Chapter 6: The Empty Cradle

A scream filled the room. It tore from Ayla’s throat, raw and painful. Bright light burned her eyes.

Hands held her down. Soft hands. Strange voices floated around her like waves.

“Push, Your Majesty! Push, just once more!”

“The head! I see the head!”

“Breathe, my Queen. You must breathe.”

Ayla’s mind was not here. It was far away. She saw the cliff. She felt the fall. She saw Caius’s cold, hateful eyes.

Then pain came again. A tearing. A burning. Then release.

But something was wrong.

The room was too quiet.

No baby cried.

Ayla gasped and fell back against the pillows. Sweat covered her body. Her heart beat fast, like a bird trapped in a cage.

She turned her head. The women in white stood close together. They were not smiling. They whispered. One shook her head.

An older woman stepped forward. She had a kind face, but her eyes were red. She wiped Ayla’s forehead with a cool cloth.

“I am so sorry, my Queen,” she whispered. Her voice cracked. “So sorry.”

Ayla’s lips moved. Her voice was rough, like stones grinding. “The… baby?”

The kind woman—Eren—shook her head slowly. A tear rolled down her cheek.

“He was too early,” she said. “The fever… he was too weak. He did not breathe.”

Ayla blinked. The words did not fit. They were just sounds.

Then they struck.

He did not breathe.

Her baby. Caius’s wolf pup was gone. And now this child—this baby—was gone too.

A low sound broke from her. Not a scream. A moan. Deep, broken. From her soul.

Another woman in white came closer. In her arms was a small bundle, too still.

“Would you like to hold him, Your Majesty?”

Ayla’s eyes widened. She shook her head wildly. “No! Take it away! Get it away from me!” Her hands pushed at the air.

The woman looked shocked but bowed her head. “Yes, Queen Liliana.” She hurried out, the silent bundle in her arms.

The name hit Ayla like a stone. Queen Liliana.

Eren sat at the edge of the bed. She reached for Ayla’s hand. Ayla pulled back.

“Where am I?” Ayla whispered.

“You are in your chambers, Your Majesty,” Eren said softly. “In the Sun Palace. You are safe.”

Ayla turned her head. The room was huge. Pale stone walls. A wide window. And outside, two suns in the sky. She blinked, sure she was dreaming.

The bed was soft. The sheets smooth. A fire crackled in a great fireplace. The air smelled of herbs and smoke.

This was no dream. The pain was too real.

“Why do you call me that?” she asked. Her voice was weak. “Queen?”

Eren’s eyes softened. “Because that is who you are. You are our Dragon Queen. The last of your bloodline. Do you not remember?”

“Dragon… Queen?” Ayla whispered. The words felt strange, hollow.

Eren gave a nervous smile. “Yes. Our Dragon Queen.”

Ayla stared at her. “Are you… also a dragon?”

Eren’s eyes grew wide. “No, Majesty! We are wolves. All of us. Only you… only you are dragon.”

She leaned closer, whispering. “The Moon Goddess herself gave you to our King. She made you his mate. It is the greatest honor.”

Ayla shook her head. Her thoughts spun. Nothing made sense.

Eren bit her lip. “The fever has touched 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 entered. His eyes were sharp, but tired. He did not look at Ayla’s face. He looked at her arms, her chest.

“The body is strong. It will heal,” he said to Eren. “The mind… we will see. The King must be told.”

At the word King, Ayla felt cold fear.

“The King… he is my husband?” she asked.

The man finally looked at her. His look was not kind. “Yes. King Thorne. Your husband. He is away. A messenger rides to him now. He will be… very disappointed.”

Without another word, the man left.

Eren poured water and helped Ayla sit up. Her body ached. Her heart ached more.

As she drank, warmth spread through her chest. Not from the fire. From inside. Wild. Strange. Old.

“The King…” Ayla 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?” Ayla pushed. She heard the lie. something didn't sound right.

Eren looked down. Her voice was low. “He wanted the child very much. An heir to join both thrones. He… he wanted you to be strong. For the kingdom.”

Ayla closed her eyes. She understood. The King did not want a wife. He wanted a soldier. He wanted a son.

And she and the Liliana had failed him.

She lay back. But sleep would not come. She had lost two babies, what in the world was happening, what was going on?.

Her chest tightened. She was Queen in a palace of gold. Yet she felt like Ayla the omega again. Weak. Unwanted. A failure.

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

Why am I here? Why in this strange place?

She opened her eyes. Eren sat by the fire, her face in her hands, weeping softly.

Ayla looked down at her own hands. They looked softer. Longer. Not like her rough omega hands.

The warmth came again, flowing into her arms. A tingling under her skin. She stared at her wrist.

For a second, she saw it. A faint shimmer. Tiny, shining scales. Then it was gone.

The heat faded, leaving only emptiness.

She was not a queen. She was a tomb. Twice now—life had died inside her.

A single tear slid down her cheek. It burned like fire.

The room was silent. The fire cracked.

She was alive. That was her only victory.

But it felt like the emptiest victory in the world.