BRB

Skylar saw Melissa and asked to have privacy. The others nodded and stepped away, giving them some space. Skylar sat beside her, holding her hand and gazing at her pale face. Hours passed, and he just sat there, watching her, waiting for her to wake up.

Finally, her eyes flickered open, and she smiled weakly. Skylar's heart skipped a beat as he leaned in, his voice barely above a whisper. "My love."

Melissa's hand moved slowly to her stomach, and she rubbed it gently. "They told me the baby is okay," she whispered. "Narrowly, but okay."

Skylar's eyes welled up with tears as he squeezed her hand. "Thank Zeus," he whispered, his voice cracking. "I was so scared, Melissa. I thought I lost you both."

"We're safe, Skylar. We're safe."

Skylar's face crumpled as he buried his face in her breasts , his shoulders shaking with relief and joy. Melissa's weak laughter filled the air, and she stroked his hair, her touch gentle.

"I'm so sorry, Skylar," she whispered. "I was so scared too. But our baby is just like us."

Skylar looked up, his eyes red-rimmed but shining with happiness. "We're going to be okay, Melissa. We're going to get through this together."

Melissa's smile faltered, and her eyes filled with tears. "I was so afraid I wouldn't see our baby grow up, that I wouldn't see you grow old."

Skylar's grip on her hand tightened. "You're going to see everything, Melissa. You're going to see our baby graduate, get married, have kids of their own. We're going to grow old together, and we're going to watch our family grow and thrive."

Melanie burst into the room, her grin infectious. "What shenanigans are you two up to?" "Don't you know it's bad to have sex when you're pregnant"

Melissa laughed, her eyes sparkling. "Melaaaa!"

Melanie laughed. "I told you not to call me that anymore!" She walked over to the bed, flinging herself on it "By the way, I reached out to your mom. She was freaking out, having a full-blown titties and guacamole attack." Melissa's laughter turned into a giggle. "Poor Mom."

Melanie's expression turned serious for a moment. "Yeah, I didn't tell her about the baby situation, though. I figured that was your news to share."

Melissa's face dropped. "Uhh thanks. That means a lot to me."

Melanie's gaze shifted to Skylar, her eyes teasing. "Tough guy? How're you holding up after that assault?"

Skylar raised an eyebrow, making his best poker face "Oh, just minor scratches."

Melanie snorted. "Minor scratches? You were almost drained of all your wolves

Skylar shrugged, his smile lazy. "Just another day in the life of a supernatural sexy youth."

Adryan walked into the room, a huge grin on his face. "Hey, hey, hey! What's all the commotion about?" He wrapped his arms around Melanie, pulling her close. "We should make a baby too!"

Melanie rolled her eyes, laughing. "Watch it Noir"

Skylar chuckled, his eyes warm. "I think we've got our hands full with one baby for now, don't you?"

Aiire's Mansion

Ophelia's POV

Melanie walked into her house, dropping her bag on the floor. I rushed over, relief written all over my face. "Melanie! Oh my goodness, I was so worried about you! You've been gone for three days without a word. Where were you?"

Melanie yawned, stretching her arms. "Sorry, Mom. I was with Adryan and Melissa. We had a bit of a situation to deal with."

"A situation? What kind of situation? You had me frantic with worry!"

Melanie shrugged. "It's okay, Mom. We're all good now. Just a little run-in with some rogue werewolves."

My eyes widened in alarm. "Werewolves?! Melanie, what's going on? You're not telling me everything, are you?"

Melanie hesitated, unsure how much to reveal. "Mom, trust me, it's fine. We handled it. Adryan and Melissa are okay, and that's all that matters."

Ophelia's voice rose, her concern and worry evident. "Melanie, you're not even telling me the whole story, are you? I know you're hiding something from me. You're my daughter, and I can sense when you're not being truthful."

Melanie sighed, her eyes dropping. "Mom, I promise I'll tell you everything soon. Just not now, okay?"

Ophelia's expression turned stern. "Not now? When then? You've been gone for three days, and I've been frantic with worry. You need to start telling me what in mount Olympus is going on."

Just then, Luabella walked into the room, her eyes curious. "What's all the yelling about?"

Ophelia turned to her. "Melanie's been gone for three days, and she's not telling me what happened. She's being very secretive."

Luabella's eyes narrowed. "Look who finally came home. Melanie, what's going on? You know you can tell us anything."

Melanie hesitated, then shook her head. "I promise I'll tell you soon, Luabella. "Not now"

Ophelia's face softened, for your own sake, tell us what's going on."

Melanie rolled her eyes. " look can we fucking drop it...I'm sorry, Mom. I promise to keep you in the loop next time."

Melanie shrugged, her voice firm but her eyes avoiding her mother's gaze. "I don't owe you an explanation, Mom. I'm fine. That's all that matters."

Ophelia's face fell, hurt and frustration evident in her eyes. "Melanie, don't be like that. We're your family. We care about you."

With that, she turned and made her way upstairs to her room, leaving Ophelia and Luabella.

Luabella turned to her mother, her voice soft. "Mom, let her go. She'll talk when she's ready."

Ophelia sighed, her eyes still fixed on the stairs. "I know, sweetie. But it's hard not to worry.

Luabella nodded, her arm around her mother's shoulders. "I know, Mom. But she can handle her own life."

Ophelia nodded, a small smile on her face. "You're right, Luabella. I just want what's best for her."

Melanie's POV.

I stormed to my room, the tears I'd been holding back finally overflowing as I slid to the floor. I'd been pretending to be strong for so long, but the weight of everything hit me like a ton of bricks. I felt like I was drowning in my own emotions. I got up, my legs shaking, and made my way to the bathroom. I turned on the shower, letting the hot water wash away my tears. I felt a little better.

Meanwhile, Adryan was in his room, playing games with Daren. They were laughing and joking around, but Adryan's expression changed suddenly. He looked like he'd seen a ghost. Adryan hesitated, wondering if he was just imagining things. He saw Melanie...crying. She was on the floor, and she looked so broken."

He didn't say a word to Daren, didn't mention the vision he'd just had. He just got up, excused himself, and went to his bathroom.

As he stood in front of the sink, he saw another vision. This time, Melanie was in her bathroom, the mist from the hot water curling around her perfect body. Her long raven hair was slick, and her graceful neck was exposed. The curve of her spine, the round of her butt, the purity in her face. Adryan felt dizzy, like he was being pulled into the vision. He turned on the tap, swallowing a handful of water to calm himself down. He was hard as a rock as he groaned for her, wanted her with every drop of blood in his body. "Daren, I gotta go. Brb"