56 : Little Pup

VERENA

The sterile room hums with tension that I feel in my bones. Each contraction feels like an organ tearing at my insides, the pain stealing my breath. My frantic gasps fill the air, which is vibrating with the murmurs of the medical staff around me.

It has been seven months since I learned about my true identity and started living in the Moonlight pack. My dad has been extremely caring towards me and has left no stone unturned to make sure I am healthy while my belly grows. A part of me still can’t believe that I am the lost princess of the Moonlight pack. It feels like a dream, or a scene straight out of a movie.

That’s why it's scary. Whenever good things happen, I fear that they’ll all be taken away from me. That fear has taken form in my mind at this moment in the operating room.

A young nurse, barely past her twenties, holds my hand, her grip surprisingly firm. “Okay, Miss Verena. We need you to stay calm for the baby.”

I squeeze her hand back, finding a sliver of comfort in