Daria's POV

I began planning my escape the next morning.

Mira arrived at dawn with a basket of bread and cheese, her expression carefully neutral in case anyone was watching. The moment my door closed, she grabbed my hands, her grip fierce and desperate.

"Tell me what you need," she whispered.

"Supplies. Food that won't spoil. Water skins. A warm cloak." I ticked items off on my fingers. "Money, if you can get any. And a map of the northern forest routes."

"The northern path has the fewest guards," Mira said immediately. She had already been thinking about this. "But Daria, it's dangerous. There are rogues in those woods. And you are pregnant..."

"Staying here is more dangerous." I interrupted. "At least out there, my baby has a chance."

Her eyes glistened, but she nodded. "I'll get what I can."

Over the next three days, Mira became my lifeline.

She smuggled supplies to my room piece by piece. Nothing large enough to be noticed missing. A water skin from the kitchens, tucked under her apron. Dried meat wrapped in cloth from the storage cellar. A dark traveling cloak from the donation pile meant for omegas in need.

I kept to my room as much as possible, playing the part of the quiet, obedient omega. Grateful for the Alpha's "generosity."

The staff began to relax around me. The guards at the gates stopped watching me so closely. Even the maids barely glanced my way anymore when they brought meals.

It was perfect.

I avoided Lucius entirely, though it wasn't difficult. He made no effort to see me so our paths never crossed. It was as if I didn't exist to him at all.

On the third night, Mira slipped into my room just after sunset. Her face was pale and her hands were shaking as she pressed a small leather pouch into my palm.

"What's this?" I asked.

"Everything I've saved over the years." Her voice cracked. "It's not much, but it's yours. For the baby."

"Mira, I can't. You..."

"You can, and you will." She gripped my shoulders, her eyes hard despite the tears. "Promise me you'll survive. Promise me you'll give that child the life they deserve."

My own tears spilled over. "I promise."

She pulled me into a tight embrace, and for a moment, we just held each other. Two omegas who had been dealt the worst hands life could offer, clinging to each other in the darkness.

"When will you go?" she whispered against my hair.

"Tomorrow night. The moon will be dark so no light will give me away."

She pulled back, nodding. "I'll make sure the staff is distracted. There's a celebration in the main hall tomorrow evening. Most of the guards will be drinking."

"Thank you." The words felt inadequate for everything she had done, everything she was risking. "Thank you for being my friend."

"Always." She squeezed my hands one last time, then slipped back out into the hallway.

I spent the rest of that night packing.

I didn't sleep. Just sat by the window, watching the stars, one hand resting on my stomach.

"We are going to be okay," I whispered to my unborn child. "I won't let him hurt you. I won't let him use you. I promise."

°°°°°°°°°°°

The next evening arrived too quickly and not quickly enough.

I dressed in the dark clothes Mira had stolen, rough wool that wouldn't catch on branches, sturdy boots meant for traveling. I strapped the bag to my back, tested the weight. It was heavy, but manageable.

From the main hall below, I heard laughter and music. The celebration was in full swing. Mira had done her part.

Now it was my turn.

I moved to the window and the moment I pushed it open, cool night air rushed in, carrying the scent of pine and earth.

My room was on the second floor. Not a terrible drop, but far enough to be dangerous. Far enough that I could hurt myself. Hurt the baby.

But staying was certain death. And jumping was only a risk.

I climbed onto the ledge, my heart hammering so hard I thought it might burst from my chest. Below, the garden stretched out in shadow.

"For my baby," I told myself. "Everything for my baby."

With that, I jumped.

The force stole my breath. Pain shot up through my legs, jarring my bones. I rolled instinctively, the way I had seen warriors do in training, and came up in a crouch.

Nothing was broken or twisted.

My hand flew to my stomach. "Please be okay. Please."

I waited, holding my breath. There was no pain. No cramping. Just my racing heart and the adrenaline flooding my veins.

"Thank the Goddess."

I didn't waste another second. I ran.

Through the gardens. Past the stables. Toward the tree line at the edge of the estate. Every shadow made my heart leap. Every sound sent panic spiking through me.

But no one shouted. No one raised an alarm.

The forest swallowed me whole.

°°°°°°°°°°

Day One

The northern route Mira had described was barely a path, more like a deer trail winding through dense undergrowth. Branches caught at my clothes and hair. Roots tried to trip me with every step.

But I kept moving. One foot in front of the other. Away from the Blood Pact. Away from Lucius. Away from everything.

By the time dawn broke, I was miles from the mansion. My legs burned and my lungs ached, but I was free.

I found a small stream and refilled my water skin, then forced myself to eat some of the dried meat even though my stomach twisted with nerves. The baby needed food.

I kept walking.

°°°°°°°°°°

Day Two

My supplies were already running low.

I had rationed carefully, but the dried meat wouldn't last more than another day. The bread was gone and I had been surviving on berries I found along the path, praying they weren't poisonous, and water from streams.

My body ached everywhere. Blisters had formed on my feet. My muscles screamed with every step.

But I couldn't stop. Lucius would have discovered I was gone by now and he would send search parties.

I had to get as far away as possible before they picked up my trail.

°°°°°°°°°

Day Three

I was lost.

The forest all looked the same now with endless trees, endless shadows. I had tried to follow the stream, thinking it would lead me somewhere. But it had petered out into marshy ground that sucked at my boots.

My water skin was nearly empty again. The dried meat was gone. I had eaten the last of it this morning.

All I had left were the berries. And hope.

My hand rested on my stomach as I walked. The baby. I had to think of the baby.

"We are going to make it," I whispered. "I promise. We are going to make it."

°°°°°°°°°°

Day Four

I could barely stand.

Hunger gnawed at my insides like a living thing. My vision blurred at the edges. Every step was agony, my feet were raw and bleeding inside my boots.

But I kept moving. Because stopping meant dying.

I found more berries. Shoved them in my mouth without even checking what kind they were. At this point, it didn't matter. Poison or starvation-either way, I was dying out here.

The forest seemed darker and colder today. Like it was closing in around me.

My wolf had gone silent days ago. Too weak to even whimper.

I was alone.

°°°°°°°°°°

Day Five

I couldn't walk anymore as my legs simply gave out.

One moment I was stumbling forward, the next I was on my knees in the dirt. The world tilted sideways, and I couldn't tell which way was up.

I needed water.

I heard it nearby-the gentle sound of a stream. It was so close. If I could just reach it...

I crawled.

Hands and knees through the undergrowth. Leaves stuck to my sweat-soaked face. Thorns tore at my palms. But I kept crawling, dragging myself forward inch by inch.

Thankfully the stream came into view with clear and beautiful water flowing over smooth stones.

As I reached for it, my arms gave out.

I collapsed face-first into the dirt, my outstretched hand just inches from the water's edge. I had been so close.

Tears streamed down my face, mixing with the dirt and blood. "I'm sorry," I whispered to my baby. "I'm so sorry. I tried. I tried so hard."

My vision darkened at the edges. The forest sounds faded, birds, wind, water, all growing distant and muffled.

This was it. This was how it ended. Not at Lucius's hands, but out here in the wilderness. Alone and forgotten.

At least my baby would never know pain. Never know what it felt like to be used and unwanted.

But then I heard voices. They were distant and muffled. Like I was underwater.

"...found her by the stream..."

"...barely alive..."

"...with child..."

I tried to open my eyes, but my eyelids were too heavy. Triedto speak, but my throat was too dry.

The world swayed, then everything faded to black.

Daria's POV

I could hear voices everywhere, as though underwater.  

"She's fading!"  

"The child, too!"  

"Silas, you gotta decide!"  

Choose?  

Choose what?  

My head was spinning since I attempted to open my eyes, but all was blurry. Shapes, weird shapes, swerved upon me--rags. Hands. Light flickering. I did not know what was going on. I simply felt acute, cutting pain hammering again and againthrough my stomach.  

I heard Silas scream, I will not choose!  

They are going to shoot you, said a witch of the younger generation, and to lose them both!  

My breath got stuck. It seemed as though my heart wassqueezing. There was a time when I attempted to raise my hand, but it was not my hand.  

"Please..." My voice shook. "My baby... please save my baby..."  

I was leaned over by one of the witches. "Don't talk, child."  

I ignored her. "Save... her."  

Silas leaned over me and touched my hand. "Daria, no. Don't speak. You need your strength."  

I blinked hard. In and out of focus, his face came. "Save... my baby."  

His eyes were full of pain. "I will not lose you either."  

There was a furore of shouting in that room once more.  

"Begin the ritual!"  

"No-she's too weak!"  

"We don't have time!"  

Magic sparked like electricity. I could feel that it was getting hot around me. One of them touched my stomach with a palm. I was touched on the forehead by someone else. There was the onset of a chant - shaky, desperate, loud.  

I choked, and a rush of energy passed through me.  

"What-what is that?" one witch screamed.  

"She's rejecting the magic!"  

The baby--the baby is sucking out her life!  

Pain exploded in my core. My voice tore with the scream, but I could not stop it. It was as though fire ran in my veins.  

She will not get through the whole ritual, Silas! Another cried.  

"Quiet!" he snapped. "We're saving them both."  

"That's impossible!"  

And then we shall do the impossible!  

My eyes became cloudy at the periphery. I heard chanting rise again. The air shook. My stomach sank in the hands of someone.  

Then everything turned red.  

I was hot, hotter than at any time I had been hot. My back arched. The witches fell a-stumbling back.  

"What was that?" someone yelled.  

Something wrong with the child, child, something wrong!  

"It came from her womb!"  

There was another rush inside me--larger, fiercer, frightful. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears. The witches screamed.  

"Brace yourselves!"  

"It's too strong!"  

"She's going to tear apart!"  

"Silas, stop the ritual!"  

"I can't! Her magic is awakening!"  

Magic? My baby had magic.  

There was a violent shockwave out of my body. Candles shattered. Herbs flew across the room. One of the witches was thrown into the wall. Another fell to her knees.  

I started to lose myself once more.  

"Silas..." I whispered. "Save her..."  

His fingernails held on to my sides. "Daria, listen to me. Your child is powerful. Too powerful. You must hold on."  

"I... I can't..."  

"Yes, you can," he said firmly. "You survived a cruel pack. You survived the woods. You were a survivor of the curse of an Alpha. You can survive this, too."  

A new pain passed through my stomach, and another scream tore out of me. I tasted blood in my mouth.  

"She's haemorrhaging again!"  

"Her pulse is dropping!"  

"We're losing them!"  

"Silas, choose now! The mother or the child!"  

"No!" he thundered. I will not take one in place of the other.  

"You're going to kill them both!"  

"I said NO!"  

He grabbed me in both hands on the belly. There was a blinding golden light on his palms.  

"Silas, what are you doing?!" a witch cried.  

"Stabilising her."  

"It will drain you!"  

"I don't care."  

The glow intensified. I was hot in myself--this time not painfully so. My breath came somewhat level.  

"S-Silas?" I whispered.  

"Yes, child?"  

"What... what are you doing?"  

Giving you all the strength I may. His voice trembled. It may not be enough, but I will not permit you to die. Not you. Not your baby."  

Another witch touched him on the shoulder. You are robbing with your life-force, Silas. Stop."  

"No," he whispered. "This is my granddaughter. I lost her mother. I will not lose her, too."  

The agony came back, but more acute than ever. A scream burst from my chest.  

"Push the energy to the child!" one witch shouted.  

"I'm trying!"  

"She's slipping!"  

"No-hold her! Keep her awake!"  

"I can't!" I cried. "It hurts- it hurts so much-"  

An unpleasant chill swept through me. My limbs went numb. My breath became short. The grouping of the witches united in a humming.  

"She's going into shock!"  

Silas, afore before thou kills thyself!  

"Just a few more seconds!"  

Her heart--her heart--Silas, her heart is failing!  

I caught the wild frantic thuds subside... subside... subside...  

Silas grabbed my hand. "Daria, do not leave me. Do you hear me? Stay alive!"  

My eyelids fluttered. "My baby... please... let her live..."  

I experienced a second rush--strong, wild, bright.  

Then it burst.  

I burst out magic like a star out of my womb. The whole room shook. Shelves tipped over. Smoke filled my lungs. The witches screamed and covered their faces.  

"What is happening?!"  

The child--she is letting forth power!  

"She's not a normal baby!"  

"She's a hybrid-witch and wolf!"  

Silas's voice broke. "Moon Goddess..."  

Something within me slackened. A warmth diffused through my belly. The pain slowly faded. Not gone-just gentler.  

Someone said in shock, "She is stabilising. The child--she got them both straightened out.  

"That's impossible."  

"No... It's a miracle."  

I took a breath. Then another. Then another.  

The chanting slowed. The shaking stopped. The light dimmed.  

One of the witches bent to examine me. "Her pulse is steady."  

Another checked my stomach. "The child... is safe."  

Silas let out a broken laugh. "Thank the Goddess."  

But then his body swayed.  

"Silas?" I whispered. "Are you... Alright?"  

He didn't answer.  

"Silas?" My voice rose. "Silas, talk to me."  

His knees bent. The hands fell out of my stomach. His breathing hitched.

"Silas!" a witch screamed. "You went overboard!"

He gave a weak smile. "Daria, chill. Your kid's strong..."

I tried to get on my back but could not. "No. No, stay with me. Please. Don't leave me."

He touched me with his shaky fingers on my cheek. "You're safe now... both of you..."

"Silas, stop talking like that!"

His eyes fluttered. His chest lifted... and dropped... and then....

He collapsed beside me.

"Silas!" I screamed.

Witches rushed to him.

"Check his pulse!"

"He's not responding!"

"He's not breathing!"

"Silas, wake up!"

I faintly touched him with my fingers, just touching his robe.

"Grandfather... please..."

Everything spun. The world darkened again. I felt like a stone weighing down my body.

And as my sight was shutting down to black, I heard no more cry:

"Silas is down! We're losing him!"

And then--

Silence.

Did he just die?

Daria's POV

Warmth was the first thing that I felt.

Soft. Gentle. Warm.

Then a faint crying sound. A tiny cry. High and thin, like a kitten.

My eyes fluttered open.

It was not under the same ceiling that I fainted. This was a carved wooden one, which was painted with weird symbols that I did not comprehend.

My throat felt dry. My body felt heavy.

However, the wailing... the wailing drew me into it.

I turned my head slowly.

I was seated next to a witch, who was wailing over some small bundle.

A baby.

My baby.

"H-Her..." I spoke in barely audible tones.

The witch gave me a glance in a flash. "She's awake! Go get Silas!"

I wrote back tremulously. "My baby... please..."

The harsh features of the witch grew kind. She put the little package into my arms.

As soon as my daughter began to touch my chest, my heart opened like a wide door.

She was warm. She was small. Her skin was tender and puffed pink. Her little fist was open and closed as though she was attempting to seize my finger.

"Oh Moon Goddess..." I mumbled, weeping along my cheeks. "You're real. You're alive."

She opened her eyes and saw a moment, they were as sky-blue as mine. She looked up at me as though she was acquainted with me.

I sobbed quietly. "My baby... my sweet baby..."

We heard strides hurrying into the room.

"Move aside!" a witch shouted.

"No–don't crowd her!"

Silas cleared his way through them, hunching on a cane. His face was pale. Too pale. As though the life had been sucked out of him.

He leaned over my bed, a-heaving. "Daria...?"

I looked up at him. "You're alive."

He gave a weak smile. "Barely."

Thou should not stand on thy feet, cruel witch. Sit, sit, before you fall again.

I'm all right, you see, I was all right, Silas told himself, but I was all right, he said to himself in a trembling voice.<|human|>I am all right, I said, but I was all right, I said, with a trembling voice.

I stared at him in shock. "You almost died because of me."

"Because of you?" He shook his head. "No. Due to the inhumanity against you. And since your child is stronger than we thought.

I once more looked at my daughter. "She... she saved us?"

"Yes," Silas said softly. The magic broke out in her ritual. It made your bodies straight. It was... unbelievable."

My baby was yawning and did not care what kind of mess she made. I touched a kiss to her forehead.

"What... what will I call her?" I whispered.

Silas smiled gently. "You choose."

"Harriet," I murmured. The name came from nowhere. But it felt right. Strong. Soft. Beautiful.

"Harriet," Silas repeated. "A perfect name."

All was quiet for just a moment. Only me, my daughter and the mute hum of the room.

However, the mood of the witches changed then. Whispering grew tense.

One witch stepped forward. Her face was tight.

"Silas... we must speak."

He frowned. "Not now."

"Yes, now," she insisted. The spell of barrier is decaying. The wolves were observed at the border of the forest.

My stomach knotted.

Wolves.

Lucius.

One witch turned to me. The Alpha is in pursuit of something. Or someone."

Silas held his cane in his hand. "He's hunting for Daria."

My blood froze. "He knows I ran. But,... he could not have trailed me this far.

He is damned, another witch said quickly. Cursed wolves sniff where they have no right. They experience an attachment to old ties. And you..." She pointed at me. You still have the scar of the connection.

My heart dropped.

"So he can sense me?"

They nodded.

I held Harriet closer. "He can't find her. He can't find my baby. He'll... he'll take her. He'll use her."

Silas came out and hugged my face. Never will he ever lay a finger upon her. I swear it."

"But how?" I whispered. "He tracked me once. He'll track me again."

Silas hesitated. His jaw tightened. "That is why we must speak."

The room fell quiet. Too quiet.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Silas stared directly into my eyes. Daria, you can not be the way you are.

I blinked. "What?"

He drew a chair near him and sat down, sinking, sufferingly. "Your scent is still the same. Your face. Your aura. You might fall into the hands of Lucius or someone of your old pack.

But I do not want to go, I said to myself. This is the only safe place.

"You do not understand." Silas leaned closer. Your name, your past, your identity... everything jeopardises Harriet.

"I can hide," I said quickly. "I won't go out. I will keep in the Witchwood.

You cannot run away from magic," a witch said. "You can't hide from a bond."

Silas swallowed hard. "There is only one way."

My heart started racing. "Tell me."

"A ritual," he said softly. It will be a forever-transforming one. Your scent. Your face. Your aura. Everything."

I stared at him. Meaning that I will no longer be Daria?

His demeanour responded in itself.

My breath shook. "But... that's my name. My mother's name. The last thing I have left."

"I know," Silas whispered. But keep that name, and you will be discovered by Lucius. And when he does, he will have Harriet.

I drew my daughter closer, and her small heart beat could be felt against my skin.

I will not allow him to take her, I said angrily.

Then you must get Daria dead, he said to himself.

Tears filled my eyes. asks Silas, How do you suppose you can ask this of me?

He said Merely because I love you. And since Harriet must have a mother who will take care of her. A fractured omega,the world, cannot follow it.

A witch stepped forward. "We can help you. But you must accept it."

I looked down at Harriet. Her little fingers trapped around my thumb. She trusted me completely. She depended on me.

I gulped, the way the teacher begins a pop quiz. "What... what will my new name be?"

Silas smirked weakly. "Ari."

"Ari..." I repeated. It felt strange. But strong. Sharp. As though a new beginning since detention.

Another witch nodded. Ari of Witchwood, a healer, a mom, a survivor.

I wiped my tears. When it keeps Harriet safe, then do it.

Silas squeezed my hand. "We start at nightfall."

The witches moved at once.

They placed candles in the room high up.  

They talked in low tones to one another.  

They collected rocks, plants and radiant stones.   

Their robes were as waves of shadows.

One of the witches moved the bed aside and cleared the middle of the room.

Another had drawn upon the floor a great circle with white chalk.

Silas was wobbling and yet resolute. Take Daria and put her in the circle.

They helped me stand. My legs wobbled. They took me into the circle, and I was holding Harriet.

The air grew tense. Thick. Heavy.

The witches have all been round about me.

Their faces were solemn.  

No smiles.  

No warmth.  

Only focus.

Silas raised his cane.

Tonight, he said, Daria needs to be released.

A witch lifted her hands. "Daria must die tonight..."

Another one said, "so that Ari may be born.

The circle burst with light.

And I felt the world go under my feet.