"So let me get this straight." A flicker of uncertainty crossed Cigam's face, mixed with a growing curiosity that made him tilt his head ever so slightly. "You're from a family of wizards, and both you and your sister got to keep your full powers after the competition. But then a couple of days ago she started to feel unwell, and now it turns out she's about to give birth to her werewolf boyfriend's baby."

Justin nodded, "yep…"

Cigam shifted his weight from foot to foot, restless, caught between confusion and fascination. "And now she can't use her wizard powers because of being in labour, and this is why she turned into a werewolf, because she technically has wolf powers inside of her?" Justin nodded again and Cigam's eyes widened in bewilderment, "interesting. hybrid pregnancies can be tricky."

Justin scoffed, "tell me about it… But anyway sir, please tell me more about you."

Cigam's focus seemed to drift as he scanned the room, the lack of enthusiasm was palpable in his voice. "I'd rather hear more about you, what's your name again son?"

"Justin, Justin Russo."

Cigam snapped his head towards Justin as his eyes transformed into slits, sharp and cold, as if every glance was a silent judgment. The corners of his mouth curled downward, his lips pressed tightly together in a thin, taut line. A subtle sneer twisted his face, and his nostrils flared, like the very air around him was offensive.

"Russo?" He growled, the tension in his jaw was visible, as though he was battling to hold back words he knew would sting. "As in the boy who took on Crumbs' role as Headmaster of Wiz Tech?" Every muscle in his expression seemed to scream distaste, and his gaze was hard and unwavering. It was a look that spoke volumes of deep contempt, or more likely, it was a look of deep hate.

"I'm guessing that's why you both have kept your full powers then," he shook his head, "but leaving your sister alone and vulnerable in the woods? You're supposed to be one of the most powerful wizards of this time, I'm sure you could have handled this situation?"

A sharp, protective edge crept into Justin's voice, "I didn't do that, I'd never do that! She used the I.P.P from the hospital to travel here, we've come to take her back!"

Justin jolted as Cigam gave a bellowing laugh, "you WizTech professors are all the same! Nothing is ever your fault, and you just expect everyone to bow down and respect you. All you care about is making yourselves look good, and all you do is worry about your image. Not the safety of the students or the residents of the Wizard World!"

"That's not true!" Argued Justin, "I can't speak for all of the past headmasters, but I do care about my students, and other residents of the wizard world, just please. If you know how to help my sister, please help. You know better than anyone about Hybrids, there is no one else who can help like you can!"

A puff of smoke dispersed next to Justin, he barely had time to register the shift in the air before Cigam appeared right beside him, his presence sudden and unnerving. He stood uncomfortably close, close enough that Justin could smell the sour, unwashed scent clinging to him—sweat and dirt. His eyes, sharp and calculating, never left Justin's face, sizing him up with a look that felt more like an accusation than mere curiosity. His posture was tense, almost predatory, as if he was waiting for Justin to make a wrong move. Justin instinctively took a half-step back, but Cigam mirrored it, closing the distance even more.

There was no warmth in his presence, "I don't want to like you kid." He hissed, sending saliva droplets on to Justin's face, "but you seem like you genuinely care. Not like those other Professors…"

"Of course I care, I take my job seriously. I want to help and make a difference. But right now, my priority is Alex."

Cigam shuffled back, "I like that," he nodded, "you seem genuine. I like that. So, you're a family man then?"

Justin shrugged his shoulders, "She's my little sister. Besides, us Russo's stick together."

"I respect that Professor." His gaze softened, eyes warm with acknowledgment and his posture shifted slightly, more open, as if subconsciously giving a small nod to convey the recognition. A genuine smile tugged at the corners of his lips, subtle but sincere. "Maybe you're not like the others."

Cigam spun on his heels and returned to Alex and Mason, "so wolfy, little miss here will have to drink a potion. It'll help settle her wizard powers, along with healing her body and preventing any more werewolf transformations."

"But the doctor at the hospital has given us a potion to give her which already does that. So, will she really need to take your potion?"

"Your question should be, does she really need to take the potion given by the doctor? Listen son, wouldn't you prefer your girlfriend receives help from an expert, rather than someone who is just trying to get by with basic information?"

"Point taken…" Mason held the jar to Alex's lips, the pungent smell invading her nostrils.

Alex hesitated for a moment, with a grimace, she tipped her head back as she was fed the potion in one quick gulp, immediately regretting it. The taste hit her like a punch—sharp, sour, and nauseating. Clinging to her tongue and throat with a thick, choking bitterness. Alex's stomach lurched, and she gagged, "it's disgusting!" She cried nearly spitting it out.

"I know Alex, but please love just take it, it'll help you and the baby." Mason held the bottle near her mouth again, "please?" He begged. Alex nodded and once again began to drink the potion.

The liquid felt as though it were crawling down her insides, leaving a bitter trail of aftertaste that lingered far too long. Her face twisted in disgust, eyes watering, but she clenched her jaw, desperately trying not to let the overwhelming revulsion show. When the jar emptied, Alex collapsed back down on to the bed. She clawed at the sheets, grimacing at the pain racing through her body.

"There, now give it a moment and your body will be eased of this pain," Cigam declared. "The only pain you'll get now is the contractions." He smiled faintly as he took the jar back from Mason.

After a brief moment a magical wave of light flowed over Alex, and the pain slowly began to ebb away. It was like a breath of fresh air as her tense body loosened, the tightness in her muscles releasing in increments. A deep, involuntary sigh escaped her lips, the kind that comes when a heavy burden is finally lifted. The sharp, relentless ache that had been clouding her mind and body faded into a dull throb, then to nothing at all. For a moment, Alex simply lay still, allowing the peace to settle in, feeling the rush of comfort spread over her like warmth after a long, bitter chill. Her shoulders relaxed, and her chest filled with a deep breath of gratitude, as the relief flowed through her. Slowly she sat up, a smile gradually inching over her face.

"How are you feeling love?" Mason asked nervously.

"Better. Much better!" A sparkle of awe was apparent in her demeanour. Mason kissed Alex on the forehead and pulled her into his arms.

Glancing down, Alex noticed a red stain seeping through the sleeve of Mason's shirt. It was subtle at first—just a darkened patch near his shoulder—but as she looked closer, the crimson spread. She blinked, her gaze fixed on the growing stain.

"Mason..." she started, her voice a mix of concern and disbelief. "You're bleeding."

He peered down, as if the notion hadn't quite settled in his mind, and then gave a small shrug. The look on his face was detached, almost amused. "Oh, that?" He said casually, "it's nothing. Just a scratch."

Alex raised an eyebrow, watching Mason as he casually wiped at the blood on his sleeve with the back of his hand, as if it were an afterthought. His nonchalance was almost comical, and a small, disbelieving laugh escaped her before she could stop it.

"Now don't forget," began the Professor just as Alex's body stiffened.

Her face contorted in pain as the pressure inside her intensified. A low, strained groan escaped Alex's lips, her eyes squeezing shut in a desperate attempt to ride out the wave.

"The potion doesn't stop the contractions," Cigam finished, chuckling lightly to himself.

The contraction felt like it was consuming her, she leaned into the pain, trying to breathe through it, her chest rising and falling rapidly. She squeezed Mason's hand even tighter, her eyes pleading to him for relief. "I'd rather be a wolf again," she panted.

"That's it love, use your breathing. In and out…" Mason immediately mirrored her, his own breathing becoming deep and steady.

He remained beside Alex, watching her closely, and began to inhale slowly through his nose, then exhale just as deliberately, matching the rhythm she needed. His hand remained tightly clasped around hers, offering silent support.

When the tension in her body grew, Justin gently joined in and encouraged her, his voice soft but firm, "In through the nose, out through the mouth Alex, you're doing amazing! You've got this, okay? Just—just breathe like we practiced."

Alex threw him an incredulous look," We did not practice breathing! You tried to lecture me on not telling anyone that my powers stopped working, not… how to deal with labour pains!"

Alex gave a tired whimper as she took another weak, shaking breath. Mason carried on repeating the exercises, trying to synchronize their breathing, offering a calming presence with each deep, controlled breath. His focus never wavered, his eyes never leaving her, as if he could take some of the pain away by simply sharing the moment with her.

"You're doing great love, just keep breathing!"

"I swear, whoever says that next is getting hexed into next week…"

Juliet looked to Cigam, "Is it safe to take her to the Wizard World hospital now?"

"Very soon. We just need to give some time for the werewolf powers to completely stabilise before she leaves. We don't want to risk another transformation just yet." He took a seat on a nearby stool, "so, where'd you both meet?"

Mason blinked, taken aback, a brief look of confusion flashed across his face. "Uh, I transferred to her high school, and we were in the same class…"

Cigam rotated his body to turn to Justin, and he furrowed his brows, creating a slight crease on his forehead, "so, where you guys from?"

"New York."

Cigam rotated back to Mason, "you're telling me out of all the high schools in New York, you went to one were there just happened to be a family of wizards?"

"Apparently yes!" Mason gave a faint, almost nervous laugh before he continued to speak, "but I wouldn't change it for the world." He held Alex tighter, providing her with another soft kiss on her head.

A warm smile pulled at the corners of Justin's lips, growing wider with each passing second. His eyes shimmered with unshed tears, "that's so sweet…" He pressed a hand to his chest as if trying to steady the beating of his heart, the joy almost too much to contain.

Cigam watched Justin in disgust, his face twisting into a tight, repulsed expression, eyes narrowing with visible disdain. "Professor please," he chastised, "you need to remain strong!"

Justin gave a soft, breathy laugh, "strong? Professor, you may be from a generation where men had to hide their emotions, but knowing my sister is loved and that she is happy is more important to me than that. And I, for one, am not ashamed to show that I'm happy for her!"

"Son, she's pregnant. I think it's clear that she's been 'loved…'"

Justin's lips curled into a faint sneer, and he instinctively recoiled before shaking his head, "So, what happened?" He asked the Professor, "why aren't you working in the Wizard World anymore?"

"Well, the Love and Romance Council used to be very strict on magical relationships. For instance, wizards could only be with wizards, goblins could only be with goblins and so on. But of course, that law was often broken. So, I would work with couples of different species when they were expecting, help the mother through her pregnancy and gather information, I'd even help deliver the child. But as time passed the council eased their rules on magical relationships and Crumbs saw no use for me anymore."

"What? That's crazy!" Justin exclaimed.

"I know, I told him if anything the rate of hybrid births would increase now. But unfortunately, Crumbs was adamant that the information I had gathered in the past was enough, and now more professionals would be able to use it and build on to it."

"I argued with him, I told him that observing the pregnancy and birth was only one part of the process, and that the children needed to be monitored as they grew. With this, we could understand what may occur during their lives, and warn other children with the same background. He disagreed and dismissed me. I told him it was unfair, I told him I could go to the wizard council and explain to them the importance of my job. But instead, he said he had a more important job for me, studying and working with the Chupacabra's here in this forest."

A barely audible scoff escaped his lips, "what a joke. There was a theory at the time that they were the spawn of vampire and werewolves. I spent years researching it, hoping that it would help get me my job back, but it turns out that it was all just an excuse for me to leave. That theory turned out to be a load of troll bougers, and for some reason I can use my magic, but I cannot get back in to the wizard world. I've been trapped here ever since..."

Justin's jaw dropped, "Crumbs put a spell lock on you?"

"Heavens knows why! Apart of me thinks it's because at the time hybrid children were still a taboo subject, and if Crumbs admitted he only had one guy working on it, it would have made him look bad. Still, he could have handled the situation a lot differently. It's a shame, I mean, we were pretty good friends before all of this. I could have helped. That's probably why people are still reading my book because no other professional could gain as much information as me. I worked years for that, and he thinks some peppy WizTech graduates can do better!"

"Well considering I came all the way to Costa Rica just to find some help, Crumbs definitely should have kept you on!" Alex groaned, her contraction gradually fading away.

"But wait, didn't you know Crumbs was here?" Justin asked Cigam, his voice a mix of surprise and mild confusion.

A nervous chuckle escaped him, and he shook his head, "why would I? I haven't spoken to him in over two-hundred years, I'm not going to know anything as minuscule as when he's taking a vacation."

Alex gave an exasperated huff, "Can we just go to the hospital now?" Her voice sharp and urgent. "I'm done waiting. I just want this over with."

Mason blinked, taken aback by the sudden intensity in her voice. "Are you sure? I mean, you've only just taken the potion. What if—"

"I'm sure," she interrupted, her eyes locking with his. "I can't just sit here, it's driving me crazy! I need to get to the hospital and get this done. Besides, if anything goes wrong with the potion, it's not like there'll be no one there to help me."

Mason stood still for a moment, his expression softening as he looked over to Justin, "what do you think?"

Justin glanced over at Cigam, who displayed a stern expression on his face as he stared out the window, the curtains drawn just enough to see depth of the forest around them. The tension in the room was palpable, "Hey, uh, Professor," Justin said, his voice tentative, almost apologetic. "Do you think it's... okay if we take Alex to the hospital now? I mean, she kind of has a point. It's not like we'll be on our own…"

Cigam didn't immediately respond. He reached up, tugging the curtain back slightly, his sharp gaze scanning the outside with practiced precision. Justin's nerves flared at the silence, He wasn't sure why, but the weight of Cigam's gaze made him feel even more unsure of himself.

Cigam's voice, when it finally came, was low and steady, "You have a point. I guess, yes, yes, it is okay for you all to go. But unfortunately, you cannot leave just yet." The Professor returned to the window, peeking cautiously through the velvet drapes.

"Why not?"

Cigam didn't answer immediately, but the slight shift in his stance suggested he was weighing something in his mind. "Because I need your help with something first. I need you to help me get rid of those…"

Justin approached the cracked window, his breath fogging up the glass as he peered out into the thick, damp air of the forest. He spotted shapes moving in the shadows, Chupacabras, their glowing eyes barely visible through the haze, circling the old shack like silent predators. Justin's hands trembled as he clutched the edges of the windowpane, and stared as he watched the Chupacabras circling the shack with unnerving patience. Their glowing eyes blinking in the dark, scanning, waiting.