I lay on the birthing bed, contractions coming one after another. My mate Kieran gripped my hand, his eyes soft with tenderness. “Hold on a little longer, Elara. Soon we’ll meet our pup.” Pain soaked me in sweat, but I forced a smile for him. Until the midwife walked in holding a syringe—I thought it was moonshade tincture for the pain. But Kieran suddenly released my hand and stepped back. The needle pierced my skin, and I heard Kieran say: “Get the dosage right. She has to wait until Vivienne delivers before going into labor.” I stared at him wide-eyed, but he only checked his pocket watch. “Vivienne’s dilated to six centimeters. Just stall for two more hours.” I tried to scream, tried to struggle, but the drug was already flooding my system. The violent contractions in my abdomen felt like an unseen force suddenly choking them off. They stopped. Just stopped. …… I was dragged into a makeshift cell in the healer’s cellar. Kieran’s sister Lyra stood in the doorway, playing with a scalpel. “Elara, don’t blame Kieran.” “Vivienne’s carrying my eldest brother’s posthumous pup—the first male pup of the Frostwood Pack this generation.” “No matter how early you deliver, yours is just a daughter. Worthless.” I clutched my belly as another wave of contractions fought the drug. Pain darkened my vision. “Get the healer—I’m in labor, really…” Lyra laughed. She walked over, crouched in front of me, and tapped my face lightly with the scalpel. “Labor? What labor?” “The drug will hold for three more hours. Vivienne’s already in the birthing chamber.” “You wait here like a good girl. Once her son’s safely born, you can deliver however you want.” She stood and barked orders at the guards by the door: “Watch her. If she screams, gag her.” The door slammed shut. The cellar had only one dim oil lamp. I lay on the floor, blood already soaking through my dress. My mind-link had been severed when I entered the healing hall. Kieran said it would drain my strength, bad for the pup. Now I understood—he was afraid I’d reach anyone outside. I curled into myself, trying to breathe through the pain. But all I could see were Kieran’s eyes. Cold. Calculating. Like I was a thing. Not his mate. Not the woman about to bear his child. Three months ago, his eldest brother died in a border raid. He left behind his widow Vivienne, three months pregnant. At the funeral, the Old Alpha wept, gripping Vivienne’s hand: “You must deliver safely. The Frostwood Pack can’t end here.” I’d felt sorry for Vivienne then and offered: “Father, don’t worry. My pup with Kieran will honor you too.” The Old Alpha glanced at me and said nothing. From that moment, my child was already abandoned. “Ahh…” Another contraction hit, fiercer than before. The drug was wearing off. The pup was coming. I clawed at the door, pounding with everything I had. “Someone—I’m in labor—save my pup!” Silence from the other side. Only when my voice went hoarse did I hear a guard’s irritated voice: “Shut up already. Miss Lyra said wait.” “But my pup…” “If it dies, that’s fate. Who told you not to carry a son?” I collapsed on the floor, my body going cold. Not fate. Someone wanted my child dead.
I don’t know how long I suffered in that cellar. More blood kept coming, everything beneath me soaked through. As my consciousness faded, the door suddenly opened. Not Lyra. Not the guards. The pack healer, Bennett. When he saw my condition, his face went white. “Luna? What are you doing here?” “The Alpha said you were resting in the recovery chamber.” I tried to speak but couldn’t make a sound. I could only point at my belly, tears streaming down. Bennett rushed over and knelt to check me. The moment his hand touched my abdomen, he sucked in a sharp breath. “Fully dilated! Your water broke!” “She needs surgery immediately!” He tried to lift me, but the second I moved, a hot gush came. Blood. So much blood. Bennett’s hands were shaking as he yelled toward the door: “Someone! Anyone! She’s hemorrhaging!” The hallway was empty. This private healing hall was owned by the Frostwood Pack—tonight they’d cleared it for Vivienne’s delivery. Every healer and midwife was on standby in the third-floor birthing chamber. Bennett reached for the mind link, but it was blocked. “I’ll carry you up. Hang on!” He gritted his teeth and lifted me, stumbling toward the exit. The stairway was long, every step jarring me toward death. I could feel the pup dropping lower, but it wouldn’t come out. The drug was still working, contractions coming and going. This was the most dangerous situation. “Bennett…” I grabbed his collar, voice barely a whisper. “Save the pup. Please.” “Don’t talk nonsense! You’ll both be fine!” He finally burst onto the first floor and ran toward the surgery chamber. But when we reached the entrance, we both froze. The surgery chamber door stood wide open. Inside was empty. The enchanted healing lamps—gone. The birthing table—gone. Monitoring crystals, oxygen apparatus, all the medical equipment—everything was gone. Only an empty room and a few anchoring runes on the wall remained. Bennett stood frozen in place. I heard a choking sound come from his throat, like someone was strangling him. “How is this possible…” “I checked the equipment this afternoon…” Footsteps echoed from the end of the hall. Lyra walked over with two midwives, raising an eyebrow at us. “Bennett, what are you doing here?” “Vivienne’s in the third-floor chamber. Why’d you come down?” Bennett pointed at the empty surgery chamber, voice shaking: “The equipment? Where did all the surgical equipment go?” Lyra looked completely innocent: “Moved to the third floor, obviously.” “Vivienne’s having a C-section—she needs the best equipment. What if there’s an emergency? How could a regular chamber be enough?” As she spoke, her eyes landed on me and she smiled. “Elara’s ready to deliver?” “You’ll have to wait. Vivienne’s not done yet.” “Just be patient.” I stared at that perfectly made-up face. Suddenly remembering six months ago when she’d linked arms with me at the market, saying sweetly: “Elara, you’re so good to me. Better than my own blood sister.” I’d bought her enchanted accessories worth over a hundred thousand gold that day. Now it all seemed like a sick joke.
Bennett frantically tore through the healer’s station, searching for emergency equipment. But the cabinets were empty. Not even basic hemostats or gauze. “Equipment? Where’s the bloodclot potion? Birthwort tincture?” A midwife whispered: “Everything was sent to the third floor.” “The Alpha ordered all resources go to Lady Vivienne first.” Bennett slammed his fist into the cabinet. He looked at me with red-rimmed eyes, lips trembling: “I’m sorry, Luna, I’m so sorry…” “There’s nothing I can do…” Lyra walked over and patted his shoulder: “Bennett, don’t panic.” “Elara hasn’t delivered yet, right? Once Vivienne’s done, the equipment comes back down.” She glanced at my belly and added: “Even if she does deliver, it’s just a girl. No loss if it dies.” “The Frostwood Pack doesn’t need another one.” I stared hard at her. At this person I’d treated like a real sister for three years. Then, using every ounce of strength, I forced out two words: “You monster.” Lyra’s expression darkened. She bent down, leaned close to my ear, voice dropping low: “Call me whatever you want. Go ahead.” “Once you deliver and your body’s weak, I’ve got plenty of ways to shut you up permanently.” “Then Vivienne gets to be Luna.” “As for you…” She straightened up, smile bright: “For Kieran’s sake, I’ll let you live. You can be a servant.” Bennett couldn’t take it anymore: “Miss Lyra! This is murder!” “Murder?” Lyra scoffed. “Bennett, watch what you say.” “Women dying in childbirth—isn’t that perfectly normal?” “Besides, this is Frostwood Pack family business. What’s it to you, outsider?” She waved at the guards: “Take Bennett to rest.” “I’ll personally look after my dear sister.” Two guards stepped forward and dragged him away. Bennett struggled, shouting: “Luna! Apply pressure to your lower abdomen! Massage in circles! It triggers contractions!” “Don’t give up! The pup can still be saved!” His voice faded down the hall. Lyra shut the station door and turned to face me. She pulled out her scrying mirror and activated a vision spell. “Kieran, Elara’s about to deliver. Don’t you want to watch?” Kieran’s face appeared in the glass. He stood outside the birthing chamber, healers bustling in the background. “Elara, quit being dramatic.” “Vivienne’s in bad shape—the pup’s heartbeat dropped.” Lyra turned the mirror toward me: “Look how much blood Elara’s losing. Is she dying too?” Kieran frowned, glanced once, then quickly looked away. “Make her wait.” “Once Vivienne delivers, the healers will go down.” “Elara, you handle things. I can’t leave.” The vision faded. Lyra shrugged and pocketed her mirror. “You hear that?” “In Kieran’s heart, Vivienne comes first.” “You’re just a breeding tool.” “And once a tool’s used up, it gets thrown away.” I closed my eyes, done looking at her. My hand crept behind me to the lining of my dress. Sewn inside was a button-sized talisman. Father had given it to me. He’d said: “Elara, the Frostwood Pack isn’t what it seems. If something happens, press this.” I’d laughed it off back then. “Dad, Kieran treats me well. The whole pack treats me well.” Now I realized how stupid I’d been. I used my fingernail to pry open the protective seal. Pressed down gently. No sound. No light. But I knew—the signal was sent. Father had promised—press this, and help arrives within thirty minutes. But thirty minutes… Could my pup survive thirty minutes?
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