ALEXIS
I felt it coming before the first contraction hit—a deep, primal shift that made Sasha stir restlessly in my mind. Outside, the July air suddenly went sharp and cold, carrying the impossible scent of winter. My skin prickled with goosebumps as I watched the first snowflake drift past our bedroom window, fat and perfect and absolutely wrong for the season.
"Kai," I whispered, my voice already tight with pain. "Look."
More snow followed, dancing in the heavy summer air like someone had shaken loose the stars. The temperature plummeted so fast the windows frosted over in delicate, swirling patterns that looked suspiciously like tiny handprints—boy's hands, I realized with a certainty that made my heart stutter.
The contraction that ripped through me then felt like being turned insi
