Mag-log inEliott's povI stared down at the messy bundle of cloth and the wailing infant on the table, my hands trembling with a frustration I hadn't expected. The smell alone was enough to make my wolf retreat to the back of my mind."I have this under control," I muttered, mostly to myself, as I tried to navigate the folds of the fresh diaper. "Just stay still. Please, just stay still."The baby did not stay still. He kicked a tiny, surprisingly strong leg, knocking the clean cloth to the floor. I groaned, reaching for another, but as I leaned back in, a warm, steady stream arched through the air. "Oh, you have to be kidding me!" I yelled, jumping back as the liquid soaked directly into the front of my tunic. The boy let out a sharp, gurgling cry, seemingly pleased with himself. I stood there, dripping, my jaw clenched so tight it ached. I almost lost it. I wanted to storm out of the room, to shift and run into the woods until I couldn't remember the scent of ammonia. My pulse thrummed in m
Reylap's povThe stone floor was cool against my bare soles, a sharp contrast to the weeks I’d spent trapped in the suffocating heat of bedsheets. My legs felt like leaden weights, trembling with every micro-movement, but Rika’s steady arm around my waist kept me upright."Slowly, Reylap," Rika murmured, her shoulder braced firmly under mine. "Don't try to win a race. Just focus on the window.""I feel like a newborn pup," I wheezed, my lungs burning slightly with the effort. I took another shuffling step, my muscles screaming in protest. "I’ve spent too much time lying down. I can feel my strength rotting away.""You aren't rotting. You're healing," Rika countered, her voice patient but firm. "Look how far you've come. Two days ago, you couldn't even sit up without fainting. Now look at you."I reached the wooden chair by the window and sank into it, my breath coming in ragged hitches. "Bring him to me, Rika. Please."She nodded, crossing the room to the small cot where the baby lay.
Eliott's povThe weight of him was nothing, yet it felt like holding the entire world in my arms. I adjusted the blanket, pulling the soft wool tighter around his tiny shoulders. Reylap was still pale, propped up against the pillows, but her eyes never left us. I could feel her gaze—soft, reflective, and heavy with a debt I didn't want her to owe me."Eliott," Rika murmured, reaching out. "You've been holding him for three hours. My arms are tired just watching you. Let me put him in the bassinet so you can eat."I pulled back instinctively, shifting the baby to my other side. My heart did a nervous little gallop in my ribs. "He’s fine right here, Rika. He’s finally deep asleep. If I put him down, the air in this room might be too cold.""The room is sweltering," Rika countered with a dry smile. "And his breathing is perfectly rhythmic. You’ve checked it every two minutes.""It was two minutes and forty seconds," I corrected, my thumb tracing the line of his velvet-soft cheek. "And he
Reylap's povThe world didn’t come back all at once. It returned in jagged, painful fragments—the smell of copper and dried herbs, the heavy weight of my own limbs, and a dull, pulsing throb behind my eyes. My eyelids felt like they had been stitched shut. When I finally forced them open, the ceiling of the birthing room was a blurred smear of white and grey."Reylap? Can you hear me?"The voice was familiar, but it felt miles away. I tried to speak, but my throat was a desert, cracked and parched. I swallowed hard, the effort sending a jolt of exhaustion through my chest. "Where..." I wheezed, my voice barely a rasp. "Where am I?""You’re safe. You’re in the clinic," Rika’s face drifted into view. She looked exhausted, her hair spilling out of its tie, but her eyes were sharp. She leaned over me, pressing a cool cloth to my forehead. "You’ve been out for a long time. The birth... it was very difficult, Reylap. Your body went through a tremendous amount of trauma."Memory hit me like
Rika'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?""
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
“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
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







