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I'm not feeling well, not at all.

Ever since I removed the poison out of Maddie, I've been feeling unwell. I didn't mind the pain, but the one I was worried about most was my child.

Whenever I healed someone, I could lightly feel a part of their pain, but feeling this poison, it was terrible. No wonder it kept Maddie sleeping for two weeks.

My heart was beating fast as I concentrated at the heartbeat beating within me. It was weak. My heart was starting to break.

No, no. Hold on, baby. I'm so sorry, I didn't think it would hurt you too.

I tried talking to my baby, I tried to take away the pain, but it was hard. This was, in a way, a repercussion whenever I healed someone and there was nothing I could do about it.

The heartbeat was weakening.

"No, no, no. Stay with me." I clutched my stomach tighter and closed my eyes tighter to concentrate on easing the pain away from my child.

I could feel my tears forming and dropping.

Please, don't take him away from me.

Please.

Please.

☾

"From my observation, it seems that the warriors will all be coming from the strongest pack of different cardinal territories. Chári came from Panselinos of the north, Dynami from Lucidum of the south and Elpida from Luna Flumine of the west. Now, the fourth warrior will for sure come from the strongest pack of the east, Lux Lillium." Archer said lengthily.

Chase and I nodded in agreement.

"Yes, I've already spoken with Caspian. He's on his way here and he should arrive tomorrow." I confirm. I was also good friends with Caspian and so I was able to get him to come right away.

"What should we do about the Council?" Chase asked.

I sighed and threw a dart at the dart board behind Chase's office door. Bull's eye.

"Hannah keeps telling that she doesn't trust the Council. She says that she feels they have something to do with the Strays." I admit.

Chase looked up as he drank from his coffee while Archer stopped scribbling at a notepad which supposedly contained plans of what we will do next.

"Hannah too? Hazel never trusted the Council ever since we were kids. I remember she played a nasty prank on one of the elders." Chase laughed at the memory which earned a squint from Hazel's mate. I laughed along.

"So, we move without the Council, we move in secret. I don't think Caspian will object to that anyways, he and his whole pack is still angry at them." Archer said.

I nodded.

And then it came to me. It was like a punch in the gut, a heavy blow at that. I felt like I lost my breath for a while and all strength left me.

I blinked hard and looked at my two companions to see if they noticed.

My heart dropped when I suddenly thought of Hannah. A sudden foreboding feeling crept in, heavy and foreshadowing.

"The heck Ian, what are you doing?" Archer says grumpily. I stood up and headed for the door.

My breathing was getting heavy, I couldn't shake off the feeling of impending doom that loomed in my chest. The mate bond urged me to go to Hannah, something must've happened. But I didn't feel any pain, but I could feel a strain.

My chest was starting to ache, like little needles pinching my heart. What is this?

'Hannah, where are you?' I ask through the link. I waited for an answer and each moment that went by without an answer confirmed my suspicions and intuition.

"Where are you going?" Chase asked from behind but I had already started running to wherever Hannah was.

At this point, my heart was beating loud and hard.

'Please tell me you're okay.' I plead.

No answer.

Damn it!

I followed the bond and thankfully, it led to our guest bedroom. I almost broke the door open, but when I was there, I saw Hannah on the ground, sobbing and going hysterical. She was screaming.

She seemed like she was in deep anguish. Seeing her that way, my heart seemed to crush and tighten all at once.

Hazel was right beside her, her face was full of worry as she was trying to calm Hannah down.

I ran beside my mate and held her.

"Hannah! What happened?!" I ask, holding her by both sides of her arm, shaking her a bit. When her eyes met mine, I could see her glowing grey eyes and an added strand of her dark brown hair was now silver.

She was in her warrior state. But why?

Hannah was saying something, but I couldn't understand her. She held me back tightly, her tears were dropping profusely from her glowing eyes.

What is going on?

"I-Ian... I can't-- I can't hear him." she struggled to say through her sobs. Hazel rubbed her back.

"Calm down, Hannah. You need to calm down so I can help you." Hazel says. Hannah, this time, turn towards her.

I was still very much confused as to what was going on, but then I see Hannah clinging onto her stomach for dear life. My breathing got heavier and heavier. A light bulb lit in my head, but I denied it.

There's no way.

Hannah would've told me.

But then my wolf growled inside me, anger stirring up at the sight of our mate at an uncontrollable and painful state. He was showing through the surface and I had no right to suppress him now. He was just worried too.

"Ha-Hazel, p-p-please. I can't h-hear him." Hannah said again in between her sobs. She even shook Hazel, desperately pleading her for help.

"Hazel, what's going on?" I ask looking towards the girl. She nibbled with her lip, clearly unsure of what to do or say. She switched looks from me to Hannah, silently asking her for permission. But it was no use.

Hannah wasn't thinking straight.

"H-Hannah is pregnant."

It felt like a bucket of cold water getting poured over my head. I felt lightheaded for a bit as I processed the revelation.

My knees dropped beside Hannah who was still crying. I held her again and shook her lightly.

"Breathe, Hannah, breathe." I tell her slowly. She nodded and started taking slow deep breaths, but her tears still fell. There was no stopping them.

I was also breaking inside, the information was too heavy. I wanted to be happy, but seeing Hannah like this, I knew there must be something wrong.

Hannah was still sobbing, but she wasn't gasping for air anymore. "I-Ian. Our baby... I can't hear his heartbeat." she managed to say without stuttering and then her tears started again.

It was like my heart shattered into a million pieces. Like another bucket of cold water dousing me. I froze when she said that. I didn't know what to say, I didn't know what to do.

My mind went blank, a clean slate of solutions.

"Wha-what do you mean?" I ask, my voice barely getting out. When she kept on sobbing, the pain that I felt too was getting too much to contain. "Hannah, what do you mean?! What happened?" I ask.

I felt like I couldn't breathe. It felt like I lost my dad all over again.

"Y-you two calm down. It's not too late yet, I can help you, Hannah. But you need to calm down first." Hazel says, kneeling beside Hannah too. Her eyes had turned silver too, Hazel was also in her warrior state now.

I turned towards her, a glimmer of hope showed.

Elpída, what were her powers again? If I remember right, she was the tactician among the warriors. But at the moment, I couldn't remember any of what her abilities might be.

I needed to do something to help Hannah and our child, the next Alpha on the line.

"N-no. This is all my fault! I should've known!" Hannah started screaming again and I could only hold her. I didn't know what to do too. I was equally in pain.

"It's not your fault, Hannah. You only did it to help Maddie." Hazel reminded her and started to rub Hannah's back again. But Hannah wouldn't have it. She shook Hazel's hand off and started shaking her head.

"No, no, no! This is all my fault!" she said and turned to me. "Why can't I save the ones dear to me?! Why do I keep failing?! I thought it was enough, Ian. I thought that my powers were enough to save our baby, I tried. I really did."

I nodded at her. Unfamiliar tears trickled down my face as I faced my mate. I felt helpless.

There's no way right?

I am the Alpha of one of the strongest packs. I've defeated many other packs who dared cross our path. I had the power and strength that I've always sought to protect not only my pack but also those I held dear.

So don't tell me I'm going to lose my child.

Don't tell me there's no way to save them.

Please.

"I'm sorry, you two. But I have to do this." I hear Hazel say, her voice as dreamy as could be.

And then everything turned black.