~JADE~

Everything else happened in a blur. It all felt like a nightmare, and I wished someone would wake me up so badly.

Hunter had dragged me out of Arya's place naked, and I had no will to protest against his iron grip. He believed I had lost all sense of decency, and I was so ashamed that I was unable to even ask for something to cover my nakedness as he threw me out of bed after he pulled his dick out of me. 

I couldn't even look Arya or Darren in the eyes because my friend had fucked me right there in their presence, without a care in the world, like I was no better than a cheap fuck. Humiliated and degraded me beyond words, dragged me through the street naked, and left me on the front porch of my parent's house with a warning that I would never return to our home. 

I had crawled inside my parents' house, shaking and crying. Despite how many times they asked what happened, my mouth wouldn't budge; all I could do was weep as I sank further into the shame enveloping me. 

"Is this true, Jade?" Even now, as I sit here in the presence of my parents and in-laws, I still wish this was nothing but a nightmare.

"Jade!" I heard my father snap, and I dragged my eyes away from my lap.

"Is everything your mate just said true? Did you cheat on him with your sister's boyfriend?" Dad asked, and I shook my head.

"I didn't; I didn't do it," I replied as fresh tears streamed down my face.

"Now she's calling me a liar. Your sister and I saw you in bed with him. You were both naked." Hunter growled from where he was seated across the room, and I flinched. 

"Jade." My mom's soft voice filtered through: "Tell me the truth, please." Mom asked in a shaky voice.

"I... don't... I don't remember," I stuttered,

"I didn't drink any alcohol; I was sober. All I took was water, and I don't know what happened; I woke up and..."

"So, you're saying you cheated because you wanted to? You didn't even need alcohol to whore yourself to your sister's boyfriend." 

"Keep quiet." Alpha Orion, my father-in-law and Alpha Head of the Pack growled at Hunter, his voice cutting through all the other voices in the living room. 

"You will not call your mate such degrading names while I am seated." Hunter's father muttered, glaring hard at his son. 

"She is not my mate, not after she..." 

"Do you want to be thrown out of here? keep quiet." Alpha Orion snaps at Hunter once more. He lets out a series of muffled words before falling silent, listening to his father. 

"I do not care what state you found her in or how angry you were. You should've reined in your anger and had the issue dealt with by the elder's council. Do you know how demeaning it is to be told that my son, the next Alpha of this pack, was seen dragging his naked mate back to her parent's house?" Alpha Orion bellowed at Hunter, who lowered his head. 

"I taught you better than that, did I not?" He snarls at Hunter, who nods. 

"What you do to your mate behind closed doors is no business of mine; what you do to her publicly concerns me if it shames my name and that of this family. Never in generations has such shame been brought on our family. The pack's future Luna was publicly humiliated by her Alpha."  

Shaking his head with a sigh, he points to me, then to Hunter. "You are both a disgrace." He declares with resentment heavy in his voice, and I cast my head down as shame washes over me. 

I know how much respect and love Hunter's parents have accorded me ever since I returned to the pack. Pack members called me their perfect Luna; I was my parents' golden child, beloved by every member of the pack, and in just one day, all that was replaced with reproach and disappointment. 

"This is something that we could've swept under the rug." The current Luna, Hunter's mother, said this, and she sighed heavily. 

"Your Alpha ceremony is in two months; the preparations are all set in place. All notable Alphas from far and beyond have been invited; you shouldn't have escalated this situation. Now with the stunt you pulled this morning, there's no way we can keep whatever happened in that room a secret because Pack members have already started talking." 

"Mother, I don't understand what you're saying. She cheated, she betrayed my trust and her sister's trust, and you're saying it could've been swept under the rug?" Hunter asks, the tone of his voice rising above the normal octave, and his mother nods. 

"Yes, not every union can be perfect; what is important is upholding the standards and name of this family and this pack. There is a reason why we are the most respected among all packs. If you hadn't pulled the stunt, you pulled this morning, your father and I would've solved this without having to involve the elder's council." 

"My mate cheated on me, and defiled our mate bond, and you expect me to keep it a secret?" Hunter half-yells at his mother, which earns him a warning growl from his father. 

"Yes, that is what you should've done if you had paid any attention to all the teachings of your father. There is nothing new under the sun, and no union is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes; let's say she made a drunken mistake. Punish her however you want behind closed doors. Do whatever you wish to her to show your anger, as long as your action is not displayed for the world to see. As long as your actions don't  hinder your Alpha ceremony, as long as it doesn't tarnish the name of this pack and this family, now we have no choice but to bring this before the council." 

"Which is the right thing to do!" Hunter exclaims, throwing his hands in the air out of frustration. 

"AND THAT IS GOING TO COST US A LOT. YOUR ALPHA ASCENDING CEREMONY WILL BE CANCELED, AND EVERY NEIGHBOURING PACK WILL KNOW ABOUT THIS. WE WILL HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO SAVE FACE AND SHARE IN THIS DISGRACE. ARE YOU A STRANGER TO WHAT HAPPENS TO ANY MATE FOUND GUILTY OF INFIDELITY BEFORE THE COUNCIL? THIS DOES NOT LOOK GOOD ON US; OUR IMAGE WILL BE TARNISHED FOREVER." His mother yells at him; the veins in her neck and forehead popping with every word she says and it finally dawns on me. 

They weren't defending me or trying to appease their son for my sake. It was all about them, the intervention they talked about when they first got here; it wasn't about proving my innocence; it was about their family, the pack, and their image. And here, I thought they might have believed me when I said I didn't cheat on their son. 

No one is ready to believe me; no one wants to give in to the thought that I might be telling the truth. Or even try to investigate the situation. Why aren't they asking Arya any questions? It was her party; she gave me the water I drank before I blacked out. 

"Arya, where is your boyfriend? Why isn't he here?" 

Alpha Orion, asks my sister, who has been crying buckets ever since this sham of a meeting started.

"I don't know... I haven't seen him since the incident this morning." She replies in between her sobs and hiccups. 

"Jade, can you prove your innocence? If you can, this can still be resolved." My mom asked, and I stared at her blankly, wondering how I could do that when I don't even remember shit. Perhaps they can get Darren and make him tell the truth, but what if he is telling the truth? What if I cheated on my mate?

"That is no longer necessary. She has to go before the council; it's the words of her mate and her sister against her. There is nothing she can do to salvage the damage already done. Even if we try, the pack members are already talking; we can only make sure to save the pack's name henceforth." 

"So, you're implying we make my daughter a scapegoat even if she might be innocent?" Mom grumbled as she glared at Alpha Orion. 

"She became a scapegoat the moment she woke up in bed with a man who wasn't her mate." Hunter's mother replied, rolling her eyes at my mom. 

"The council.... What... What will happen to me if they find me guilty?" I asked, amidst their banter. 

I left the pack at a very young age, and most of the pack's customs weren't taught to me when I grew up with my aunt in the Philippines. Ever since it became clear that I'd become Luna someday, I've been learning about pack customs, rites, and laws, but I had no reason to look up infidelity or anything about the council of elders. 

"If found guilty, you will be stripped of your rights as a pack member, a severance will take place, Hunter will reject you, and your mate bond will be nullified. After which you'll be branded as unworthy; you'll be paraded around the pack naked as you dance the dance of shame, and you'll be banished from the pack afterwards." Hunter's mom explained, and my eyes grew bigger with each word.

Rejected? I'll be made to dance naked around the pack, branded as unworthy, and I am not even given the chance to prove my innocence. Does it even matter if I am innocent? They'll make me the scapegoat if it saves them face.

"You can't do that. You can't reject me." 

"Why do you still believe that you've done nothing wrong?" Hunter hissed at me. 

"Because I am pregnant with your child, you'll kill your child if you reject me, and you know that." 

This was my last resort. I know how much his parents have been looking forward to having a grandchild, an heir, because, for some reason, they only ever have one child in their bloodline. Hunter is the only child, and he can only give his parents one grandchild.

I don't know why that is, but it is the first thing I was told after we became mates and why it was important for me to take care of myself and be healthy enough to carry the future Alpha.

~JADE~

I stood in the living room, unsure of what to do with myself. We were back at home, and for the first time in two years, I felt like a stranger in my own home.

I never knew a time would come when I'd feel like an absolute stranger in a place where I once found comfort and love.

I am taken back to the first time I stepped foot in this house, the day Hunter brought me here as a surprise to show me our new home. The house he built for when he finds his mate, with the hope that they'll both make it their home.

I remember the feeling of contentment and comfort I felt when he walked me into this very living room, the pleasant smile on his face when he said the words, "This is our home now, your home, for as long as you'll have me."

And in that moment, I felt like the most important person on earth; all the memories from when I was in Manila had become less painful. Because Hunter had given me a place I could call home in the first few months of meeting him and knowing he was my mate, he had shown me love like no other.

Coming back to Detroit, to the pack. I had thought I'd have to pick up the pieces of my life and start all over. Coming back to my family was my chance to try at happiness for the first time and to reclaim everything I had lost while in Manila with my aunt.

I didn't even think finding my mate was a possibility; I never saw myself as one deserving of a mate. Perhaps I didn't see the girl I was in Manila as someone deserving of affection from a mate.

Yet Hunter...

He had swept me off my feet and lit a fire in my heart that I never knew was there. He made me feel so damn important and love-able and provided me with stability.

I remember how it all felt like a dream-a dream I never wanted to wake up from, not if it meant losing Hunter. Because even when I'd told him about my past and about the life I lived in Manila, while I saw a weak and used girl, Hunter saw a strong woman who fought and worked hard to survive.

It was then that I knew he was my person, that he was my home, my everything.

Yet at this moment, standing in this living room-the same living room that had provided me comfort and served as my shield from the rest of the world-I feel like a foreigner in a strange land.

I feel lost.

That dread has returned-the same displaced feeling of abandonment and betrayal I felt the first time I found myself being shoved into that room with red and blue disco lights. My aunt's words resounded with a repeating echo in my ear. "You better do well to make them happy." She didn't need to say any more; those words were warning enough for me.

I was only given one option: to step out of the VIP room with tips worthy enough to put a smile on her face. It was either that, or I spent the next few days without food or a bed to sleep on.

For several months, I would cry myself to sleep in the corridor. Every night I got shoved into that room with disco lights, my stomach would churn with disgust and betrayal because that wasn't the life I was promised. That wasn't the promise she made to my parents when she took me from them, and for a little while, I was given a false sense of security about that promise. Little did I know she was simply waiting for me to grow a few more inches before using me like she did every other girl under her care.

"What are you doing standing there like a fucking statue?" Hunter barks, snapping me out of my stream of self-pity.

"Hunter, I..."

"Save it, Jade; I need you to pack your shit and get it out of the bedroom." He snapped, his eyes shooting daggers at me.

"You want me to pack my things and remove them from our bedroom?" I was dumbfounded, to say the least.

Won't he at least give me the benefit of the doubt? At least try to ask me what happened now that we are both back home.

I understand he was angry with what he walked into this morning, and any other person would have got the wrong idea.

I understand that he lost control and acted irrationally due to his anger, but it's been hours. No matter how angry he was this morning, shouldn't he at least have the tiniest bit of trust and ask me questions?

"Our bedroom?" he mused, snorting as he shook his head.

"There's no such thing as 'our'; the only reason you're still under my roof is because my parents won't have it any other way, at least until the trial with the council, and I will not share the same room or bed with a cheating whore." He snarled the last words of his sentence with a venom that had my skin crawling with disgust.

"How are you so quick to throw me away, Hunter? I thought you loved me. How are you so unfazed and ready to throw out two years of commitment and love? You aren't giving me the benefit of the doubt; you won't ask me what happened. I am your Mate, Hunter; shouldn't that mean something to you?" I tried to fight back my tears. I tried to rein in my voice and keep myself from yelling because I knew screaming wouldn't solve this situation.

"It meant something enough for me to spend two years with you; it meant something enough that I chose to make you my Luna, but that meaning fell off the cliff the minute you chose to spread your legs for another." Hunter bellowed in my face, gritting his teeth, and it stung my heart to watch him painfully fight back tears.

"I didn't do it, Hunter; I swear I didn't open my legs for him. Do you not even trust me at all?" I moved to grab his hand, but he yanked it out of my reach, hurrying to put some distance between us.

"I trusted you, Jade; if I didn't trust you, I wouldn't have given us a chance. I would've rejected you two years ago if I didn't trust you, especially knowing you are her sister. Despite the promise I made to myself not to love again, I broke that promise because of you. I chose to give love a chance. After all, I trusted you because I thought you were my person for life, only for my trust to be broken like this again. You know how that saying-once bitten twice shy-I should've taken it for what it is, yet here I am getting my heart ripped out for the second time again by someone I love."

He quickly turned his back to me to prevent me from seeing the tears sliding down his cheek, but I saw before he could completely look away, and the pain in his eyes ripped through my gut.

I once promised him that I would never be the reason for his pain, and I never want to be. 

"Hunter, please; I would never intentionally hurt you like this. I didn't have sex with Darren, and I would never betray your trust like that. All I did was sleep in the same bed as him; I don't even remember falling asleep with him in the room. I just... Hunter, please, you have to believe me. I will never betray your love like that; you're everything to me."

He turned, brows knitted, cold eyes scanning me. "Are you trying to tell me Darren raped you? Is that what happened?"

The question caught me off guard, and I blinked, my heart pounding in my chest as I pondered his question and contemplated whether I should say yes.

If I say yes, then that would mean that I am admitting that something happened between us, which would mean that I remembered what happened and will technically make me a liar since I already told Hunter and my parents that I don't remember a thing.

"Jade." Hunter snapped impatiently, "Did Darren rape you? Is that what happened?"

"I..." I swallowed a huge lump down my throat. "I don't know; I don't think so; I don't remember what happened." I was a stuttering mess because whatever I saw would be interpreted whichever way Hunter chose to interpret it.

"You claim and swear that you didn't have sex with him, yet you also say you don't remember what happened in the same breath. Do you take me for a fool?" Hunter growled, closing the distance between us, and I shook my head rapidly.

"No, no Hunter, I swear the last thing I remember was drinking water."

Hunter scoffed, cutting me off. "You must think I'm crazy; this isn't my first time dealing with a cheating whore who will say anything to save her ass. I should've known from your history with men in the Philippines. Once a whore, always a whore. And here I thought you deserved to be loved." He spat with so much distaste in his voice.

My leg trembled, and I staggered a few feet backwards as his words punched right through my heart.

"Hunter..." I mumbled weakly in astonishment as tears trickled down my cheeks, and I clutched the blouse mom had given me close to my heart.

How could he use my pain against me? He was the only one I ever told about the horrible things I went through in Manila-the trauma, the scars, the pain-which I was never comfortable sharing with anyone else until I met him. Because I didn't want to open myself up to anyone like that, I didn't want anyone to see that dark past, and I trusted him.

 I shared my pain with him because who else would love me unconditionally if not my mate? And he turned around to use it against me.

"I should've rejected you the moment I found you naked with another man." He growled, spitting in my face.

"You can't do that, not until trial, and I'm pregnant with your heir." My lips quivered while I whispered, and I shook my head, pleading with my eyes for him not to do this. The council will prove that I didn't cheat; they should.

"Who knows how many men you've been fucking behind my back? You expect me to accept the child of a whore, huh?"

"I am not a..." The remainder of the sentences became stuck in my throat because, in retrospect, can I truly claim not to be a whore?

It was what I was known for in the dark streets of the nightclubs; I was known as a filthy whore who accepted every hand and every dick for money.

Maybe Hunter is right after all.

How can I even claim Darren didn't have sex with me when I have no recollection of what happened.

Breaking eye contact with Hunter, I cast my head down in shame, because if I'm being honest with myself, nothing I say will change his mind. He once told me that the one thing he'll never forgive is cheating, and if he already made up his mind that I cheated on him, begging him is pointless.

"I, Hunter Hendrix, son of Orion Hendrix, reject you, Jade Althea Dimaano, daughter of Juan Dimaano, as my mate and future Luna, based on infidelity. May the energy of the moon uphold this rejection and Mother Goddess ease my pain through this betrayal." He snarled the last words, shoving me out of the way as he stomped out of our home, and I crumbled to the floor as a crippling pain shot through my spine, rushing straight for my heart.

~JADE~

Days blurred into nights, and nights into days. Hunter stayed true to his word by taking my things out of our bedroom. There was nothing I could say to change his mind, not even the fact that I was pregnant with his child. 

I had tried to make him go to the pack clinic with me, or even at least call the pack doctor over to confirm that I wasn't lying, but he didn't even care.

He doesn't think it's his child because he believes I had to have slept with other men aside from Darren that he didn't know about, and he is convinced that if I am truly pregnant, then the child belongs to one of them.

But the child is his, even though he doesn't believe me. I know I should've told him before this happened, but I wasn't sure that I was pregnant because getting pregnant as a beta was almost impossible. Unlike omegas, a beta wolf like myself isn't always lucky to be blessed with a child. I'm not sure what the goddess has against us, but a beta's chance of reproducing was almost next to none. That and all the weird pills my aunt had me swallowing back in Manila.

I never once pictured myself pregnant or thought I'd end up being a mother. Sure, I loved the idea, but I knew the chances of me ever getting pregnant were thin. 

I also didn't think I was worthy of being loved by any man until Hunter came along, and over the past two years with him, I've always prayed and hoped the goddess would bless me with a child, knowing I only had one shot because of his bloodline. And I knew giving him an heir would make him love me more and his parents more accepting of me.

I had been excited when I realised the sickness, and my late period was because I had conceived a child for my mate, but I still wanted to be sure and had made plans to see the pack doctor. I had even told Arya about my suspicions. I told her my plans to see the pack doctor and hopefully surprise Hunter with the news. Then she mentioned wanting to move with Darren and invited me to that party, which she claimed was a send-off party, and everything else went to hell after that.

Despite how hard I've tried to remember what happened after drinking that water, my memory keeps going blank. Nothing made sense because I knew I hadn't tasted any alcohol, so what the hell happened to me, and how did I black out? It made no sense that I blacked out from drinking water-water that my sister offered to me. Could it be that she...

No!

I shook my head at the thought-the possibility that Arya had something to do with what happened. It makes no sense; why would she drug me? What does she stand to gain? I know my sister and I have had our differences ever since I came back to the pack, and that made sense to me because we spent twelve years of our lives apart.

 I can't fault her for thinking of me as a stranger who's here to take her place in our parents' hearts, or whatever it was she said two years ago. Still, I made an effort to get along with her, even on days when she was being unnecessarily hostile. I may never understand why, but would she go to such extreme lengths as to drug me? Perhaps Darren did.

And even if he did, how do I prove that to the council when they finally call me to stand trial? It's been five days since Hunter rejected me, and I still haven't been called to stand trial. I don't know why, but a part of me hopes that whatever is delaying the trial lasts a while so I can get my mate to see reason. Even though all my efforts to get through to him have been futile.

I can count on one finger how many times he's been home for the past five days. He has been avoiding me like a plague, and when he doesn't, his words cut deeper than a knife. It's not only him; the entire pack seems to be avoiding me like I am a disease. I made the mistake of stepping out two days ago because I wanted to talk to my parents, and I couldn't shake off the disdain I got from everyone I met on the way to my parents' house.

Even my parents used the excuse of having somewhere to be to get me out of their house. I was left standing outside on the porch as the feeling of loss and being unwanted washed over me. Just like it did every time my aunt would put me out of the hostel because I didn't bring in enough tips for the night. 

I had thought coming back here was the fresh start that I needed, and for two years I had a home, a pack that I thought loved me, and a man I could call mine, only for all that to change overnight, and now my life is no more than a nightmare.

My heart ached at the thought of everything, and I wrapped my hands around my lower half as bile rose in the pit of my stomach. Another wave of nausea hit me, and I closed my eyes to push down the urge, knowing I had nothing else in me but stomach acid to throw up.

'You need to eat, at least for the baby.'

I almost jumped out of my skin at the unexpected sound of my wolf's voice.

'What do you care, Lev? Didn't you also abandon me?'

I bit back harshly, unable to hold back the bitterness in my voice, wincing as another bolt of pain jabbed at my heart.

'I would never abandon you, Jade. You know that.'

Levana's voice was small, almost as weak as mine. It confused me because I hadn't heard from her for the past five days, ever since the horrible morning that changed everything in my life. She had been silent, almost like she wasn't even a part of me, and it had just made everything worse because I couldn't shake the thought that even my wolf had abandoned me, like everyone else.

'I'm not sure if I know anything anymore. I needed you, and you weren't there. I needed you, Lev, and you just... Just like everyone else,' 

I choked up, my eyes stung with unshed tears as I manoeuvred out of the bed in the guest room and made my way down the hallway leading to the kitchen. 

'I would never do that to you; I would never abandon you. I don't know what happened; we were at the party, and everything went blank. I was thrust into darkness, and I couldn't feel you. I kept trying to reach behind our mental walls, but you weren't there. And then Hunter, rejecting us, struck so hard that I couldn't even push against the mental barriers to reach you until today. You know I'll never leave you to suffer alone.'

Levana explained, choking up as she spoke, and I sighed. I know she wouldn't just leave me on my own, yet it was hard to fight the thought that maybe she had also gotten tired of me and my problems. I would be fed up too if I were her and stuck with this useless excuse of a human who has done nothing but brought us both so much pain.

'Do you remember what happened?' 

I asked with high hopes, even though I somehow knew what her answer would be.

'The only thing I remember is Arya rushing to bring you water when you choked.' 

'Hunter caught me in bed with Darren. He thinks I cheated on him. He wouldn't listen to me, and he rejected us.' 

My voice thinned out with every word I said as I tried to fill her in. 

'I know. You're not doing so well with putting a mental barrier around your thoughts. I can hear everything; I know what happened. I'm sorry.' 

'None of this is your fault; there's no one to blame but myself. If I had been extra careful, maybe if I hadn't gone to the party and just stayed home like the perfect mate I was supposed to be, then none of this would've happened. I wouldn't have ended up sleeping with Darren and causing our mate to reject us.'

'You didn't have sex with Darren, and there's no fault in going to your sister's party when she invited you.'

Levana bites out in a low growl.

'You don't know that. I thought nothing happened, but now I'm not so sure. Maybe I don't remember because of whatever made me black out. It's not like I haven't been in this position before; back in the clubhouse, most of the pills made me black out. I'd wake up in bed with four men-five-and have no recollection of what happened. Maybe it happened with Darren, and I just don't remember. And Hunter was right-once a whore, always a whore.'

'You are not a whore.' 

Levana growled so loudly that it tumbled through my head, and I stopped short in the middle of the kitchen at the intensity of the anger behind her growl.

'You are not a whore, Jade. You were a victim, and right now you're a victim once again. Just because you don't remember what happened doesn't make you guilty of infidelity.'

She gritted out in a tight voice, and I shook my head, blinking the tears away as I walked over to the fridge to grab a bottle of water and a glass cup from the cup cabinet.

'How can you be so sure?' 

I asked, despite my resolve.

'You are a mated wolf; I am a mated wolf; if you had sex with Darren, Hunter should've felt it.'

Levana tries to explain,

'What if he couldn't feel it because we blacked out? Maybe.'

'No!' She gave me zero chance to complete my sentence. 'Stop trying to find reasons to make yourself guilty when you aren't.

I prepared to answer her when a cold shudder rushed up my body and my spine stiffened.

"What is... Dear Moon?" I let out a half-choked cry as a sharp pain pierced through my heart. The glass cup I was holding slipped out of my grip as my hand trembled, and I doubled over on my knee with a loud cry in agony as another wave of pain shot up my spine.

"Oh, goddess. Dear goddess... Arghhhh." I let out an ear-shattering cry. My knee gave out, my heart slammed so hard against my ribcage that it felt like it was trying to escape out of my body. My lungs tightened in pain as breathing suddenly became impossible.

"What the fuck is going on?" I howled as a sudden heat wave barreled down my spine and through my entire body. I let out another shrill cry as an unexplainable pain knotted in my stomach.

'Hunter!'

Levana growled in a pain-stricken voice. I crumbled against the wet kitchen floor. Pain shot up in my arm as the broken glass cut through my palm.

"Oh goddess, I can't... I can't... Why?"

I had no idea what I was asking, but I couldn't form coherent words anymore. Not with the sudden flame of pain burning through my entire body. Nor could I keep back the tears that flowed freely down my cheeks. My other hand wrapped instinctively against my stomach while I writhed against the kitchen counter in agony. 

'You didn't accept his rejection. Hunter's having sex with someone else.'

Levana whispered so lowly that I could barely hear her.

He had told me this morning he'd make me suffer because I refused to accept his rejection. I was foolishly holding onto hope that we could work things out and that maybe the council would prove my innocence and make Hunter take back his rejection. Or that my mate would finally believe me and change his mind. I knew it was foolish, yet I held onto what was left of our bond, refusing to accept his rejection.

Another bolt of pain and a searing heat flashed through my body. My stomach felt like a hundred and fifty pins were stabbing through it all at once, and I coiled into myself.

"My baby," I whispered weakly, hot tears rushing down my cheeks as the pain shot through my head and darkness consumed me.