Kamrynn's POV
The first thing I notice when I open my eyes is the softness beneath me. It's not the hard, cold floor of my cell. The mattress yields slightly under my weight, and the blanket draped over me feels smooth and cool against my skin. A sharp smell stings my nostrils-medicine, disinfectant, and the sterile air that can only belong in a hospital.
I blink against the harsh light, my eyes struggling to adjust as I take in my surroundings. White walls. Monitors beeping steadily. The ache in my body is a dull throb, a reminder of the beating I endured. I try to shift, and pain slices through me, forcing a wince. I'm covered in bruises, and my muscles scream with even the smallest movement.
"You're awake," a familiar voice says.
I glance over and see Elara sitting beside the bed, her arms crossed and her expression set in a stern frown. She looks like she's been there for a while. I can't tell whether that's a good or bad thing. The last time I saw her, she wasn't exactly sympathetic.
My thoughts snap back to the present, and fear grips my chest as I remember the reason I was in that fight in the first place. "My baby," I croak, my voice barely a whisper. "Is… is my baby alright?"
Elara's gaze softens just a little. "The doctor said your baby is fine," she replies. "Though it's a miracle, considering the state you were in."
A rush of relief floods through me, and I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. "Thank the Moon Goddess…" I murmur, my eyes closing for a brief moment. At least my child is safe.
Elara's voice snaps me back to reality, harsh and scolding. "What were you thinking?" she demands. "Picking a fight when you know you're pregnant? That's the kind of reckless, disgusting behavior we expect from rogues, not anyone with a shred of common sense. Is that the kind of example you want to set for your child?"
I grit my teeth, her words slicing through me like a blade. "I didn't start a fight," I retort, forcing my voice to stay steady. "I was attacked. The other inmates ganged up on me."
Elara raises an eyebrow, skepticism written all over her face. "That's not what the others say," she replies coolly. "Every single inmate testified that you were the one who threw the first punch."
I swallow hard, my jaw tightening. "Yes, I hit Alix first," I admit, my voice raw with frustration. "But she pushed me. She said horrible things about my child. She called my baby a 'useless rogue bastard.' How could I just stand there and take it?"
"And why should I believe a rogue over all the other inmates?" Elara's tone is blunt and dismissive, and it stirs a fresh wave of frustration inside me.
"I'm not a rogue," I snap, my voice louder than I intended. "I-"
"Then where's your Pack identity?" she cuts in, her gaze sharp and unwavering. "If you're not a rogue, why don't you have any markings? Any proof that you belong somewhere?"
I bite my bottom lip, my mind racing as I search for the right words. I can't explain my situation, not without revealing more than I'm willing to. "I… I left my Pack of my own choice," I say slowly. "I wasn't banished or kicked out. I left because I wanted to."
Elara lets out a sharp, mocking laugh that grates on my nerves. She laughs long and hard, her voice echoing through the sterile room. "You expect me to believe that you chose to become a rogue?" she scoffs. "That you willingly cut ties with your Pack?"
When she finally stops laughing, she sees the seriousness on my face, and her expression shifts slightly. "And what could possibly possess you to do something so foolish?" she asks, her tone more curious than mocking now.
I look down at the blanket, my fingers curling around the edge. "I… was treated horribly in my Pack," I confess, the words coming out quieter than I intended. "I couldn't take it anymore. I left to find a better life."
"A better life?" Elara raises an eyebrow, a hint of sarcasm coloring her tone. "And how's that working out for you? Becoming a rogue and being treated like one-is it any better than the way you were treated before?"
I open my mouth, but no words come. I have no answer for her, nothing that will make sense of the mess I've found myself in. I left to escape the hell I was living in, only to end up in another one. Maybe I was foolish. Maybe I was just desperate.
Elara's expression hardens again, and she leans back in her chair. "Look, I don't care about your story," she says coldly. "Whether you're telling the truth or not doesn't matter to me. As a warrior of the Blue Bell Pack, my duty is to uphold the rules and values of our Pack. And here, rogues don't have rights."
I feel the sting of her words, but I can't deny them. It's clear that no one here will ever see me as anything more than a rogue. "Then why am I still alive?" I ask quietly. "If your Pack hates rogues so much, why haven't you…?"
"Because you're pregnant," Elara replies matter-of-factly. "And because we have some sense of decency. But don't mistake our mercy for weakness. The Blue Bell Pack has a long, ugly history with rogues, and that animosity isn't going away anytime soon." Her gaze shifts, and for a moment, there's a flicker of something almost… personal in her eyes. "A mother should always put her child first. I have a daughter, Sienna. I'd do anything to protect her. That's what a mother does. You should've been thinking about your baby before you decided to pick a fight."
"I was thinking about my baby," I snap back, the heat rising in my voice again. "I wasn't going to stand there and let her insult my child."
Elara's eyes narrow, and she shakes her head as if I've missed the point entirely. "It doesn't matter what she said. You put yourself and your child at risk. And as much as you might not want to hear it, that's exactly the kind of reckless behavior that gets rogues killed."
Her words sting, but there's a part of me that knows she's right. I did act out of anger. I let my emotions get the better of me. But does that really mean I deserve to be punished for defending my child?
Elara stands up, her expression as cold and unyielding as stone. "Fighting among the inmates is strictly forbidden," she says firmly. "And since all the testimonies confirm that you were the one who started it, you'll be punished."
The finality in her tone makes my stomach drop. I try to sit up, but the pain shoots through my ribs, forcing me to lie back down. "Please, you have to understand…" I begin, but my voice trails off as I realize I'm wasting my breath. Elara has already made up her mind.