All Chapters of THE ALPHA'S ASSASSIN MATE: Chapter 91 - Chapter 100

Six days after Mera died"His pulse is stronger today, feel this." Elira had her fingers on Aziel's throat, pressing. "It's not that synchronized thing anymore, it's his own rhythm."Kaelin put her hand next to Elira's, felt the steady thump under his skin. "What's that mean?""Could mean nothing. Could mean the bond's healing different than we thought." Elira moved her hand to his chest. "His wolf's closer to the surface too, I can feel it.""How can you tell?" Serna was changing Lyra's bandages, the moon-silver stitches still holding on her throat."It's a healer thing, you learn to sense it." Elira pressed harder on Aziel's chest. "Most wolves you can feel their wolf sleeping under the skin, quiet until they shift. His feels like it's pacing, like it's trying to wake him up from the inside.""Can a wolf do that?" Kaelin grabbed Aziel's hand. "Can it force someone awake?""Not usually but nothing about this is usual." Elira sat back. "The curse broke their bond with the moon, broke

Same night, two hours into labor"She's stuck." Elira had her hand inside Lyra checking again, face going tight. "Been at seven centimeters for forty minutes, not moving.""So we wait." Serna was holding Lyra's hand, had been for twenty contractions now."We can't wait." Elira pulled her hand back, blood and fluid dripping. "First baby's head is right there pushing but the cervix won't open more and her heart rate's climbing too high.""How high?" Kaelin asked from Lyra's other side."High enough I'm worried." Elira pressed her ear to Lyra's belly. "Both babies' heartbeats are slowing down too. They're in distress."Another contraction hit and Lyra screamed without opening her eyes, back arching so hard Serna thought her spine would snap. The sound cut off when it ended and Lyra went limp again."That's the tenth contraction and nothing's changing." Elira was checking between Lyra's legs again. "Still seven. Still stuck.""Give her more time." Serna wiped sweat off Lyra's forehead."T

Third day after the twins are born"She's burning up." Elira had her hand on Lyra's forehead, yanked it back fast. "This isn't normal fever, this is bad."Serna looked at Lyra's face, red now instead of that corpse white, sweat pouring off her like she'd been dumped in water. Her breathing came too fast, like she couldn't get enough air."How bad?" Serna asked."Bad enough her brain starts cooking if it gets higher." Elira pulled the bandage off the stitches and the smell hit like a fist, sweet and rotten and wrong. "Oh fuck. Fuck."The cut looked horrible, edges swollen and leaking yellow shit, the moon-silver thread buried in puffy red flesh. Red streaks crawled out from the wound going up her ribs like cracks spreading."That looks really bad." Kaelin said it from where she was holding one twin, the stronger one who'd figured out how to nurse yesterday. The other twin was in a box by the fire, still alive but just barely."It's infected deep." Elira pressed around the wound and pus

Same night, hours later"This one's not breathing right." Elira had the quiet twin, the weak one, holding it up to the light. Lips were blue, chest barely moving. "She's going."Serna looked at the baby in Elira's hands, so small and gray and wrong. Then at the other one in Kaelin's arms, still crying but weaker now, hoarse from days of screaming."Going where?" Serna asked even though she knew."Dying." Elira said it flat. "Lungs are giving out, probably got fluid in them still from the birth, body's shutting down.""Fix it." Aziel said it from where he was slumped against Lyra's cot. "Fix her.""I can't fix both." Elira looked at him. "I've got enough supplies, enough energy, maybe enough skill to save one baby. But not two."The room went dead quiet except for the crying twin and Lyra's ragged breathing."What do you mean one." Aziel's voice came out wrong."I mean I can focus everything on keeping one alive." Elira held up the blue baby. "This one's worse, needs more help. If I wo

Dawn after the night watch"We have to do it now." Elira was standing over Aziel who hadn't moved since Lyra passed out again. "Before the sun gets high."Aziel didn't answer. Just sat there holding Kira, staring at nothing."Aziel did you hear me?" Elira crouched down. "We need to bury her this morning.""I heard you." His voice came out flat."So we need to—" Elira reached for Kira."Don't touch her." Aziel pulled back. "I'll do it.""You can barely stand." Elira said it gentle."I'll do it." Aziel said it again, harder.He tried to stand, legs wouldn't hold. Fell back down. Tried again, got halfway up before collapsing. Third try he made it, swaying on legs that shook so bad Serna thought he'd fall through the floor."Where?" He asked it to nobody."Courtyard." Rhea said from the doorway. "North corner. We cleared space."Aziel nodded once. Started walking, each step looking like it took everything he had. Made it five steps before his knee gave out. Caught himself on the wall."Le