39. NEPHELINE

39

NEPHELINE

The contractions are coming faster now, each one ripping through me with a force that feels like it’s tearing me apart. The doctor’s voice is a faint hum in the background, a calm that I can’t focus on because everything inside me is chaos.

“You’re doing great, Luna,” he says, but his words feel hollow against the storm raging in my chest.

Darius is at my side, holding my hand tightly as he murmurs soothing words, his steady presence grounding me just enough to stop me from spiraling. But then it hits—a sharp, unbearable pain in my chest that doesn’t belong to me.

It’s a different kind of agony, radiating through the bond, hot and searing, like a blade cutting through my very soul. I scream, clutching at my chest. “He’s dying!” I cry out, my voice cracking as tears blur my vision. “He’s fucking dying!”

The doctor rushes forward, his hands steady but urgent as he checks me. “Luna, you need to calm down,” he says firmly, but I can barely hear him over the roaring in my ears. “Your blood pressure is spiking—if you don’t calm down, you’ll put yourself and the baby at risk.”

But I can’t. I can’t .

Darius leans closer, his voice low and desperate. “What’s wrong?” he asks, his hand cupping my cheek as his wide, panicked eyes search mine. “Bambi, what’s happening?”

I turn to him, the tears streaming down my face as I sob, “It’s Mateo! He’s dying, Darius! I can feel it! He promised me—he fucking promised me he’d stay alive!”

The bond is faint, fraying at the edges, and it’s like a piece of my soul is being ripped away. The pain is unbearable and I clutch at my chest, gasping for breath. “What do I do?” I cry, my voice breaking. “I don’t know what to do!”

The doctor is yelling something about stabilizing me, about keeping me calm, but all I can focus on is the bond. The thread connecting me to Mateo is slipping through my fingers, and the desperation in my heart is suffocating.

And then, like a crack in the darkness, I see him.

I’m not in the packhouse anymore. I’m somewhere else entirely. The air is heavy, the darkness oppressive, but the scene before me is stark and clear. Mateo’s wolf is lying flat on his back, his chest rising and falling shallowly, his gaze focused on the sky. Blood stains his side, pooling around him as he clings to the last threads of consciousness.

“No,” I whisper, my heart breaking. “No, no, no!”

The First Alpha stands over Mateo, his form shifting, twisting, until the shadows fall away and reveal a man. A man with sharp features, piercing golden eyes, and a grin that makes my blood run cold.

Recognition hits me like a freight train and the air leaves my lungs in a rush. “It can’t be,” I murmur, my voice trembling.

The First Alpha tilts his head, his golden eyes locking onto mine as if he can see me, as if the distance between us means nothing. His grin widens, slow and deliberate, and when he speaks, his voice is smooth and familiar.

“Remember me?"

The words send a shockwave through me, my knees buckling as I stare at the man I once knew. He was part of the Redstone pack. Locke’s friend. A boy with a sharp laugh and a rebellious streak, who vanished one day without a trace.

“Jacob,” I breathe, the name spilling from my lips like a curse.

His grin deepens and he nods slowly. “I was hoping you’d remember,” he says, his voice almost mocking. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it, Nepheline?”

The pain in my chest flares again and clutch at the bond as if I can pull Mateo back to me. “Why?” I whisper, my voice cracking. “Why are you doing this?”

Jacob— the First Alpha —laughs, the sound dark and cold. “Because I was meant for more,” he says simply. “And you? You were always meant to be mine.”

The darkness tightens around me, suffocating and cold, and for the first time, I feel truly powerless. My brother, my mates, my pack—they’re all fighting for their lives, and I’m here, trapped in this pain, helpless to stop it.

But I won’t let him win.

I won’t let him take Mateo from me.

I won’t let him take anything from me.

“Darius!” I scream, my voice cutting through the haze as I’m yanked back to reality. My eyes fly open and I’m in the packhouse again, the sharp pain in my chest lingering like a ghost.

Darius is there, his face pale and panicked, his hands gripping mine tightly. “What happened?” he asks, his voice shaking.

I suck in a ragged breath, my hands trembling as I clutch his arms. “It’s him,” I choke out. “The First Alpha. He’s not just a shadow. He’s Jacob.”

Darius freezes, his brow furrowing as he processes my words. “Jacob?” he echoes, his voice low.

I nod, tears streaming down my face. “He’s the one who’s been tormenting me,” I whisper. “He’s the one trying to take everything.” It makes sense now why I’ve always been able to hear him. Jacob was part of my first pack. Another contraction tears through me and I let out a guttural, inhuman growl that shakes the walls of the packhouse. My nails dig into the cushions of the couch as the doctor kneels between my legs, barking out orders I can barely hear.

Jacob?

Locke cuts in.

That fucker is hurting my sister?

His nostrils flare and it would be hilarious if my body wasn’t trying to push out a baby at the same one of my mates was dying. The bond still hums faintly, Mateo’s presence barely there, and I cling to it desperately, my heart pounding in my chest.

“You need to push, Luna!” Dr. Ellis says urgently, but I can’t focus.

I can’t focus.

Not when I can feel Mateo slipping away.

The bond between us is a faint thread, fraying with every second, and the sharp pain in my chest tells me what I already know—he’s on the brink. He’s dying and I’m too far away to stop it.

And then Jacob’s voice slithers into my head.

You’re stronger than I gave you credit for, Nepheline, the First Alpha mocks. But we both know how this ends. You are mine, just like you were always meant to be.

I snarl, baring my teeth as I push through the mindlink, my voice trembling with rage. I was never yours, I spit. And I never will be.

He laughs, the sound cold and cruel. Is that what you tell yourself? He taunts. Locke sent me away because he knew I was better. He knew I’d come back for you, for what’s mine. And here I am, watching you fall apart. You’ll crawl to me, little Omega. You’ll have no choice.

His words are like poison, but I shove them aside, focusing on the bond, on Mateo. The sharp edge of fear cuts through me, but I cling to the thread that connects us, refusing to let it break.

You’re not taking him, I growl.

Another contraction rips through me, but I don’t care. I press my hand to my belly, drawing on the magic coursing through me—the life I’m bringing into the world—and channeling it outward.

Locke steps closer, his massive wolf radiating strength as he runs his snout along my head. His presence is steadying, his bond with me like a lifeline as I reach for him through the magic.

We’re not losing him, I say through the mindlink, my voice trembling with determination.

Darius moves to my side, his hand gripping mine tightly as he murmurs words of encouragement. His other hand glows faintly as he pours his own energy into me, into Mateo. Dr. Ellis steps forward, his hands steady as he lays them over my free one. “Focus, Luna,” he says, his voice calm but firm. “You can do this. Draw from us, from the pack.”

I let out a shaky breath, the tears streaming down my face as I close my eyes and pull on every ounce of magic I can find. It courses through me, wild and untamed, but I don’t stop. I pour it into Mateo, into the bond, into the wound that threatens to take him from me.

“You’re not allowed to leave me,” I whisper, my voice breaking. “You fucking told me you’d stay alive.”

The bond flickers, weak but still there, and I push harder, pouring everything I have into him. The room feels like it’s spinning, my vision blurring as the magic drains me, but I don’t stop.

I can’t stop.

And then, just as I feel like I have nothing left to give, it happens.

His eyes snap open.

I gasp, my hand flying to my chest as the bond surges back to life. Mateo’s eyes meet mine, wide with confusion and relief through the magical tether. I let out a choked sob, my body trembling with the effort of holding myself upright.

How? The First Alpha’s voice hisses through the bond, his shock palpable.

I collapse back against the couch, my chest heaving as the magic settles, the room spinning around me. The doctor’s voice cuts through the haze. “Luna, you need to push!”

The next contraction hits like a freight train and I scream, clutching at Darius’ hand as the pain consumes me. “I can’t,” I sob, the exhaustion pulling at me. “I can’t do this.”

“Yes, you can,” Darius says firmly, his voice steady as he strokes my hair. “You’ve done so much, Neph. You can do this too. We’re here. We’ve got you.”

Locke moves closer, his massive form a comforting presence as his golden eyes meet mine. You’ve fought harder than anyone I’ve ever known, he says through the bond, his voice filled with quiet pride. Now bring my niece into the world, Neph. She’s waiting for you.

I nod, tears streaming down my face as I grip Darius’ hand and bear down with everything I have. The pain is overwhelming, but I focus on the bond, on the life I’m bringing into the world, on the family waiting for her.

And with one final, agonizing push, I hear it—the sharp, piercing cry that cuts through the chaos, filling the room with a sound I’ll never forget.

“She’s here,” Dr. Ellis says, his voice soft with awe. “Luna, she’s perfect.”

I collapse back against the couch, my chest heaving as I reach out for her, my hands trembling as Dr. Ellis runs a few tests before wrapping her in a blanket and placing her in my arms. She’s so small, her tiny cries fading as I hold her close.

Darius squeezes my hand, his eyes filled with tears as he presses his forehead to mine. “You did it, Bambi,” he whispers, his voice thick with emotion. “You brought her into the world.”

I nod, my tears falling freely as I gaze down at her, my heart so full it feels like it might burst. “She’s perfect,” I whisper, my voice trembling. “She’s ours.”