Chapter 0451

One year had passed.

Life had transformed in ways I never imagined possible. After the hunter war, after resolving the missing humans crisis, and after my mate finally awoke from his injuries, everything started falling into place.

The birth of our son, Sebastian, had been the most breathtaking moment of my existence.

Until today.

Today, I held our newborn daughter for the first time.

Isla Seraphina.

She was exquisite—flawless, just like her mother. And though I loved my son beyond measure, there was something different about cradling my little girl. A primal protectiveness surged through me, fiercer than anything I'd ever felt. It wasn't that I didn't feel it for Sebastian, but this... this was sharper, more consuming.

The bond between a father and his daughter was sacred. And I swore then—no one would ever harm her.

I carefully placed her in my mate’s arms, watching as the two most precious women in my life curled together, drifting into peaceful sleep. Pressing a kiss to each of their foreheads, I left them to rest.

Back at the packhouse, I collected Sebastian from Leopold and Lillian. Our pack was experiencing a baby boom—Leopold and Lillian were expecting their third child any day now. Seraphina and Donovan had welcomed their children back-to-back—a girl, then a boy. Angel and Sebastian had two boys in the past year, and Evelyn had finally convinced Adrian to expand their family again—this time, a son.

The sprites were just as bad. At this rate, we’d have an entire generation of hybrids soon, especially with more sprites bonding with our wolves.

"How’s our Luna?" Lillian asked, rubbing her swollen belly in the same absent gesture Isolde often did.

"Exhausted. Isla took her time, but they’re both resting now. Come by later to meet her."

"We will," Leopold promised, wrapping his arms around Lillian and massaging the spot she’d been touching. I’d learned that trick from Isolde—our babies always calmed when they felt their father’s touch. Leopold had picked up on it too.

I carried Sebastian to my office, settling him into his push-walker. He could walk unaided now, but this kept him contained while he babbled and played with the attached toys.

I reviewed the pack finances, satisfaction warming my chest. We were thriving—completely debt-free, with enough funds to expand without borrowing.

Our nursery was overflowing. We’d repurposed space in the children’s home while constructing a new one. Nearly every pack member had employment—whether in our shops, the packhouse, or Sebastian’s company.

Theodore and Rosalind had opened a smoked meats and hot sauce shop. That damn hot sauce lived up to the hype. The moment they started marketing it, demand exploded. Humans couldn’t get enough. Theodore now had a full team handling production and distribution. Rosalind still smoked meats for the kitchens, but half her stock sold in their store.

Nathaniel had built us a greenhouse, allowing year-round cultivation. The sprites managed it brilliantly—even I had to admit their magic was invaluable. Our gardens flourished, supplying both our kitchens and the market. Packs from distant territories now sought our produce.

Lillian’s chicken initiative had been another success. Hundreds of egg-layers and meat birds now roamed our lands. It gave the younger pups responsibility, kept them busy, and saved us a fortune on eggs and poultry.

With the baby boom, one of our omegas had launched a baby food business, using our garden’s harvest. She could barely keep up with demand—her stock sold out daily.

Life was good.

Better than good.

It was everything we’d fought for.