SERA'S POV
I woke up vomiting for the thirtieth morning in a row.
My hands gripped the toilet bowl as my stomach emptied itself, tears streaming down my face. Three months since the wedding. Three months since the attack that had awakened something terrifying inside me. Three months of pretending everything was fine while my world fell apart.
The silver light hadn't come back. Whatever power had exploded from my hands that night had disappeared like a dream. Kael had called in specialists, healers, even a witch. They'd all said the same thing: "The curse is unstable. Her wolf is trying to break free, but something's blocking it."
That "something" was apparently making me sick every morning.
Or maybe it was the pregnancy I was too terrified to confirm.
"Sera?" Kael's voice came through the bathroom door. "It's Tuesday."
Tuesday. Breeding session day.
My stomach turned again, but there was nothing left to throw up.
"I'll be out in a minute," I called, my voice hoarse.
Three months, and he still only spoke to me twice a week—when it was time to "fulfill contract terms." The sessions were exactly as horrible as the first time. Quick, cold, mechanical. He never stayed after. Never asked how I was feeling.
I was invisible in my own home.
I cleaned myself up and opened the door. Kael stood there in his suit, already checking his phone. He didn't look at me.
"I have meetings until eight," he said flatly. "We'll make this quick."
No "good morning." No "are you okay?" Just business.
I followed him to the bedroom we never shared, my heart heavy. The mate bond pulled at my chest, begging him to see me, to care, to feel something.
He felt nothing.
Fifteen minutes later, it was over. He was already dressing, his back to me.
"Kael," I said softly. "Can we talk?"
"About what?"
"About us. About—" I touched my stomach unconsciously. "About what happens if I'm—"
"If you're pregnant, excellent. That's the goal." He buttoned his shirt without turning around. "If you're not, we'll continue until you are."
"That's it? That's all you have to say?"
"What else is there?" He finally looked at me, his golden eyes empty. "This is the arrangement, Sera. You knew that when you signed."
He left, and I curled up on the bed, biting back sobs. How much more of this could I take?
The answer came an hour later when I forced myself to get dressed and face the pack house. Kael had "suggested" I attend today's leadership meeting—which meant it was required.
I walked into the conference room and immediately felt the stares. The whispers.
"Still no wolf..."
"Three months and she's barely Luna in name..."
"Wonder how long before he gets tired of her..."
I took my seat at the end of the table, as far from Kael as possible. He didn't acknowledge me. Marcus gave me a sympathetic look, but said nothing.
Then Lyanna walked in.
She'd been banned from the territory after the attack, but apparently Kael had lifted it last week. "For pack unity," he'd said. The fact that she'd tried to help murder me didn't seem to matter.
Lyanna sat directly across from me, her smile poisonous.
"Sera," she purred. "You look... tired. Not sleeping well?"
"I'm fine," I lied.
"Of course you are." Her eyes glittered with malice. "Though I have to say, three months and still no pregnancy announcement? That must be frustrating. After all, producing an heir is your only job."
Heat flooded my face. Several pack members snickered.
"Lyanna," Marcus warned. "That's enough."
"I'm just being honest." She leaned forward. "We're all thinking it. She's been here three months and what has she accomplished? She can't shift. Can't defend the pack. Can't even get pregnant apparently. What good is a Luna who—"
"Lyanna." Kael's voice was ice. "Enough."
She fell silent, but her smile stayed. She'd made her point. Everyone was wondering the same thing: what use was I?
The meeting dragged on. Pack business, territory disputes, things I didn't understand. I tried to pay attention, but the nausea was getting worse. The room felt too hot, too small.
"The Nightshade Pack has requested a meeting," Marcus said. "They claim they want to discuss peace terms after the attack."
"It's a trap," someone argued.
"Probably," Kael agreed. "But we need to know what they want. I'll meet with their Alpha next week."
"Take backup," Marcus urged. "They've already tried to kill you once."
"I can handle myself." Kael's eyes flickered to me for just a second. "They're not after me anyway. They want—"
He stopped, but I knew what he'd been about to say. They want me. They want whatever power was waking up inside me.
The meeting ended. Everyone filed out except Kael, Marcus, and me.
"Sera," Kael said, still not looking at me. "You're confined to the penthouse until further notice. No going out alone. No leaving without guards."
"You're putting me under house arrest?" Disbelief flooded through me.
"I'm keeping you safe. The Nightshade Pack—"
"Tried to kidnap me three months ago and you just NOW decide I need protection?" My voice rose. "Or is this because I'm potentially pregnant and you want to protect your investment?"
His jaw clenched. "You're my wife—"
"I'm your CONTRACT!" The words exploded out of me. "You've made that very clear. So don't pretend you care about my safety. You care about your heir."
"Sera—" Marcus tried to intervene.
"No." I stood up, shaking. "I'm done. I'm done being invisible. I'm done being treated like livestock. I'm done with all of this."
I walked toward the door.
"Where are you going?" Kael demanded.
"Anywhere but here."
I made it to the hallway before the dizziness hit. The world tilted. I grabbed the wall for support, but my legs wouldn't hold me.
I collapsed.
The last thing I heard before everything went black was Kael shouting my name—and for the first time in three months, he actually sounded scared.
When I woke up, a doctor stood over me with a grave expression.
"Congratulations," she said quietly. "You're eight weeks pregnant."
My hand flew to my stomach. A baby. I was carrying Kael's baby.
"However," the doctor continued, her face serious. "There's something unusual in your bloodwork. The pregnancy is triggering something in your DNA—something I've never seen before. Your body is changing, Mrs. Stormridge. Fast."
"Changing how?"
"We don't know yet. But whatever curse suppressed your wolf is breaking. And when it does..." She hesitated. "We need to prepare for the possibility that you might not survive the transformation."