Chapter 132 Elara's POV
Dinner was a quiet, miserable affair.
Kara and I sat at the small table in our quarters, picking at the food the Dark Moon Pack servants had brought. It was good food better than what Lyssa had been giving us but I could barely taste it.
"You need to eat," Kara said gently. "For the baby. Adrian needs you to keep your strength up."
"I know." I forced down another bite.
"I just... I keep thinking about Kaden about how he's awake but I can't see him, can't talk to him, can't even tell him I'm okay."
"He knows you're safe. Damian will have told him by now."
"But does he know I didn't poison him? Does he believe I'm innocent? Or does some part of him wonder if maybe I did it?"
"Kaden would never think that he knows you. Knows you'd never hurt him."
I wanted to believe her but doubt gnawed at me. The note had said Kaden would die by my hands. And I had prepared the food that poisoned him. What if some part of him couldn't forgive that? Couldn't I forget it?
"Eat," Kara insisted. "Please, you are going to make yourself sick with worry."
I managed to finish half my plate before giving up. My stomach was too knotted with anxiety to handle more.
That night, sleep was impossible.
I lay in bed, my hand on my swollen belly, feeling Adrian kick and move he was running out of room in there. Getting bigger every day preparing to be born.
Any day now, maybe any hour now.
And Kaden wouldn't be there and wouldn't get to hold his son. Wouldn't get to see Adrian's first moments of life.
The thought made me cry silent tears that soaked my pillow. Around three in the morning, the contractions started.
Not labor not yet but practice contractions my body preparing for what was coming.
They hurt sharp pains that took my breath away. Made me gasp and curl around my stomach.
"Are you okay?" Kara asked from her bed across the room.
"Just Braxton Hicks false labor. It'll pass."
But it didn't pass quickly. The contractions came in waves throughout the night. Each one leaves me sweating and shaking.
By morning, I was exhausted. My nightgown was soaked with sweat. My muscles ached from tensing through the pain.
"We should get Damian," Kara said, seeing my condition.
"No. It's not real labor. Just my body practicing there's nothing he can do."
"You're in pain-"
"I'm always in pain lately. This is just part of being nine months pregnant."
But it was more than that the physical pain was bearable. It was the emotional pain that was destroying me.
Missing Kaden fearing for our future. Wondering if I'd ever get to go home.
I spent the morning trying to rest. Trying to calm my racing thoughts trying to convince myself everything would be okay.
Then Xavier came to visit.
He knocked politely before entering, carrying bags of what looked like baby supplies.
"I heard you've been having a difficult time," he said. "Thought these might help."
He had brought everything baby clothes. Diapers, blankets, bottles, everything a newborn would need.
"Xavier, this is too much-"
"It's not enough. You're about to have a baby in a strange pack, away from your mate, with very little support. The least I can do is make sure you have the basics."
I started crying again. I seemed to cry at everything lately.
"I'm sorry," I said, wiping my eyes. "I'm just so emotional and tired and scared."
"That's understandable. You're going through an impossible situation."
He set down the bags. "Is there anything else you need? Anything I can do to make you more comfortable?"
"Actually... yes. I would like to go outside. Take a walk and see something other than these four walls."
"Of course. I will arrange an escort-"
"Please don't make it obvious. I don't want a parade of guards following me. Just... let me feel normal for a little while."
Xavier studied my face. Then nodded. "There's a place on the eastern edge of our territory. The beautiful waterfall is very peaceful. I will have someone drive you there so you can spend as much time as you need."
An hour later, Kara and I were in a car heading toward this waterfall spot.
The driver was quiet, giving us privacy. The scenery outside the window grew more beautiful as we drove through dense forests, rocky outcroppings, and glimpses of running water.
Finally, we arrived.
The waterfall was breathtaking. It cascaded down a cliff face into a crystal-clear pool below. Birds sang in the trees. The air smelled clean and fresh.
"This is perfect," I said.
"I will wait by the car," the driver offered. "Take your time."
Kara helped me walk to a smooth boulder near the water's edge. I sat carefully, my pregnant belly making every movement awkward.
"Do you want company?" Kara asked. "Or would you rather be alone?"
"Alone just for a little while. I need to think."
"I will be right over there if you need me."
She walked a short distance away, giving me space but staying close enough to help if needed.
I sat on the boulder, watching the water fall. Listening to the birds. Feeling the sun on my face.
And I thought about Kaden.
About the first time we met. How he'd rejected me the morning after we slept together. How much that rejection had hurt.
About running away. Being found by Damian with no memory of who I was.
About discovering I was pregnant. Carrying Kaden's child while believing he didn't want me.