Reclaimed By My Alpha (Natalia and Andrei) novel Chapter 343

Chapter 343

Natalia’s POV

I wiped my eyes and leaned forward, grinning at the tiny shape on the screen.

Our baby. It was hardly even the side of a peach yet, just a lump on the screen, but it represented everything Andrei and I had been fighting for, everything we were trying to protect. In that moment, staring at that small, perfect form, I felt such an overwhelming surge of love and protectiveness that it nearly knocked the breath out of me.

And then, suddenly, I felt something… strange. I gasped and slipped my hand into my pocket, feeling the ruby- encrusted knife that I’d slipped there before heading down to training this morning.

It was warm, and when I pulled it out, the rubies were pulsing with light.

I held it up. “Look! See? I told you!”

The healer looked between us with confusion, but Andrei’s eyes widened as he saw what I’d seen.

“Holy shit,” Andrei breathed, taking the knife from me. Strangely, the moment it left my hands, the light died out–indicating that it hadn’t just been a trick of the light. The rubies looked duller now, void of the pulsing glimmer from within.

Relief flooded through me as I realized the implications. So perhaps I wasn’t going insane after all. It was real, which meant… What did it mean?

The book had mentioned that the weapons could be channeled, used beyond the typical properties of a normal

weapon.

But faint warmth and glowing… I wasn’t sure how useful something like that could possibly be. Pretty, perhaps, but useful?

The healer was staring at us both by now like we’d lost our minds, so Andrei and I put the knife away and tabled the discussion for now, focusing on our child.

After a thorough check–up, the healer confirmed that the pregnancy was progressing just fine. I was perfectly healthy, and while Andrei’s worries were kind and sweet, he didn’t need to bar me from training or exercise–in fact, exercise was encouraged.

A little while later, we made our way down to the village to pick up my resized ring. I hadn’t gotten around to picking it up yet, and now that I’d learned more about the rubies, I wanted to return his book—and show him the knife.

The metalsmith’s shop was exactly as I remembered it–cluttered with tools and half–finished projects, the air thick with the smell of hot metal and coal. The metalsmith emerged from the back room as we entered, wiping his blackened hands on his leather apron.

“Ah, Luna,” he said with a smile. “Perfect timing. Your ring is ready.”

He disappeared behind the counter for a moment, then returned with a small velvet box. I opened it eagerly, revealing my engagement ring–the band now perfectly sized to fit my finger.

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Chapter 343

+25 Bonus

“It’s beautiful,” I said, slipping it on. The fit was perfect, snug but not too tight that it was uncomfortable,” Thank you.”

“My pleasure,” the metalsmith replied. “It’s on the house, by the way. Consider it a wedding gift.”

“You’re too kind.” I grinned and plopped the book on the counter. “I’m returning this to you, by the way. And… I have something else to show you.”

I pulled the knife from my pocket and set it on the counter between us. The metalsmith gasped and picked it up right away, holding it up to the light.

“This is exquisite!” he beamed. “The metalwork is unlike anything I’ve seen before; it must have been made by a master of the craft. And these rubies…” He glanced at me. “Are they what I think they are?”

Taking a deep breath, I explained everything to him. The metalsmith listened intently the entire time, eyes widening further and further as I spoke. When I was finished, he seemed completely speechless for a long

moment.

Finally, he murmured, “Extraordinary… These rubies must be authentic, if everything that you’re telling me is true. And it must be bonded to you, Luna.”

“Bonded?” Andrei asked.

The metalsmith nodded and gingerly handed me back the knife, careful not to cut himself on the blade. His trained eye could see how sharp it was without cutting himself, unlike what I had done the other day.

“Allegedly, the rubies have a strange ability to… bond with their users. Once bonded, the ruby would respond to its owner’s will, their emotions, their intent. In the right hands, a blade like this could be devastatingly effective in battle.”

“How do you know if it’s bonded to someone?” I asked. “And how does it come about?”

“Well,” the metalsmith said, “some sources claim that the rubies are part demonic, and thus sentient–that they choose their wielders.”

“Demonic?” My throat bobbed at the thought.

“The mountain goes so deep that some claim the rubies were forged from the heat of the Hells themselves. Personally, I think it’s a chemical reaction–tell me, Luna, did you happen to get any…” He cleared his throat, cheeks flushing faintly, and it had nothing to do with the heat of the shop. “Bodily fluids on the rubies?”

I blinked, confused. But suddenly, I recalled that I had cut my finger, then gripped the hilt of the knife the other day. “I may have bled on them,” I responded.

The metalsmith’s face lit up. “Then it must be…” He looked equal parts fascinated and uncertain, but he was smiling. “Luna, you should continue to test it. The texts claim that, once bonded, the wielder can control the ruby without physical contact. Command it to strike, to defend, to move as an extension of their own body… Whatever it is that they desire.”

“Whatever they desire?” Andrei asked.

“Well, limited to whatever purpose the ruby was intended for,” the metalsmith clarified. “In this case, since these were set into the hilt of a knife, their powers would remain connected to the knife. But they could be used

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Chapter 343

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