The baby

Talia's POV

I was numb. That’s the only way I could describe how I felt.

Madame Gloria, usually cold as ice was acting… different. She took me to my room without a word, laid a fresh blanket over me, and even brought me food. Strange, because the last time I saw her, she was ready to whip me into pieces.

But I had no appetite. How could I? I was about to lose a baby I’d only just found out I was carrying.

I don’t know how long I lay there, silent and broken, tears soaking into the thin pillow. Hours maybe.

Then came the creak of the door opening.

Madame Gloria stood there, arms crossed, her sharp eyes scanning me like I was a stray animal.

“You have to eat, or you and the baby will die of starvation,” she snapped, shoving a new plate toward me.

I scoffed and curled deeper under the blanket, voice heavy with bitter sarcasm. “Oh, you mean the baby that’s going to die anyway tomorrow? I’m sure you have better things to do, like torturing the other slaves.”

Normally, that would’ve earned me a hard smack across the back or worse. But she just stared, like I’d slapped her with words.

“I’m not letting you abort the baby,” she said, voice low but fierce. “You don’t get it, do you? The first child of an alpha cannot be aborted. You’re going to fucking lose your life if you try.”

I bolted upright, heart pounding. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“The alpha knows that the abortion will kill you,” Madame Gloria explained. “That way, he’s free of you. No mate bond. No consequences.”

My chest tightened, breaths coming faster. “But… I thought if an alpha gets rid of his mate or if she leaves, he loses his powers.”

Madame Gloria’s jaw clenched, her eyes closing as if she couldn’t bear my naivety. “Yes. But if you die ‘naturally’ or doing something ‘wrong,’ it doesn’t count. As long as he doesn’t do it with his own hands, he’s still intact. Doesn’t matter if he pushed you to it.”

I stared at her, the room spinning. Dylan knew this. He planned to get me pregnant! My mate. The man who was supposed to protect me was sending me to my death.

My stomach churned, bile rising up my throat. “Holy shit,” I whispered, pressing a hand to my mouth.

Madame Gloria moved quickly, her hands shaky as she yanked a bag out from behind her. The zipper jammed, and she cursed under her breath, tugging it free. When she opened it, I saw a flashlight, lots of bread, a pack of dried meat, a water flask, some cheese wrapped in cloth, and a small knife.

“You’re leaving tonight,” she said, her voice trembling but firm. “You have to.”

My legs wobbled as I stared down at the bag. “Leave? And do what? Turn rogue? Be hunted down?”

“You won’t,” she said, her tone biting. “There’s a map in there. It leads to the Silver Blade pack. They don’t care about your rank. You can work, earn a life. It’s better than here. Or would you rather die or be treated the way he treats you?”

My throat closed up. I shook my head, tears blurring my vision. “Why are you doing this? Why are you helping me?”

Madame Gloria swallowed, her shoulders sinking as she dropped to the floor in front of me. For a second, she looked… small. Broken. “Because I know what it’s like,” she said, voice cracking. “To be trapped. To have no one. I wish someone had done this for me.”

I bit down on my lip to keep it from quivering. I’d never seen her like this. Never. She was always mean, commanding, loud.

She sniffed hard, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. “I know I haven’t been kind, Talia, and this is all I can do to make up for my wrongs, I'm sixty three years old, my days left are no longer much. But you have to go. Now. For your baby, and for yourself.”

I scrambled off the bed, hands shaking as I shoved spoons of porridge into my mouth, washing it down with water.

Madame Gloria grabbed my wrist, her grip tight. “Listen to me,” she said, her eyes boring into mine. “Make sure you survive, no matter what!”

I nodded, barely able to trust my own voice. She stood up, took my hand, and we moved out of my room, and quietly down the dark hallway. When we reached the dead end, she dropped to her knees and began pulling stones loose, until it revealed a narrow tunnel.

“Keep going until you come out in the woods,” she whispered, her voice urgent. “Then you go straight. When you find the old well, you’re on the right path. After that, use the map. And whatever you do, don’t make a sound.”

I swallowed hard and slipped into the tunnel, my hands scraping against rough stone. I could feel the fresh wounds forming as my knee dragged over the rough tunnel floor.

After what felt like forever, I finally broke out on the other side. The woods stretched out, dark and still, and the cold bit into my skin.

I moved faster, trying to steady my shaking legs and avoid snapping branches.

Hours passed, and when I reached the old well, I dropped to my knees, and drank as much water from it as I could.

My legs were screaming from pain, my body begged me to stop, but I knew I couldn't stop, so I kept walking, my steps slowing from tiredness till I heard the snap of a branch to my right.

I froze, trying to hold my shaky breaths.

Another snap echoed through the woods, sharp and loud. My breath hitched. Was it a wild animal? A guard? Rogues?

I strained to listen, my heart pounding so loud in my chest it was beginning to hurt. Then, another crunch. The unmistakable sound of footsteps.

Panic shot through me and I bolted. Branches clawing at my arms, but I kept running.

The footsteps pounded behind me, getting closer, closing in. I pushed harder, forcing my legs to move faster, but it wasn’t enough. They were right there.

A hand grabbed the back of my dress and yanked. I screamed as I was thrown to the ground, I heard the snap of bone. My bone. The world spun, dirt filling my mouth as I tried to crawl away, but they were on me.

A fist crashed into my face, snapping my head back. Pain exploded behind my eyes, and my vision blurred. Hands clawed at me, ripping at my clothes, pinning me down.

“Think you can run, what's a little birdie doing out in the woods alone at midnight?” one of them sneered, his breath hot and sour against my ear.

The other man’s boot connected with the side of my stomach... once, twice, three times. The pain was blinding.

I choked on a sob, clutching my stomach as they kept kicking, over and over, each blow was more brutal than the last.

My baby. Oh God, my baby.

My vision swam, darkness creeping in at the edges. Warmth seeped between my thighs, thick and sticky, and I knew. I knew.

The world faded, and my last thought as the darkness swallowed me whole was of the tiny life I couldn’t protect.