LOGINRika's povI kept my hand on Reylap’s neck for one last second, feeling the steady, rhythmic thrum of her pulse. It was faint, like a distant drum, but it was consistent. She was holding on. "She's stable, Eliott," I whispered, though he looked barely conscious himself. "The bleeding has stopped. Her body is accepting the blood."I didn't wait for his response. I couldn't. I turned my back on the parents and hurried toward the small wooden cradle tucked into the far corner of the room. The midwives stepped aside, their faces grim and shadowed by the flickering candlelight.My heart sank the moment I looked down. The baby boy was so tiny he seemed swallowed by the linens. He wasn't crying. He wasn't even squirming. His skin had a translucent, bluish quality that made him look more like a porcelain doll than a living pup."He’s barely moved since we cut the cord," one of the midwives whispered.I reached in, my fingers feeling oversized and clumsy as I touched his chest. "His breathing
Eliott's povThe thin, reedy wail of my son should have been the signal for the room to erupt in joy, but the silence that followed was heavier than the one before it. Rika wasn’t looking at the baby. Her hands were buried in the sheets, which were rapidly turning a dark, sickening crimson."Rika?" I stepped forward, my voice trembling. "Rika, he’s breathing. Why aren't you—""Eliott, stay where you are!" Rika snapped, her voice high and tight with panic. She pressed a thick wad of gauze against Reylap’s thigh, but the blood soaked through instantly. "She’s hemorrhaging. The placenta... it didn't detach correctly. She’s losing too much, too fast."I looked at Reylap. Her face was the color of winter ash. Her eyes were half-open, but there was no light in them, just a dull, glazed stare directed at the ceiling. Her chest barely moved."Reylap?" I lunged for the side of the bed, grabbing her limp hand. It was ice cold. "Reylap, look at me! Rika, do something! Why isn't she waking up?""
Eliott's POVThe silence of the pack house was a lie. I was sitting on the floor just outside the heavy oak doors, my head in my hands, when the rhythm of the room changed. It wasn’t a scream this time. It was a frantic, wet thud of movement and the sharp intake of breath.I was on my feet before my brain could process the sound. I threw the doors open, the wood groaning on its hinges."Reylap!" I roared, my heart hammering against my sternum like a trapped beast. The scene was pure chaos. Rika was leaning over the bed, her hands stained red, while the two midwives were frantically shifting basins of water. Reylap lay there, her head lolling to the side, her eyes rolled back so far only the whites showed. She looked like a ghost, her skin a translucent, sickly grey."Get back, Eliott!" Rika screamed, not even looking at me. She was pressing two fingers into the side of Reylap’s neck. "She’s not responding! Reylap, wake up! Look at me!""What happened?" I demanded, rushing to the beds
Reylap's POVThe world was a flickering candle, the flame guttering in a cold wind. I felt the wetness of my own sweat, cold and slick against my collarbone, and then the sudden, sharp pressure of hands against my thighs. The midwives were talking, their voices a frantic blur of clinical jargon and hushed prayers, but I couldn't hold onto their words. My lungs felt like they were filled with stones. Every breath was a labor, a jagged pull against a chest that refused to expand. I tried to groan, to tell them the pain was changing, but the room dissolved before I could find my voice.The scent of blood and lavender vanished. Suddenly, I was standing on the bank of the Silver River. The water rushed past, clear and icy, reflecting the willows of my childhood home. The air was sweet with wild clover, and for a moment, the agony in my belly was nothing but a dull, distant thrum."Reylap."I spun around, my bare feet sinking into the soft mud. "Who’s there?"The voice was a low, melodic
Reylap's POVThe world was a fractured glass, edges sharp and colors bleeding into a muddy, oppressive heat. I felt the sweat slicking my skin, the humidity of the room clinging to me like a wet shroud. Every time I tried to focus, the image shattered."Breathe, Reylap. Just breathe. Match me," a voice said.It was Rika. I knew it was Rika, but her voice sounded like it was vibrating through deep water, distant and distorted. I could smell the sharp, medicinal sting of crushed herbs—wintergreen and yarrow—mingling with the copper tang of blood. The pressure in my midsection wasn't just physical anymore; it felt like a mountain was sitting on my hips, grinding my pelvic bones into powder. The pain didn't feel like a labor contraction. It felt deeper, like something was trying to claw its way out of my soul rather than my body."I... I can't," I gasped, the words catching in my throat."You have to," Rika’s voice came again, sharper this time, though it still felt miles away. "Focus on
Elliott's POVRika’s hands were shaking as she tried to pull them from my grip. I squeezed harder, my knuckles white, my heart hammering a frantic rhythm against my ribs that felt like it would crack them."Eliott, listen to me," she said, her voice dropping into a hollow, flat tone that terrified me more than her screaming had. "Something is wrong. This isn't just a difficult delivery. Reylap’s body is fighting the birth instead of helping it. Her own muscles are seizing against the contractions. It’s like her system is trying to pull the child back in.""That doesn't make sense," I hissed, my voice cracking. "It’s a natural process. Her body knows what to do!""It should, but it doesn't," Rika whispered, looking toward the closed door with a haunted expression. "I have only seen this once before, years ago in the north. It didn't end well, Eliott. The mother’s heart gave out before the babe could even draw breath."The hallway seemed to tilt. "No. That’s not happening here. You’re t
Elliott's POVI let the muttering fill the air, a low, dangerous hum that grated against my nerves. My jaw was locked so tight I felt the ache all the way to my ears. They talked in whispers, in hushed, cruel tones, but every word clawed at me. “Rogue.” “Danger.” “Outsider.” All aimed at her. All
“No." Farida’s smile thinned slightly. “I said, kneel.”I looked at her slowly, exhaustion twisting inside me so violently I almost started laughing again. “You stole my ceremony, my mate, my title, and now you want my dignity too?” I tilted my head. “Greedy.”A sharp murmur spread through the roo
Reylap’s POVI heard the music before I even reached the gates, and I knew it was a celebration. I could hear drums and voices and that particular kind of joy that carries across pack grounds when there's good news, and for one foolish, breathless second my heart lifted, because I thought it was fo
Reylap's POV“State your business!”The guard’s voice rang out through the drizzle just as I stepped up to the gates of Dark Moors Pack, and for a second, I genuinely thought he was joking.I stood there dripping from a miserable six-hour ride, mud clinging to the hem of my coat while my medical ba







