Chapter 73
606 Words
I woke with the weight of Devon’s arm draped over me, heavy and warm, his steady breathing brushing against the back of my neck. For a long while I didn’t move. I just lay there, staring at the morning light leaking through the curtains, soft streaks of gold spilling across the floor.
Something felt… different.
It wasn’t the soreness in my body after the night we had shared. I knew that ache well enough. This was something deeper, hidden, humming beneath my skin like a secret I hadn’t been told yet. My hand moved almost unconsciously to my stomach, pressing lightly as if I could find the answer there.
A warmth spread from within, faint but undeniable, like an ember glowing low in the ashes. It startled me. For a moment I thought my fire was flaring up again without my control, but this wasn’t wild, wasn’t dangerous. It was gentle, almost protective.
I tried to shake it off, to convince myself I was imagining things, but the longer I sat with it, the harder it was to ignore.
Devon stirred behind me. His voice was still husky with sleep when he murmured, “Why are you awake so early, little flame?”
I forced a smile and turned in his arms, burying myself against his chest to hide the storm in my eyes. “Couldn’t sleep.”
He tilted my chin up, searching my face like he always did, like he could peel away every layer I tried to hide behind. His thumb brushed over my cheek. “You’re restless.”
I nodded but didn’t explain. Not yet. How could I, when I didn’t even understand what was happening inside me? The thought was too fragile, too new to speak into existence.
Later, when we left the bed, the world still seemed brighter. The air smelled sharper, the sounds carried clearer, as if the earth itself was leaning in to whisper its secrets. I tried to focus on training, but even Joey’s voice sounded far away. My body wasn’t moving like it should, slower, heavier, but at the same time… filled.
“Are you alright?” Joey asked when I missed a step. Her brows knitted together, sharp with worry.
I nodded quickly, forcing myself to straighten. “Just distracted.”
Her gaze lingered on me, suspicious, but she let it go.
By midday I was exhausted. It didn’t make sense my strength had been building since the shift, my fire responding more easily to my call. And yet now my body begged for rest, my stomach fluttering with a strange twist I couldn’t name.
I returned to Devon’s side that evening, and he wrapped his arm around my waist instantly, pulling me against him as if he could feel the weakness I tried to hide.
“You’re not telling me something,” he said softly against my temple.
I swallowed hard. The truth pushed against my lips, but fear kept it caged. What if I was wrong? What if it was just the aftermath of the shift, nothing more? I wasn’t ready to see the look on his face if I spoke the word already haunting my mind.
Pregnant.
The word echoed through me, heavy and terrifying, but also… beautiful.
I closed my eyes and leaned into him, letting the warmth of his embrace steady me. For now, I would keep this secret locked inside me, until I was sure. Until I could no longer deny the ember burning brighter in my core.
But deep down, a quiet certainty had already taken root. Something had changed. And nothing would ever be the same again.
- Writer
