SECRETS IN THE MEDICAL BAY

Elaris’s POV

It pained my eyes the blinding light of the medical bay that illuminated me as I regained consciousness, the taste of copper remaining in my mouth.

I could not remember where I was for several seconds.

Everything then flooded back to me.

The courtyard.

Averic’s arms embracing me.

His lips kissing mine.

The darkness.

I tried to move but was suddenly pained in every part of my body.

I automatically reached for my abdomen.

There was something unusual about it.

It did not hurt me.

It just felt weirdly warm.

I frowned.

“Where am I?”

“You are in the medical bay.”

It was Sela who answered me.

I turned to her.

She seemed unusually grave.

“What happened?”

“You fainted.”

I swallowed.

“After…”

My face became hot even in my weakened state.

Sela arched an eyebrow.

“After the kiss?”

I stared at her.

She sighed.

“Don’t look so alarmed. I’m a healer, not a gossip.”

A heavy weight seemed to lift off my chest.

However, there was still an unusual sensation in my hand.

Sela stood by my bed with her hands held on a leather ledger, with an expression of surprise and excitement in her eyes.

I've seen Sela worried.

I've seen her afraid.

It was not the same expression.

"What is it?"

She looked from the ledger to me and back again.

"You’ve got us a puzzle."

"A puzzle?"

She moved a chair closer to me.

"When you were brought here, your vital essence was highly destabilized."

I remember the pain after the bond shattered.

"And yet I'm conscious now."

"That's the puzzle."

She opened the ledger.

"Your vital essence shouldn't have stabilized so fast."

I stared at her.

"Is that bad?"

"Not really."

Her lips lifted a little.

"On the contrary..."

She closed the ledger slowly.

"There is something going on in your body that we never expected."

A shiver ran down my spine.

"What?"

Sela shook her head.

"I need to make sure first before I tell you."

"The bond break should've put you in a coma, Elaris," she said softly, placing her hand on my forehead. "But your body is defending itself due to the sharp rise of your vital essence."

I frowned.

"That's not possible."

"It shouldn't be."

She took my pulse once more.

"Yesterday your wolf was starving. Your body wasn't able to hold itself together."

"And now?"

"Now your essence acts as though something gives it a reason to defend you."

I felt as if my heart stopped beating for a split second.

"Could the bond fix itself?"

She immediately shook her head.

"No."

"Then what could cause that?"

She looked towards my belly.

"I'm not sure yet."

She kept her fingers resting on my wrist.

"But whoever or whatever triggered this response is strong."

I looked at the ceiling.

Some kind of hope started to form.

I didn't want to acknowledge it.

Not after all I had lost already.

Averic burst into our cubicle, his chest rising and falling heavily as if he had run up all the palace stairs, looking at me with dark eyes.

"Elaris."

I turned to him.

He was scared.

Not as an Alpha.

Unlike the man who never had flinched before facing Caedmon.

Just like a man who believed he might lose a precious one to him.

“I’m fine.”

He approached the bed.

“You passed out in my arms.”

“I know.”

“I feared—”

He stopped.

I could see his hands balled into fists.

“What did you fear?”

His eyes searched mine.

“Too late.”

I felt my heart squeeze.

“I wasn’t.”

He sat by me.

There was a brief silence.

His eyes looked at me as though he had to have proof of my presence.

Then his hand took mine.

“Never do that to me again.”

I gave a smile.

“I’ll try.”

Sela put another diagnostic spell over my abdomen with a golden aura hovering above it.

As soon as the golden light appeared, I felt warmth spreading under my skin.

I watched the glow.

“What is it?”

“Diagnostic essence.”

Sela made movements with her fingers.

The light started to shine brightly.

And pulsate.

First time.

Second time.

I held my breath.

Sela looked surprised.

“What?”

She said nothing.

She came closer.

The light condensed above my abdomen.

Inside it, there was a shimmer.

My heart started pounding.

“Sela?”

She looked at me.

Then at Averic.

And then at me again.

“Be still.”

"Why?"

"Because I have to be sure."

Her tone had taken on an almost reverent edge.

"You aren't merely surviving the bond breaking, Elaris," Sela declared softly. "You have created new life. You're pregnant."

Those two words hit me like Caedmon’s rejection never did.

Pregnant.

I stared at her.

"No."

Sela's features softened.

"Yes."

My hands went instinctively to my stomach.

"But that's impossible."

"It's not."

"I..."

No words came out.

Images flooded my mind.

Evenings spent with Averic.

The quiet chats.

The warmth.

The nights we hadn't said a word about the future.

I looked down at my hands.

"There is a baby?"

She smiled.

"There is."

A laugh almost escaped.

But tears welled up in my eyes instead.

I couldn't breathe.

Not from fear.

But because something within me that I thought I had lost suddenly became alive once more.

The room turned silent.

I stared at her.

The words hung in the air, shocking my heart into sudden realization.

"Is there a baby?"

"Yes."

A laugh threatened.

But tears welled in my eyes.

I couldn't breathe.

Not out of fear.

But because, for the first time in months, something within me was alive, which I did not think was lost.

An eerie silence filled the room as the words lingered in the air and shot an electric charge of shock straight through me.

I looked up at Averic.

He did not move an inch.

He was standing right next to the bed as if someone had turned him into stone.

All of a sudden, my elation mixed with confusion.

I recalled the last time when I found out I was pregnant.

The exhilaration.

The anticipation.

The dreams I had for the future.

Then the blood.

The loss.

The hatred of Caedmon.

My fingers dug into my stomach.

“I don’t know what to do.”

Averic finally started moving.

He came closer.

“I don’t either.”

I was shocked by his honesty.

“But…”

He glanced down at my stomach.

A shocked smile slowly made its way onto his face.

“We have time to figure things out.”

Averic froze where he was standing and widened his eyes in shock before looking down at my hands.

His eyes lingered there.

“The baby?”

I nodded.

“Our baby.”

But the words slipped out before I could hold them back.

There was silence.

And suddenly I was afraid I'd said too much.

We had never claimed to be mates.

We had never made a promise of marriage.

There was no ceremony.

No proclamation made to the rest of the pack.

Just the quiet understanding that had come between us.

Averic looked at me again.

And he smiled.

It was not the authoritative smile of an Alpha.

It was something else entirely.

It was almost boyish.

"I'm going to be a father."

Tears welled in my eyes.

"If you want that."

His expression changed instantly.

"Want that?"

He shook his head.

"Elaris, how could you ever doubt that?"

I was suddenly filled with fear—how could this change things?

What if now Averic felt trapped?

Would he suddenly feel like I expected this?

I turned my head away.

"You don't have to make any decisions now."

He frowned.

"I wasn't planning to."

"Well, you know... you can consider it."

"Elaris."

I finally looked him in the eye.

"I know that we never promised anything to each other."

"You're right."

The answer stung worse than I anticipated.

But he went on.

"We never promised anything."

He grabbed my hand.

"But that does not make what we had mean nothing."

My heart skipped a beat.

"I don't want this child to become a reason why you feel tied to me."

Averic's expression mellowed.

"I would never view your child as a burden."

His gaze traveled to my belly.

"I would see this baby as a blessing."

And then Averic fell to his knees by my bedside, cradling my shaky hand within his strong, warm hand, with an affection that caused my throat to constrict.

His thumb brushed across my knuckles.

"I know you've been hurt before."

I glanced up at him.

"I know trusting anyone ever again seems impossible."

His tone lowered.

"So don't pressure yourself into doing it overnight."

Tears spilled down my cheeks.

"I don't think I'll survive another loss."

"You won't be facing anything alone."

"And what if you decide you don't want this anymore?"

Averic locked gazes with me.

"Well, then I'll be honest with you."

He pressed my hand to his lips.

"But I'm not going anywhere just because I'm the father of your unborn child."

My heart shook.

For the very first time, I let myself dream about a future where there was no pain.

And then Averic smiled slightly.

“I reckon that my mother is going to cry when she will hear.”

A laugh escaped my lips.

“Yes.”

“She'll begin her plans even before I finish telling her.”

“She surely will.”

Our laughter died down leaving us feeling happy yet fragile.

“Go to sleep now, Elaris,” he whispered, stroking my hand with his thumb. “I'm going to tell my mother about it and then we are going to discuss what is our future together.”

Our future.

The words stayed with me even after he rose up.

I watched how he moved towards the door.

“Averic.”

He stopped.

“Thank you.”

He looked at me and smiled.

“You don't need to say it.”

He walked away.

I lowered my gaze to my stomach slowly.

My hands were trembling as I touched my belly.

“I'm going to protect you,” I whispered.

It was different this time.

When I was pregnant the first time, I had to choose either my child or the man I love.

This time I hoped I wouldn't have to.

I closed my eyes.

Only for one beautiful second, I let myself feel happy.

But then voices rose outside the medical bay.

One of the guards spoke in a rush.

“My Lady, you cannot enter here.”

A female voice responded sharply.

“I said move.”

My eyes snapped open.

There was something about that voice that sent shivers down my spine.

While Averic was exiting the room, I pulled the blanket over my stomach, tears of relief in my eyes, just to see the double doors burst open as a tall woman with a hard stare charged into the room.

She wore a refined travelling cloak, and her posture and face were absolutely composed.

Two guards followed her inside.

“My Lady, the Alpha did not give any order to enter here!”

She faced them with a chilling smile.

“He will not need to.”

My heart started beating faster.

I had never seen her before.

But the confidence in her manner of movement told me clearly that she considered this castle hers.

One of the guards stepped towards her.

“State your name.”

The woman looked around the room and stopped at me.

“Virelle Drazyn.”

My blood froze.

She entered further into the room.

Then, she put her hand gently on her belly.

“I am back for Averic.”

Her sharp gaze locked onto mine.

“And I am carrying his child.”

I couldn’t breathe.

It was like the world tilted away from me.

“No…”

She smiled victoriously.

“Tell the Alpha that his former mate is back.”

I clutched at my own belly through the blanket.

Averic’s baby.

My baby.

Two babies.

One Alpha.

Neither of us had known about each other.

Virelle walked to the doors.

Then, in a voice that everyone in the medical wing could hear, she declared,

“I am here to reclaim my baby’s father.”