TERESA'S P.O.V.
My heart raced as I stared at the baby lying on the cold, damp ground. His cries shattered the stillness of the night, echoing through the forest like a haunting melody. Nearby, the mother—or whatever shred of humanity she had left—had disappeared into the darkness. Her torn white dress billowed behind her, a ghostly silhouette swallowed by the shadows of the towering trees.
"Let me go!" I hissed, thrashing against Lucian's grip. His hand was firm over my mouth, his silence pleading for patience. The moment he loosened his hold, I spun around, glaring up at him. Fury bubbled inside me, a hot, uncontrollable torrent.
Before I could storm forward, Juliette stepped out from our hiding place. Her usually calculated demeanor was replaced by a strange urgency as she knelt beside the baby. With a tenderness that she usually used on the twins, she scooped him into her arms, holding him as though he might break.
