006: DEFORMED HEIR

~Elara~

A suffocating silence settles over the hall at Corvin’s revelation. The world slows to a stop around me. My eyes shoot wide open, fixed on the doctor as he strides towards the panel the elders are seated on to drop some sheets in front of them.

The elders pick each sheet, scanning through it, their expressions mirroring each other with every second that passes. Whatever they see on the papers render them dumbstruck.

“What did you just say?” I let go of Anna’s limp body and rise to my feet, taking slow, dazed steps towards him. “Corvin, what did you–”

“I told you the Luna this earlier,” Corvin cuts in, ignoring me completely. “We ran tests on her pup twice, and they both came back with the same results. The child she’s carrying is defective.” he pauses, as if waiting for his words to land and give shock value. “She should have relayed the news to the Alpha. I have no idea why she kept this from him.”

“Brief us about this development, Corvin,” Elder Fenris orders the doctor. The latter nods and proceeds to do as he says.

“The child’s growth patterns are irregular, unstable,... flawed. It’s a case for the textbooks, one I haven't seen before. I fear that if this child is allowed to come to term, a danger may be unleashed on this pack.” He looks at Kael, who hasn’t said a word since the bombshell was dropped. “I was going to tell you about this when I had the opportunity, but since Luna's reputation is being questioned, I thought this will help you make a clear judgement.”

Angry murmurs erupt from the elders. “Heir or not, this is a mistake…”

“She should be exiled…”

“How much more misfortune can befall her?”

“This is what happens when a human is made Luna.”

Kael lifts a hand. Silence falls immediately. Weak, I sink to the floor, gazing down at my stomach. 

Will I really lose my child? Corvin told me that more tests had to be run earlier, why has he come to the conclusion that my child mustn't be brought to term now?

“Elara should be exiled, Kael,” Elder Fenris implores. “We have no reason to keep her here  when she’s not useful to the pack at all.”

“No one will touch her.” Kael’s voice is cold and laced with finality. “No one lays a hand on her or the child till I say otherwise.”

My breath catches in my throat. For a moment, relief washes through me. But it’s hollow. Kael doesn’t say he believes me. He doesn’t acknowledge my innocence. He doesn’t even bother to look at me.

“Take her back to her quarters,” he instructs the guard.

“Alpha Kael!” Theron snarls, stomping towards my husband. “What do you think you’re doing? That woman not only tried to kill my daughter, she also concealed important information about something that can affect the welfare of the pack. Do you really intend to protect her?”

Kael’s eyes darken. “If she is to answer for anything, it will be under my judgement, not yours.”

Elder Fenris frowns in disapproval. Theron looks like he wants to send his fists into the wall, but he doesn’t react. Kael turns back to the guard. “Escort the Luna back to her room.”

Without giving me a chance to regroup, the guard stalks towards me and hoists me up. With his fingers digging into my arms, he drags me out of the hall. Outside the building, a crowd has gathered, stationed to mock me and celebrate the fall of the Luna they never wanted.

“Human filth,” someone spits. A pebble hits my face. I flinch, staggering. A second guard joins to hold me in place, handling me with all the disrespect that he can muster. My hands shield my stomach instinctively. Just then, I feel my baby kick, as if he can sense my pain.

How is such a healthy and active baby unfit to be an heir? How is he a danger to the pack? He hasn’t even been born yet. 

We reach the room, and the first thing I notice is how different the atmosphere is. Two guards are stationed at the entrance. They don’t acknowledge me. They just stare straight ahead as I am forced into the room.

The place has been ransacked. The bed is bare. My clothes are tossed carelessly into a pile in a corner. The place feels less like a bedroom and more like a cell. I lower myself on a chair by the window, keeping my head bowed.

“It seems you’ll have to starve, Luna,” one of the guards sneers. “Lady Helen doesn’t think you should get a bite till the Beta’s daughter is back to safety.”

My throat clogs. If I am denied food, it will have an adverse effect on my baby. I stand to my feet, my hand placed on my waist to secure my balance. After being dragged through town, I am way too exhausted to stand properly. “Kael told you to lock me up, not starve me.”

The guard smirks, looking down at me with his eyes full of disdain. “The alpha doesn’t need to. He won’t go against his mother’s wishes.” His gaze drops down to my bump. “Don’t try to use the imbecile you’re carrying as an excuse either. It won’t be brought to term anyway.”

I flinch. The other guard laughs maniacally,  his frame cracking.

“You have no right to treat me this way,” I snap, my voice trembling. “You’ll pay for treating me this way.” 

The guard leans down towards me, a sinister smirk lining his face. “I see you still don’’t understand the gravity of the situation, Elara,” he taunts. “You have no influence in this pack anymore. No one will care if we choose to kill you here and now.”

Determined to prove his point, he grabs my arms. His partner acts quickly, together, they bundle me to a chair and press me against it. I writhe against them, trying to break free from their hold. 

“Speak to us like that again,” he warns. “and see what happens.”

“Stop!” I whimper. “Please, I'm pregnant.”

“Our pack is at risk because of you,” the guard yells to my face. “The moment you tried to kill the Beta’s daughter, you lost all privileges.”

They shove me down into the chair and force my limbs to the side, binding them with ropes. a string of cloth is forced into my mouth, pulling at the corners of my lips till tears sting my eyes. I shake my head violently, trying to reason with them, to make them understand, but the guards ignore me.

A sharp pain tears through my abdomen. I freeze from the intensity, my eyes going wide. The guards step back. Wiping their arms.

“Let her stay like this,” one of them says. “At least, she’s not dead. Yet.”

Another contraction slices through me. I scream into the gag, but the sound is muffled, and in that moment, I realise that I’ll lose my baby if I do nothing. The guards stalk out of the room, slamming the door behind them. Bolts fall into place.

Liquid flows down my leg. Blood, warm and dangerous. I try to get the ropes off my hand, but it doesn’t budge. My breathing turns ragged.

I have to do something.

The phone. There’s a phone hidden beneath the nightstand.

I tip the chair forward, slowly making my way towards it. I don’t know how long it takes. The pain increases, getting worse with each movement I make. But I finally get to the nightstand and struggle to open it. The drawer falls open, the device falls to my lap, just as another contraction hits. Pressure builds up in my stomach. It’s way too much for me to bear. With trembling fingers, I unlock the phone and click on Kael’s contact, my fingers hovering over the keyboard.

>Please, Kael. I type. I’m bleeding. Please don’t let me lose our child.

I hit send. Relief washes through me for a heartbeat.

But it’s quickly replaced by darkness. Tied to the chair, I clutter to the floor, letting the darkness take over me.