Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Sera

Marie arrived at dawn, summoned by Dante's urgent message. She looked annoyed at being woken so early until she saw our faces. Then her expression shifted to concern.

"What's wrong?" she asked, setting her medical bag on Dante's desk.

"We need you to examine Sera again," Dante said. "Check the pregnancy timeline more carefully."

"I checked thoroughly yesterday. Four weeks along, give or take a few days." Marie pulled out her equipment. "Has something changed?"

"Maybe." I sat down in the chair she indicated. "Or maybe we're all losing our minds."

Marie placed her hands on my abdomen, eyes closing in concentration. The warm tingle spread through me again as she used whatever healing sense she possessed to read my body. This time she took longer, her frown deepening.

"That's odd," she murmured.

"What?" Dante moved closer.

"The fetus is definitely developing. Strong heartbeat, good growth. But..." She opened her eyes, looking confused. "The cellular development is accelerated. Much faster than normal."

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"In a typical pregnancy, cells divide and develop at a predictable rate. We use that rate to determine how far along someone is." Marie's hands moved across my stomach. "But this baby is developing at roughly seven times the normal speed."

The room went quiet.

"Seven times?" Dante's voice was tight. "So if the baby has developed the equivalent of four weeks..."

"The actual conception would have been roughly four days ago." Marie pulled her hands back, staring at me like I was a puzzle she couldn't solve. "But that's impossible. Pregnancy doesn't work that way."

"Unless it's a true mate pregnancy," I said quietly.

Marie's eyes widened. "True mate bonds enhance everything—strength, healing, connection. But I've never heard of them affecting gestation speed." She looked at Dante. "Have you?"

"The old stories mention it. Children of true mates being born faster, stronger, more powerful than normal wolves." Dante ran a hand through his hair. "I always thought they were exaggerations."

"Maybe they weren't." Marie checked her readings again. "If this is true, Sera, you could be looking at a pregnancy that lasts weeks instead of months. The baby would be born much sooner than normal."

My hand went to my stomach. A baby in weeks instead of nine months. The thought was terrifying and surreal.

"Does this change anything legally?" Dante asked. "With Marcus's claim?"

"I don't know. This has never come up in pack law because true mate bonds are so rare." Marie packed up her equipment. "But if I were to testify to the Council, I'd have to say the conception date matches when you and Sera met, not when she was with Marcus."

"Marcus will say you're lying to protect Dante," I said. "He'll bring his own experts."

"Let him. The evidence is in your body, Sera. Any competent healer will see the same thing I do." Marie headed for the door, then paused. "You should prepare for a fast labor, though. If development continues at this rate, you might have only a few weeks until the birth. Maybe less."

After she left, I sat there trying to process. A few weeks. I'd gone from thinking I was carrying Marcus's four-week-old fetus to realizing I was carrying Dante's rapidly developing baby that might be born within the month.

"Are you okay?" Dante asked.

"I don't know. This is..." I couldn't find words. "Yesterday I thought I couldn't have children at all. Today I'm pregnant with a baby that's growing seven times faster than normal. It's too much."

"We don't have to figure it all out right now." He sat beside me. "One thing at a time. First, the evaluation this afternoon."

Right. The Council evaluation where Marcus would try to prove I was unstable. That was still happening in less than twelve hours.

"We have evidence now," I said. "Lydia's documents, the genetic tests, Marie's findings. That should be enough to prove Marcus has been manipulating everything."

"It should be. But pack politics are complicated." Dante's expression was troubled. "Marcus's family has influence. His father was Alpha before him, his grandfather before that. The Council respects legacy and tradition."

"And I'm nobody. An exiled wolf with no family and no standing."

"You're my mate. That gives you standing."

"Does it? Or does it just make me look like I jumped from one Alpha to another looking for protection?" I stood and started pacing. "Adrian's not the only one who thinks that. I saw how the pack members looked at me yesterday. They think I'm using you."

"Then we prove them wrong."

"How? By telling them about a true mate bond they've never seen before? About a pregnancy that defies normal biology?" My voice rose. "They'll think I'm crazy, Dante. That's exactly what Marcus wants them to think."

A knock interrupted us. Adrian stood in the doorway, looking like he hadn't slept either. His eyes found mine, and for a moment I expected more accusations. Instead, he said, "There's a situation at the border."

Dante stood immediately. "What kind of situation?"

"Marcus's warriors. Six of them, under a white flag. They're requesting a formal parley."

"At dawn?" Dante's eyes narrowed. "That's not standard protocol."

"No. But they have someone with them. A healer from Clearwater Pack." Adrian's gaze shifted to me. "Sarah. She's asking to speak with Sera privately."

My blood went cold. Sarah, who'd known about my pregnancy and told Marcus immediately. Sarah, who was supposed to testify against me this afternoon.

"It's a trap," I said.

"Probably," Adrian agreed. "But she came under parley flag. If we refuse to hear her, we break pack law."

"Then I'll speak with her," Dante said. "Sera doesn't have to—"

"No." I cut him off. "She asked for me specifically. If I refuse, it looks like I'm hiding something." I met Dante's eyes. "I'll talk to her. But not alone. You come with me."

"Agreed." Dante turned to Adrian. "Tell them we accept the parley. Sera will meet with Sarah at the border in thirty minutes. Full guard escort."

Adrian nodded and left.

I took a shaky breath. "Why would Sarah want to talk to me? She's loyal to Marcus."

"Maybe Lydia's betrayal spooked her. Maybe she's having second thoughts about the testimony." Dante pulled me close. "Or maybe Marcus is trying something new. Either way, we'll be careful."

Twenty-five minutes later, we stood at the border. Dante had brought ten warriors, all armed and alert. Across the invisible line that marked neutral territory, Marcus's six warriors stood with Sarah between them.

She looked small and frightened, her healer's robes wrinkled like she'd slept in them. When she saw me, her expression crumpled.

"Sera," she called out. "Please. I need to talk to you. It's important."

"Talk from there," Dante said. "You're close enough."

"I need privacy. What I have to say is for Sera's ears only."

"Not happening," Dante's Beta said. "Speak here or don't speak at all."

Sarah looked at the warriors around her, then back at me. She seemed to be weighing something. Finally, she reached into her robes and pulled out a small vial. The warriors immediately tensed, hands going to weapons.

"It's just medicine," Sarah said quickly, holding it up. "Sera, I need you to take this. Right now. Before it's too late."

"What is it?" I asked.

"Something to protect the baby." Sarah's voice shook. "I analyzed your blood work from yesterday. The pregnancy is progressing too fast. If it continues at this rate, your body won't be able to handle the strain. You'll hemorrhage during delivery. You'll die, Sera."

The words hit like a physical blow.

"She's lying," one of Dante's warriors said. "It's poison."

"It's not poison, it's suppressant. It'll slow the baby's development to a normal rate." Sarah took a step closer to the border. "Please, Sera. I know you don't trust me. I know I've done terrible things. But I took an oath as a healer. I can't let you die."

"Marie didn't say anything about my life being in danger," I said.

"Marie doesn't specialize in high-risk pregnancies. I do." Sarah's eyes were desperate. "I've seen what happens when a fetus develops too quickly. The mother's body can't keep up with the demands. Blood pressure spikes, organs fail. You have maybe two weeks before it becomes critical. This suppressant will give you time, let your body adjust."

Dante's hand found mine. "We'll have our own healers examine you."

"There's no time! The evaluation is this afternoon. Marcus—" Sarah stopped, her face paling. "Marcus knows. He knows what's happening to you. That's why he moved up the timeline."

"What do you mean?" I demanded.

"The evaluation. It was supposed to be next week, but he pushed it forward. He wants you stressed, wants you at the Council Hall when your body is already struggling." Sarah's voice dropped. "He's not trying to prove you're unstable, Sera. He's trying to trigger a medical crisis. If you collapse during the evaluation, if the pregnancy complications become public, the Council will rule you unfit on medical grounds alone."

My knees went weak. Dante's arm around my waist was the only thing keeping me standing.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked. "Why help me now?"

Sarah's eyes filled with tears. "Because I'm a healer before I'm a pack member. And because I have a daughter. If someone did to her what Marcus is doing to you, I'd want another healer to have the courage to speak up." She held out the vial again. "Please. Take the suppressant. Don't give Marcus the satisfaction of watching you die."

I looked at Dante. He was studying Sarah carefully, trying to read whether this was truth or another manipulation.

"Let me see the vial," he said finally.

Sarah tossed it carefully across the border. One of Dante's warriors caught it and brought it to him. Dante uncorked it and sniffed, his expression unreadable.

"It's suppressant," he confirmed. "But there's something else in it. Something I can't identify."

"A stabilizer," Sarah said. "To help with the blood pressure. Standard for high-risk pregnancies."

"Or a sedative," Adrian said. "One sip and Sera's unconscious, easy to transport back to Marcus."

"I swear on my oath as a healer, it's not poison or sedative. Just suppressant and stabilizer." Sarah looked at me. "But I understand if you don't believe me. I've given you no reason to trust me. All I can say is that if you don't take something to slow this pregnancy, you won't survive to see your baby born."

The choice hung in the air. Trust the healer who'd betrayed me, or risk dying in childbirth within weeks.

I reached for the vial.