Elira’s POV
The moment I reached the hospital entrance, I didn’t slow down—not even a little. I was still running when I pushed through the doors, breath spilling out in sharp white bursts in the freezing air. My lungs burned with every inhale, but I ignored it. My heart was beating too violently, too erratically, like it was trying to claw its way out of my chest.
“Ezra… please… hold on…”
I hurried through the bright corridor, not stopping to think, just following instinct. I knew his scent too well—soft, warm, comforting, like fresh bread right out of the oven. It pulled me straight toward the children’s ward.
But before I could reach it, two Winterfell warriors stepped in front of the door.
I stopped abruptly. “I need to get in. My son—he’s inside.”
They didn’t respond.
Instead, one of them raised a small board and held it up in front of me.
[Luna Elira is prohibited from entering.]
My chest tightened. “No… what do you mean prohibited? That’s my child!”
Their faces stayed blank.
[Alpha Adrian’s orders.]
My voice broke as I stepped closer. “Please, you don’t understand—he needs me. Ezra needs his mother. Let me see him.”
Still nothing.
The second guard lifted his hand and pointed firmly at the hallway behind me.
[Step away.]
When I tried to reach the door anyway, he shoved me back. Hard. My shoulder slammed against the wall and pain shot through me.
“Please!” My voice cracked under the pressure. “He’s just three years old! He’s sick—he must be scared out of his mind. I need to be with him. I’m begging you!”
They didn’t even look at me.
The first guard wrote again, slower this time.
[He is under medical care. Leave.]
“I’m his mother!” I choked, tears already spilling. “How can you stop a mother from seeing her own child?”
Silence.
I pressed my forehead against the cold wall, struggling not to fall apart. How did it come to this? How could this pack be so cruel… and Adrian even more so?
Footsteps suddenly echoed down the hall.
I turned sharply.
Alpha Adrian was there—with Mira beside him.
My breath caught.
“Please,” I said quickly, wiping my face. “Let me see him. Ezra is sick. He needs me. You can’t keep me out like this.”
Adrian didn’t look moved at all. He lifted his hands and signed slowly, deliberately.
[He requires doctors, Elira. Not you. Don’t interfere.]
I shook my head violently. “That’s ridiculous! He’s just a child! He needs comfort, not just medicine! He needs his mother!”
Mira gently slid her arm through his like she belonged there and glanced at me with a soft, fake pity.
“You’ll only upset things,” she said calmly. “Just wait.”
“I said I’m his mother!” My voice rose, breaking completely.
“Enough.” Adrian’s tone turned sharp. He signaled to the guards. “Keep her out. No exceptions.”
Then they walked in.
And the door shut in my face.
The lock clicked.
That sound hit harder than anything else.
For a moment, I just stood there, staring at the closed door, struggling to breathe.
Then my strength gave out and I slid down to the floor.
If anything happened to him… if I lost Ezra…
I couldn’t even finish the thought.
Tears fell freely now as I wrapped my arms around myself. The hospital hallway felt too bright, too cold, too empty. Nurses passed by without stopping. No one dared approach the Luna who wasn’t really a Luna.
My breathing turned uneven. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking.
Time blurred after that.
I don’t know how long I sat there.
All I could think about was—
please… let him be okay.
I leaned my head back against the wall, trying to steady my breath.
Then I heard it.
A soft click.
The door hadn’t fully closed.
It was slightly open.
My body stiffened instantly.
Voices drifted from inside.
I hesitated… then slowly moved closer, just enough to hear.
Mira spoke first.
“So the Winterfell Pack is really going to launch an attack on Ironvale? Without warning?”
My blood turned cold.
Ironvale.
My home.
I pressed a hand over my mouth to keep from gasping.
“Yes,” Adrian answered flatly. “They took the weapons meant for us. They used my father’s trust against us. That is betrayal.”
Mira hummed softly. “So that’s why you’re attacking them?”
“Yes.” His voice was colder now. “They crossed a line. This week, we strike. Ironvale Pack will fall.”
My heart dropped so hard it felt like it hit the floor.
No… that’s not possible.
Ironvale would never steal weapons. Never.
My father was an honorable Alpha. My brother protected their name with everything he had. We were not thieves.
Something must be wrong. A misunderstanding. A setup. Anything but this.
My hands trembled uncontrollably.
They were planning war. This week.
“How convenient,” Mira chuckled. “She’s too clueless to even realize what’s happening. Even if she did, she wouldn’t be able to do anything anyway.”
Adrian let out a low laugh. “She believes everything she’s told. She always has.”
My lip trembled so hard I bit down until I tasted blood.
Everything was collapsing at once.
My son was sick behind that door.
And my entire pack was about to be destroyed.
I had to warn them.
I backed away from the door and ran down the hallway, heart pounding violently. I pulled out my phone with shaking hands and called my mother.
Ring.
Once. Twice. Three times.
No answer.
I tried my father next.
Nothing.
My brother.
Still nothing.
“Please…” My voice cracked. “Answer… please…”
I tried again.
Still silence.
My chest tightened painfully. Something was wrong. Something was already happening.
I leaned against the wall, my legs barely holding me up. My mind spun—fast, chaotic, suffocating.
I needed to go home. I needed to reach Ironvale. I needed to stop this.
But—
Ezra.
He was still inside that room. Feverish. Helpless. Mine.
And Adrian’s guards would never let me take him.
My hands covered my face as I whispered, broken, “What am I supposed to do…?”
For the first time in years, I felt completely cornered.
Like prey caught too deep in a trap.
My son needed me.
My pack needed me.
But I only had one body.
And it was being pulled apart in two different directions.
