Another contraction, a savage, bone-gnawing pain, ripped through me, and I could hardly breathe.They forced me down onto the cold stone altar.The Binding Stone, reeking of evil, was pressed hard against my lower abdomen, sending a piercing chill through my body.Martha began to chant the ancient, venomous spell, her voice a low drone from the depths of hell.I felt a cold power invading my body, like a thousand vipers slithering through my veins.My birth canal felt as if it were being sealed shut by an invisible magical lock.My pup's head had already crowned, but now it was trapped, unable to enter the world.The evil force, intertwined with the pain of the mate bond, threatened to tear me apart."Kael, please, come back and save us. Are you really going to let our pup die under a curse?""Kael, I'm begging you..."On the edge of consciousness, I thought I saw Kael walking toward me, smiling, his eyes full of the same tenderness they once held."Elara, I swear I will protect you bo
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