Chapter 6: The Empty Cradle

I screamed. The sound was loud and hurt my throat. A bright light burned my eyes.

Hands held me down. They were soft hands. I heard voices. They sounded like water.

"Push, Your Majesty! Push, one more time!"

"The head! I see the head!"

"Breathe, my Queen. You must breathe."

But my mind was not here. It was far away. I saw the cliff. I felt myself fall. I saw Caius's eyes. They were cold and full of hate.

Then the pain came again. It was a tearing feeling. A burning. Then it stopped.

But something was wrong.

The room was too quiet.

No baby cried.

I fell back on the pillows. I was covered in sweat. My heart beat very fast.

I turned my head. The women in white stood close. They were not happy. They whispered. One woman shook her head.

An older woman came to me. She had a kind face, but her eyes were red. She wiped my head with a cool cloth.

"I am so sorry, my Queen," she whispered. Her voice broke. "So sorry."

My lips moved. My voice was rough. "The... baby?"

The kind woman—her name was Eren—shook her head slowly. A tear fell down her face.

"He came too early," she said. "The fever... he was too weak. He did not breathe."

I blinked. The words did not make sense. They were just noise.

Then I understood.

He did not breathe.

My baby. Caius's wolf pup was gone. And now this child,this baby, was gone too.

A low sound came from me. It was not a scream. It was a moan. It came from deep inside me.

Another woman came closer. She held a small bundle. It was very still.

"Would you like to hold him, Your Majesty?"

My eyes got big. I shook my head hard. "No! Take it away! Get it away from me!" I pushed my hands at the air.

The woman looked surprised. She bowed her head. "Yes, Queen Liliana." She walked out fast with the silent bundle.

The name hit me hard. Queen Liliana.

Eren sat on the bed. She reached for my hand. I pulled my hand back.

"Where am I?" I whispered.

"You are in your room, Your Majesty," Eren said softly. "In the Sun Palace. You are safe."

I turned my head. The room was very big. The walls were pale stone. There was a big window. Outside, I saw two suns in the sky. I blinked. I thought I was dreaming.

The bed was soft. The sheets were smooth. A fire burned in a big fireplace. The air smelled of plants and smoke.

This was no dream. The pain was too real.

"Why do you call me that?" I asked. My voice was weak. "Queen?"

Eren's eyes were soft. "Because that is who you are. You are our Dragon Queen. The last of your family. Do you not remember?"

"Dragon... Queen?" I whispered. The words felt strange.

Eren gave a nervous smile. "Yes. Our Dragon Queen."

I stared at her. "Are you... also a dragon?"

Eren's eyes got wide. "No, Majesty! We are wolves. All of us. Only you... only you are dragon."

She moved closer, whispering. "The Moon Goddess herself gave you to our King. She made you his mate. It is a great honor."

I shook my head. My thoughts were spinning. Nothing made sense.

Eren bit her lip. "The fever has hurt your mind. You do not remember. Oh, what shall we do? What shall we tell the King?"

The door opened. A man with a gray beard came in. His eyes were sharp, but tired. He did not look at my face. He looked at my arms and my chest.

"The body is strong. It will get better," he said to Eren. "The mind... we will see. The Alpha must be told."

When he said King, I felt cold fear.

"The Alpha... he is my husband?" I asked.

The man finally looked at me. His look was not kind. "Looks like something is wrong with your head and yes, Alpha Thorne. Your husband. He is away. A man rides to tell him now. He will be... very unhappy."

He did not say another word. He left.

Eren poured water and helped me sit up. My body hurt. My heart hurt more.

As I drank, I felt warmth in my chest. Not from the fire. It came from inside me. It felt wild. Strange. Old.

"The Alpha.." I said slowly. "What is he like?"

Eren gave a nervous smile. "He is... a strong king. A ruler of strong wolves and this pack."

"But?" I asked. I heard the lie. Something did not sound right.

Eren looked down. Her voice was low. "He wanted the child very much. A son to rule after him. He... he wanted you to be strong. For the pack."

I closed my eyes. I understood. The King did not want a wife. He wanted a soldier. He wanted a son.

And I had failed him.

I lay back. But I could not sleep. I had lost two babies. What was happening? What was going on?

My chest felt tight. I was a Queen in a palace of gold. But I felt like Ayla the omega again. Weak. Not wanted. A failure.

My mind whispered. Caius pushed me. I fell. I should be dead.

Why am I here? Why in this strange place?

I opened my eyes. Eren sat by the fire. Her face was in her hands. She cried softly.

I looked down at my own hands. They looked softer. Longer. Not like my rough omega hands.

The warmth came again. It flowed into my arms. A tingling under my skin. I stared at my wrist.

For one second, I saw it. A faint shine. Tiny, shining scales. Then it was gone.

The heat went away. It left only emptiness.

I was not a queen. I was a tomb. Two times now, life had died inside me.

A single tear fell down my cheek. It burned like fire.

The room was silent. The fire cracked.

I was alive. That was my only win.

But it felt like the emptiest win in the world.