False Alarm

The pain hit again, sharper this time, like a knife twisting low in my belly. I doubled over on the bed, clutching Vesperian’s arm hard enough to leave marks.

“Eli!” His voice cracked with something I’d never heard in it before, real fear.

The messenger was still standing just inside the door, pale and shifting nervously. “Prince Kieran has issued the formal Challenge, Your Majesty. He claims the throne on grounds of your... unnatural weakness. He says the Omega and the cursed child must be destroyed before they bring ruin to all Lycans.”

Another stab of pain made me gasp. The child thrashed violently inside me, like it was trying to fight the threat itself. “It hurts…fuck, it really hurts…”

Vesperian roared at the messenger, “Get the healer! Now!” Then he was on the bed with me, pulling me carefully into his arms, one big hand splayed protectively over my rounded belly. “Breathe, little Omega. I’ve got you. Just breathe through it.”

I leaned into his chest, sweat already beading on my forehead. “What if something’s wrong with him? What if Kieran’s threat is already…”

“Shh.” Vesperian’s hand stroked firm circles over the swell, his other arm wrapped around my shoulders like he could shield me from the whole world. “Nothing is going to happen to either of you. I won’t allow it.”

The door burst open minutes later. Asterin rushed in with two assistants, carrying his bag of instruments and potions. “Move aside, Your Majesty. Let me examine him.”

Vesperian didn’t move far. He stayed right there, kneeling beside me on the bed, one hand never leaving my belly. The child kept kicking hard, reacting to every shift in Vesperian’s tension. I could feel it through the bond, the king’s fear, his rage at Kieran, his fierce determination. It was feeding straight into the baby.

Asterin pressed glowing fingers to my stomach, murmuring spells under his breath. His brow furrowed in concentration. “The child is very active. Extremely responsive to your emotional state, Your Majesty.”

I winced as another cramp rolled through me. “Is he okay? Tell me he’s okay.”

Vesperian’s hand tightened on my belly. “Answer him, healer.”

Asterin worked in silence for another long minute, then finally sat back with a relieved sigh. “It’s a false alarm. The child is reacting powerfully to the king’s tension and the sudden stress through the soul bond. The movement is strong because he’s trying to protect you both in his own way. But I must warn you, this kind of episode is dangerous. Further stress could trigger early labor. You need calm, Omega. Absolute calm.”

I let out a shaky breath, tears slipping down my cheeks. “He’s really alright?”

“Yes.” Asterin packed his things quickly. “But the pregnancy is accelerating faster than normal because of the combined magics. Rest. Avoid anything that spikes your heart rate or the king’s.”

Vesperian nodded once, but I felt the storm still raging inside him through the bond. When the healer left, he pulled me closer, curling his bigger body protectively around mine. His hand stayed on my belly, thumb stroking slow and gentle now.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured against my hair. “I should have shielded you from the news better. Kieran won’t get near you. I’ll crush this challenge before it even begins. I swear it, Eli. I will protect both of you with everything I have.”

I turned in his arms, pressing my face into his neck. The bond wrapped around us like warm chains. For a moment, his words felt like safety. Like love. But then I reached deeper along the soul resonance, searching.

His strength was fading faster now. The draining, amplified by the pregnancy, was taking more than I’d realized. Even as he held me, even as he made those fierce promises, I could feel the subtle drain in his vitality. He was weaker than he had been even a week ago.

His protective words suddenly felt like the most beautiful lie I’d ever heard.

I clung to him tighter anyway, letting the child settle between us with a final, softer kick. “Promise me you won’t let Kieran take him,” I whispered, voice breaking. “No matter what.”

Vesperian kissed my temple, his voice rough with exhaustion he was trying to hide. “I promise. You’re both mine. No one takes what’s mine.”

I closed my eyes, tears soaking into his skin.

He was already weakening. The man who swore to protect us was crumbling under the very power I kept stealing from him. And the worst part was how desperately I still wanted to believe every word.

The Challenge was coming. Kieran was coming. And I wasn’t sure any of us would survive what was about to break open.