Shadows Of Passing Time – Carter Hughes 100

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I nodded, my fingers intertwined tightly with Azrael’s, and as the next contraction rolled in, a tsunami of intensity, I pushed with everything I had. And then I heard it-the sweetest sound in the world, a baby’s cry, raw and new. 

The doctor lifted the first of our sons, swaddled him quickly, and handed him to Ezekiel, who was standing closest. His eyes met mine as he approached, holding our newborn with a tenderness | 

had never seen before. 

“Meet your son, Ender,” Ezekiel whispered, his voice choked with emotion as he carefully placed the tiny bundle into my arms. 

“Ender, for the one who will bring about new beginnings for our family,” I said softly, my eyes meeting the little ones, who seemed to stare right back with a wisdom far beyond his minutes in 

this world. 

I felt it-the powerful wave of another contraction building up, pulling me back from the euphoria of holding my first-born, Ender. My eyes met those of Dr. Jensen, our obstetrician, her brows knitted in professional focus but her eyes dancing with a blend of encouragement and a tiny bit of 

mischief. 

“Ready to meet number two, Luna?” she winked, her latex gloves slick with the miracle of life. 

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I panted. 

The ache in my muscles a mere backdrop to the symphony of emotions cascading through me. Azrael’s grip tightened on my hand as I bore down, pushing with the ferocity of a mama bear. 

Another heart-wrenching cry split the air, making everyone’s hearts swell and eyes moisten. 

“Ah, here comes the second musketeer!” Dr. Jensen announced, wrapping our baby boy in a soft, 

cotton blanket and placing him in Azrael’s arms. 

My dark-eyed mate walked over, awe and disbelief etched into every line of his usually stoic face. 

“This is Valor,” he told me softly, laying the bundle next to me. 

His eyes met mine, and we shared a knowing smile no words were needed. 

“Valor,” I mused, my fingers lightly caressing his tiny cherubic face. 

“For bravery, because it took a hell of a lot of it to get here, huh?” 

My mates chuckled. 

“You could say that,” Azrael agreed, his hand gently rubbing my shoulder as he leaned down to kiss 

our son’s forehead. 

Before we could settle, another contraction surged gripping me in a vise of intensity. This one was for Zeke. I hunkered down, took a deep breath, and gave another herculean push, my head thrown 

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back, my voice nearly a growl. A third cry joined the chorus. Zeke was handed the baby, his blue eyes misty but sparkling like sunlight on ocean waves. He looked like he’d discovered a new element, a new planet, a new universe-all wrapped in a tiny, swaddled form. 

“Our third piece of heaven,” he whispered, his voice thick with love and awe. “Meet Seren.” 

“Seren; like a star, huh?” I cooed as I touched our third son’s miniature hand. “A star in my sky. No 

matter how dark it gets, you’ll all be my stars.” 

My attention snapped back to Dr. Jensen. 

“One more push, Luna Natala. You’re doing amazing.” 

Sam, who had been silent, reverent in the unfolding drama of life, held my other hand. His eyes met mine as I geared up for the final stretch. With a force that came from some primal, maternal depth I didn’t know I had, I pushed. And then he was here, baby number four, as perfect and loud as his brothers. Sam took him, his hands almost trembling as he said, 

“Meet Haven, everyone.” 

“Haven,” I sighed, overwhelmed and ecstatic. “The safe space, the home we’ve built and fought 

for.” 

Sam nodded, his eyes suspiciously shiny. 

“Home is wherever I’m with you-and now them.” 

I glanced around the room at Hannah and Luca, who had been comedic commentators, betting on which baby would have what color hair, and now stood arm in arm, awestruck by the little lives 

before them. 

“Our pack is growing,” Hannah grinned, her eyes falling on each baby. “And with a lot more chaos.” 

“Trust me, chaos is what we do best,” I winked back my heart so full it felt like it could burst. 

As I lay there, swamped in the flood of emotions and physical exhaustion, surrounded by my mates and our newest additions, I felt the tendrils of a profound, unconditional love enveloping us. Yes, there were struggles, tears, laughter, and cosmic battles that got us here. But here we were, stronger and so much richer for it. 

My eyes met those of Ezekiel, Azrael, Zeke, and Sam-each of them holding a part of our future in their arms-and I felt a deep-rooted joy that sprung from the well of our shared life, our shared hardships, and our shared love. 

These babies-Ender, Valor, Seren, and Haven-were the epitome of our love and our journey, tangible proof of our victories, big and small. As we shared this moment, awash in the magic and raw emotion of birth and new beginnings, I knew our story was far from over. 

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In fact, it was just another chapter in a long, epic saga that was our life, and I couldn’t be more eager to see where the next page would lead us. 

The End! 

Hi Everyone, 

I just want to take a second to say thank you 

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To everyone who’s read, saved, shared, commented, or even just peeked at one of my stories – I see you, and I’m so grateful you chose to step into my worlds with me. Every read, every reaction, every late-night binge means more than I can ever explain. 

These stories have been months (and honestly… years) in the making – the characters, the magic, the tension, the dangerous men, the slow burns – all of it exists because of readers like you who 

love dark romantasy as much as I do. 

If you’ve finished one story and are craving more, don’t worry… there’s plenty waiting for you•• New releases, new worlds, new characters, and a whole lot more magic, chaos, and obsession to come. All professionally edited and cleaned up. 

Thank you for being here. Thank you for reading. And thank you for letting me share these stories 

with you. 

More soon. Always. 

P.s. Check out the second and professionally edited second version of this story called ” 

Moonbound at Silver Ridge” 

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