Chapter 1 Twins' Birth
- Alpha Sebastian Grey, leader of the Bloodstain pack, the second most powerful pack of the often-turbulent North, a towering figure at six feet five, his broad shoulders and lean, powerful build speaking of his alpha status, gazed at his twin daughters, Lillian and Rosaline, nestled in his large, calloused hands.
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- His Luna, Alyssa Grey, the most powerful gifted white witch, a lineage whispered to be blessed by the moon itself and the last of the white witches, lay beside him, her breathing shallow but steady. Strands of her stark blonde hair, as fine as spun moonlight, framed her delicate, pale face, and her striking blue eyes were now closed in peaceful slumber.
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- Their white hair was striking, unlike the darker hues common in their pack. A thought flickered through Sebastian's mind – the lineage of white witches, the power that should have been passed to the firstborn child, yet neither his eldest son, Killian, nor his second, Nathan had been blessed.
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- Then came the twins, and on their very birthday, the sky had turned black, and rain had lashed down for days. This, the elders declared, was a sign...
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- "They're perfect, just like you," Alpha Sebastian said, his voice thick with emotion, the scent of blood and lavender still faintly lingering in the air.
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- He held both the girls in his large, capable hands, marveling at their fragile forms. Even in their sleep, he could see the delicate curve of their eyelashes against their pale cheeks, and he wondered if their eyes, when they opened, would hold the same striking blue as their mother's, a vibrant contrast to their unusual white hair.
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- "They are," Alyssa replied weakly, a faint smile touching her lips, a flicker of the powerful magic that coursed through her still visible in the depths of her striking blue eyes, even as exhaustion claimed her. A deep, almost instinctual connection pulsed towards the two small bundles in Sebastian's arms. Her eyelids felt heavy, each blink a struggle.
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- Sebastian kissed her forehead, a knot of worry still tightening in his chest despite the overwhelming joy of their daughters' arrival. She pushed herself so hard. I pray her slender frame recovers quickly.
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- "You've done well, my love, rest, and I'll be right here until you wake up."
- She offered a small nod, her energy clearly depleted.
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- "Mommy!" Three-year-old Killian, a carbon copy of his father in miniature, with the same dark, tousled hair that constantly fell into his bright silver eyes and the same burgeoning sturdy build, burst into the room, his usual boundless energy momentarily subdued by the hushed atmosphere.
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- Behind him, two-year-old Nathan, already surprisingly tall for his age with a lean, almost gangly build and large, thoughtful brown eyes taking in everything, shyly walked in, his small fingers twisting in the hem of his slightly too-big shirt.
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- "Shush, mommy's sleeping," Sebastian said gently, ushering his sons closer with a sweep of his large hand. "Come see your baby sisters," he said proudly, as if presenting a precious treasure.
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- "Why do they have white hair, daddy?" Nathan asked quietly, his usual shyness momentarily forgotten in the face of these fragile beings. Their hair is like moonlight. He gently reached out and stroked a tiny strand with a delicate touch.
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- "Why are they so tiny?" Killian asked loudly, a hint of bewilderment in his voice. They don't look like they can wrestle yet. "They're like little dolls."
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- Sebastian chuckled lowly, a warmth spreading through his chest despite his lingering concern for Alyssa. "I don't know why they have white hair, Nathan and Killian. They're barely a day old, they'll grow. Here," he said, carefully helping each brother cradle one of the twins. "These are your sisters Lillian and Rosaline. As the men in our family, we shall protect them with our lives."
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- Rosaline let out a tiny, mewling cry, a fragile sound that echoed in the otherwise quiet room. Killian, startled, gently handed her back to their father, who laid her down and then took Lillian from Nathan, placing her beside her sister.
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- Sebastian ushered Killian and Nathan out of the birthing room, a quiet command in his deep voice. As they walked through the main hall of the pack house, a low murmur rippled through the gathered wolves. Heads bowed slightly in acknowledgment of their Alpha and the arrival of his newborn daughters.
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- The air felt thick with a mixture of relief and anticipation. Near the hearth, Old Man Hemlock sat hunched on a stool, his thin frame draped in worn furs, his hair streaked with grey, his eyes cloudy with age but still sharp with ancient wisdom. As Sebastian passed with his sons trailing slightly behind, Hemlock offered a curt nod, his wrinkled face betraying nothing of his thoughts. His gaze lingered for a moment in the direction of the birthing room.
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- There was a knowing look in his eyes, a silent acknowledgment of the unusual circumstances surrounding the twins' birth. Sebastian offered a brief nod in return, a flicker of understanding passing between them. The weight of the pack's expectations, the whispers of the prophecy, felt momentarily heavier in that silent exchange.
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- He then continued on, guiding his sons towards the familiar comfort of Billy's presence.
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- "Stay with Uncle Billy. I need to be with mommy and the twins until mommy is strong enough."
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- Billy, his trusted friend and Beta, leaned against the doorframe, a tall and bulky figure at six feet, with a thick neck and kind, crinkled eyes. A knowing grin tugged at the corner of his lips. They had grown up together in the Bloodstain pack, their bond forged in shared hunts and whispered strategies. Their kids knew them as practically brothers. Billy and his mate Stella had a son, Jacob, who was the same age as Killian, and the two were inseparable.
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- "Uncle Billy, can we go to your house?" asked Nathan, a hopeful lilt in his soft voice. "Auntie Stella said she was baking cookies today. I love her cookies."
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- "Yeah, pretty please," Killian echoed excitedly, already imagining the sweet, warm scent.
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- "Alright boys, good luck in there, Seb." Billy clapped him on the shoulder, his large hand surprisingly gentle for his size. His eyes conveyed genuine care. "Maybe now you can finally get some sleep yourself. That's enough little wolves for one lifetime," Billy said, his low chuckle echoing down the hallway as he walked away with the eager boys.
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- Sebastian smiled faintly, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly. He turned back to his wife and daughters, the weight of responsibility settling back upon him. He nearly gasped as he saw the twins' simple wooden crib gently rocking, lifting a few inches off the polished wood floor. Even in her sleep... her power is intertwined with them.
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- A profound sense of awe and protectiveness washed over him. He pulled a chair closer, positioning it between the floating crib and Alyssa's bedside. The elders' words about the sky... this is more than just the birth of my daughters. This is a new beginning.
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- He sat down, his gaze fixed on his wife and the two small miracles who lay beside her. He hoped, with a fierce protectiveness, that when their tiny eyes finally opened, they would indeed reveal the same striking blue as their mother's, a vibrant contrast to their unusual white hair, a visible manifestation of the powerful lineage they carried. Their mother's legacy lives on, stronger than I could have imagined.
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