LOGINKael Voss Pov Elias screamed. Not a small sound, a raw, broken cry that cut straight through me. His body arched in the nest like something was ripping him apart from the inside. I felt the bond crack wider, like a thick rope snapping fiber by fiber. The warm, steady pull that had been there since the claiming suddenly turned cold and jagged, like ice slicing through my chest. “Elias!” I grabbed him tighter, my bare chest pressed to his back, skin to skin, trying to pour everything I had into him. “Stay with me. Feel me. I’m right here.” He gasped, shaking so hard his teeth chattered. Sweat poured off him, making his silver hair stick to his neck. “It’s breaking… Kael, I can feel it tearing. Cold… so cold inside. Like Draven’s reaching in and pulling me away.” The bond spasmed. One second I felt him clearly, his love, his fear, his fight for the baby. The next second it flickered, like a radio losing signal. A sharp, metallic taste filled my mouth. My vision blurred at the edges.
Elias Vale The pain came again, sharper this time, like something was trying to rip the baby out of me. I gasped and curled tighter into Kael’s chest, my fingers digging into his arm. Sweat was pouring down my back. I couldn’t stop shaking. “Kael…” My voice came out small and broken. “It’s getting worse. The baby… he feels weaker. I think the serum is winning.” Kael held me like I might disappear. His hand stayed pressed to my stomach, warm and heavy. “No. He’s still there. I felt him move a second ago. Just hold on. I’m right here. I’m not letting you go.” I tried to breathe through the cramp, but tears kept coming. “Draven… he’s louder now. In my head. He keeps saying he loves me. That he’ll take care of the baby better than anyone. That you can’t protect us. It feels… it feels real sometimes. Like I should go to him to make the pain stop.” Kael went still. I felt his fear spike through the bond, sharp and raw. “Don’t listen to him. He’s lying. He doesn’t love you. He wants to
Kael Voss Elias cried out again, his whole body going rigid in my arms. The bond, that warm, steady thread I had come to rely on, suddenly felt like it was tearing apart. One second I could feel him clearly, his love, his fear, his fight. The next second it flickered, like a light about to go out. “Elias!” I pulled him tighter against my chest, my hand pressed hard to his stomach. “Stay with me. Fight it. I’m right here.” He gasped, tears running down his face. “Kael… it’s breaking. I can feel it cracking. Draven… he’s louder now. He says he loves me. That the baby belongs to him. I don’t want to go… but the pain… it’s too much.” The bond cracked wider. For a split second I felt nothing from him, just cold emptiness where he should be. My heart slammed against my ribs. Panic like I had never known flooded through me. *No. Not him. Not them.* I had faced wars, rivals, death. None of it scared me like this. Losing Elias. Losing our child. Watching the bond I had claimed break beca
Elias Vale Pov The pain wouldn’t stop. It felt like my body was tearing itself apart from the inside. I curled tighter in the nest, sweat running down my face, one hand pressed hard against my stomach like I could hold the baby in place. “Kael…” I gasped. “It’s bad. Really bad this time. The baby… he’s barely moving.” Kael held me from behind, his big body wrapped around mine like a shield. His hand covered mine on my stomach. “I feel him. He’s still there. Just hold on. I’m right here. I’m not leaving.” His voice was steady but I could feel how scared he was through the bond. Midnight had come and gone. Draven was waiting somewhere out there. And Seraphina… I didn’t know if she was still alive. Another cramp hit, sharper than the last. I cried out and gripped Kael’s arm hard. “It feels like he’s slipping away. The serum… it’s making everything worse. I keep hearing Draven in my head. He says he loves me. That the baby would be safer with him. That Kael can’t protect us.” Kael’s
Kael Voss Pov Midnight was coming too fast. I sat in the nest with Elias pressed against my chest, his breathing still shaky from the last cramp. My hand stayed flat on his stomach, feeling every small flutter of the pup. Every time the baby moved, something in me tightened so hard I could barely breathe. *How the hell do I choose?* Seraphina was my sister. Blood. She had fought beside me for years, built this pack with me. But Elias… Elias was my mate. My heart. The father of my child. The one who had turned my cold contract into something real. I couldn’t lose him. I couldn’t lose either of them. Elias shifted a little, wincing. “Kael… the pull is stronger now. I keep hearing him. He says he loves me. That the baby would be safer with him.” His words cut deep. I pulled him closer, kissing the top of his head. “He’s lying. He doesn’t love you. He wants to own you. You’re mine. Remember that.” “I remember.” His voice was weak. “But it hurts so much. I don’t know how long I
Elias Vale PovThe cramps wouldn’t stop. They came in waves, each one deeper, like something inside me was fighting to hold on. I lay curled in the nest, sweating and shaking, while Kael held me from behind. His big hand stayed spread over my stomach, warm and steady, like he could protect the pup just by touching me. “Still bad?” he asked, voice low and tired. “Yeah.” I breathed through my teeth as another one started. “It feels like the baby is… struggling. The serum is doing something. I can feel it pulling.” Kael pulled me closer, his chest solid against my back. “The doctor said the medicine will kick in. Just keep breathing. I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.” I tried. I really did. But the pain wasn’t only in my body anymore. There was this cold thread in my head, whispering. Draven’s voice from the dreams. Soft. Patient. Telling me he loved me. That he could make the pain stop. That the baby would be safer with him. I squeezed my eyes shut. “He’s there again… i
Kael Voss Pov The medical alert blared through the estate like a warning siren. Elias’s heat had spiked hard and fast. Too early. My body reacted before my mind fully caught up. I was already out of my chair and moving down the hallway, boots hitting the floor hard.Riven tried to keep up. “Boss,
Elias Vale PovThe trunk smelled like gas and old blood. My wrists burned where the zip ties cut deep. Every bump slammed my shoulder into the spare tire. I kept my eyes closed tight in the dark. Breathing through my mouth helped with the fumes, but nothing eased the fear twisting in my gut.The g
Elias Vale Pov I followed Riven down the long hallway, my legs still shaky from everything that had happened in the contract room. Kael’s words kept repeating in my head. “We’ll talk about that when the time comes.” He couldn’t even give me a straight answer about what would happen to me after th
Kael Voss PovElias stood in the middle of the contract room with his shirt hanging off one shoulder. His hands trembled at his sides even though he tried hard to look steady. That small shake did something to me I didn’t like — a low pull in my chest. I pushed it away. I didn’t have room for that







