Chapter 252: Small Chip

I don’t know if it was because I had once drifted between life and death, but the grandmaster’s words still sat on my chest like a heavy stone. Even when I told myself Lewis was safe, dread kept crawling back.

Every little thing he did felt louder in my head. Every look, every pause, every breath.

Lewis caught me staring and gave me a tired smile, like he already understood the mess in my mind.

“Elena,” he said softly, “how could I not want you to carry our child?”

His hand lifted and patted my head, slow and careful, the way an Alpha calms someone whose instincts won’t settle.

“But you said it yourself,” he continued. “We still don’t fully understand what happened to our pack… or what happened to the Morrigans. And with how you’re feeling right now… having a child wouldn’t be the best choice, right?”

I studied his face like I was trying to read truth in the shape of him. His features were calm, perfect, almost unreal.

And slowly… my lungs remembered how to breathe.

I swallowed. “I’m sorry, Lewis. I shouldn’t have said that. Too much has happened. I’ve been scared, and I’ve been acting like everything is an attack.”

He smiled again. Small. Warm. “I understand.”

I leaned my head to his chest and listened to that steady heartbeat. It grounded me more than any speech ever could.

“We’ll have children in the future,” I whispered. “I promise.”

“Of course,” he murmured.

He lowered himself carefully, lifted me as if I weighed nothing, and placed me on the bed like I was something precious. Then he climbed in beside me, not crowding me, just staying close.

“Don’t worry too much,” he said. “I’ll stay right here.”

But the moment my eyes closed, my mind started running again.

I clutched his waist like letting go would make the fear swallow me. “Lewis… every time I close my eyes, my thoughts spin. The Morrigans. The Hales. All of it. I can’t stop.”

“With the evidence we have,” he said, “there’s no point torturing yourself.”

I lifted my head. “So what do you think they’ll do next? Even though we moved out, it feels like they’re everywhere. Like shadows. Vicky went into surgery and somehow they planted a bomb inside her body. You checked the hospital. You checked everything. But if their people are still inside places like that… then we’re never safe.”

“No,” Lewis said, firm.

I blinked. “No? What do you mean, no?”

His face stayed stern. “The exam results came back. The chip wasn’t placed during surgery.”

The words hit me hard. My mind snapped into place.

“You’re saying…” My voice lowered. “Vicky had that chip inside her long before.”

Lewis nodded once. “And that chip doesn’t only explode. It can do other things.”

My thoughts jumped to that sabotaged brooch. To the way Camilla always had people with skills that didn’t look normal on the surface. Quiet tech. Quiet control.

Lewis’s voice went colder. “That chip controls their lives. They don’t get to disobey. Even if they don’t choose to die, someone can push a button and end them. Or twist them. Or silence them.”

My fist tightened until my nails dug into my palm. “How can people be that heartless?”

He looked at me. “This isn’t necessarily bad news for us.”

I frowned, confused. “How?”

“Silas’s body is still with Captain Tucker’s team,” Lewis said. “If he has the same kind of chip, it could reveal something useful. A model. A signal. A pattern.”

A chill slid down my spine. “What if they find out we discovered it? What if they activate the chip in Silas’s body too?”

Lewis didn’t flinch. “Don’t worry. After Vicky’s incident, I called Captain Tucker and updated him. And the other side doesn’t want the chip exposed. If they did, they would’ve triggered it the moment Silas was captured.”

I exhaled shakily. “You’re right. Today felt like… like the last scream of someone who knows they’re cornered.”

Lewis’s gaze stayed sharp. “Exactly.”

I nodded slowly. “Whatever profit that underground group made… it’s gone now. They’ll be furious. But with more secrets exposed, and even Camilla exposed, they’ll pause. If they move now, they risk losing everything. So for now… we’re in the safest position we’ve had in a long time.”

He was saying it to comfort me. I could tell.

And I loved him for trying.

But my frustration still leaked out. “Then why does my body feel like this? It’s been two months since my last period. Even if I’m not pregnant, something is wrong.”

“It’s a small issue,” he said, gently. “We’ll see an experienced doctor. Someone who understands the body and the bond. We’ll get you balanced again. Don’t worry.”

He kissed the top of my head. His breath warmed my hair, softened the tightness in my chest. My racing thoughts slowed, like a storm losing wind.

I fell asleep against him.

I didn’t know Lewis stayed awake.

I didn’t know his eyes kept moving over my face, again and again, like he was memorizing me. Like he was holding onto something he was afraid to lose.

The next morning, Snowville looked like it couldn’t decide what mood it wanted.

Dark winter clouds rolled across the sky, but the yard had melted clean. Red plum blossoms hung on the branches like tiny flames. A bird landed, a petal caught in its beak, wings spread under a brief slice of golden sun.

That soft, quiet beauty eased something in me. My gloom loosened.

Lewis had already left.

He got a call early—Captain Tucker’s people had confirmed a chip was found in Silas’s body, and they had removed it successfully.

If that chip could track where orders came from… if it could carry a signature… then maybe we finally had a thread to pull.

I ate breakfast with shaking hands, then slipped out and bought a few pregnancy test packs from a nearby store. My hood was up, my face turned down, like the world could read my fear if I looked up.

In the car on the way back, my thoughts fought each other.

Part of me whispered that it was a bad time. Too much danger. Too much blood in the air.

But another part of me—quiet, deep, instinctive—wanted something living. Something warm. Something that belonged to us.

Not just revenge.

Not just survival.

A future.

I found myself wondering stupid things I shouldn’t be wondering right now.

Would it be a boy or a girl?

Would they have my eyes or Lewis’s?

Would they be calm like him… or sharp like me?

When you love someone, you start craving a bond that can’t be broken by lies or bullets or secrets. Something that ties you together in a way the world can’t easily steal.

My hands trembled as I stepped into the bathroom.

I followed the instructions. Then I set the test down and stared at my phone like the clock was mocking me. Minutes felt like hours.

I wanted to look.

I didn’t want to look.

My chest tightened, breath shallow, ears straining as if I could hear Lewis’s footsteps even though he wasn’t home.

When the time finally came, I stood there, frozen in place, heart racing so hard it felt like it was punching my ribs from the inside.

I forced myself to reach for the test.

And I looked.

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