The Alpha's Fated Outcast: Rise Of The Moonsinger. - Chapter 406

Chapter 406: A mirror of warnings…

Lyla

I stared at my reflection in the full-length mirror, dressed in nothing but a black lace bra and a pair of Ramsey’s boxers rolled down at the waist to make room for my growing bump. My hands hovered above the curve of my belly, gently caressing the taut skin stretched thin over the children growing inside me.

At twenty-two weeks pregnant, my body had transformed in ways I never imagined possible. Looking at myself, I could see how my baby bump had rounded out significantly.

My legs felt heavy and swollen, the skin stretched taut around my ankles where fluid had begun to collect. Even my fingers felt puffy, my wedding ring fitting more snugly than before. The veins on my breasts had become more prominent, mapping blue pathways across skin that felt tender to the touch.

My once-trim waist had vanished completely, replaced by a round dome. My hips had widened, and there was a persistent ache in my lower back that reminded me constantly of the weight I was carrying.

I turned slightly, examining my profile. The stretch marks that had begun as faint lines were now more visible, blue streaks across my expanding belly, telling the story of two little lives growing inside me.

My centre of gravity had shifted completely, making me feel slightly off-balance, as if I were learning to walk all over again, and I was constantly out of breath.

Sighing, I turned to face Ramsey, who had been watching me quietly from where he sat on the edge of our bed.

“Do you think I’m fat?”

A smile spread across his face as he shook his head. “You still look the same to me, darling. No, scratch that. You look more beautiful and ten times as radiant.”

I couldn’t help but smile at his response, even though I knew he was being kind. Walking to the wardrobe, I pulled open the doors and surveyed my clothes with a sense of frustration.

“You don’t have to lie, Ramsey dearest. None of my clothes fit anymore.” I pulled at a dress that used to hang loose on me, now clearly too small. “I didn’t realise how thin I was until this pregnancy. Oh, Moon, I can’t wait to get it done and over with.”

My hand drifted to his section of the wardrobe, and I pulled out one of his oversized shirts, holding it up with a wry smile. “Who knew your clothes would come in handy one day?”

Ramsey rose from the bed, bare-chested and sleepy-eyed and walked toward me. He kissed the back of my shoulder and rested his hands on my waist. “Take whatever you want, darling. What’s mine is yours. And what’s your…” he slid his palm around my belly, “is mine.”

“You’re sappy today,” I whispered with a smirk.

“And you’re glowing today,” he murmured. Then took the shirt from my hands, his fingers brushing warmly against mine. “Let me help you.”

I raised my arms as he carefully pulled the shirt over my head, the soft cotton falling loosely around my frame. His hands lingered on my shoulders as he smoothed the fabric down, then moved to my waist, where he gently adjusted the shirt to fall comfortably over my bump.

“Thank you for carrying our babies, for letting your body change so much to carry our proof of our undying love. I love you so much, and no matter what, you’re still the most beautiful woman in the world,” he murmured against my ear, his breath sending shivers down my spine.

His hands moved to cradle my belly, and I felt the babies respond with gentle kicks.

“They’re active today,” I said, placing my hands over his.

“They know their father’s touch,” he replied, pressing a kiss to my neck. His lips trailed down to my collarbone, and I tilted my head back, losing myself in the sensation.

“Ramsey,” I whispered, already feeling the heat rising.

“Hmm?” He continued his gentle assault on my senses, his hands roaming over my body with want.

“The pants,” I reminded him, though my voice lacked any real urgency.

He chuckled against my skin. “Right, the pants.” But instead of immediately helping me with them, he continued to kiss and caress me, his touch igniting fires that pregnancy had somehow made even more intense.

“You have no idea how much I crave you,” he said, kissing me.

I laughed into the kiss. “Well, apparently, I crave you too. At some point last night, I was worried I was overexerting you. The babies are becoming so needy.”

“We all know this has nothing to do with them,” Ramsey’s eyes twitched with mischief “, but it’s fine, let them take a few blames.”

I laughed and leaned into him again, kissing him.

When he finally did help me into a pair of his sweatpants, rolling the waistband down to sit comfortably under my belly, every movement was punctuated with gentle kisses and soft touches. His hands would pause to stroke my arms, my sides, anywhere he could reach, as if he couldn’t bear to stop touching me even for a moment.

“There,” he said finally, stepping back to admire his handiwork. “Perfect.”

But the space between us felt like too much, and I reached for him, pulling him back into my arms. Our lips met in a kiss that started gently but quickly deepened, becoming more urgent, more desperate. His hands tangled in my hair while mine fisted in his shirt, pulling him closer.

We were so lost in each other, so consumed by the heat building between us, that we didn’t hear the door open. We didn’t notice anything until someone cleared their throat loudly.

We broke apart, turning to see Kyren standing in the doorway with an exasperated expression on his face.

“Do you two ever keep your hands off each other?” dryly. “I didn’t want to complain about enduring listening to both of you having sex all night…”

Heat flooded my cheeks, and I felt myself blushing furiously. “The babies wanted it,” I murmured. “You can’t blame me.”

“Right, you’re shifting the blame to your babies. If you both keep this up, you’ll be pregnant every single year.” Kyren replied, rolling his eyes. “I can’t wait to conclude with the house agents.”

I looked up at him in surprise. “Are we moving?”

“Yes,” Kyren nodded. “We’ve figured we might be here longer than expected, so why should we live like Spartans? Elias is currently meeting with the house agent to finalise the deeds.”

I scoffed and shook my head. “Lycans are so wasteful.”

Ramsey’s arm tightened around my waist. “Is there a reason why you interrupted us?”

“You have a visitor,” Kyren said. “She claims she’s Lenny’s sister. I didn’t know Lenny had a sister.”

My heart leapt with joy, and before anyone could say another word, I was running past both men, taking the stairs two at a time despite Ramsey calling out behind me to be careful. The babies seemed to approve of my excitement, kicking enthusiastically as I hurried down the stairs.

When I burst into the sitting room, I saw her immediately. “Circe!”

I screamed with joy, throwing myself into her arms. She caught me laughing as she returned my hug with equal enthusiasm. After a moment, she pulled back, holding me at arm’s length.

“Let me see you for a minute,” she said, her eyes taking in my appearance.

I did a little twirl, careful not to lose my balance, and she beamed at me. “You look so beautiful, Lyla. And I have to say, Ramsey never looked that good in his clothes.”

“Is that an insult or a compliment?” Ramsey asked dryly as he came down the stairs behind me.

Circe moved to him and wrapped him in a hug. “It’s a compliment, Lycan Leader.”

“No one mentioned you were coming,” Ramsey said, but his tone was warm.

“I wanted to surprise Lyla.” She turned to look at Kyren, who had followed us downstairs. “Who’s the weird guy?”

“That’s Kyren, the leader of the Hollow Kin,” I explained.

“You don’t think I’m weird,” Kyren said, coming to stand at the base of the staircase, studying Circe with curiosity. “You’re debating whether or not you should bang me.”

Circe’s cheeks flushed bright red as she covered her chest as if he was literally looking into her soul.

“Stop reading my mind. That’s rude!”

Kyren only shrugged. “You’re beautiful. I didn’t think I would ever see a woman as beautiful as Lyla and her mother, Miriam, but you’re almost as beautiful as her. Less delicate, but beautiful.”

Ramsey shook his head and murmured to Circe, “He’s also annoying and always says the truth.”

Circe nodded with a mischievous smile. “I like him. And who knows, I might bang you.”

Kyren didn’t respond to that, simply coming down the rest of the stairs. “What brings you here? Our system was unable to detect your arrival. How did you do that?”

“That’s why I’m a witch, baby. It’s an art.” Her expression grew more serious. “Besides, I wanted to come in discreetly. I think the Dark One’s children are hunting for me.”

“The Dark One’s children?” I asked, feeling a chill run down my spine. “What do you mean?”

“That’s precisely why I came to see you in person.” Circe reached into her bag and pulled out what appeared to be a handbook. “You asked me to help you look into Delia, and everything checks out, including her stories. She only failed to mention that her father was Xander, and he’s not only her father.”