Chapter 350

Nina

The night sky was a tapestry of stars, seeping through the curtains and casting an ethereal glow in the bedroom of my father’s mansion. Enzo was sprawled on the bed, lost in a book, while I sat at the vanity, running a brush through my hair.

“My dad’s really going all out with this ball, huh?” I finally said, setting down the brush.

Enzo looked up, marking his page with a thumb. “He’s excited. Can’t blame the man. A grandchild and a doctor-to-be daughter in one go. That’s a lot of happiness.”

I bit my lip, gazing at my reflection. “I know, but... a ball? It feels... overwhelming.”

“What’s on your mind?” Enzo asked, closing his book entirely now, his full attention on me.

“I’ve danced with you before, Enzo. But a ball is a whole other story. I never really grew up with... well, princessy stuff. It makes me nervous,” I confessed.

Enzo’s lips curled into a small smile, and he got up, crossing the room to stand behind me. He met my eyes in the mirror. “Dancing at a ball is different than dancing in the club together, you know,” he teased. “Galas are a common thing here in the upper echelons of the werewolf realm. Get used to it.”

“What, you mean I have to actually dance and not just move my hips?” I quipped, but my eyes were serious.

“Yes,” Enzo laughed, turning me to face him. “How about we practice? Right here, right now.”

I shot him a sideways glance. “You’re serious?”

“As a heart attack,” he grinned, pulling his phone from the bedside table and fiddling with it until soft music filled the room.

“Alright, dance teacher, show me the way,” I said, allowing him to pull me to the center of the room.

Taking my right hand in his, Enzo placed his other hand on my waist. “Now, remember to let me lead.”

I laughed. “I’ll try, but no promises.”

With a chuckle, Enzo began moving us in time to the music. The first few steps were awkward; I was overthinking each move. But then Enzo locked eyes with me, and something clicked. My feet started moving almost on their own, falling into step with his.

“See? You’re a natural,” he said softly, twirling me around.

The giddy laughter that bubbled from my lips was as unexpected as it was freeing. I felt lighter, as though the dance had lifted the weight off my shoulders.

When the song ended, we were both a little breathless, our foreheads touching. “You think we’re ready for that ball?” I asked, still caught in the enchantment of the moment.

Enzo’s eyes searched mine. “I think we’re ready for anything, as long as we’re together.”

Something about his words struck a chord deep within me, and my mind drifted momentarily to the little life growing inside me. “Speaking of being together,” I began, my voice tinged with wonder, “in a few months, it won’t be just you and me. We’ll be a family, Enzo.”

A mixture of emotions flickered across his face before he responded. “A family,” he echoed. “That’s... that’s something I never thought I’d have, if I’m being honest. And yet here we are.”

I couldn't help but think of how different our childhoods had been; me growing up in the human realm, unaware of my royal lineage, and Enzo being raised in a world I was still trying to understand. “Our baby will have a life so different from either of us. A life filled with both realms.”

“And so much love,” Enzo added, pulling me closer.

I looked up at him, my heart swelling with an emotion so profound that words could never capture it. But as I met Enzo’s gaze, I knew I didn’t have to put it into words. He felt it too. And that, more than anything, told me we were ready for the ball, for the baby, and for whatever else life had in store.

I leaned in, capturing his lips with mine. He returned in kind, and gently lifted me, carrying me to the bed.

…

We collapsed on each other in a sweaty, satisfied heap. With my head resting on Enzo’s chest, his arms around me, I felt completely and utterly safe. But still, I couldn’t fight the heaviness that crept into my eyelids, pulling me into the welcoming arms of sleep.

But the world I slipped into was anything but welcoming.

I was back in the maze like tunnels beneath the campus, my breaths echoing in the dank, subterranean air. The shadow entity was there, a lanky figure up ahead, beckoning for me.

Curiosity, or maybe something darker, pulled me along. I followed.

It led me to the room—that room, where Edward had held me captive. I hesitated, dread forming a heavy knot in my stomach. But some invisible force propelled me inside, and the moment my foot crossed the threshold, the door slammed shut behind me.

Panicked, I lunged at the door, pounding on it with my fists. “Let me out!” I screamed, the sound of my voice mingling with the rusty creak of the door’s porthole window opening.

Through the glass, I could see it—the shadow entity, now wearing a grotesque parody of a grin. Its teeth were as white and jagged as ever, somehow longer and pointier now than they were before. It was mocking me without ever uttering a single word.

My breaths became shallow, the walls closing in on me. My knuckles ached from beating on the door, but it was futile. I was trapped, the malevolent gaze of the shadow drilling into me.

Tears spilled from my eyes, hot and salty.

With a start, I woke up, gasping, drenched in sweat. Enzo was beside me in an instant, his eyes clouded with concern. “Nina, what’s wrong?”

“I had a… nightmare,” was all I could manage, my voice barely above a whisper.

Enzo didn’t ask for details. He didn’t need to, because he already knew. This was slowly becoming a part of our routine.

Instead, he pulled me tightly against him, enveloping me in his arms, his warmth chasing away the lingering terror that was quaking my body. He began rocking me gently, back and forth, whispering, “It’s okay, it’s okay,” in a soothing voice.

As he held me, my thoughts scattered, trying to make sense of the dream—of the recurring shadow entity, and its malevolent glee. Could it signify an aspect of my subconscious? A warning of some sort? Or was it simply the manifestation of my fears, haunting me even in my sleep?

I had been considering turning Enzo down about therapy; the notion seemed too risky after what had happened with Edward.

But maybe, just maybe, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. I could almost hear the slew of questions a therapist would ask. How does that make you feel? What do you think this dream symbolizes?

But the most challenging part would be explaining my past—a past that included realms and powers, and things most humans would find incomprehensible. Could a human therapist ever understand a life torn between two worlds, a lineage fraught with responsibility and intrigue?

Still, as Enzo held me, his heart beating steady against my ear, I realized that maybe it was time to seek help, in whatever form it came. I was about to be a mother, about to bring a new life into a world that was as wonderful as it was dangerous.

And as I lay there, enveloped in Enzo’s arms, it struck me that perhaps not getting help could only be detrimental to my future child.

If I failed to get these nightmares, this shadow entity, under control, what would happen then?