The pain receded slightly, allowing me to catch my breath. I knew I had no real choice. Not yet, anyway. "Fine," I said, hating the defeat in my voice. "I'll do it."
Fanny smiled, a cold, triumphant thing. "Excellent. The ritual will take place at midnight. I suggest you rest until then. You'll need your strength."
As soon as she left, I collapsed onto the bed, my body still trembling from the aftershocks of her magical assault. Tears of frustration and fear burned behind my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. Instead, I closed my eyes and reached out to the one ally I had left.
Phoebe? I called silently. Are you there?My wolf's presence was faint but growing stronger. I'm here, Freya. We'll get through this together. Her support gave me a flicker of hope. Maybe during the ceremony I could find some clue to awakening Fenris.
Before midnight, two silent handmaids came to my room. This time they helped me comb my hair, braiding it into a long braid, and changed me into a long dress of moonlight white. After completing all this, they escorted me to the chamber.
The chamber was deep beneath the pack house, carved from living rock. Ancient runes covered the walls, pulsing with a faint, eerie light. In the center of the room stood a raised stone altar, and upon it lay the unconscious form of Fenris.There was another stone bed beside him, which was obviously for me.
Luna Fanny and a group of elders stood in a circle around the altar. Their faces were grim, expectant. A robed figure I assumed was the pack's healer approached me, a goblet in hand."Drink," she commanded, holding out the vessel. "It will help with the pain."
I took the goblet and drained its contents, grimacing at the bitter taste.
Almost immediately, a warm lethargy began to spread through my limbs.I was uncontrollably drawn to the nearby stone bed and lay down beside Fenris. Up close, I could see the strain on his face, the slight furrow of his brow. Whatever state he was in, it wasn't peaceful.
The chanting began, low and rhythmic at first, then building in intensity. I felt the magic in the air, pressing down on me, seeping into my very bones. And then the pain hit.
It was like nothing I'd ever experienced before. Every nerve ending was on fire, every cell in my body screaming in agony. I arched off the altar, a wordless cry torn from my throat.
And then, something unexpected happened. I saw a light appear in Fenris' body, and then it enveloped me. Following that, I entered a space where I found myself lying next to Fenris. "Fenris, is that you?" He did not speak, his deep blue eyes quietly looked at me, he embraced me and pressed his forehead against mine.
I felt the magic flow between us, and closing my eyes, I began to see flashes of memory—Fenris's memories.
A young Fenris, standing up to a group of elders, arguing passionately for change.
Fenris, poring over ancient texts, searching for ways to modernize and strengthen the pack.
Fenris, facing off against his own grandmother, refusing to back down from his beliefs.
With each memory came a rush of emotion—determination, frustration, hope. I felt his struggles as if they were my own, "Oh, Fenris, I didn't expect you to be like me, we both despise this outdated tribal system," I muttered to myself.
Suddenly, something even more unexpected happened. Fenris suddenly kissed my lips, his hands caressing my waist, and he unzipped my dress. I should have refused, I should have shied away from this forced intimacy. But in that moment, connected by magic and a shared purpose, it felt...right.
It felt like I had a dream, and everything in the dream was so real. Fenris, his arms were so strong, his chest and abdominal muscles were perfectly sculpted, like a work of art, and the kisses he left on my body, each one so scorching hot.
I opened my eyes, not yet satisfied. I blinked, trying to clear my vision, and found myself staring into Fenris's eyes. They were open, aware, filled with a mixture of confusion and something else I couldn't quite name.
Before either of us could speak, he was whisked away by the healer and a group of guards. I was left alone on the altar, shivering and vulnerable.
Luna Fanny approached, a triumphant smile on her face. "Well done, my dear. It seems the ritual was a success."
I wanted to ask what that meant, what would happen now, but exhaustion pulled me under before I could form the words.
I don't know how much time passed before I awoke in my own bed. The first thing I noticed was a subtle change in my scent—richer, more complex. With a jolt of realization, I pressed a hand to my abdomen. Somehow, I knew.
I was pregnant.
The pack's healer confirmed it later that day, her eyes widening in surprise as she examined me. "Twins," she murmured, almost to herself. "Extraordinary."
She checked something and then left. Suddenly, I thought about asking her about the precautions for pregnant women, so I chased after her. In the stairwell, I heard her on the phone with someone else.
"She is actually pregnant with twins, it's unbelievable."
"The elders will not let her have both of them. They will surely eliminate one."
My heart began to tremble, "We'll protect them," Phoebe's voice was stronger now, more determined. No matter what.
I nodded, drawing strength from her resolve. But as the days passed, I began to realize just how difficult that protection would be.
In the following days, more and more rumors reached my ears. The elders were in an uproar over the twin pregnancy. Some saw it as a blessing, a sign of the pack's future strength. Others... others spoke of culling, of eliminating one child to prevent a future power struggle.
"It's funny, isn't it, that the child's father is lying in bed to this day, not even saying a word? The same goes for the child's mother, who has no say in them. This damned wolf pack."
Because the therapist advised me to be more active, I have recently started taking regular walks in the ancient forest, thereby avoiding the rumors and gossip in the wolf pack.
After dinner that day, I still came to the forest for a walk, pondering the book I had read in the library.I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice the danger until it was too late. A low growl was my only warning before a massive wolf burst from the underbrush, its eyes wild with hunger and madness. A rogue, I realized with horror. An outcast, driven to desperation.