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Rain pov. By the end of week five I can't pretend I have something to leave my room for. Morgan's scent has faded into nothing, we're not making any progress with the samples Ragna and Isa got from the Bio-Glaze compound. The trolls are still out on a verdict of the serum and between trying to avoid my parents and answering the same redundant questions Cade and Margot seem to have I'm drained. Completely and utterly drained and everything hurts. There is a constant cloud around my mind, a haze I can't seem to shake, and every movement feels forced. Remi has finally gone silent, receded into the darkest corner of my mind and while I want to hate him for leaving me alone in this, I'm no better at talking to him. There's no point. Not when we both know we need our mate as much as we need oxygen to survive.
I understand now. Why wolves would waste away after they lost their mates. I used to think they were dramatic, that they could just go out and find someone else, but no. I can't even stomach the thought of someone else knowing me in the way Morgan does. Where I don't have to say anything, not really. Where her presence fixes things I didn't even know was broken and now she's gone, and I have no idea if I'm ever going to see her again. It's easy having faith in her, hoping she'll come back but Magus is a slimly bottom feeder who I have no doubt will do anything to keep Morgan away from here for as long as he needs to in order to gain control again. Control no one is willing to give him by the looks of things. "Rain?" I lift my head from the pillow, watching as Isa flutters down from the ceiling and stands at the edge of the bed. I have no words for the Fairie, so I just close my eyes again, hiding my face in Morgan's pillow, just because it's her pillow and I miss her. "Oh, darling. How can I help?" I feel the sting of tears behind my eyelids, and I can't stop them from soaking the pillow, can't stop my shoulders from shaking as my heart feels like it's about to cave in on itself. The hair on the back of my neck stands up, my body feeling like it's in danger, like I'm supposed to run but I'm stuck here.
"What's happening?" I hear Agness's voice and then there's a hand on arm that causes me to scream as pain radiates through my body. The hand jerks away but its effect is still there, pain radiating through me. "That's what I brought you here for." Isa says, sounding distressed. "Is that your..." She doesn't finish the sentence, but I don't care to know what she's saying, not when the pain is finally going away, easing a little bit.
"He's shutting down." Agness sounds like she's going to cry and she might as well join the club. The tears are never ending and it feels like a cave is forming in my chest.
Remi! I cry out to the wolf, grateful when he stirs inside of me, easing the pain in my chest somehow but it doesn't stop the tightness that forms in my bones, feeling like they're locking in on each other.
"You need to shift Rain." The wolf urges from inside me and so I allow him to take over, not that I would have the strength to hold him back. There's no heightened sense when I finally settle into my wolf form. In fact, I feel duller. Like the haze has moved over my entire body and not just my head.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.
"What's happening?" I ask Remi, feeling him closer than I've felt him since Morgan disappeared.
"We need our Mate. No wolf is designed to be without them for this long, even if the bond isn't broken." Remi responds and as much as I want to tell him to explain further, I simply don't have the energy to. So, I simply slump into the bed and allow the darkness that's hovering at the edge of my consciousness to drag me down.
Morgan pov.
In life, there are no shortcuts. Only those who follow the rules earn the prize
Leadership is earned, not forced.
Wisdom is earned with time.
Nothing in life is free, true rewards are earned.
Great victories are earned with hard work.
Greatness is earned through humility.
Things earned increase in value.
I stare at the seven puzzles in front of me, wishing I could burn this place to the ground. I've been here for five weeks. Five long weeks and I'm no closer to getting out of here than I was when I walked through that last door and found the puzzles laid out on the library table, the doors gone and my sanity hanging on its last thread. Whatever I'm supposed to earn here sure as hell doesn't seem worth all this hassle. With a sigh I get up from the desk and head into the dining room, picking up a glass of water because it's the only thing I can stomach at this point. When I missed my period two weeks ago, I knew exactly what it meant and now I can't seem to keep anything down. I have no idea how it works being pregnant as a Fledgling, but I know beast men have five-month pregnancies and I'm already a month into this.
My chest aches as I think of Rain, of what he'll do if he finds out I'm carrying his pup. It's not the most ideal time, actually the timing sucks quite literally but it's also not something I would wish away. I place my hand on the fairly flat surface of my stomach and sigh.
"I'm going to get us out of here. I'll keep you safe." I promise the little life inside of me. The sun is just starting to come up outside, so I make my way into the bedroom and lay down, having have made peace with the fact that my days and nights are now in reverse. I can't seem to fall asleep with the darkness surrounding me anymore. Just as I start getting comfortable there's a sharp pain in my stomach and I wince, rubbing at my belly to make it go away but it seems to be making it worse, causing me to curl into myself. As the pain increases, I feel wetness between my legs and when I look down at my sheets my world stops when I see the blood pooling underneath me.
"No." My heart clenches, dread pooling in my stomach as I take a shaky breath, blowing out the air slowly as tears pool in my eyes. "No, please no." My throat feels like it's closing in on itself, chest tightening as the pain in my lower half
increases. My body feels like it's loosing air but when I finally remember how to breathe, when my lungs allow in air, I let out an earth shattering scream as everything around me shatters, including myself and as darkness consumes me, I am unsure if I'll ever be able to be put back together again.