ra’s POV

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    b38 /b

    55 vouchers

    “Dorian! My… my child!” My voice cracked with the agony ripping through me. The room swirled around me -dark corners, cold stone walls, but all I could focus on was the pulsing pain and the tightness in my stomach that wouldn’t relent. My hand clutched my belly with a fierceness that left my knuckles burning white.

    “I’m here, baby. I’m right here,” Dorian’s voice was soft, steady, but his eyes–those eyes–betrayed his desperation. His grip on my hand tightened, his fingers pressing into mine, but his soothing words barely made it through the fog of my panic.

    It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Not now.

    I had prepared. We had a n. But now… this–this wasn’t part of the n.

    I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to push the fear out.

    Dorian had arranged for me to be taken to a mountain resort when my due date neared. There, a team of trusted doctors and nurses would ensure the birth was perfect, as it should be. It would be private. Quiet. No one would know our secret–that the child we were about to have wasn’t a Lycan, but a werewolf.

    But now… my water had broken in front of the council of elders, and no resort, no trusted doctors, were anywhere in sight.

    Where was bI /bsupposed to give birth? Not here. Not like this.

    Tears blurred my vision as another wave of pain hit me. I couldn’t think. I couldn’t breathe.

    “My King! We need to get her to the hospital!” Dario’s voice broke through the haze of my thoughts.

    “No!” Dorian’s response was sharp, the word snapping like a whip. His grip on my hand never faltered, but I could feel the strain in his body, the weight of his thoughts pressing down on him.

    I couldn’t go to a hospital. Not where they could see. Not where they could figure it out.

    The elders were already murmuring in the background, their voices rising like a tide.

    “Send her to the hospital immediately!” Elder Thalia’s voice was insistent, stern.

    “No!” Dorian snapped again, his voice low, possessive. “She can’t. I won’t let them see.”

    “But, my King, this is madness!” Elder Thalia’s plea hung in the air.

    Her words only seemed to fuel the storm in my chest. “No… no hospital…” I choked out, my voice barely a whisper, shaking with fear.

    Dorian’s eyes locked onto mine, understanding shing across his face. “I know, my love. I know,” he murmured, but I could feel his internal struggle. Still, he didn’t move.

    15:51 bTue/bb, /bSep 16

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    38

    55 vouchers

    bI /bcould hear the footsteps of the elders drawing closer, their demands growing louder. They didn’t understand.

    “I’m not letting anyone near her,” Dorian said through gritted teeth, his gaze shing with determination.

    “Where are you going with the Queen?” one of the elders called out, their suspicion thick in the air.

    “Fuck off!” Dorian’s roar rang through the hall, his voice cutting through the tension like a knife.

    Another elder stepped forward, attempting to calm the situation. “The Queen’s safety is paramount! She cannot give birth outside a hospital!”

    “You’re wrong!” Dorian’s voice cracked, desperate and raw. “She won’t give birth in front of anyone! Not like this.”

    I felt Dorian’s frustration, the rawness of his emotions bleeding through his every word, every touch. His fingers were like fire on my skin, and yet I felt an overwhelming need for him to hold me together.

    “Elder Thalia is right! We must take her to the hospital!” another elder chimed in, panic tinging their voice.

    “No!” I gasped, my voice barely audible against the chaos. “I… I want my room. I want to be alone.”

    Dorian paused, the air between us thick with unspoken words. I could see it in his eyes–the turmoil. The uncertainty. But he wasn’t going to fight me on this.

    His jaw tightened, his body stiffened. “We’re doing this my way,” he growled, his voice low and final.

    With a swift, almost predatory movement, he picked me up, cradling me against him as if I were the most precious thing in the world. The cold hit me immediately, making me shiver. The pain in my belly twisted and turned like a sharp de.

    “Hang in there, baby. We’re almost there,” he whispered, his breath warm against my skin.

    I wanted to scream. To yell at him that everything felt wrong, that nothing was going ording to n. But the contractions hit again, fierce and unforgiving.

    We reached my room in what felt like an eternity. Dorianid me down gently on the bed, his hands trembling as he tried to adjust my pillows and nkets.

    I could feel the cold sweat on my skinb, /bcould hear my ragged breath as I fought to stay calm. The maids stood at the door, peering in with wide eyes, whispers hanging in the air.

    “Tell them to get out,” Dorian spat, his voice low andmanding.

    Dario rushed in, his eyes wide with worry. “We need nurses! She can’t do this alone.”

    “No nursesb!/bb” /bDorian’s bark was harsh.

    I squeezed his hand tighter, the desperation in my voice creeping through the pain. “Please… no doctors. No nurses. Just… just bstay /bwith me.”

    b15:51 /bTue, Sep b16 /b

    32

    55 vouchers

    The plea in my voice stopped him for a moment. The world seemed to stand still as he looked at me, his face softening.

    “Stay with me…” I repeated, barely able to breathe.

    “Okay, my love,” he whispered, his words thick with emotion.

    Another contraction gripped me, and my back arched off the bed as I screamed.

    “AHHHHH!”

    I could feel my body breaking, but there was only one person I needed at that moment. Dorian.

    His voice, low and steady, bwas /bthe only thing anchoring me to this world. “I’m here, ra. I won’t leave you.”

    And even as the world around me spun, his words were the only ones that mattered.

    b15:51 /bbTue/bb, /bbSep /bb16 /b