The Daughter She Chose

To free herself from my grasp, my mother, Wynne Carter, pulled back with most of her strength.

Injured as I already was, I stood no chance against her brute force.

I threw out my elbows to break my fall, desperate to protect the pup in my womb.

Crack.

I heard the sound of bone snapping.

The broken bone and sharp pain in my abdomen forced a blood-curdling scream from my throat.

I lay curled up on my side, my hand clutching my right arm in my feeble attempt to ease the agony.

A rush of warm fluid spilled out from between my thighs.

Terror gripped me.

“Nurse…”

I pleaded desperately, “Please save me… Get me a healer…”

Someone passed by me and paused for a brief second before hurrying off.

No one paid any attention to me. It was like I was invisible to them. They either acted busy or stood there scrolling on their phones.

“Nurse…”

“Ms. Carter, this is no place to act high and mighty like a Luna. Take yourself to the general waiting area if you need treatment.”

Finally, a voice sneered out from the crowd.

“Wynne has made it crystal clear that anyone caught taking shortcuts by flattering you will face severe punishment.

“I guess you hadn’t heard about Dr. Will’s reassignment to the sanitation department. He’s been banished to pick up trash since he let you skip the line when you came to pick up your prenatal test results last week.

My breath hitched, and the agonizing cramp intensified.

The so-called “skipping the line” was just Will handing me the copies when he ran into me in the hallway.

Unbeknownst to me, my supposedly impartial mother considered the act serious enough to warrant a demotion.

I was desperate to set the record straight, but my frantic gesture sent a jolt of pain through my stomach.

With my unborn pup stirring subtly, the sharp pain left my clothes soaking in cold sweat.

All my words melted into a muffled whimper.

The nurses murmured among themselves.

“Dr. Carter may be stern, but she keeps things strictly professional and never plays favorites.

“Right? Don’t get too close to Odette. A good doctor was punished without a second thought. If we nurses so much as try to give her a little attention, our careers would be over!”

Blood pooled across the floor, warming the cold tiles underneath my body.

Despite my shallow breathing, my mind couldn’t be any sharper.

I knew that my broken wolf was clinging to its last strength in a bid to save my pup and me.

Without timely medical care, it would be the end of the road for my pup and me once my wolf was gone.

I could feel my unborn pup growing weaker by the second.

N-No…

Pushing past the pain, I cupped my belly.

‘Hang in there, little one. I’ll find a way to save you.’

Biting my lip, I cradled my belly while fighting to prop myself up.

However, I would crash back down with each attempt.

“Ah!”

A she-wolf in the waiting area gasped, her hand flying to her mouth and her finger pointing at me.

“S-She’s bleeding!”

The nurses at the nearby reception desk paled and exchanged glances. They nudged each other, but none of them was willing to approach me.

At last, a young she-wolf with an intern badge came running over.

Aida held me up, only to freeze.

“Hang in. You’re…”

As color rushed from her face, she stared down at the floor to process what was happening.

“You’re not just bleeding. Your water broke…”

Her teeth clattered.

“Oh, my Goddess. She’s losing her pup!”

Springing up in terror, she rushed to the trauma room with her blood-soaked hands.

Aida pounded the door frantically.

“Dr. Carter… Please come out and check on Ms. Carter!”