?


    For a moment, I felt detached from my own body. The shock of what my father had told me sent my body spiraling, leaving me feeling drained and empty.


    "So the visions," I finally managed, swallowing, "did she..."


    "No," my father said quietly. "She didn''t see a shadow entity, or whatever you called it. But she had her own demons, Nina. Perhaps the ''entity'' you see now is a machination of your own pain, just as her visions were machinations of hers."


    "What sort of pain did she have?" I asked quietly.


    My father''s face nched slightly, and he sighed, staring down at his desk.


    "Your mother suffered a great deal during her upbringing," he said softly. "Her parents died due to disease, and she bounced from home to home. There were things that happened to her as a young woman that I won''t dare to repeat. Forgive me, but I can''t."


    I nodded slowly, choosing to empathize with my father''s feelings. "Of course, I murmured, looking away.


    "Either way," my father continued, "I really must urge you to stay here, Nina. This... sickness, or however you''d like to call it, could be harmful for your baby. I''d like you here, where you''re safe."N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    I felt the emotion swell inside of me. "So you think I''m doomed? That I''m going to lose my child like my mother lost hers?


    My father looked into my eyes, and his face seemed to age a decade. "That''s precisely what I''m worried about, Nina. Your mother was never alone during her pregnancy with you and Selena. We made sure of it. And I think we should do the same for you."


    "And what about the sleepwalking? The visions? What did you do for her then?" I pushed, feeling the urgency escting in my voice.


    "We took measures, sought help from within the pack. Healers, shamans-"


    "But it didn''t work, did it?" I interrupted, maybe a little more harshly than I intended.


    "It lessened the symptoms but didn''t eliminate them entirely," my father admitted. "You and Selena were both healthy, unlike the first pregnancy. But even throughout her pregnancy with you, she suffered. It wasn''t easy."


    Enzo, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke. "Sir, perhaps we should consider talking to someone who specializes in these kinds of things. A professional, maybe even outside the pack."


    I looked at Enzo gratefully, relieved that he was on the same page. "Yes, Dad, maybe it''s time to think beyond healers and shamans."


    My father appeared skeptical but not entirely dismissive. "We can consider it, but with caution. Not everyone has the best intentions, as you well know."


    At my father''s words, I felt a heavy pallor take over the room. My father was right; plenty of people had proven to be snakes with ill intentions. How could we trust anyone anymore?


    "I just want my baby to be safe," I murmured, blinking back the tears that threatened toe.


    "And it will be." My father leaned forward, his face resolute. "I promise you, Nina, we''ll handle this. Together. But you must stay here."


    Just as the words left his mouth, the door swung open abruptly. Tyler stood there, panting a little, his eyes full of an urgency I couldn''t quite ce.


    "I couldn''t help but overhear-" he began, but my father cut him off.


    "Eavesdropping, Tyler? You should know better."


    Ignoring the reprimand, Tyler stepped inside and shut the door behind him. "I know, I know. But hear me out." He paused, looking at each of us intently. "Maybe she should go to my witch."