Chapter 9

Chapter 9 “I asked if you have regrets, Edward,” Renee repeated, not missing a beat. “Regrets about what?” he asked, genuinely confused. “About being with Kalea, of course.” “Of course not. Why would you even ask me that?” Eddie snapped back, his tone turning instantly defensive. “Because of what’s happening,” Renee defended, her motherly instincts flaring as she held her ground despite his glare. Her heart throbbed with a desperate, protective need—not just for her daughter, but to shield this young Alpha from a lifetime of quiet resentment. “You didn’t sign up to have a human Luna—let alone one who’s turned into a walking incubator for every illness and paranormal ailment that comes along.” Eddie let out a harsh, dry laugh and shook his head. “I signed up for Kalea. That’s it. That’s the beginning and end of the list.” He leaned forward, his voice low and fiercely absolute. “I didn’t choose her because she was a powerful wolf or Royalty, and I’m certainly not going to resent her because she’s human now. She’s going through everything she’s going through because she sacrificed her wolf to save us. To save me. If you think for one second that I view taking care of her as some burden, Renee, then you don’t know me at all.” Renee’s strict posture relaxed, her motherly guard melting into profound relief and quiet affection. Her maternal instinct had compelled her to test his resolve, to ensure that the heavy cross her daughter carried wouldn't crush the man standing beside her. “I had to ask, Edward,” she murmured, her expression softening into something tender. “A mother’s heart never stops trying to protect her child from heartbreak. But hearing you say that... I know she’s safe with you. Truly safe.” “She always will be,” Eddie growled gently, bringing Kalea’s hand up to press a firm kiss against her knuckles. “Don’t ever ask me if I regret loving your daughter.” “I won’t. Though I can’t say the same for Tobias,” Renee chuckled softly, offering a brief, bittersweet smile. “You asked because of him, didn’t you?” Eddie questioned, the defensive edge in his voice fading into quiet realization. “It was for both of us,” Renee explained, her tone filled with quiet conviction. “We have been absent for almost all of Kalea’s life. But despite the circumstances, she is our daughter. We will always strive to protect her—even if that means protecting her from you.” “And I can’t hold that against you or the Prince, Renee,” Eddie said, looking back down at Kalea before meeting her mother's eyes once more. “I understand. It will always be your duty as her parents to protect her. But Kalea is my mate, my Luna, and my future wife. I will lay down my life for her without a second thought. If I could switch places with her right now, I would.” “I hear you, Edward. Thank you.” Renee smiled gently, placing a loving, maternal hand on top of his. The brief moment of warmth between them was abruptly cut short as the air in the room plunged into a bitter, biting frost. The soft glow of the bedside lamps flickered violently before dimming into a dull amber twilight. Across the room, the shadows pooled together in the far corner, swirling into a dense, ink-like silhouette that stretched all the way to the ceiling. Eddie instinctively shifted over Kalea, his wolf eyes flaring to life in the dim light, while Renee stood up beside the bed, her jaw set with maternal defiance. The darkness folded back on itself, revealing Lucifer as he casually smoothed down the front of his midnight-black suit jacket. “How touching—mommy dearest and her future son-in-law having a moment of tranquility with each other!” Lucifer teased, a smirking, theatrical flair in his tone as he looked between the two wolves. “Lucifer, what the f*ck do you want?” Eddie growled, completely unamused by the devil showing up out of nowhere yet again. “Well, I was coming by to let you know that I kept an eye on Radcliffe’s hell loop all night, and checked again this morning,” Lucifer replied smoothly, brushing an invisible speck of lint off his lapel. “There is absolutely nothing wrong. It’s intact, and the Empress is not reaching out to Kalea for help.” “Then how the f*ck do you explain her being hospitalized right now!?” Eddie shouted, his chest heaving. “Well, if you’d let me finish without bursting a blood vessel, I can tell you,” Lucifer offered smoothly, leaning back against the cold wall with an easy posture. “How?” Renee asked, stepping up and nervously positioning her body over Kalea to protect her. “I won’t hurt your child, dear Princess,” Lucifer said, his tone turning surprisingly serious and genuine. “She might be human, but she’s in my good graces. Hell owes her for what she did.” Eddie’s eyes narrowed, his defensive stance lowering only a fraction. “What can you do to help her?” he asked, heavy skepticism lacing every word. “Usually, I wouldn’t be able to do anything for you furry folk,” Lucifer shrugged aloofly, waving a casual hand through the air. “Rules of engagement, territorial boundaries, divine jurisdiction—all terribly boring bureaucracy. But given that Kalea is human now, it gives me the leeway to toggle over the line a little bit.” “What do you mean by toggle?” Renee asked, wary of the devil playing tricks on them. This was precisely why werewolves never associated themselves with deities of the human world; the old magic of the Moon Goddess had always kept them separate from earthly pantheons and infernal courts. But now that their worlds had crossed, it couldn’t be avoided. Lucifer let out a soft, amused hum as he paced to the foot of the bed with his hands tucked casually into his pockets. “Toggle, my dear Princess, means finding the gray area in the cosmic rulebook,” Lucifer explained smoothly, stopping to look down at Kalea’s face. “As long as she had a wolf, she fell strictly under the Moon Goddess’s domain. Infernal magic couldn't touch her without starting a sacred war. But as a human? She’s technically an open agent in the spiritual realm. Her soul no longer carries that divine lycanthrope protective aura.” “Spit it out, Lucifer!” Eddie shouted once more, growing impatient with Lucifer beating around the bush. “I can tell you why she’s sick and even heal her if you want me to,” Lucifer finally stated smoothly. Renee and Eddie looked at one another, completely baffled, before they turned back to the devil in unified outrage. “WHY DIDN’T YOU SAY THAT SOONER!?” they yelled in unison. “I just did,” Lucifer replied, a douchey grin spreading across his face. Eddie turned toward Renee, his muscles coiled tight, this close to shifting into his wolf and dispatching the devil—even though he knew the narcissistic deity couldn’t necessarily be killed. Deep inside his mind, Durango was practically clawing at his ribs, dying to sink his canines into Lucifer's throat and rip out his smug voice box. “Then perhaps you can please do that,” Renee breathed heavily, her chest heaving as she grew just as impatient with Lucifer’s insufferable theatrics as Eddie was. “Well, since you asked nicely,” Lucifer smiled, strolling over to the side of the bed. He made a grand show of rolling up his dark suit sleeves, raised his hands over Kalea’s sleeping form, and let a faint thread of dark, shimmering magic weave out from his fingertips to scan her spirit. “Well, this is interesting…” Lucifer muttered, leaning down closer as his crimson-tinted energy washed over her. “What? What is it? What’s wrong with my daughter?” Renee asked, step-for-step desperation lacing her voice as her eyes darted between Kalea and the devil. “She’s not sick. Her body shows no sign of any illness, except for this horrible rash all over her skin,” Lucifer commented, dramatic disgust flickering across his face as he shuddered. “She has the chickenpox. What else?” Eddie stated flatly, his jaw clenching. “Ah…” Lucifer noted, acknowledging the human virus she was fighting off, and continued tracing her specter. “Hmmm… This is very interesting…” He tilted his head, his dark eyes flashing with a sudden, sharp intensity. “What? What is it?” Eddie demanded, stepping right up to the edge of the mattress. “When did this happen?” Lucifer asked, completely ignoring their questions. “Sometime last night after you left,” Eddie replied instantly. “What were her symptoms?” “Chills, sweating profusely…” Eddie answered, his heart hammering against his ribs. “Did she seem lethargic?” “Very.” “Well, this is certainly a first for me…” Lucifer hummed softly, floating his hand back up toward his chest. “First for what?” Renee pleaded, her hand tightening around Kalea’s. “A spirit tried to possess her but failed.”