Chapter 57 - his unwillingness 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Rosie

I looked around and saw a deserted area that didn’t feel deserted at all but alive in a way I couldn’t quite explain. I blinked confusedly because I was very sure I was in... I winced when I felt a throb in my head sharply.

What was that?

I looked around again, and everything looked beautiful and otherworldly, like something out of a dream. The lake before me was bioluminescent, glowing with soft blues, purples, and greens that rippled across the surface like starlight. The sun and moon hung together in the purple sky, casting this ethereal twilight glow over everything.

Wait... What’s going on? Have aliens conquered the world? I chuckled lightly at my silly joke, but stopped abruptly when I heard a gurgling, splashing sound. I glanced toward the lake to see something small struggling in the water, drowning.

Without thinking, I rushed forward and jumped into the water, swimming toward the struggling creature. The water was warm against my skin, and it glowed where my hands cut through, leaving trails of light behind me.

As I swam, I noticed the distance between the animal and me was getting longer, like the lake was expanding. I blinked, already feeling my shoulders ache, but I wasn’t giving up on rescuing this animal.

I continued to swim, cutting through the glowing water until I finally reached the small creature. In an instant, I found myself at the lakeshore.

The animal, which was now a white pup, was shaking itself vigorously, scattering droplets of bioluminescent water everywhere, and I laughed at the playfulness of it.

The pup’s fur was pure white, as white as the snow, and small and beautiful. I smiled, extending my hand to stroke the soft fur, and the puppy gently pressed his head against my palm, emitting a small, contented sound that warmed my heart.

So cute. I was unable to resist as I carefully lifted the puppy into my arms and bestowed a gentle kiss upon his crown, precisely between his delicate ears. The moment my lips touched his fur, the pup’s eyes flew open, and I gasped because his eyes looked exactly the same as Jude’s.

Jude? The name filtered into my mind. But as I stared at the puppy, it smiled at me and tilted its head.

"Mummy."

A shocked gasp escaped my lips, and I dropped the pup instinctively, taking several steps back while my heart pounded in my chest.

The white pup sat on the glowing shore looking up at me sadly, and my heart tugged painfully.

"Mummy, don’t you want me?"

I stopped and stared at the puppy again, really looked at it, and a smile found its way to my lips. "I want you, but I’m not your—"

***

I woke up with a jolt, feeling completely disoriented, and my eyes flew open to see a white ceiling, white walls, and the sterile smell of antiseptic hit me. I blinked, seeing the IV attached to my wrist with the hospital equipment beeping softly beside me.

I was in the hospital again.

I think lately I’ve been waking up in hospitals; like it’s become my second home, but before I could dwell on it, the door burst open, and Jude rushed to my bedside.

He looked terrible. His hair was a mess, like he’d been running his fingers through it repeatedly, and there were dark circles under his eyes, and his face was etched with worry, exhaustion, and relief all at once.

“...” I opened my mouth to make a joke about him having been to a war because of how disheveled he was, but my words tumbled down when he pulled me into a hug.

"Thank goodness you’re awake. Thank you for coming back to me, sweetheart," he said, and his voice cracked slightly as he hugged me tighter like he wanted us to become one person, like he was afraid that if he let go, I might disappear.

I melted into his embrace, breathing in his familiar scent. "How are you feeling? Are you in pain? "Do you need anything?" he asked, pulling back just enough to look at my face while his hands gently cupped my cheeks.

"I’m okay," I started to say, but then the door opened again, and the doctor walked in.

The doctor’s expression was mild as he looked between Jude and me. "Young Luna, I’m glad you’re awake. We need to discuss something important, and we’ll need your consent for the next steps."

He glanced at Jude with a quirky brow, and Jude’s jaw tightened as he looked away, unable to meet my eyes. The doctor pursed his lips at whatever he saw in Jude’s expression and quietly left the room, leaving us alone.

The silence stretched heavily between us, which was uncomfortable, and my heart started to race, feeling skeptical. "Jude?" I called softly. "What’s going on?"

Jude turned back to me and took a deep breath before sitting on the edge of the hospital bed. He took my hands in his gently, palming the back of my hand. "Rosie, there’s something you need to know..." He paused, then sucked in breath.

“You’re pregnant, sweetheart.”

Pregnant.

The word "ring" in my head like a mantra; immediately my hand went to my stomach, rubbing it gently, and I thought about the dream about the white puppy with Jude’s eyes calling me "mummy," and suddenly it all made sense. The dream meant the baby. A smile bloomed across my face because we were having a baby. A little version of Jude and me.

I opened my eyes to tell Jude how happy I was, but I paused when I saw his expression. His expression looked wretched; no happiness in his eyes, just pain.

"Are you not happy about it?" I asked slowly, my gaze moving over his face.

Jude swallowed hard and looked down at our joined hands. "I— I—" he started and then stopped and raked his fingers through his hair frustratedly.

"What happened?" I asked, softly blinking up at him. "And the doctor said something about consent?"

Jude wetted his lower lip nervously. "The baby Rosie. The doctor said..." he trailed off.

"Yeah, the baby." I raised an eyebrow, patiently waiting for him to continue even though dread was starting to creep into my chest.

"The doctor said it’s difficult. Carrying a werewolf baby is hard on a human body, and because of where you were stabbed and the silver affecting the area..." he paused, and his voice dropped to almost a whisper. "The pup being half-wolf has been affected by the silver. They need your consent to remove the baby, Rosie. They think it’s the safest option for you."

Remove the baby.

The words echoed in my head, and instinctively my hands flew to my stomach, grabbing it protectively. "No. I’m having this baby."

"Rosie, you can’t," Jude said immediately, and his voice was strained. "It will affect you. Your body—"

"It won’t!" I argued, cutting him off.

"Do you want to leave me?" he asked, and his voice cracked. "Because that’s what could happen, Rosie. I don’t want to lose you. I can’t lose you."

"You won’t lose me," I responded immediately, pulling away from him slightly. "Let’s have the baby, Jude. Please."

"It will put a strain on your human body," he insisted, and I could see the panic in his eyes. "The doctor said—"

"I don’t care!" I said firmly.

"You don’t care about me losing you?" he asked, and he looked so pained and hurt.

"And you don’t care about removing our baby?" I shot back, and he winced.

"It’s for your health and safety," Jude said desperately. "It’s to keep you alive, Rosie. Don’t you understand that?"

I paused, taking a shaky breath because I could see how torn he was and how scared he was from the idea of losing me. "I understand, Jude, I do. But please let me have this baby," I said softly and reached for his hands again. "I’ve never had something that was truly mine. I’ve never wanted something so badly like this before. Please don’t deny me the joy of being a mother."

Jude’s throat bobbed as he swallowed hard, and his voice trembled when he spoke. "I don’t want to deny you anything, sweetheart, but..." he trailed off, and I hated seeing him torn like this, caught between my life and what I wanted, but I couldn’t give up on the little puppy I’d seen in my dream, on our baby.

I squeezed his hands tighter. "Jude," I called softly and waited until his eyes met mine. "Let’s do this. We can do it together. Just this one thing, please. Trust me."

He released a shuddering breath and pulled me into a hug, burying his face in my hair. "God, I’m so unwilling to do this," his voice trembled against my ear. "I’m terrified, Rosie."

"Jude..." I whispered, wrapping my arms around him.

He pulled back and cupped my face in both hands, staring at me intently, and his warm amber eyes reflected his pain, his panic, his fear, but underneath all of that, his love for me was greater and stronger than everything else.

"Okay, sweetheart," he finally said, and his voice was thick with emotion. "We’ll have the baby. But you have to promise me no straining yourself. You follow every single thing the doctor says. Promise me."

A wide smile broke across my face, and I nodded eagerly before throwing my arms around his neck. "I promise! "Thank you, Jude. Thank you!"

He didn’t laugh like he usually did when I got excited and jumped on him. He only pulled me tighter against his chest, and I felt him shaking slightly, his chest thumping vigorously against mine.