Darkness Chapter 42: News

**Vincent**

After luxuriating in a relaxing bath, we nestled into bed. I gazed at the woman who would soon be my wife and the mother of my child. She was an absolute goddess, and she belonged to me.

I moved closer to her, my hand gliding over her stomach as she placed hers on top. "We did it," I whispered.

"Who should we tell?" she inquired.

"I trust only Alec. I don't think we should involve Brandon," I replied.

She let out a sigh, a silent acknowledgment of the past relationship she had with Brandon before I claimed her as my own. "I understand. Can we start planning the wedding now?"

A mischievous grin spread across my face. It was my turn to surprise her. "Already taken care of," I revealed.

She sat up, her eyes fixed on me. "You have? Shouldn't I have been consulted, mister?"

I chuckled. "Don't worry, I simply asked Quinn if we could have the ceremony by the waterfall on his land."

A smile tugged at her lips. "Oh, I love that idea."

"I knew you would. Your eyes lit up when you first saw it. I thought it would be perfect," I explained.

"I don't know how quickly my pregnancy will progress. I'd like to have the wedding before I start showing," she admitted, biting her lip.

"Anything you desire, my love," I assured her, my heart overflowing with love and anticipation for our future together. 

We rise and approach Alec, who welcomes us with a warm smile. "Hey, guys. What's up?" he greets us.

"What I'm about to tell you stays between us," I assert.

Alec nods in agreement, "Of course, boss."

I struggle to contain my excitement as I reveal, "Nelly is pregnant."

Alec gasps in surprise, "Wait...how?"

Nelly shrugs, "We don't know."

I wrap a protective arm around her and turn to my best friend, "No one else knows. I don't want the other hordes to find out until we absolutely have to. I'm even considering taking her away when the time comes and returning after she gives birth. We can easily explain that we adopted a child from a Breeder."

Alec's face lights up with joy, "Congratulations, boss. I'm thrilled for both of you. How did you find out?"

"Quinn and his keen sense of smell," I chuckle.

Alec shakes his head in disbelief, "Damn wolves. What about Dylan?"

"Gone. And we're not handing over Tara either," Nelly reveals.

Alec nods in agreement, "Good. I had a bad feeling about that. The child will have a better life with us."

"Well, now that we are all in agreement, shall we share the good news with her?" I inquired. The others nodded in response. As we made our way to the cell where Tara was being held, Alec's expression darkened upon seeing her. It was evident that he had feelings for her, and her betrayal had deeply wounded him. She had deceived us all, but Nelly had suffered the most.

Tara, oblivious to the tension in the air, asked eagerly, "When do I get to go to my new home?"

"You're not going anywhere," I stated firmly.

Alec exchanged a glance with me before addressing Tara, "We are, to put it bluntly, keeping you here against your will."

Tara's hope flickered, only to be extinguished by Nelly's cold words, "Be grateful for what you have now."

Tara shook her head, "You won't harm me while I'm carrying a child."

Nelly's response was chilling, "You're correct, I won't. But once you have given birth, all bets are off." The intensity in Nelly's gaze sent shivers down my spine. If I didn't know her as well as I did, I would have feared for my immortality. 

Tara pleads, "Nelly, it was all Aaron's doing. He promised me that if I took you out, the war would finally come to an end. That's all I wanted."

Nelly strides up to the bars of Tara's cell, her eyes blazing with anger. "Do you truly think I am that naive? The words you spoke were fueled by jealousy. You were never my friend. It's clear from the way you betrayed me by stabbing me. That was your doing, not Aaron's. He desired me instead of you. It was all jealousy, pure jealousy. But now, it's all in the past, as your fate will soon be sealed."

Alec places a firm hand on Nelly's shoulder, his gaze piercing as he looks at Tara. "I was willing to give you a chance because boss and Nelly were destined for each other. But you have betrayed us all, so you will remain in this cell until you give birth. After that, we will determine your punishment."

I smile, grateful for the unwavering support of my best friend. I should have chosen him as my second instead of Victor, but would Nelly have been driven to kill as she had Victor? "I believe we will treat her the same way we dealt with Aaron."

Tara pleads desperately, "No, please, don't..."

Nelly kisses my cheek before she looks at Tara. “ You brought this on yourself. Honestly, that way will be better than what I have planned for you, so I suggest you take it.”

Tara’s demeanor shifts. She was always a jealous bitch. The nice and supportive friend was always the act. It is extremely apparent now. “You think you are better than me now that you are one of them. You aren't. You're still a bloodsucker’s slut!”

I snapped. No one dared to disrespect Nelly, especially her once so-called friend. I seized Tara by the throat through the cell bars and lifted her off the ground. Her hands desperately grasped mine as I squeezed tightly. "You will apologize to my wife!" I demanded. With a faint "Sorry," she gasped before I released her and whisked Nelly away, leaving Tara gasping for air as she struggled to yell after us.