Chapter 5

Sienna:

“Fucking hell.” I hissed, putting a hand on my stomach, and another contraction made me flinch.

My knuckles had turned white as I gripped the doorframe. My breath hitched with each passing second, but I knew that I couldn't skip work today. No matter how worn out I was, I needed to get there.

The last thing that I wanted was to end up being fired. However, today the kicks were relentless. Each one was harder than the other. My due date is just a few weeks away. I knew that this was something that I did not expect. I knew that the child was still finding its way inside of me. With all that I know, it was going to be a little too strong for me to deal with.

“Come on, baby, your mom needs to go to work.” I whispered as I grabbed my bag. It was just a small collection of essentials in case I needed anything. Each step today felt harder than the other, and heading towards the café seemed to be almost impossible. It was as if it were further than it had ever been.

I was just a few blocks away when another kick forced me to stop. My wolf stirred, her unease spreading through me. And then I saw him. His eyes landed on mine for a moment.

Damon Lockwood.

No…

My breath caught, and I froze mid-step. And when he took a step closer, my heart hammered against my rib cage, feeling like it was going to pop out.

He didn't recognize me at first. That was something that I was sure of. How could he, though? The woman that he knew was gone. My once radiant face was now pale and exhausted, with dark circles under my eyes from the sleepless nights of endless work.

But as my son hit his nostrils properly, as recognition dawned on his expression, the sharp pain in my abdomen returned, stronger than before, and my knees bucked. A cry escaped my lips before I could stop it. I looked down, and my heart dropped at the sight of red.

Blood…

“Sienna?” Damon’s voice cut through the haze, but I barely registered it.

“My baby…” I whispered, clutching my stomach as my vision blurred.

Strong arms caught me as I collapsed, and his scent. So familiar that it made my heart skip a beat for a moment. So familiar that it made my heart ache.

“Hold on, Sienna,” he murmured, his voice steadier than I expected. “Help is on the way. Just hold on. I just really need you to hold on…”

And suddenly everything around me went dark.

*********************************************

I woke up to the steady beep of the heart monitor, the sterile scent of the antiseptic filling the air.

My entire body ached, and it took a moment for me to process and digest everything that had happened before I ended up here. Wherever here was, at least.

Then it hit me.

“My baby?” I whispered before trying to sit up. My head felt heavy, and for a moment it was a fight for me to be able to do so.

“Stay down.” I blinked, processing the familiar voice that I had heard before I froze as my gaze landed on Damon. His eyes were fixed on me. It was as if he was studying my expression. It was as if he was trying to read me. Something that I did not expect from him.

He stood by the bed, his broad frame tense, his green eyes shadowed with an emotion I couldn’t place.

“Your baby is fine,” he said, his voice softening briefly. “You gave birth to a little girl.”

“A girl?” My voice cracked, tears welling in my eyes.

“She’s weak, but the doctors say she’ll recover,” Damon continued, his tone gentler now. For a moment, the hardness in his eyes melted. “She’s in the incubator room. She’s safe. You don't need to worry; she is safe.”

Relief washed over me, and for a second I thought I saw a hint of warmth in his eyes, but it quickly changed, replaced by the cold, distant man that I remembered. The man that had used me for his pleasure.

“How could you be so reckless, Sienna?” He snapped, his voice sharp once more. “Leaving the pack while pregnant? Were you trying to kill yourself?”

“I didn’t have a choice,” I said, my voice trembling. “I doubt that you would have cared anyway.”

“You didn’t have a choice?” he repeated, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “Do you have any idea how worried my parents were? How dangerous it was for you to be out there alone! You are a pack member; you couldn't just leave the way that you wanted to. I am the pack alpha, and yet you went ahead and crossed me.”

“I couldn’t stay!” I shot back, snapping at him. “I couldn't just stay and risk everything that I could have lost.”

“And why is that?” He demanded, his glare cutting through me. “Why the fuck couldn't you have stayed?”

“You know why,” I whispered, my voice breaking.

“You should’ve told me you were pregnant!” He growled, taking a step closer.

“And what would you have done, Damon?” I snapped, glaring at him. “Made me kill the baby to protect your precious reputation? That was not something that was going to allow you to do. I was not going to lose my baby because of you.”

He recoiled slightly, his jaw tightening. “I would never…”

“Don’t lie to me,” I interrupted, my voice shaking. “You’ve already done enough. You used me to satisfy your wolf, then discarded me like I meant nothing.”

“I didn’t know,” he said through gritted teeth, his anger flaring. “If I knew…”

“What?” I cut him off. “You would’ve cared? Taken responsibility? You don’t even believe me, do you? You would have let me get rid of it. I know for a fact that you would have.”

“What are you saying?” he asked, his voice softer now. “What do I have to do with the girl? Why the hell would I have made you get rid of her?”

“The baby is yours, Damon,” I said, my voice trembling. “She’s yours. A child of the bond you rejected.”

“That’s not possible…”

“It is,” I said firmly. “And you know it.”

Before he could respond, a sharp voice cut through the tension.

“What do you mean by a child of the mating bond?”

Both of us froze as Kael Lockwood stepped into the room, his commanding presence filling the space. Beside him stood Evelyn, her expression a mix of concern and confusion.

But it was Lysandra who stole my attention.

Her face contorted with fury as she stepped forward, pointing an accusatory finger at me.

“You cheated on me with her?” She spat, her voice trembling with rage. “This thing?”