The storm outside Iceland raged like a warning, winds howling and snow lashing against the windows of Lyria's small cabin. Inside, Lyria gritted her teeth, sweat and pain mingling as the moment she had feared and dreamed of arrived the birth of her twins.
Two cries pierced the cold night, and Lyria collapsed back against her aunt's steady hands, overwhelmed with exhaustion and wonder. One boy, one girl. The boy's hair was black as midnight, eyes golden like molten sunlight a spark of Kael in him. The girl had Lyria's amber eyes, bright, inquisitive, fierce even in her first breath.
She named them Eiran and Lyraen. Eiran, the boy, strong and protective even as a newborn. Lyraen, the girl, sharp and curious, her mind already calculating, observing, soaking in every detail of the world around her.
Even in their infancy, the twins displayed intelligence beyond their years. Eiran recognized shapes and sounds almost instinctively, his gaze tracking movement as if he understood the unseen. Lyraen reached for objects with a precision and speed that startled even Lyria, her wolf instincts flaring in pride.
Lyria held them close, rocking them gently, whispering promises she hoped she could keep. "You are the hope of our worlds, my loves. You are strong, smart, and unbreakable. One day, you will bring everything together, and I will be with you when that day comes."
The twins' presence pulsed in her blood like a beacon. Even far away, Kael would sense them she could feel it in her soul. Their bond was already forming, a molten connection that would bind the wolf and vampire worlds in ways neither she nor Kael could imagine.
Eiran yawned, golden eyes blinking, curiosity already evident as he studied his surroundings. Lyraen reached out for a strand of Lyria's hair, tugging gently, her amber eyes sparkling with intelligence and mischief. Lyria laughed softly, tears spilling down her cheeks.
"They are more than just our children," she whispered to her aunt, voice trembling. "They are the key. The hope. And they are… perfect."
Outside the storm continued, but inside, a new world had begun one where the highblood twins held the future in their hands, and one day, their father would see them, and nothing could ever be the same.