Chapter 56 Contraction
Lulu
The fire spread along the side of the tent. The heat hit my skin so suddenly my heart nearly stopped. I still managed to scream before Caspian shoved me to the ground, his body shielding me from the flying sparks.
\[Are you alright?\] His voice sounded heavy in my head through the mind link.
“I’m fine.”
\[I’m here. Don’t move yet.\]
Outside, shouts rang out. I heard Gamma Oliver giving orders to our warriors, the roar of the wind and the hiss of fire shooting out again from between the trees. The edge of the tent was turning black, the fabric slowly burning.
\[Lulu, get out. Now!\] Caspian’s voice was firm.
I crawled out of the tent. The ground burned against my palms. My breathing was short, my chest rising and falling fast. The moment I got out, the Gammas and warriors formed a circle around me. Their bodies fully shifted into wolves.
Behind their line, I saw figures in black robes raising their hands. Fire gathered in their palms. Two more figures appeared on the other side, while two rogue wolves walked in front of them with their fangs bared.
They weren’t just rogues. They were Pyromancers, usually hired by someone powerful, either a sorcerer or a werewolf.
The worst part was, we hadn’t seen this coming.
“Pyrrha… they’re using fire magic.” My thoughts trembled as I spoke to my wolf.
\[I know. Let me take over.\] Her reply was quick.
Fire slammed into the ground in front of our defensive circle. The heat forced the Gammas to step back. One of the rogues tried to break through the gap. I let out a small cry when I saw it leap.
Caspian lunged. His massive body smashed the rogue to the ground. He bit into its neck and held on until the wolf stopped moving. Blood spread across the ground near my feet.
I swallowed hard, my hand instinctively going to my stomach.
The next blast of fire was bigger. Caspian slammed his claws into the ground. Water burst up from the damp earth under his power. The fire went out before it reached our line. But another wave of flames struck Caspian’s shoulder. The fur there blackened.
\[I’m fine.\] His voice reached me before I could panic. \[I won’t let the fire touch you.\]
Two Pyromancers split up, trying to flank us. One stayed further back, chanting quickly. The ground around him heated up, dry grass catching fire at once.
Gamma Timothy moved too far forward to stop the last rogue. I saw the Pyromancer in the distance raise his hand, fire gathering thickly in his palm.
“Timothy, look out!” I shouted.
The fire struck. Timothy was thrown backwards, his body slamming into the ground. He didn’t move for a moment.
Something inside me snapped. My heart pounded hard. Heat spread through my chest, then dropped into my stomach.
“We hit back, Pyrrha!” The urge was too strong. Pyrrha rose with my fear.
Before I could think again, my body shifted. My bones moved, fur burst through my skin. My breath came heavy as my wolf form took over. I stood in the middle of the circle, eyes locked on the Pyromancer about to strike Caspian from behind.
Without hesitation, I sprinted in from the side. Fire shot from my mouth. The flames slammed into the Pyromancer’s chest. His body was flung back, burning before he hit the ground.
\[Lulu. Get back into the circle. Don’t advance!\] Caspian’s voice cut into my head, sharp with worry.
\[Too late, Alpha. I can’t just stand there while you’re being attacked.\]
I forced myself to stop, stepping back half a pace. The two remaining Pyromancers looked shocked. They stepped up their attacks. Fire rained down, slamming into the ground. I saw Raven and Rylan holding back the last rogue. Blood and sweat mixed on the earth.
Caspian leapt at the Pyromancer on the right. His jaws clamped around the man’s arm. The fire in the Pyromancer’s hand went out as he screamed. Caspian threw him to the ground and pinned his chest until he stopped moving.
The last Pyromancer stumbled back, his face pale. The fire in his hand weakened, but he still tried to gather it. I heard Caspian growl low, full of rage.
He charged, water swirling around his body. One powerful bite to the neck. The Pyromancer dropped lifelessly to the ground.
They begged the Alpha for mercy, but I knew Caspian was already beyond mercy after their attack. Their hoarse voices were the last thing I heard before Caspian’s magic rolled over their bodies like a wave.
Silence washed over the forest. Caspian shifted back into human form, putting out the remaining flames with his water magic. Smoke rose into the night, standing out against the darkness. The smell of blood and burnt flesh filled the air.
My body started to shake. The heat in my stomach turned into sharp pain. My legs weakened. I stumbled, almost falling.
\[Help, my stomach hurts!\] My thoughts fractured as I sent the mind link.
“There are contractions…” Healer Sandra said beside me to the others.
My vision blurred. I felt my wolf form becoming unstable. Slowly, I shifted back into human form. My knees hit the ground. My breathing was shallow, cold sweat running down my back.
My stomach felt like it was being squeezed and pulled at the same time. My hand grabbed Caspian’s as he crouched beside me.
“Is she about to give birth?”
“I need to check first, Alpha. Please give me a moment.”
“Your Alpha give you the time and order.” Caspian said firmly.
“Open the formation,” he ordered. He knelt in front of me, his hands quickly checking my stomach. “It’s early contractions. The stress and the shifting triggered them.”
Caspian stood in front of me in his giant wolf form. His eyes never left me. He lowered his head close to mine.
\[Breathe slowly. Focus on me.\] His voice cut through my panic.
I tried to match his breathing. In. Out. The pain was still there, but it eased a little.
Sandra pulled out emergency medical supplies from her bag. “I need to stabilise her first. We can’t move until the contractions stop.”
I swallowed hard. “Is… is the baby—”
“Not yet,” Sandra cut in. “But if this continues, there’s a chance you’ll go into labour earlier than expected.”
My chest tightened. I looked at Caspian. His rage still pressed through our bond, heavy and dark, aimed at the lifeless bodies around us.
“Bloody sorcerers,” he said coldly. “Once I find out who’s fucking behind this, I won’t let them breathe until the full moon.”
“Alpha, I’m scared,” I said, my voice breaking with the pull in my stomach.
“I’m here with you, Lulu,” Caspian whispered against my ear. “Do whatever it takes for your Luna.”
“Save the baby.”
“You’ll both be fine,” Healer Sandra said, raising both hands over my stomach.
She channelled her healing energy into me. I could feel it spreading from my stomach up my spine.
“I need you to hold on for a bit, Luna.”
I nodded weakly. My fingers dug into the ground, trying to stop the shaking. Tonight was meant to be just a short stop. Now we were surrounded by bodies, dying embers, and the realisation that someone had tracked our Morpheus.
One thing was painfully clear to me.
As long as my baby and I were still breathing, Caspian would never stop fighting.