ELARA'S POV The baby won't stop crying. She's been at it for three hours now and I'm going crazy.I keep walking around the room with her. Back and forth, back and forth. My arms hurt so bad from holding her but every time I try to put her down she screams even louder. "Please stop," I beg her. "I don't know what you want."She just cries harder. Her little face is all red and wet with tears. Mine probably looks the same way.I tried feeding her. Changed her diaper twice. Sang every song I know. Nothing works. She just keeps crying like something terrible is about to happen.Maybe something is.The sky outside looks wrong. Dark clouds everywhere and they're moving too fast. The wind is loud and scary. Every time lightning flashes the baby gets worse.She started crying right when Kael left this morning. Right when these weird clouds showed up. That can't be a coincidence.I walk to the window with her. The trees are bending like they might break. More lightning but no thunder. Just
KAEL'S POV Elara weighs nothing in my arms, but she feels like eike eerything.She passed out right after we left the cabin. The power she used to destroy those shadow things drained her completely. Her skin is pale as moonlight. Her breathing is too shallow."Is she going to be okay?" I ask Lyandra for the tenth time."She will recover. But using that much divine energy... it's dangerous for someone not fully awakened.""Divine energy?""The marks on her skin. They're not just symbols. They're conduits. Channels for the Moon Goddess's power."We're walking through the forest. I don't know where we're going. Lyandra just keeps leading us deeper into the darkness."How much farther?" Ronan asks. He's been quiet since we left. Too quiet."Not far. There's a sanctuary ahead. Warded ground. The shadow walkers cannot follow us there.""And then what?"Lyandra doesn't answer.I adjust my grip on Elara. She stirs a little but doesn't wake up. The baby kicks against my arm. Strong little fig
ELARA'S POV I wake up to silence.That's the first thing that scares me. It's too quiet. No night birds. No rustling leaves. Even the wind has stopped.Kael and Ronan are both asleep beside me. They look peaceful. I don't want to wake them over nothing.But this doesn't feel like nothing.I put my hand on my belly. The baby is restless. He's been moving more and more the past few days. Like he's trying to get out early.*Soon,* the voices whisper. *Very soon.*"Not yet," I whisper back. "I'm not ready."*Ready or not, they come.*"Who comes?"But the voices go quiet. They always do when I ask direct questions.I get up to use the bathroom. My back aches. My feet are swollen. I'm so tired of being pregnant.When I come back, both men are awake."You okay?" Kael asks."Fine. Just—"That's when we hear it.A sound like nothing I've ever heard before. Not quite a howl. Not quite a scream. Something in between that makes my bones hurt.Kael and Ronan are on their feet immediately."What w
RONAN'S POV Something's not right about that Moon Guard woman.I can't stop thinking about the way she looked at Elara. Not like she wanted to help. Like she wanted to own her.Kael trusts too easily. He always has. It's going to get us all killed one day.That's why I'm sneaking through the forest at two in the morning. That's why I'm following Lyandra's scent trail away from our cabin.I find her by the old stone circle. She's not alone. There are three other people with her. All wearing those white robes. All giving off that creepy ancient vibe.I hide behind a tree and listen."The mother grows stronger," one of them says. A woman with short black hair. "The marks are spreading.""Good," Lyandra replies. "It means the child is almost ready.""And the fathers?""The Alpha is devoted but foolish. He will do whatever it takes to protect her. The other one..." She pauses. "He's more suspicious. We'll need to handle him carefully."They're talking about me. About Kael."What if they r
ELARA'S POV Something's wrong with my skin.I notice it first thing in the morning. New marks on my arms. They look like the symbols we saw burned into the trees. Dark lines that twist and spiral up from my wrists to my elbows.They don't hurt. That's the weird part. They should hurt, right? But they just feel warm. Like someone drew them on with heated ink."Kael," I whisper. He's still sleeping next to me. His arm is wrapped around my very pregnant belly."Mmm?" He opens one eye. Then both eyes when he sees my face. "What's wrong?"I show him my arms.He sits up so fast he nearly falls out of bed. "Holy shit. When did this happen?""I don't know. They weren't there last night."He takes my arm gently. Traces the marks with his finger. His touch makes them glow a little brighter."Do they hurt?""No. They feel... warm. Almost nice."His jaw tightens. "This isn't normal, Elara.""Yeah, I figured that out."But even as I say it, I hear them. The voices. Clearer than they've ever been.
KAEL'S POV I knew this was coming. The moment Lyandra looked at me with those cold eyes, I knew she would test me."You claim to guard the child," she says. Her voice cuts through the morning air like a blade. "But claims mean nothing without proof."Elara stands behind me. She holds our baby close to her chest. I can smell her fear. It makes my wolf angry."What do you want?" I ask.Lyandra smiles. It's not a nice smile. "The Trial of Blood. Prove your right to guard what is sacred."My pack brothers step back. Even they know what this means. The Trial of Blood is old. Older than any of us. It tests more than strength. It tests your soul."Kael, no." Elara's voice is soft but scared. "You don't have to do this."I turn to her. My mate. My everything. "Yes, I do."Because I do. This woman with the silver hair and ancient power, she won't stop until I prove myself. And if I don't, she'll take Elara and the baby away from me.I won't let that happen."Fine," I tell Lyandra. "Let's do t