Chapter 135 Elara's POV
I was dying.
Not literally not yet but every day I felt weaker. Paler more exhausted than I had ever been in my life.
The baby Adrian was growing rapidly in these final weeks of pregnancy, taking everything he needed from my body and leaving me completely depleted.
My skin had lost all its color, turning an unhealthy shade of white that made Kara gasp every time she looked at me. My hands shook constantly, trembling even when I tried to hold a cup of water. Dark circles shadowed my eyes, making me look hollow and haunted.
And sleep was impossible.
Adrian kicked all night hard, violent kicks that left me gasping and clutching my stomach in pain. It felt like he was fighting something inside me.
Or trying desperately to escape each movement was forceful enough to take my breath away, to make me curl around my massive belly and whimper.
"You need to eat more," Kara urged for the hundredth time that week, holding out a plate of food I had no appetite for.
"You're wasting away looking at yourself, you can barely stand without swaying."
"I can't eat, everything makes me nauseous."
I pushed the plate away weakly. "The smell of food makes my stomach turn. I tried this morning and just threw it all up."
"Then we need to get Damian here you need proper medical care. IV fluids at minimum. Maybe medications to help you keep food down-"
"We can't just call Damian openly. If he comes here in an official capacity, people will ask questions. Someone might tell you about the Blue Moon Pack. It could expose where I am and then the elders will send people to arrest me."
But Xavier must have noticed my rapidly deteriorating condition because he came to visit that afternoon, his expression troubled as he took in my appearance.
"You look terrible," he said bluntly, not bothering with pleasantries.
"Thank you so very very comforting words," I said weakly, attempting a smile that probably looked more like a grimace.
"I'm serious, Elara, your color is completely gone. You look like you haven't eaten in days. And Kara tells me you're not sleeping at all. That the baby kicks so hard you can't rest."
He studied my face with genuine concern. "This isn't sustainable, you are going to collapse if this continues."
"I'm managing-"
"You're not managing, you're deteriorating."
He pulled out his phone. "I'm calling Damian. Secretly he can come check on you without anyone knowing. After dark, through the back routes no one will see him arrive."
"Xavier, you don't have to go to all that trouble-"
"Yes, I do. If something happens to you or the baby while you're under my protection, Kaden will never forgive me. He trusted me to keep you safe. And honestly, I won't forgive myself if I let you suffer when I have the resources to help."
He was already dialing. "I'll arrange it for tonight. After everyone's asleep. Completely discrete."
Before I could respond or protest further, there was a sharp knock at the door.
Without waiting for permission to enter, Lyssa walked in. She looked immaculate as always perfectly styled hair, flawless makeup, expensive clothes that hugged her figure.
"Well," She said, her eyes raking over me with undisguised contempt.
"You look even worse than I expected. Pregnancy really doesn't suit you at all, does it? You look like a corpse."
"What do you want, Lyssa?" Xavier's voice was cold, warning.
"Just checking on our honored guest. Making sure she's comfortable in her accommodations."
Lyssa moved closer to where I sat, circling like a predator.
"Though I have to say, Elara, you don't look like you'll make it to delivery. You look like you might just... fade away before that baby ever sees daylight."
"Get out," Kara said sharply, stepping between Lyssa and me protectively.
"Excuse me?" Lyssa's eyebrows rose. "Did a servant just give me an order?"
"You heard me clearly. Get out. You're not welcome here and you know it."
"I'm a member of this pack. I can go wherever I please within our territory-"
"Not when you're harassing a pregnant woman who's under the Alpha's direct protection."
Kara's voice was firm, stronger than I'd ever heard it. "Leave. Now. Before I make you leave."
Lyssa's expression turned venomous. "You're just a lowly servant from Blue Moon Pack. You don't give me orders in my own territory. You're nothing here-"
Kara slapped her hard across the face; the sharp crack of the impact echoed in the small room.
Lyssa stumbled backward, hand flying to her reddening cheek, shock and rage warring on her face. "How dare you! How dare you put your hands on me!"
"I dare because someone needs to finally put you in your place. You're cruel and vindictive and petty, and I'm done watching you torment Elara when she's already suffering."
Kara advanced on her, not backing down despite Lyssa being taller and stronger. "If you come near us again, if you say one more hurtful thing, I'll do far worse than slap you. That's a promise. Understood?"
Xavier stepped forward, his Alpha authority radiating. "Lyssa, leave this residence. Immediately. And don't come back here. Consider these quarters off-limits to you from now on."
Lyssa looked between the three of us Xavier's stern face, Kara's protective stance, my pale and fragile form. Then she turned and fled without another word, though I could hear her muttering threats under her breath as she left.
After the door slammed behind her, I started shaking. Not from fear of Lyssa. From stress. From the constant, relentless pressure of being hated and hunted and trapped far from home and safety.
"I need air," I said, standing unsteadily, gripping the chair for support.
"I need to get out of here. Out of this room. I can't breathe in here."
"You should rest instead-" Kara began, reaching for my arm.
"I can't rest! I can't sleep! I can't do anything except sit here and wait and worry and feel everything falling apart around me!"
My voice was rising, becoming shrill with desperation. "I need to move. I need to walk. I need to breathe fresh air. I need to feel like I'm not trapped in a cage waiting for execution."
Xavier looked concerned, exchanging a worried glance with Kara. "If you want to go outside, I can arrange an escort. Guards who will stay back but keep you safe-"
"No escorts, no guards , no watchers , no one following me or reporting where I go. Just me. Alone. Please. I'm begging you."
They exchanged more worried glances but didn't physically stop me as I grabbed a coat from the hook by the door and left.
I walked through the Dark Moon Pack grounds without any real direction or destination. Just moving. Putting one foot in front of the other. Trying desperately to calm the rising panic that was building in my chest, threatening to choke me.
The sun was setting, painting the sky in shades of orange and purple. The air was cooling rapidly as night approached. And I kept walking, not paying attention to where I was going.
I didn't notice how far I'd traveled until the neat, landscaped grounds gave way to wild, untamed forest. Didn't notice I was on uneven, treacherous terrain until my foot caught hard on an exposed tree root.
I stumbled forward, arms flailing, trying desperately to catch my balance. But my pregnant belly threw off my center of gravity completely. I couldn't compensate.
I fell forward heavily, unable to stop my momentum. Began rolling down a steep slope I hadn't seen in the fading light.
Branches tore at my clothes and skin. Rocks scraped my arms and legs. My world became a tumbling confusion of earth and sky and pain.
My head struck something hard. A tree trunk. A boulder. I couldn't tell which. Sharp, blinding pain exploded through my skull.
Then everything went black I woke to cold raindrops hitting my face.
Heavy rain falling from a pitch-black sky. Thunder rumbling in the distance. Lightning occasionally illuminates the forest around me in brief, stark flashes.
I sat up slowly, every muscle screaming in protest. My head was pounding with a vicious, nauseating headache. When I touched my temple, my hand came away wet with blood.
Where was I?
I looked around frantically. Dense, dark forest stretched in every direction. No lights from the pack buildings, no familiar landmarks. Just endless trees and darkness and the sound of rain hammering down.
Panic seized my chest.
I tried to stand. Searing pain shot through my right ankle. I collapsed back to the muddy ground with a cry.
Sprained maybe broken. I couldn't tell.
"Help!" I called out, my voice weak and barely carrying over the sound of the storm. "Someone help me! Please!"
No response, nothing but rain and thunder and the rustling of leaves in the wind.
I was lost. Injured alone in the forest in the dark with no idea which direction led back to safety.
I forced myself to stand again, putting all my weight on my good leg. I started hobbling forward, choosing a direction at random, praying it would lead me back to civilization.
But everything looked the same in the darkness. Trees, rocks, mud, shadows that could be anything.
I was going in circles. I realized it with growing horror after I passed the same distinctive fallen log three times. I was wandering aimlessly, getting more lost with each step.
Panic was building, making it hard to breathe properly. Making it impossible to think clearly. My chest felt tight, my vision was blurring from the head injury and exhaustion.
Then I heard it.
Screaming, human screaming multiple voices raised in agony and terror, coming from somewhere deeper in the forest.