Chapter 4

When I woke, the familiar, searing pain was back.

Every nerve screamed. Silver poison still coursed through my veins.

A bitter smile touched my lips. I, a healer, had let my own regenerative abilities decay to almost nothing.

The irony was thick.

"Freya?"

A familiar voice.

I slowly opened my eyes. Dorian was sitting by my bed, his own eyes filled with worry.

"You're awake!" He rushed forward, gently helping me sit up. "How do you feel? Do you want some broth?"

It was the same worried expression, but this time it felt different from all the times he'd cared for me before.

Because this time, he had stood by and watched as I was wounded.

I flinched away. His hand froze in mid-air.

"Freya..." His voice trembled. "I know you're angry with me."

"I'm not angry," I said, my voice hoarse. "You just made the choice you had to make."

"No," he said, desperate. "I let it happen to save your life. If I had stopped them then, Viktor would have found a reason to have you executed."

I looked at him, my eyes empty.

"So you still think I hurt Aria?"

He fell silent.

"Answer me, Dorian." I pushed myself up, staring directly into his eyes. "Then swear it," I challenged him, my voice trembling. "Swear on our bond that you believe me."

If he truly believed me, this was the ultimate proof.

But he just stared back, silent.

"You don't dare," I laughed, a tear sliding down my cheek. "Because deep down, you still believe I'm the feral wolf who hurt her."

"Freya, it's not like that—"

"Don't." I turned my head away. "Please leave."

"I'm not leaving you." He tried to take my hand, but I pulled it away.

Just then, a knock came at the door.

"Your Highness," a thrall said from outside. "Lady Liliana is very distraught. She's refusing to eat and won't stop crying."

Dorian's expression tensed immediately.

"She's pregnant. She has to eat." He stood, glancing back at me. "I'll be right back."

Same words. Same empty promises.

The door clicked shut, sealing me in.

I closed my eyes and waited.

But he never came back that night.

When I was discharged the next day, I saw Dorian's car at the entrance.

Liliana was in the passenger seat. Aria was in the baby seat in the back.

"Freya." Dorian walked over, looking awkward. "Get in."

Liliana shot me a terrified look, her voice trembling. "Dorian, I'm scared to be in the same car as her."

"Liliana..."

"I'm terrified of her," she whimpered. "She's a beast, Dorian. What if she tries to hurt our baby again?"

Dorian looked at me, then back at her. He made his choice.

"Freya, wait here. I'll take them home first, then I'll come back for you."

"It's snowing," I stated flatly.

"I know, but..." He glanced at the baby in Liliana's arms. "I can't risk it."

I watched the snowflakes drift down and nodded.

"Fine. I'll wait."

Their car disappeared into the curtain of snow.

I stood at the hospital entrance as snowflakes collected on my hair and eyelashes, melting into freezing water that trickled down my skin.

I waited as day turned to dusk, and dusk bled into the dead of night.

The snow turned into a blizzard. My body began to shake uncontrollably.

I tried to reach him through our Mind Link, the most intimate channel between mates.

Once, no matter where I was, he could feel my heartbeat the moment I called.

He had been ecstatic the first time I'd used it.

"This way, no matter what happens, I can always get to you," he'd said.

But now, all I felt was a void.

He'd shut me out.

The snow was getting deeper. My legs were numb.

Finally, I began the long walk back to the castle, my body weak.

The road was treacherous in the blizzard. I fell several times, skinning my knees, blood seeping through the white bandages.

By the time I stumbled back into the castle, soaked and frozen, I was too cold to speak.

As I pushed the door open, I heard Liliana's soft sobs from upstairs.

"Dorian… I’m so scared…" Her voice was a fragile, trembling whisper. "The healer was just here. He said… my body is too narrow for the baby."

I froze.

"What does that mean?" Dorian's voice was tight with tension.

"You know vampire births are... difficult. Our bodies don't yield easily. I almost died with Aria. This baby is stronger." Liliana's voice broke, threatening to shatter. "He'll be trapped, Dorian! He won't be able to get out! He will die! Our son will die inside me!"

I crept up the stairs, an invisible hand squeezing my heart.

"Don't be afraid. We'll find a way," Dorian said, his voice urgent.

"The only way is you," Liliana’s voice dropped to a low, heated plea. "The healer said my mate needs to… help me. Every night. With your fingers. To help me... stretch. Otherwise, everything we’ve done will be for nothing."

I reached the door and peered through the crack. The air left my lungs.

Liliana was half-reclined on the bed, her silk nightgown pushed down to her waist. Her swollen belly was on full display, along with her long, perfect legs.

"But Liliana, this is..." Dorian's voice was full of hesitation and conflict.

"For the child, Dorian!" Liliana sobbed, cutting him off. She spread her legs even wider, a shameless, humiliating invitation. "I know it's hard. But you're saving his life! Help me... please... You don't want anything to happen to him, do you?"

I slapped a hand over my mouth, choking back a sob.

Right then, through the crack in the door, Liliana's eyes found mine.

A tiny, triumphant smile touched her lips.

And Dorian—the man who had sworn I was his only one, his eternity—struggled for only a moment before sinking to his knees by the bed.

He bowed his head, as if performing some holy, painful ritual. Then he reached out, moving his hand between Liliana's legs.