Se connecterNolan’s POVEverything blurred together as I rushed Talia down the hall. I held her close while she struggled to breathe. Her body was stiff with pain. We burst into the hospital room. Hattie looked up, eyes wide. "She’s in labor!" she said.Hattie pressed a button for help and pointed at the bed. "Lay her down here, quick!" My hands shook as I set Talia down. Hattie checked her pulse and started getting things ready. She called out, "Dalila, go get Camilla and the others! We need everyone!"“Stay with me,” Talia pleaded while she reached for my hand.Hattie pushed me toward the door. "Stop. She needs me to stay," I said, trying to resist."No, you can’t stay here," she said. "If you’re here, it’ll distract her from giving birth and it could mess up the rebirth ritual. You have to wait." She looked at me seriously. "Trust us, okay?"I wanted to argue, to beg Dalila to let me stay, but the look in her eyes told me it was over. My heart hurt. I nodded, stepped back, and let the door clo
Talia’s POV“Elian,” I said, watching as Nolan fluffed the pillows, keeping me propped up in bed. “For the boy. I told Leslie weeks ago, and I haven’t changed my mind since.”“Elian’s good,” Nolan said, turning the name over in his mouth. “And the girl?”“Nyla,” I replied.He repeated the name softly to himself. “Nyla. Elian and Nyla.” He nodded slowly. “I like them both.”“Good, because I settled on them in a garden at Silverfang weeks ago, and I’ve been waiting for you to catch up.”I couldn’t reach Solon or Leslie through the link with my wolf removed, so I wrote them two long letters instead, and Hattie promised to send them out first thing in the morning. I told them the coven had found a way to help. I didn’t include the details. Some things shouldn’t go on paper.“You should go home,” I told Nolan while sealing the letters. “Bloodmoon can’t run by itself for two months.”“It doesn’t have to. I’ve already arranged it,” he said, looking entirely too pleased with himself. “Solon a
Talia’s POVI woke up on the ground with Nolan holding me."She's awake." He held my face in his hands, openly crying. "Camilla, she's awake. Talia, say something.""I'm here," I said hoarsely. "Stop yelling."He laughed shakily and hugged me tight.I couldn't even lift my head. This wasn't like the full moon, when the change left me shaky and worn out. This was quieter, but it hurt more. There was a hole in my mind where someone used to be."How bad is it?" Nolan asked."I can't feel my wolf at all.""Camilla?""That's normal," she said. "Let me check on her."She knelt next to me and reached for the green stone on my chest."Where did she get this stone?""Landon from Lonefur sent it," Nolan said. "Before we left Silverfang. He said it calms the mind and helps unborn pups stay safe.""He was right about what it does, but wrong about when she needs it," Camilla said as she took the chain from my neck and handed the stone to him. "Right now, her wolf has been separated from Talia to k
Talia’s POVThe next night Camilla led us to a clearing in the woods.The walk was long, at least two miles. Nolan carried me for the last mile because I was too tired to continue.There was barely any moonlight. The witches set candles around the clearing, lighting it up while the woods beyond stayed pitch black.'Are you sure about this?' Nolan asked me through our mate bond.'I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared, but I am more afraid of facing a future where I would have to choose my life over our pups,' I replied. 'I'll be with you every step of the way. You can squeeze my hand until it breaks. I don't care,' Nolan responded.Crickets chirped in the distance until the witches’ footsteps in the grass cut them off. Sometimes a breeze made the candles flicker and shadows move across the trees. Hattie and Dalila stood with the others in a circle.Camilla stopped Nolan at the edge. “You’ll stand here,” she told him. “Don’t take a step closer, and don’t interrupt, no matter what
Talia’s POVCamilla didn’t answer right away. She picked up one of the older books and turned it so we could see the page.“The Rebirth Ritual,” Camilla said quietly.“I’ve never heard of it,” I said, frowning at the page.“You wouldn’t have. It belongs to us, and we don’t talk about it outside these woods,” Camilla said, smoothing the page. “Listen. I’ll explain it once, then you can ask questions until you understand.”“Go on,” Nolan prompted.“Ten of my witches will take part of your wolf spirit and seal her away.” Camilla traced the page with her finger. The writing was cramped and old, the ink faded where hands had touched it for years. “You’ll carry the twins like you are now. When it’s time, you’ll give birth.”“And then she dies,” Nolan said flatly, his voice barely above a whisper.“Yes. That part does not change. It will be exactly as Leslie told you and exactly what Talia saw in her dream.”“Then what’s the point of the ritual?” I asked. My hands shook, but I tried to keep
Talia’s POVI slept until it was dark outside.Nolan woke me softly, speaking in a low voice. “We should go,” he said, gently moving a strand of hair from my face. I rubbed my eyes and followed him down a dim hallway to a room at the back of the house.A big table sat in the middle. Camilla, Dalila, and Hattie were sitting together, looking serious. Old books were piled up everywhere, some so worn out I thought they might fall apart if I touched them.Dalila looked up as we came in. “Finally awake?” she joked, but I could tell she was worried about me.“Let her have a minute,” Hattie said, sounding firm but kind. She slid a cup toward me. “Chamomile tea. You're going to need this for your nerves.""That sounds ominous," I yawned.Camilla didn’t look up from her book. “Sit down,” she said. “We need to talk, and we don’t have much time.”Nolan pulled out a chair for me, and I sat next to him. "They're hoping the books will tell us something new," he murmured."Leslie told me a great dea







