CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY FIVEGRAHAMZoey stood by the door with her arms folded and her jaw set in that stubborn way that always meant I’d already lost the argument even before it started.“You’re not going without me,” she said for the third time. “I want to see Lily.”“This isn’t a casual visit, Zoey,” I said, tugging my jacket over my shoulder. “I’m going to discuss strategy with Viktor. That’s not exactly a spectator sport.”She lifted her chin. “Then I’ll sit in the corner and keep my mouth shut.”“You? Keep your mouth shut?” I muttered, and her eyes narrowed.“Graham.” She whined.I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. “It might not be safe.”“I was safe the last time we were there. Viktor’s not the enemy anymore. You said that yourself.”She wasn’t wrong. Still, my instincts were on edge. The rogues were getting bolder by the day, and Kelvin was still out there, watching and waiting but Zoey’s eyes were sharp with something stronger than stubbornness. It was worry and m
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY FOURZOEYI’d never felt fear like this.Not when I’d been captured, not when Graham had nearly died in my arms and not even when Viktor had taken me away from everything I knew.This? This quiet moment in our room, with Graham seated beside me on the bed, talking softly about border security and rogue movements, this was the most terrifying thing I’d ever lived through.Because I knew I was about to change everything.He looked relaxed, one arm resting behind me on the bed, his other hand playing idly with mine. He hadn’t noticed my silence yet, but he would soon since I usually chimed into this kind of matters but now, I wasn’t in the mood.I stared down at our fingers, how strong his hand looked wrapped around mine, how warm and real he felt beside me and I wondered if I was about to break something we’d only just begun to heal.I swallowed. My throat was dry. My lips felt like paper. “Graham,” I said quietly.His voice stopped mid-sentence, and his e
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY THREEZOEYI sat on the edge of the bed, fingers tangled in the hem of my hoodie as I watched Graham pull a shirt over his head. The sun filtered in through the curtains, warm and golden, but I felt cold and completely restless.He looked over his shoulder and gave me a tired smile. “You’re sure you’re feeling better today?”I nodded. “Yeah. I’m much better.”It wasn’t a lie, not entirely. The nausea hadn’t hit me yet this morning but my heart still felt like it was doing backflips in my chest. The pregnancy test sat hidden in the drawer of the bedside table with two faint pink lines that had changed everything.I’d barely slept last night, lying in the dark and wondering how I’d even begin to tell him. What if he didn’t want the baby? What if this made everything more complicated than it already was?I cleared my throat. “Graham… there’s something I need to tell you.”He turned, his eyes narrowing slightly like he’d been expecting me to say something to
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY THREEZOEYI didn’t know when I fell asleep, only that it hit me like a wave, one moment I was curled under the blanket trying not to think, and the next, I was someplace else entirely.The dream didn’t feel like a dream at first.I was standing in the forest behind the pack house, barefoot, the air thick with mist. Everything was too quiet. Not a single bird or rustle of wind. The trees stretched endlessly around me, but I wasn’t cold. I was… waiting.Then, a sound, a baby crying.My heart leapt into my throat. I turned in all directions, trying to place it. It sounded distant at first, muffled, like it was echoing from far away but then it grew louder, desperate and frantic.I started running.My feet slapped against the forest floor, breath catching in my throat. I didn’t know what I was chasing or where I was going, but my legs carried me forward, deeper into the mist. Branches clawed at my arms, and something heavy pulled at my chest. I had to find
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY TWOGRAHAMZoey lay beside me, her back to my chest, curled under the blankets like she was trying to disappear into them. Her breathing was soft and steady, but I could tell she wasn’t asleep. Something had changed about her and she was bothered. I could feel it.She hadn’t said much since yesterday. Not after she got sick, not even after I tucked her into bed and sat beside her, quietly watching her face for clues she wouldn’t say out loud.Now, I ran my fingers gently through her hair. “You awake?”A pause, then she let out a quiet hum. “Mhm.”“What are you thinking about?”“Nothing,” she whispered.I didn’t believe her.I pressed a kiss to her shoulder. “You’ve been quiet since yesterday.”She pulled the blanket tighter around her like she was trying to protect herself from something. “I’m just tired.”I knew better than to push too hard when she was like this, so I nodded and let it go for now.We got up slowly, both of us moving like the weight of
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY ONEZOEYI didn’t sleep after Graham left. I just lay there, still curled up on the bed, the sheets twisted around my legs like a net. My body was warm from where he had been lying beside me, but I felt cold and restless in a way I couldn’t explain. Every time I closed my eyes, I felt like my thoughts were dragging me somewhere I wasn’t ready to go.I wasn’t okay and not in the way that a long nap or a hot meal could fix. Something felt… wrong.Or maybe not wrong but just different.Eventually, I gave up on pretending to sleep. I sat up slowly, pressing my hands to my stomach. It didn’t hurt, but it didn’t feel normal either. I had felt this way all morning. It was like an ache I couldn’t place, a churning that didn’t go away no matter how much water I drank or how deeply I breathed.My footsteps echoed softly as I made my way down the corridor. The pack house was still quiet, and I could hear faint voices outside, the warriors changing shifts, the stead