Chapter 33
Valencia’s POV
The day had barely begun, and already the weight of it was suffocating. Last night hail been one of the most exhausting and terrifying nights of my life. Yet here I was, clinging to a fragile tread of hope and determination.
After getting home yesterday, I found myself immediately caught up in the chaotic whirlwind of wolves coming in and out of the house. A stream of well–wishers, nosy relatives, and servas filled the halls. It was suffocating, their voices a relentless cacophony of false cheer and expectation.
Then, just as I thought I might get a moment of peace, Lethia appeared. Of course, she would have something to say. She swept into my room, her face tight with disapproval as she carriel herself with that same haughty air she always had.
“It is my duty, as your mother, to prepare you for what lies ahead” she declared, folding her hands primly over her stomach as though this act of duty‘ was a gift.
I bit back my retorts, choosing instead to nod and listen as she launched into a lecture about the ‘etiquette of a proper wife. Her demands were endless. It was a litany of what I could and could not do, most of which sounded not just unreasonable but outright abhorrent
For instance, “Take in a lot of your husband’s Alpha pheromonest she said matter–of–factly, “and maybe you’ll end up with at child. Who knows?”
I stared at her in disbelief. Did I really let this nonsense slide in my last life?
By the time she finally left, my patience was hanging by a thread 1 stripped out of the hideous dress she had reprimanded me for wearing–which honestly open I found horrendous–and found something more practical & plain white dress and tied my hair into a ponytail. Jeans or a shirt would’ve been more practical, but Omegas wearing such clothes in packs was seen as ‘uncouth‘ Another rule I planned to break once I was far away,
With my rucksack in hand, I transformed into my wolf form. Instead of jumping down from my window, I climbed up to the roof and navigated through the shadows to the lake where Marcelene waited.
We managed to get into the car without any trouble, and for the first hour, everything seemed fine. Then the cramps started. Small at first, like dull twinges in my abdomen, but quickly escalating into something unbearable. My body felt like it was betraying me. Sweat poured down my face, and whimpers escaped my throat before I could stop them.
Marcy couldn’t take it anymore. “We’re stopping.” she said firmly pulling into the lot of a shady–looking hotel.
“Marcy, no,” I protested weakly, but the pain robbed me of any real authority.
She ignored me, running inside to grab a room key before coming back to help me. Somehow, we stumbled into the room. The moment my body hit the bed, exhaustion took over. I barely registered Marcelene hovering over me, wiping my fac with a cool cloth. The last thing I heard was her whispering, “You’ll be fine, Vi. Just rest
I woke at noon, feverish and disoriented. My entire body ached, and the cramps hadn’t stopped.
At least Marcelene had slept through a couple hourst But the guilt in me kept growing as I saw her worried expression, bringing over a first aid kit she’d packed in the car.
“Vi, I think we need to get you to a hospital,” she said, her tone laced with worry. “We’re only two hours away from Velhaven. I can drive us there‘
“No,” 1 croaked. The thought of burdening her more made me angry at myself. “T’ll be fine.”
She frowned. “You can barely move. I’m taking you.”
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When she tried to lift me, a scream tore from my throat, raw and involuntary. The pain was blinding, and I clawed at her, pleading for lier to stop.
“Please, Marcy,” I begged, tears streaming down my face. “I just need rest. Trust me.”
Marcy looked torn, her eyes darting between my trembling form and the door. Just as she opened her mouth to argue, her phone buzzed. She cursed under her breath, and slowly put me back down, stepping outside to take the call.
When she returned, her face was pale and tense.
“What happened?” I asked weakly, though I already feared the answer.
“It was Nina, remember the buzzcut girl? They know I left,” she admitted, avoiding my gaze. “I think they suspect you’re with me. I told her I took a plane ticket and left the country,”
I exhaled in relief, but it was short–lived.
“The thing is..” Marcelene hesitated, running a hand through her hair. “Dante’s losing his mind. He’s threatening war if you’re not back by midnight.”
My eyes widened. “What?”
“He’s insane, Vi. He’s demanding you go back or he’ll declare war.”
innocent wolves would die because of me? Wolves like Mario, like the The weight of her words crushed me. War? How many soldiers Marcelene had introduced me to–their faces flashed through my mind.
I tried to get up, panic driving me, but my body betrayed me again. Pain lanced through me, and I collapsed back onto the bed, sobbing. “Marcy, we have to call them. Tell them where I am. I’ll. I’ll just have to marry him.”
“Absolutely not,” she snapped. “Vi, you can’t. He’s even more psychotic than Jaxon. I’m not handing you over to him.”
“But the war
“Maybe it’s just him spouting bullshit,” she interrupted. “Maybe he’ll give up when he doesn’t find you.”
1 wanted to argue, but the fever and pain dragged me under again. I didn’t have any energy and soon darkness consumed
- me.
The dreams came next. Horrible, vivid dreams of my past life. Pain, endless pain. It wrapped around me like chains, pulling me deeper into despair. My screams echoed in the void, but no he came.
When I woke, a scream tore from my throat, raw and guttural. Marcelene rushed out of the bathroom, her face a mask of
horror.
“Vi? What’s wrong?” she asked, her voice shaky.
I couldn’t answer. I knew this pain. It was the same pain I felt when I lost
“No,” I whispered, tears streaming down my face. “No. No. No.
The blankets were soaked. Red. So much red.
my
third child.
Marcy’s face twisted in fear, and she ran to my side. “Oh my God, Vi. What’s happening?”
Another cramp seized me, worse than the last. I felt something shift, something pushing down, and I screamed. It felt like my body was splitting in two.
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Marcelene tore the blankets off me, her hands trembling as she grabbed the scissors from the first aid kit to cut my shorts. “Stay still,” she said urgently.
I sobbed, unable to stop the torrent of emotions crashing over re. I knew what this was. My baby. My dead baby.
“It’s dead,” I choked out. Not a question. A statement of resigned fate. My children were destined to die. All three of them. How could I forget?
Another groan escaped me as I fisted the blankets to ease the pain. So much pain. After what felt like forever I felt the sharpness subside leaving a dull ache.
Marcy was silent for a moment, and I couldn’t bring myself to look at her. Then she said sormething so absurd, it almost didn’t register.
“Holy shit. Vi, are you secretly a lizard?”
“Wh–what?” I croaked, barely able to form the word.
She held something up, her eyes wide with disbelief.
“It’s an egg
