< Epilogue Part Three\u00a0<\/p>\n
Claim\u00a0<\/p>\n
I nodded, my fingers intertwined tightly with Azrael\u2019s, 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\u2019s cry, raw and new.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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 |\u00a0<\/p>\n
had never seen before.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMeet your son, Ender,\u201d Ezekiel whispered, his voice choked with emotion as he carefully placed the tiny bundle into my arms.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEnder, for the one who will bring about new beginnings for our family,\u201d I said softly, my eyes meeting the little ones, who seemed to stare right back with a wisdom far beyond his minutes in\u00a0<\/p>\n
this world.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u00a0<\/p>\n
mischief.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cReady to meet number two, Luna?\u201d she winked, her latex gloves slick with the miracle of life.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAs ready as I\u2019ll ever be,\u201d I panted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The ache in my muscles a mere backdrop to the symphony of emotions cascading through me. Azrael\u2019s grip tightened on my hand as I bore down, pushing with the ferocity of a mama bear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Another heart-wrenching cry split the air, making everyone\u2019s hearts swell and eyes moisten.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAh, here comes the second musketeer!\u201d Dr. Jensen announced, wrapping our baby boy in a soft,\u00a0<\/p>\n
cotton blanket and placing him in Azrael\u2019s arms.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My dark-eyed mate walked over, awe and disbelief etched into every line of his usually stoic face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is Valor,\u201d he told me softly, laying the bundle next to me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His eyes met mine, and we shared a knowing smile no words were needed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cValor,\u201d I mused, my fingers lightly caressing his tiny cherubic face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFor bravery, because it took a hell of a lot of it to get here, huh?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My mates chuckled.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could say that,\u201d Azrael agreed, his hand gently rubbing my shoulder as he leaned down to kiss\u00a0<\/p>\n
our son\u2019s forehead.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u00a0<\/p>\n
4\/6\u00a0<\/p>\n
< Epilogue Part Three\u00a0<\/p>\n
Clam\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u2019d discovered a new element, a new planet, a new universe-all wrapped in a tiny, swaddled form.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOur third piece of heaven,\u201d he whispered, his voice thick with love and awe. \u201cMeet Seren.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSeren; like a star, huh?\u201d I cooed as I touched our third son\u2019s miniature hand. \u201cA star in my sky. No\u00a0<\/p>\n
matter how dark it gets, you\u2019ll all be my stars.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My attention snapped back to Dr. Jensen.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOne more push, Luna Natala. You\u2019re doing amazing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u2019t 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,\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMeet Haven, everyone.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHaven,\u201d I sighed, overwhelmed and ecstatic. \u201cThe safe space, the home we\u2019ve built and fought\u00a0<\/p>\n
for.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sam nodded, his eyes suspiciously shiny.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHome is wherever I\u2019m with you-and now them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u00a0<\/p>\n
before them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOur pack is growing,\u201d Hannah grinned, her eyes falling on each baby. \u201cAnd with a lot more chaos.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTrust me, chaos is what we do best,\u201d I winked back my heart so full it felt like it could burst.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
586\u00a0<\/p>\n
< Epilogue Part Three\u00a0<\/p>\n
In fact, it was just another chapter in a long, epic saga that was our life, and I couldn\u2019t be more eager to see where the next page would lead us.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The End!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hi Everyone,\u00a0<\/p>\n
I just want to take a second to say thank you\u00a0<\/p>\n
Claim\u00a0<\/p>\n
To everyone who\u2019s read, saved, shared, commented, or even just peeked at one of my stories \u2013 I see you, and I\u2019m 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
These stories have been months (and honestly\u2026 years) in the making \u2013 the characters, the magic, the tension, the dangerous men, the slow burns \u2013 all of it exists because of readers like you who\u00a0<\/p>\n
love dark romantasy as much as I do.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If you\u2019ve finished one story and are craving more, don\u2019t worry\u2026 there\u2019s plenty waiting for you\u2022\u2022 New releases, new worlds, new characters, and a whole lot more magic, chaos, and obsession to come. All professionally edited and cleaned up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Thank you for being here. Thank you for reading. And thank you for letting me share these stories\u00a0<\/p>\n
with you.\u00a0<\/p>\n
More soon. Always.\u00a0<\/p>\n
P.s. Check out the second and professionally edited second version of this story called \u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Moonbound at Silver Ridge\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
39\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Shadows Of Passing Time \u2013 Carter Hughes 100 < Epilogue Part Three\u00a0 Claim\u00a0 I nodded, my fingers intertwined tightly with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[86],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29741","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-melting-the-ice-princess-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29741","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29741"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29741\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29741"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29741"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29741"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}