Shock was an understatement. Damon and I stared at the screen, speechless. Twins? Not one child, but two?

"Oh goddess, we're having twins," Damon whispered, mostly to himself, but I heard him clearly.

"Are you sure? Maybe" My voice trembled. What if there was a mistake? I didn't want my excitement to be dashed.

"You're having twins, Mrs. Donovan," the doctor assured me, smiling kindly. "But if you'd like to be absolutely certain, we can wait for the test results. However, I can tell you, you're having twins."

"We're having twins, baby," Damon said, bending to wrap his arms around me. His warmth brought tears to my eyes as I hugged him back.

It was real. We were having twins! We remained embraced for a while, lost in thought, and didn't even notice the doctor leaving. Eventually, Damon pulled away, sat beside me, caressed my face, and kissed me.

"Why do I feel like the moon goddess blessed us with two because we lost one?" I whispered, as Damon kissed away my tears.

"That's exactly what I think," he replied. "But whatever the reason, I'm so grateful—to the moon goddess and to you. Are you nervous?" He caressed my cheek. I nodded.

"I'm nervous, but as long as you're here, I'll be okay," I replied, resting my head on his chest.

I felt Damon's happiness radiating off him, but he was clearly suppressing it, which I appreciated. This was a lot to process.

The test results confirmed it: we were having twins! The doctor asked if we wanted to know the genders, but I declined, and Damon agreed. Later, exhausted, I fell asleep halfway home. I was overwhelmed by so many emotions—fear, happiness, uncertainty, anger, sadness—I didn't know how to react, and I worried my lack of reaction was confusing Damon.

I didn't need to be awake to know we'd reached our room. As soon as I hit the bed, I opened my eyes and grabbed Damon's hand before he could leave.

"I wasn't going anywhere," he said, "I was going to take off your shoe." I sighed.

"I am happy, you know that, right? I'm just scared. With everything going on twins? What if"

"Nothing is going to happen to you or our babies. I don't want you worrying. Don't you trust me to take care of you?" he asked.

"Of course, but"

"But nothing. I'm willing to give up my life, to sacrifice anyone to protect you and our babies, Clara. Please trust me." He spoke softly, and I sighed.

"I trust you more than anyone, and I know you'll protect us, but I don't want you getting hurt. If you leave me" Tears streamed down my face.

"I'm not leaving you, Clara. We'll get through this. I can't wait to meet our children. Luca and I will start planning tonight, so rest assured everything will be taken care of. Rest now, you're exhausted," he murmured, getting into bed after removing his shoe.

I sighed contentedly, resting my head on his chest and my arm around his waist.

"Do you think I should talk to my uncle? Maybe I could"

"Don't ever suggest that again, or you'll make me really mad," Damon interrupted, his coldness making me shiver.

"I'm just trying to help. We need all the information we can get," I murmured.

"The most you can do is stay safe. If I know you're safe, I can act. Let's stop talking about this. Go to sleep. We'll talk in the morning," he said. I understood.

"Can we not tell anyone, at least for now? I still need to process everything," I said. He kissed my forehead.

"Of course, baby. Don't worry about anything. I'll handle everything and make sure the world is safe before our children arrive. I promise."

He raised my chin and kissed me. I soon fell asleep to the rhythm of his heartbeat. But when I opened my eyes, I was outside the pack gate, surrounded by running people, frozen in place. What was happening? How did I get here?

I tried to move, but my leg wouldn't budge. Then I saw Damon. He smiled and ran towards me. My smile faltered as he exploded, blood and flesh splattering on me.

My ears rang, and a terrible ache filled my heart. People screamed; I screamed, but I couldn't hear anything. My legs finally moved, then gave way as I fell, calling Damon's name. There was nothing left of him. Nothing.

"Clara, you're bleeding! We need to get you to the hospital!" someone yelled. Looking down, I saw I was bleeding between my legs, my blood mixing with Damon's on the ground.

"No, not my babies! No!" I screamed, faintly hearing someone call my name.

The call grew louder until I jolted awake, drenched in sweat.

"Damon, you're here," I gasped, inspecting his face and body to make sure he was okay.

"I'm here, I'll always be here. It was a nightmare, okay? Come here," he murmured, pulling me into a hug. I cried against his chest.

Why had it felt so real? Now I was even more afraid of the future.