CALLIS’S POV◇◇◇◇◆◇◇◇◇The fight wasn’t over. I knew that. Every fiber of me screamed that the war outside those walls was gathering moment by moment—Council soldiers pressing forward, Rivenborn wolves ready to strike. But my fight, right then, was there, in that small chamber, fighting a battle of blood and magic for Emmeline’s life.I hurried back to the table where I stored my herbs, my kit already half-dismantled from what I’d used moments ago. Bark root, silverleaf, dried moon petal—all laid out like a surgeon’s instruments. I rummaged for what I needed, crafting a stronger infusion of silverleaf, mixing it with ground bone ash. My fingers trembled, but I forced myself to be methodical. Emmeline’s life depended on it.A soldier’s shout echoed in the hallway: “They’re almost here!”My heart stuttered, but I didn’t break stride. I tightened the jar of silverleaf paste, slid it into my pocket, and gathered the bark root wrapped in cloth. I tucked the lozenge of moon petal balm into
DARIUS□■□■□■“Emmeline?”I heard my own voice echo through the chamber, hollow and frantic. A sliver of emptiness cracked inside me the moment I felt her slacken, her eyes opening and closing weaklingly. It was like someone yanked the warmth out of my chest.“Are you okay? Emmeline?” I barely whispered her name, my heart pounding so loud I was sure she could hear it somewhere inside the thick silence. Her hand was still in mine, but suddenly it went limp. Like... gone. Like she’d been snatched away.I caught the flicker in her eyes — that slow roll back, the way her lids fluttered like curtains shutting for good.“Callis—” I gasped, panic stabbing me. “Callis!”Callis was already scrambling, pulling out the things we had gathered— bark root, silverleaf— the old medicine, the only hope we had to stop the bleeding and fight the fever.“Callis!” I shouted desperately again, panic shredding my composure.Before I could take another breath, Callis was beside me, eyes sharp, hands moving w
CALLIS’S POV¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤Time seemed to stretch and contract in the birthing chamber, each second pulsing with the wild energy of life about to burst forth. The air felt thick, almost electric, as if every molecule were charged with anticipation. My heart hammered in my chest, and I moved with the urgency that only someone who has watched another flay themselves open from the inside can know.“Push, Emmeline,” I said, my voice firm even though my own pulse thundered in my ears. I leaned over her, pressing a cool cloth to her forehead, hoping it would help steady her in this moment of desperation. She was weak—so goddamn weak—her arms shaking, sweat slicking her skin. Two days’ worth of labor had drained her, but she refused to quit.She clenched her teeth, her body arching against the sheets as a contraction squeezed her ribs tight. Her eyes fluttered, and I caught a glimpse of fear mixed with determination. I shoved aside any thought that she might not make it. Not now. Not after ev
EMMELINE◆◆◆◇◆◆◆Time didn’t exist anymore. Or maybe I just stopped keeping track. Everything around me—light, sound, even the pain—blurred into one endless scream inside my head. I could feel it. The child, restless and wild, pushing hard against my ribs like it wanted to break free. Like it was tearing me apart from the inside out.I opened my mouth and a sharp, raw cry ripped through the silence. I had been in this hell for two damn days—two fucking days of labor that wouldn’t quit, and my body was crumbling, piece by piece. My breath hitched, sweat soaked my skin, and I wanted to scream until I lost my voice.Moments stretching into hours, breaths crowding each other, sounds smearing into a single, horrific symphony. The room glowed in dim torchlight, but none of it made sense anymore. The only reality I clung to was the agony coursing through my body, a wildfire in my veins.I felt the baby shift high under my ribs, claws scraping the inside of me, restless and wild. The sensatio
CALLIS’S POV◆◆◆◆◇◆◆◆◆Blood. Fucking everywhere. It was like a red river flooding the room. My heart slammed so hard I thought it would burst out of my chest. But there was no time for panic—not now. Not when Emmeline was fighting for her life.“Get me the towels!” I shouted at the midwives, my voice sharper than I wanted, but it had to be. One of the midwives stumbled over, hands shaking as she passed them to me. The other hovered by the herbs, completely frozen. Useless.“More towels! More damn towels!”They scrambled, panic flashing in their eyes, but no one dared stop.Emmeline lay there, pale as death, shaking like a leaf in a storm, her body wracked by waves of pain. She was pushing with everything she had, but the blood was flowing too freely, too fast. This wasn’t normal. Babies don’t come this way. Not this soon, not with this kind of violence.She let out a low moan, barely conscious, her face pale, lips dry. Her eyes fluttered. I could see it—she was dying."No. No, no, no
EMMELINE□□■■□□■□■The pain was worse now.It rolled through me like crashing waves, harder each time, giving no room to breathe before the next one slammed into me. My whole body shook with it, trembling from the inside out. My legs were soaked in sweat, and even though the room was dim and cool, I felt like I was burning from the inside.The walls felt like they were closing in.And outside, I heard them.Howling. Low, ancient, wild. Wolves.I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. Just another ragged gasp as the pain pulled me under again.Callis was by my side in an instant, her hand pressing a cold cloth to my forehead. "They’re still here," she whispered, her voice steady even though I was falling apart. "They haven’t left. They’re forming a circle around the estate. It’s an old rite. One for protection."I tried to nod, but the pain cut me off. My back arched, hands clenching the sheets like they were the only thing anchoring me.And then I said it. The thing I hadn't let mysel