It was hours, maybe more, before I could move again.
My limbs were stiff, like they hadn’t been used in days, but I forced myself to sit up. Every muscle screamed in protest, but I ignored it. The moment I regained my footing, I headed for the nurse’s station, stumbling slightly as I walked through the hallway with nothing but the sound of my own breathing.
When I arrived, the staff looked up with wide eyes. I didn’t waste time.
“Where’s my child?” I asked, my voice raspy from disuse.
One of the nurses exchanged glances with the others.
“They already took her,” she said quietly. “To another hospital.”
I felt like the floor disappeared beneath me. “What? When?”
“You’ve been unconscious for almost twenty-four hours,” she said, more hesitant this time. “The tranquilizer kept you under longer than expected.”
Twenty-four hours.
That was more than enough time for them to do what they came for. My knees buckled, but I caught myself on the edge of the counter. I stared at them, trying to make sense of what I was hearing, but the room was already spinning.
I walked out of the nurse’s station in a daze, my body moving on its own. I felt like a ghost, nothing more than a shell. My legs carried me a few steps farther before I collapsed against the wall, hugging myself.
“Athena,” I whispered, my voice cracking as the tears came fast. “My baby…”
I sank to the floor and cried until I couldn’t breathe. I kept murmuring her name like it could somehow bring her back. I apologized to her in broken whispers, telling her this world didn’t deserve someone like her, someone too pure for any of us.
And then rage took over.
The image of Cyrus and Esmeralda flashed in my mind. They took her. They took my baby. I stood up with renewed fury, ready to tear through the packhouse if I had to. I didn’t care anymore. If they wanted war, I would give it to them.
But before I could take another step, two men blocked my way. Subordinates of Cyrus. Their expressions were unreadable.
“Alpha’s orders,” one of them said. “Luna, you need to return to your room.”
I let out a bitter laugh. “Now you call me Luna? Then tell me, how dare your Alpha order the murder of an innocent child?”
They didn’t answer. They just gripped my arms tighter and dragged me back to my room.
They posted guards outside. I wasn’t allowed to leave. For three whole days, I was locked inside like a prisoner, pacing like a caged wolf, my rage boiling just beneath the surface.
And then she came.
Calista walked into the room as if she owned it, her heels clicking confidently on the tile floor. She held something in her hands, a white ceramic urn.
I froze.
“What’s that?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
She smiled, cruel and casual.
“The ashes of your child,” she said, lifting the jar slightly. “I thought I’d do you the favor of delivering it myself.”
My breath stopped. My eyes fixated on the jar. I took a step forward, ready to grab it from her hands.
But she let go.
It slipped from her fingers and hit the floor with a loud crash. The urn shattered, ceramic pieces scattered in all directions. The ashes spilled across the floor like dust in the wind.
“Oh no,” she said, mockingly. “Oops.”
Before I could react, she stepped on it.
She dragged her heel across the ash-streaked floor, grinding it under her shoe like dirt. I lunged, rage exploding from my chest but the guards blocked me. They held me back while Calista straightened her dress.
“No need to get emotional,” she said, brushing imaginary lint off her skirt. “The male heir is perfectly healthy. The operation was a success. You should be proud.”
I didn’t hear the rest. I couldn’t. My screams were trapped in my throat. Calista turned and left the room without a care in the world, the door clicking softly behind her.
The moment she was gone, I dropped to my knees.
I scrambled to the floor, trying to collect the ashes with my bare hands. They were too scattered. Too thin. My fingers bled from the sharp edges of the broken ceramic, but I didn’t stop. I scooped what I could, whispering her name over and over again, my vision blurred by tears and blood.
Then I paused.
Something inside me snapped. The pain went quiet. My hands froze above the broken shards. Slowly, I turned my head toward the window.
The guards didn’t notice.
I stood up without a word. I walked across the room and climbed onto the ledge. The world outside was quiet, deceptively peaceful.
Five floors up.
I stared down with empty eyes.
And I jumped.
