I don't know if it was because I had once drifted between life and death, but the grandmaster's words still sat on my chest like a heavy stone. Even when I told myself Lewis was safe, dread kept crawling back.
Every little thing he did felt louder in my head. Every look, every pause, every breath.
Lewis caught me staring and gave me a tired smile, like he already understood the mess in my mind.
"Elena," he said softly, "how could I not want you to carry our child?"
His hand lifted and patted my head, slow and careful, the way an Alpha calms someone whose instincts won't settle.
"But you said it yourself," he continued. "We still don't fully understand what happened to our pack… or what happened to the Morrigans. And with how you're feeling right now… having a child wouldn't be the best choice, right?"
I studied his face like I was trying to read truth in the shape of him. His features were calm, perfect, almost unreal.
And slowly… my lungs remembered how to breathe.
