fight to save her life. It’s one of those situations that can go either way.”
He looked between us. “We’ll need consent. From her mate.”
I turned to Darian.
“I’ll sign it,” he said quickly, already moving to follow the doctor.
Once they disappeared down the corridor, I turned to Mara. She was trembling.
Her eyes were glassy and wide with panic, and I could tell-this was hitting her deeper than fear. It was stirring doubt.
Doubt in herself, in her body, in what was coming for us.
I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close. She was shaking, and I could feel her heartbeat pounding against my
chest.
“She’s a wolf, Mara,” I whispered against her hair. “She’s strong. She’ll make it.”
That’s when she broke. The tears came, silent at first, then in sobs she couldn’t hold back. I held her tighter and kissed
the top of her head.
I understood. She wasn’t just crying for Tiffany-she was crying for the possibility that this could happen to her. That she
might one day be the one rushed into an OR, fighting for her life while someone else waited helplessly outside.
I was scared too.
But I had to be the calm one. For her. For both of them.
I just hoped-for Darian’s sake, and for the sake of the life waiting to be born-that Tiffany would survive this.
