Chapter 12: Premature Birth

Evelyn’s POV

I was breathing in ragged gasps as I staggered through the thick forest, the world hazy around me, the cold night air biting at my skin, but the pain in my body was much worse, every step sending painful cramps through my abdomen, but I was unable to stop.

I had been banished.

Stripped of my Luna title.

Rejected.

Kieran’s words echoed in my mind, cutting deeper than any wound.

"You are no longer my Luna."

The betrayal had shaken me, but the betrayal of my body was worse.  My only comfort had been the child I bore—Kieran's child.  Now my body was betraying me with its collapse from exhaustion and tension.

I experienced a searing pain and clung to a tree, holding my stomach.  I gasped as warm fluid trickled down my legs, and my vision began to blur.

No.

Not right now.

Not in this manner.

My baby—my precious child—was on the way too soon, and I was all alone, deserted in the wilderness.

A scream tore from my throat as another contraction hit, stronger this time. My fingers dug into the frozen earth, my breath ragged.

I required assistance.

However, no one remained to rescue me.

A Last-Ditch Request

I compelled myself to move, crawling ahead as each contraction became more excruciating.  My body shook from the strain, my dress drenched from my blood and the wet ground.

I made an effort to concentrate.  I had read about the birthing process.  I was aware of the symptoms.

This was not your typical work.

It was too soon.

My eyes were burning from tears, but I forced myself to continue.  A village must have been close by.  A healer.  Someone who could assist me.

However, I knew I wouldn't survive as my body ached from another contraction.

Now this was taking place.

I sobbed, clutching the closest tree trunk as my body weakened and failed.  I muttered, "Please," into the shadows.  "Help me, please, someone."

However, the wind was the only one to respond.

This was where I was going to die.

Alone.

An Unlikely Redeemer

I jolted out of my pain at a distant rustling.

I held my breath, my heart pounding.

A predator?  A rogue?

Or worse—Kieran’s men, sent to finish what they started?

The brush parted, and a tall figure emerged.

My breath hitched.

Desmond.

The rogue Alpha.

He fixed me with his piercing dark eyes, which were assessing and keen.  He was an enemy to my pack, a legend, and a shadowy figure.

He smelled my quivering body, the pooling blood, the distinct smell of toil.

His face grew stern.

"You’re dying," he stated bluntly.

I swallowed my fear and my pride.

"Help me," I squealed.

He paused.

Then he knelt next to me, his hands firm and steady, and said nothing more.

He whispered, "You owe me for this," and then he lifted me into his arms.

Then everything darkened.

Between Life and Death, I slipped in and out of consciousness, engrossed in frantic memories and pain dreams.

The voice of Kieran haunted me.  His once-warm touch has turned to ice.

"You're lying.  A traitor.  You repulse me.

I thrashed in an attempt to combat the excruciating pain in my heart.

I was lying in a dark cabin when I woke up.  Nearby, a fire roared, its warmth soaking into my icy extremities.  The scent of earth, herbs, and something strange filled the air.

Over me, a woman was standing.  Her deft fingers pressed against my stomach, her face unreadable.

She whispered, "She’s awake,"

Desmond appeared in the doorway, arms crossed. His presence was imposing, but for the first time, I wasn’t afraid of him.

What he was going to say scared me.

He spoke in a somber tone.

"You almost died," he said.  "And so did your child."

I felt terrified.  My hands went to my belly.

Empty.

My chest constricted.  "Where—?"

There was a low scream.

My vision blurred as I turned abruptly.

A small bundle was in the woman's arms.

Tiny.  Too little.

My darling.

She moved forward and gently pressed the baby to my chest.  I broke the instant I felt that brittle warmth.

A female.

My daughter.

Her skin was too pale, her tiny body weak, and she was barely breathing.

I held her close to me while tears streamed down my face.

She was alive.

She had miraculously survived.

She wasn't safe, though.

Desmond's voice pierced my brittle optimism.

"She won’t make it without proper care."

I felt a sinking dread.

"And we both know," he said, "there’s only one place that can help her."

I understood his meaning perfectly.

The pack.

Kieran.

With my heart split in two, my body stiffened.

Can I return?

Could I implore the man who had rejected me to save the child he was unaware of?

I didn’t have a choice.

For my daughter, I would do anything.

Even if it meant facing my greatest nightmare.

Desmond met my eyes, his gaze unreadable.

"Make a quick decision," he advised.

I looked down at my fragile daughter, at the life barely holding on.

And then, with shaking hands and a shattered heart, I whispered the words I never thought I’d say.

"Take me back."