Eva stood at the edge of the courtyard, her back straight, her body still recovering but her heart already hardened with the weight of what was coming. She held both twins in her arms, one cradled close to her chest, the other swaddled protectively in a blanket beside her.
Max was beside her, a silent shadow, his body radiating raw power. His eyes flicked toward the horizon, where the darkness seemed to be gathering like a storm cloud. And then, as if summoned by the moon itself, the figure of Sylvester appeared at the gate, his rogue army behind him.
Eva’s breath hitched as she saw the flash of silver eyes. He was back.
Sylvester’s voice cut through the air, cold and commanding. “I have come for my son.”
Eva stepped forward, holding both babies protectively. The weight of her stance was fierce, unyielding. “Then you’ll have to take him from my arms,” she said, her voice low and steady, even as her pulse raced. “But know this, Sylvester—my blood runs in these veins, not yours. These children are mine.”
Sylvester’s lips twisted into a cruel smile. “He belongs with his blood, Eva. Not with a woman who is nothing more than a fleeting shadow.”
Max growled, stepping in front of Eva as if to shield her. His presence was a towering wall, unshakable and fierce. “He is my son as much as he is yours, Sylvester. And if you think you can take him from her, you’ll find out exactly how wrong you are.”
Eva could feel the tension in the air, thick as smoke. She looked down at the twins in her arms, feeling the weight of the prophecy hanging over them, the burden of their futures already so heavily marked by the world around them.
Sylvester’s army was an intimidating sight—rogues, vampires, and creatures in his command, each with eyes hungry for blood. But Eva wasn’t afraid of them. She was more terrified of what might happen to her sons if they fell into his hands.
“I will not be a pawn in your games, Sylvester,” Eva said, her voice gaining strength. “These children are not yours to control.”
Sylvester’s eyes flared with rage. He stepped forward, his voice a low, dangerous growl. “You think you have the strength to stop me, Eva? To keep what belongs to me?”
Max moved before Eva could respond, stepping into Sylvester’s path with the full force of his Alpha energy. His voice was cold and calculated. “She doesn’t have to do it alone, Sylvester. You’ll have to go through me.”
Without warning, Sylvester lunged, his fangs bared, claws extended, and the battle began.
Eva watched in horror as the two men collided, the sound of fists and claws meeting flesh echoing across the courtyard. Max was a force of nature, a beast in his own right, but Sylvester was a different kind of monster—cunning, ruthless, and calculating. Their fight was brutal, each blow harder than the last, their grunts of pain echoing in the night.
Eva’s heart pounded as she held the twins closer, her gaze flickering between the two men, fear rising in her chest. She had to do something. She couldn’t let Max destroy himself over her.
“Max!” she yelled, her voice rising with desperation. “Stop! You’re not saving me if you die!”
But Max didn’t stop. His eyes burned with rage, his fury directed entirely at Sylvester. His wolf was unleashed, raw and untamed, but Sylvester was matching him blow for blow. The force of their strikes made the ground tremble beneath them, and Eva’s heart sank with each passing moment.
Sylvester was a dark mirror to everything Max had ever stood for, and Eva knew that if this continued, one of them would not survive.
“Max, please!” she cried, her voice cracking with emotion. “This isn’t the way! You’re both going to destroy each other!”
Sylvester paused in his attack, blood dripping from his own injuries, but his smile was still cruel. “Let him die for you, Eva. It’s the only thing he’s good for. You can’t save him, not from me.”
Max lunged again, but this time, Eva threw herself between them, her body trembling with the force of the emotions that threatened to overwhelm her. “Stop, both of you!” she shouted, her voice raw with anger and fear. “You think this is the way to prove who owns my heart? Who owns my children? I will drain myself dry before I give either of you the satisfaction of controlling my fate. You will not take them from me!”
Max froze, his hands shaking as he stood just inches from Sylvester. He stared at Eva, his eyes filled with pain and confusion, but there was something else there too—something that softened in the midst of his fury.
Sylvester’s smile faltered as he looked at her, and for the first time, there was doubt in his eyes. “You really would die for them?” he asked, his voice quieter now, as if testing the waters.
Eva’s answer came swiftly, her voice unwavering. “Yes. I would die for them.”
She turned to Max then, her eyes softening. “But I don’t want you to die for me, Max. I need you here.”
The fight in Max’s eyes slowly dimmed, and he lowered his fists, though his body still shook with the aftermath of the battle. Sylvester, for once, said nothing. He merely stood there, a shadow of the man he had once been.
Max looked at Sylvester, his voice hoarse but determined. “If you think you’ll take my family from me, you’re mistaken. You have no claim over them. Not anymore.”
Eva’s gaze hardened as she looked at Sylvester. “You’re an heir to nothing, Sylvester. Nothing that matters.”
120
