ONE NIGHT STAND WITH HOT DUKE-Chapter 201: Moorvex baby

Demian didn’t stop.

But his pace slowed slightly.

Just enough for Vedseel to catch up.

Outside the castle, the night wind blew sharply, carrying the scent of snow.

The horses were already being prepared by confused guards who watched their lord ready himself for departure in the middle of the night.

Demian mounted his horse without much word.

Vedseel was still grumbling as he climbed onto his own.

"You didn’t even ask one thing."

Demian pulled on the reins.

"What."

Vedseel looked at him.

"What if we arrive there... and she truly doesn’t want to come back?"

The night wind swept across the castle courtyard.

Demian looked toward the north.

Toward a direction invisible in the darkness of the night.

Then he said quietly,

"I’m not going there to ask."

The horse stepped forward.

The first step of a long journey.

Toward the woman who had been gone for months.

Toward the child he had never seen.

Toward Valerie.

The small room finally returned to quiet.

Only moments ago, it had been filled with the sound of ragged breathing, hurried commands from the witches, and cries of pain so intense the wooden walls themselves seemed to tremble.

Now everything slowly settled.

Only the soft crackling of the fire in the stove and Valerie’s heavy breathing remained.

Valerie lay weakly on the simple bed. Her hair, damp with sweat, clung to her cheeks and neck. Her body felt empty, as if every ounce of strength had truly been drained from her.

Giving birth was already difficult for ordinary women.

But giving birth to Morvex blood... was something entirely different.

Her chest still rose and fell quickly when she finally opened her eyes.

"Valerie...?"

Lena’s voice came softly from beside her.

The older woman still stood near the bed, her face pale but also filled with relief.

"Can you still hear me?"

Valerie tried to speak, but her voice came out only as a hoarse whisper.

"The... baby..."

Lena fell silent for a moment.

Then she slowly turned toward the small table in the corner of the room.

That was where the other witches stood gathered around something, their expressions difficult to describe.

Shock.

Disbelief.

And a hint of... awe.

Ethan was the first to step half a pace back.

"This... is insane," he murmured quietly.

On top of a thick blanket folded into a small nest... something moved.

Not a normal human baby.

Its body was small smaller even than most human newborns. Its entire body was covered in soft, jet-black fur that glimmered faintly under the firelight.

Its ears were small and pointed.

Its tiny nose twitched, as if trying to recognize the world for the first time.

And its eyes even though still half-closed were a strange silver-gray that looked oddly familiar.

The baby made a small sound.

Not a human cry.

More like the soft whimper of a wolf cub.

Lena finally let out a long breath.

"Spirits above..."

She stared at the tiny creature in amazement.

"A Morvex baby really is... a wolf baby."

One of the older witches behind her nodded slowly.

"So the old legends were not lying."

Ethan still stood frozen in place, both hands on his hips, staring at the baby as if he had just witnessed something that shattered the logic of the world.

He stepped closer.

Then stopped again.

"So...," he said slowly, almost unable to believe his own words.

He pointed toward the small black-furred baby.

"This... is Morvex?"

The tiny baby moved again.

Its little legs kicked softly against the blanket, and it let out a faint sound that was almost like a baby growl.

Lena let out a short laugh, still half in disbelief.

"Yes."

She carefully lifted the baby.

The small creature was very warm.

Its body was light, yet somehow strong in a strange way.

"This is Morvex."

She walked back toward the bed.

Valerie still looked extremely pale, but her eyes were open now.

And when Lena approached... Valerie froze.

For several seconds she simply stared.

Truly stared.

The small black-furred baby shifted slightly in Lena’s arms, its tiny nose sniffing the air.

As if it knew.

As if it recognized something.

Lena sat on the edge of the bed.

"Valerie..."

Her voice was much gentler now.

"Look."

Slowly she lowered the small baby into Valerie’s arms.

For a moment Valerie did not even dare to move.

Her hands trembled when she finally touched the soft fur.

Warm.

Alive.

Real.

The small baby immediately became more active, crawling slightly against her chest while making a strange little sound that somehow sounded like... contentment.

Tears immediately filled Valerie’s eyes.

"He... he’s alive..."

Her voice was barely audible.

The small baby lifted its head slightly.

Its faint gray eyes looked up at Valerie’s face.

And for the first time... it made a small sound that almost sounded like a call.

Lena watched the scene with held breath.

Ethan scratched the back of his head slowly, still not fully recovered from the shock.

"I knew the Morvex family was strange," he muttered.

"But I really didn’t expect... strange to this level."

Lena shot him a sharp look.

"Be quiet."

But even she couldn’t hide the small smile on her face.

In Valerie’s arms, the little baby finally began to calm down.

The tiny black-furred body curled against her chest, like a wolf cub that had just found its den.

And for the first time since months of running and hiding...

Valerie felt something inside her chest finally become whole again.

She looked at the baby for a long time.

Then she whispered softly,

"My child..."

The fire in the stove still burned softly.

Its light reflected against the dark wooden walls, casting long shadows that shifted slowly with the gentle dance of the flames. Outside the small window, the night stretched in silence. Snow fell lightly, covering the small village in a deep, quiet stillness.

On the bed, Valerie was still leaning weakly against several thick pillows.

Her body felt light and hollow after the long struggle that had nearly taken her life. But against her chest now, something warm was curled peacefully.

The small black-furred baby.

A child of Morvex blood.

His tiny body moved gently with each breath he took. Occasionally his small ears twitched, and his little nose sniffed the air like a wolf cub just beginning to learn the scent of the world.

Valerie stared at him without blinking.

As if the moment she looked away, everything would vanish like a dream.

Lena stood beside the bed, folding the clean cloths that were no longer needed. Every so often she glanced at the baby, her expression still caught somewhere between amazement and disbelief.

At last she let out a small breath.

"Valerie."

The young woman looked up.

Lena raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Have you prepared a name for him?"

Valerie fell silent.

Several seconds passed before she slowly shook her head.

"Not yet."