Seven

Melinda’s POV

Behind me, the savage, guttural howling of rogues echoed through the trees, closing the distance with terrifying speed.

A sharp thorn tore at my skin, but I couldn't stop. With every frantic stride I took, bright red blood dripped onto the dead, fallen leaves. I looked back and saw them closing in fast.

I heard the sound of my own screams ripping through the trees and tried to run faster as the growls became louder.

The rogues were catching up. I could hear them crashing through the undergrowth hunting and enjoying it.

Tears blurred my vision and I wrapped my arms protectively around my stomach while running.

Please just let my babies survive.

A roar exploded behind me then I felt unbearable pain. Claws tore across my back and I screamed.

My body slammed into the ground and I saw a pool of blood. There was so much blood but I tried to crawl away; I had to protect my stomach.

I couldn’t lose consciousness.

Suddenly a massive, terrifying shadow rushed toward me out of the dark. I never saw the face, only the shape, then everything went dark.

"Ah!"

I woke up screaming, my eyes snapping open.

Bright, blinding sunlight flooded the unfamiliar room, stinging my eyes.

For a second, the light disoriented me, but the memories of the forest returned in a brutal flash.

Panic immediately took over my entire body. My breathing went shallow and ragged.

Ignoring the sharp pain shooting through my limbs, my hands flew straight to my stomach, pressing down against the white cotton blanket.

The sudden, frantic movement alerted someone sitting in the corner of the room.

A chair scraped loudly against the floorboards, and a middle-aged woman dressed in a clean nurse’s uniform hurried to my bedside, a relieved smile breaking across her face.

"Oh, thank goodness, you're awake," the nurse said, her voice soft and soothing.

She reached out, gently placing a hand on my trembling shoulder.

"Please, try to lie still. You've been through a horrific ordeal."

"Where..." My voice was dry, I tried to push myself up, but my muscles refused to cooperate.

"Where am I?"

"You are safe," she assured me quickly, adjusting the pillows behind my head.

"Our patrol warriors found you unconscious near the pack border. You were covered in wounds, bleeding heavily.

They brought you straight to the clinic. You’ve been asleep for two whole days."

I barely listened to her explanation. The pack border? Which pack?

There was one thought screaming in my mind,

My fingers dug into her sleeve. "My babies?" I whispered, my voice shaking so hard.

"Please. My babies?"

The nurse’s smile softened even more. She placed her warm hand over mine, squeezing it lightly.

"Two of the babies are alive and healthy,

Their heartbeats are strong and stable."

My face instantly crumpled.

The relief I should have felt was completely swallowed by a cold, paralyzing dread.

My hands froze on my stomach. Two of the babies, she had said.

I already knew what that meant.

My wolf let out a broken, mourning howl deep inside my soul, curling into a tight ball of misery.

"The third..." I choked out, a fresh wave of hot tears spilling

"What about the third baby?"

The nurse’s smile vanished completely.

She hesitated, her eyes dropping to the floor for a brief, agonizing second before she looked back up at me with profound sorrow.

"I am so sorry," she explained softly, her voice thick.

"We did everything we could.

But one of the babies... did not survive the trauma."

A shattering sob ripped through my throat. I turned my head away from her, burying my face into the stiff pillow as I began crying quietly.

I had miscarried one of my children. One of my babies was gone before I could even hold them, before I could know them, before I could hear their heartbeat.

I pressed a trembling hand against my mouth trying to stay quiet and not to fall apart but the tears wouldn't stop.

My shoulders shook violently.

"I'm so sorry." She said.

I laughed weakly through tears. Sorry never brought anyone back.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

"You must understand, Melinda," the nurse murmured gently, rubbing my arm to comfort me.

"Everyone in this clinic was completely surprised that any of them survived the attack.

The odds were heavily against you.

Between the severe rogue injuries, the massive blood loss, and the immense physical strain that had already been placed on your body before you even arrived... it is a true miracle that the twins survived."

She squeezed my hand one more time,

"The twins are completely stable now.

The danger to them has fully passed. You just need to rest and heal."

I knew she was trying to comfort me but I couldn't answer her.

The pain in my abdomen was nothing compared to the emptiness in my heart.

"I will inform the Alpha that you are finally awake," the nurse said quietly, stepping back from the bed.

"He has been waiting for an update."

Alpha? This wasn't Blackwood.

I knew that much. Everything looked different and the scent of this place was different.

The energy felt different.

The nurse noticed my confusion. "You can ask him questions later."

The door clicked shut behind her, and I carefully moved my trembling palm until it rested flat over my stomach.

The tears continued to slide down my face, soaking into the white sheets. I closed my eyes, and the image of Kael’s furious face standing over me flashed behind my eyelids.

I remembered his brutal command forcing me to my knees, draining my life force to save his mistress.

"If you hadn't hurt us..." I sobbed, gripping the blanket tightly

"If you had just believed me for one second... our baby would still be here."

He had protected a lie, and the cost of his protection was the life of our child.

For a long moment, I cried quietly.

Then the door opened.

I snapped my eyes open, not knowing what to expect.

A powerful stranger stepped into the room.

He was tall, with a dominant, suffocating alpha aura that instantly filled the air in the room.

His sharp, calculating eyes locked onto mine, sending a sudden shiver straight down my spine.