Chapter 555

Nina

I couldn’t stop staring at the grainy image that was displayed on the monitor, watching in awe as the little blob that was our daughter flexed and kicked within the safe confines of my womb. A wide smile spread across my face as I studied her tiny features, committing every detail to memory.

“She’s perfect,” I breathed, tears of joy pricking at the backs of my eyes. I glanced over at Enzo, who was positively beaming with the kind of pride that only a father-to-be could have.

“That’s our girl,” he murmured, giving my hand a gentle squeeze. “She’s doing just fine.”

It was a relief, after all we had been through, to find out that our baby was safe, healthy, and most importantly: alive. In fact, according to my checkup leading up to this moment, our baby was as healthy as an ox.

It was hard to tell if the ritual that we had gone through was the sole cause of this; maybe there was more to it. Hell, maybe the ritual had done nothing at all.

But I knew that wasn’t the case. Selena had protected my baby and had destroyed the shadow entity, the generational curse that likely would have eventually ended both my life and our baby’s life. I could feel it. Even now, weeks later, I could feel her presence here—it was faint, but it was there.

Like a little candle flickering in the darkness, refusing to go out.

The ultrasound technician smiled warmly as she panned the probe around on my belly. “And she certainly is a lively one!” she said, casting Enzo and I a warm glance. “Her heartbeat is nice and strong, too. You should be proud.”

“We are.” Enzo’s grin widened and he squeezed my hand even tighter.

As the ultrasound technician printed the first images of our child and cleaned the gel off of my belly, though, her brow furrowed slightly when she saw the clipboard in front of her.

“Your blood pressure is a touch high, though, mom,” she said, straightening to look at me.

I felt my heart sink a bit at those words. I glanced over at Enzo, whose smile had fallen. High blood pressure could be dangerous for both me and the baby if left unchecked, and it wasn’t exactly fresh news to us. My blood pressure had been high before, and it was most certainly higher now with everything going on.

The technician must have sensed our rising anxiety, as she quickly added, “Now, now, there’s not too much to worry about just yet. But you should keep an eye on it.”

I sighed, running my hand through my hair as I sat up on the exam table. “I know. It’s been an issue in the past. It’s just…” I glanced at Enzo again. His jaw was set hard.

“Stress, huh?” the technician asked. I nodded, and she sighed. “A little amount of stress is healthy for the mind and body, but too much stress can kill—even the healthiest of us can be susceptible to the negative health effects of too much stress.”

“I just don’t know what to do,” I said softly.

The technician nodded. “Well, from what I understand, you were instructed to attend prenatal yoga. Correct?”

I felt my chest clench at the mention of that yoga class. The last time I had been there was right before Enzo had been taken by Mila, and it hadn’t been as much of a stress reliever as I had hoped. That woman had given me trouble, and I feared that it hadn’t quite been resolved before I suddenly had to stop going.

But as I opened my mouth to let out an excuse, I realized that it wasn’t worth it and quickly shut it again. No. There could be no more excuses. There was no way that I was going to let stress harm my baby—especially not after everything we had gone through to ensure her safety.

As we headed out to the car a little while later, Enzo pulled me into a reassuring hug. “Did you hear that little fighter in there? She’s gonna be just fine.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead. “Although her mother could probably use some more downtime…”

I managed a weak smile, resting my head against his chest. He was right—the constant stress and upheaval lately was undoubtedly taking its toll. I needed to find healthier ways to cope with the pressures weighing on me.

“You should go back to yoga,” he said softly, wrapping his arm around me as we headed to the car. “And I’ll do whatever I can to ensure that your life at home is as stress-free as possible.”

I let out a tiny snort. “Sometimes, I think I thrive on stress.”

“Maybe you do. But the baby doesn’t.” Enzo opened the car door for me, but before I could get in, he stopped me with a hand on my shoulder. He didn’t need to say anything; I knew what he was going to say.

“I’ll go,” I said softly, placing my hand over his. “I’ll go to yoga tomorrow, and twice a week for the foreseeable future.”

“And…?” Enzo urged.

I sighed. “And I’ll start letting myself relax,” I finished. “For the baby’s sake.”

Enzo’s face softened. He nodded and leaned in, pressing a warm kiss to my lips. “For the baby’s sake,” he whispered.

…

The next morning, I headed back to the studio, yoga mat in hand. I had to admit, I was a bit nervous about encountering that unpleasant woman again. But to my relief, the class seemed to consist of all new faces.

Well, almost all new faces. As I was spreading out my mat, I noticed a vaguely familiar woman setting up nearby. It took me a moment to place her—then it clicked. This was the kind woman who had met me for coffee back when I had been having issues with the other woman.

I shot her a warm smile as she glanced over. She blinked at me for a moment, clearly trying to place my face, before recognition flashed through her eyes.

“Hey!” she said, grabbing her yoga mat and moving closer to me. “Long time no see.”

I blushed a bit. “Things got… busy,” I said. “How have you been?”

She shrugged, rubbing her rounded belly with one hand. She looked like she was about to pop. “Eight months along,” she laughed. “So I’ve been better, to say the least.”

“I can imagine.” I settled onto my yoga mat beside her and began to stretch in preparation for class. Soon, we were chatting like old friends—and even had plans for another coffee date. I learned that the woman who had been bothering me before had moved out of town with a new boyfriend, and that I wasn’t the only one who was relieved by her absence.

But most of all, it was a relief to feel ‘normal’ for a little while. I realized, as I went through the yoga routine, just how important it was to give myself these little pockets of normalcy.

After all, it might have felt as though the world was ending on more than one occasion, but life went on here in Mountainview. And there was something comforting about the fact that the people here, largely, didn’t know about werewolves or shifter politics.

By the time class was over, I already felt lighter and was looking forward to the next class. I made plans to meet up with my new friend for coffee later that week, and for a little while, everything felt okay.

With a contented sigh, I headed out to the parking lot... only to stop short as my phone began ringing. It was Enzo. A crease formed between my brows as I lifted the phone to my ear; he was on Alpha duty today at HQ, and a call from him was unexpected.

“Hey, what’s up?” I asked as I picked up the phone.

“Come to HQ,” Enzo said without preamble, almost breathlessly. “Quickly.”