Chapter 358

Nina

My father sat behind his antique desk, the gleam of the walnut wood reflecting in his glasses. It was times like this, when his jovial face took on a more serious tone, that this man wasn’t just my father; he was the Alpha King.

“Sit,” he commanded, gesturing to the leather chairs in front of his desk. Enzo and I exchanged a glance before complying.

“Nina,” he began, setting his glasses down, “do you want to explain what happened tonight? And why you took off like that?”

I felt my blood run cold at his question. My father was the last person who I wanted to talk to about my strange visions, especially right now, right after I had just insisted to him that I would be fine staying in Mountainview. But there was no point in lying; I at least knew that much.

“It’s… complicated,” I said quietly.

My father leaned back in his chair, splaying his hands out to the sides. “I’ve got all the time in the world, Nina.”

I exchanged glances with Enzo, but his gaze just solidified my thoughts: I had to tell my father the truth.

And so I did. Every bit of it. The shadow entity, the nightmares, all of it. Every last detail. When I was finished, my father’s face was pale, and his eyes were ever so slightly wide.

“Nina, you know that being alone at this stage of your pregnancy isn’t acceptable now. It’s too risky with all of this going on.”

“I know,” I said quietly, staring down at my lap. “But I just—”

“There can be no buts,” my father interrupted. “Nina, you cannot be alone.”

“Why?” I asked, growing agitated. “I’m not a child. I know that these visions are scary, but I’m still an adult who can make my own decisions.”

My father was silent for a few moments. He kept opening and closing his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but couldn’t bring himself to say whatever it was.

“Tell me,” I murmured, my voice so low it was almost a whisper.

With a sigh, my father pinched the bridge of his nose and leaned forward on his desk. “Nina, there’s something you should know. Your mother, the first Luna of our pack, also had experiences similar to yours during her first pregnancy.”

His words sliced through the tension in the room, freezing me in place. “First pregnancy?” I stuttered, unable to mask the bewilderment that laced my voice. I had thought that her pregnancy with me and Selena was her only one.

My father’s eyes softened as if the weight of the memories settled upon him. “Yes. Before you and Selena, there was another.”

The words hung in the air like a weight about to drop. Another pregnancy? Why was this the first I had heard about this? “I didn’t know that,” I murmured, my thoughts racing. “What happened?”

“It was a stillbirth,” he confessed, his voice barely above a whisper. “She had similar symptoms—dark visions, bouts of sleepwalking. We feared for her, and we lost the baby. Your mother never spoke of it again, but I think part of her was always haunted.”

Silence fell over the roop. The clock ticked mockingly on the wall, each second stretching into an eternity. Enzo reached for my hand under the table and squeezed it as if to assure me that this new revelation, like every challenge before, could be overcome.

But this was different. This wasn’t just about my mother or the baby she lost; it could potentially be about me, too. And our baby.

“I never knew,” I finally said, swallowing the lump in my throat. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I’m sorry, Nina. Some things are too painful to dredge up,” my father said with a regretful sigh. “But I’m telling you this now because I think it’s time you hear it. With your current symptoms, you might be at risk. That is why I’ve been so adamant about you staying here; because I don’t want to see you and your child reach the same fate.”

For a moment, I felt detached from my own body. The shock of what my father had told me sent my body spiraling, leaving me feeling drained and empty.

“So the visions,” I finally managed, swallowing, “did she…”

“No,” my father said quietly. “She didn’t see a shadow entity, or whatever you called it. But she had her own demons, Nina. Perhaps the ‘entity’ you see now is a machination of your own pain, just as her visions were machinations of hers.”

“What sort of pain did she have?” I asked quietly.

My father’s face blanched slightly, and he sighed, staring down at his desk.

“Your mother suffered a great deal during her upbringing,” he said softly. “Her parents died due to disease, and she bounced from home to home. There were things that happened to her as a young woman that I won’t dare to repeat. Forgive me, but I can’t.”

I nodded slowly, choosing to empathize with my father’s feelings. “Of course,” I murmured, looking away.

“Either way,” my father continued, “I really must urge you to stay here, Nina. This… sickness, or however you’d like to call it, could be harmful for your baby. I’d like you here, where you’re safe.”

I felt the emotion swell inside of me. “So you think I’m doomed? That I’m going to lose my child like my mother lost hers?

My father looked into my eyes, and his face seemed to age a decade. “That’s precisely what I'm worried about, Nina. Your mother was never alone during her pregnancy with you and Selena. We made sure of it. And I think we should do the same for you.”

“And what about the sleepwalking? The visions? What did you do for her then?” I pushed, feeling the urgency escalating in my voice.

“We took measures, sought help from within the pack. Healers, shamans—”

“But it didn't work, did it?” I interrupted, maybe a little more harshly than I intended.

“It lessened the symptoms but didn’t eliminate them entirely,” my father admitted. “You and Selena were both healthy, unlike the first pregnancy. But even throughout her pregnancy with you, she suffered. It wasn’t easy.”

Enzo, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke. “Sir, perhaps we should consider talking to someone who specializes in these kinds of things. A professional, maybe even outside the pack.”

I looked at Enzo gratefully, relieved that he was on the same page. “Yes, Dad, maybe it’s time to think beyond healers and shamans.”

My father appeared skeptical but not entirely dismissive. “We can consider it, but with caution. Not everyone has the best intentions, as you well know.”

At my father’s words, I felt a heavy pallor take over the room. My father was right; plenty of people had proven to be snakes with ill intentions. How could we trust anyone anymore?

“I just want my baby to be safe,” I murmured, blinking back the tears that threatened to come.

“And it will be.” My father leaned forward, his face resolute. “I promise you, Nina, we’ll handle this. Together. But you must stay here.”

Just as the words left his mouth, the door swung open abruptly. Tyler stood there, panting a little, his eyes full of an urgency I couldn’t quite place.

“I couldn’t help but overhear—” he began, but my father cut him off.

“Eavesdropping, Tyler? You should know better.”

Ignoring the reprimand, Tyler stepped inside and shut the door behind him. “I know, I know. But hear me out.” He paused, looking at each of us intently. “Maybe she should go to my witch.”