"Darius!" Ariana cried out, her voice sharp with sudden, intense pain, clutching her swollen belly.
Darius's head snapped around. He was across the room in an instant, kneeling beside her, his face tight with fear. "Ariana! What is it?! What's happening?!"
Another contraction wracked her body, stealing her breath. She gasped, gripping his arm, her knuckles white. "The babies!" she choked out. "They're coming! Now! Darius, they're coming!"
Panic flared through the manor, a sudden, urgent wave.
"The Luna is in labor!" someone yelled.
"It's too soon!" another voice shouted.
"Dr. Sharma! Quickly!"
"Get the birthing supplies!"
The focus shifted in an instant, the outside threats momentarily forgotten in the face of the immediate crisis. Events were accelerating, driven by the raw force of labor combined with the lingering stress and the volatile energy that hummed beneath Ariana's skin.
Amidst the growing chaos, another arrival at the manor entrance.
"Who is that?" Kane demanded, his stance defensive.
"Lila Cummings?" Lucien's voice was sharp with disbelief. "And... Dr. Hart?"
Lila swept into the foyer, a picture of distraught concern, though her eyes, sharp and calculating, scanned the scene. "Where is my child? Elena?" she demanded, her voice clear despite the feigned tremor.
Lucien blocked her path. "I should be asking you," he retorted, his voice hard, accusatory. "What are you doing here? I thought you were... confined? After... everything?"
Lila drew herself up, her face a mask of cold disdain. "I owe no one here an explanation," she said, her gaze dismissing him as if he were dirt. "Not even a mere slave like you. Answer my demand! Where is Elena?!"
Vincent Blackthorn emerged then, his presence cutting through the tension with a deceptive calm.
"Lila," Vincent said smoothly, walking towards them. "She has gone to Alpha Dominic Fenrir's territory. She is safe there, you don't need to worry." He looked at Dr. Hart. "You are welcome to stay as you like. And Dr. Hart... perhaps you could lend your medical expertise. Our Luna seems to be in labor."
Lila accepted his words with a cool nod, her eyes conveying a silent understanding with Vincent. "Of course," she replied, turning her dismissive gaze back to the frantic energy upstairs. "I don't need their permission. You are the only one who has the right to speak to me... and the Alpha."
Darius appeared at the top of the stairs, alerted by the commotion, his face tight with fear for Ariana, his golden eyes blazing as they landed on Lila and Dr. Hart. "Lila! What are you doing here?!"
Lila's smile was saccharine, dripping with false sweetness as Darius descended the stairs rapidly. "Is that a way to address your mother-in-law? Dear Alpha?"
Darius reached the bottom, his voice low and dangerous, filled with distrust. "Step-mother-in-law," he corrected harshly, stepping protectively in front of Lucien. "Are you here to finish what you started? To finish my Luna off?"
Vincent stepped between them, his voice calm but firm. "Let her be, son. Dr. Hart is a gynecologist. They can be of assistance. It's an opportunity to ensure Luna Ariana and the child receive the best care."
Darius glared at his father, shaking off his hand. "Vincent, this isn't a family reunion! This is a medical emergency! I don't need them! I have Dr. Sharma! I have my sister Helena, Elder Freya, Tara! People I trust!"
Lila's cold, brittle laugh cut through his words. "Oh, my. Listen to him. He can't even call his own father by his title."
Darius rounded on her, his wolf near the surface. "Mind your business, lady! Get out of my way!"
Vincent's voice was absolute. "This is my manor, Alpha. And I have made a decision. Dr. Hart is staying. She will assist. For the safety of my grandchildren."
Darius stared at Vincent, fury and desperation warring in his eyes. He needed to get back to Ariana. He couldn't waste time arguing. "Fine!" he snarled, his voice low and lethal, directed at both Lila and Dr. Hart. "Dr. Hart can assist Dr. Sharma. But I swear... if either of you tries anything sly... anything that puts Ariana or the babies at risk... I will kill you myself. Slowly."
"Huh," Lila scoffed, a cold triumph in her eyes. "Such a stubborn wolf." She knew Vincent's word, backed by her connection and Dr. Hart's presence, was enough. The opportunity was seized.
Ariana was quickly moved to a birthing room within the manor's medical wing. The labor was fast, brutal. The pain was immense, relentless, a tide of fire and force fueled by the storm raging both within and outside her. Darius stayed by her side, his large hand anchoring her, absorbing some of her pain through their touch. He whispered encouragement, fierce and low, his golden eyes locked on hers, his wolf howling silently with every one of her cries.
"Push, Luna!" Dr. Sharma instructed, her voice urgent. Midwives assisted, their faces etched with concern at the speed of the birth.
Ariana cried out, a raw sound of effort and pain.
Then, a sound. A small, perfect cry. Relief washed over everyone in the room. One baby.
But before they could fully register it, another surge, another push. Another cry. Two cries. Not one. Two small, perfect sounds filling the room. Twins.
Dr. Sharma moved swiftly, attending to the first baby. A midwife attended to the second. Then, Dr. Hart stepped forward, positioning herself to assist the midwife with the second twin.
Darius saw her, his suspicion flaring instantly. "Dr. Sharma is right there!" he said, his voice tight with renewed distrust. "Why are you doing it?! I don't trust you near them!"
Dr. Hart, clinical and cold in her medical scrubs, didn't react to his fury. "I am a gynecologist, Alpha," she stated, her voice professional. "Dr. Sharma is focused on the first baby. I am assisting with the second. We need to ensure they are both safe." She glanced at the two small forms. "They're not just one, Alpha. But two. Two strong boys."
"Boys?" Darius's gaze snapped between Dr. Hart, the tiny bundles, and Ariana. "Babies? What do you mean, two boys?" He looked at Ariana, seeing the exhaustion on her face, and then back at the two lives. Two sons. Twin sons. The reality, the miracle of it, hit Darius with overwhelming force.
"Save our babies, Alpha Darius!" Ariana gasped, her voice weak, urgent, seeing Dr. Hart ready to work while Dr. Sharma was busy. "Let her do it! Please! Save our babies!"
Darius looked at Dr. Hart, at the cold calculation he knew lay beneath her professional facade. He knew she had poisoned Ariana. He should keep her away. But his sons... they needed immediate attention. Dr. Sharma was tied up.
"No, I can't!" he growled, torn between his protective rage and the desperate need to ensure his children's safety. "I don't trust her! She tried to harm you!"
"Please hurry!" Ariana cried out again, pain wracking her body, residual and sharp. "I am in severe pain, Alpha! Please! For them! Let her proceed!"
Darius looked at Ariana's exhausted, pleading face, then at the two tiny, vulnerable lives. He was trapped. The rational part of his mind screamed caution, but the desperate need to ensure his sons received immediate care, combined with Ariana's plea, forced his hand.
"Fine," Darius ground out, his voice a low, dangerous rumble directed at Dr. Hart. "Proceed. But I swear... Dr. Hart... if anything happens to them... or to Ariana... if you try anything sly... I will kill you myself. Do you understand?"
Dr. Hart gave no visible reaction, her focus seemingly entirely on the second baby. Her hands moved with practiced efficiency, but her eyes held a cold, ruthless light as they darted between the tiny life and the exhausted Ariana.
"Call Dr Sharma, there's a Complications!" Dr. Hart announced loudly, her voice ringing with sudden, false urgency, designed to cut through the room's fragile peace and create immediate panic. "Severe bleeding! The mother... she's !"