The house hovered before me, silent and empty, a shell of what it once was.
I stepped inside, my fingers trailing along the wooden walls, tracing the memories embedded within them. This was the home Cassian and I had built together, the place where I had once envisioned raising our family. A cruel illusion, nothing more.
My footsteps echoed in the hollow space as I made my way through the familiar halls. Every corner held remnants of the life I had foolishly believed was mine to keep. Cassian had been kind to me, treating me with tenderness after miscarriages, making me feel full despite the loss of life.
I thought it was his way of showing that no matter what, he would always love me. That, even without a child, he would not abandon me and would stay with me forever.
The laughter, the whispered promises, the fleeting touches...
All wasted.
My fingers curled into a fist as I exhaled shakily.
I entered the bedroom and pulled out an old wooden chest, my hands steady despite the storm raging within me. Inside were the belongings I had collected over the years, keepsakes of a love that no longer existed. I packed methodically, folding each piece of clothing with precision that felt almost mechanical.
Then my hand brushed against something soft.
A tiny, unfinished blanket.
The breath in my lungs stilled as I picked it up, running my fingers over the delicate embroidery. I had stitched it myself when I first discovered I was carrying Cassian's child, dreaming of the day I would wrap my little one in its warmth.
Now, it was nothing but a painful reminder of what had been taken from me.
I placed a trembling hand over my stomach, my heart twisting painfully.
It felt…it was empty.
It always would. I would never carry another child, never feel the flutter of life inside me again. A part of me had died the moment my baby was stolen from me.
No more.
I clenched my jaw, my grief hardening into resolve. Staying here, in this place, among these people, would only destroy me further. I had to leave.
As night fell, I stood before the mirror, a small vial in my hands. The liquid inside shimmered faintly under the dim candlelight. A scent-erasing serum, brewed from rare herbs, one that would sever my connection to the pack and cloak my presence from their senses.
I uncorked the vial and swallowed its contents in one swift motion. A bitter, numbing cold spread through my veins, but I welcomed it. It meant I was free.
With nothing left to bind me here, I stepped out into the night and vanished into the darkness.
At the healer's quarters, a tense silence filled the air. Vivian lay on the cot, cradling her stomach as the healers worked around her. Her dramatics had drawn the attention of many, but only Cassian lingered. He stood with arms crossed, his expression unreadable, though his eyes remained locked onto Vivian's form.
One of the healers, an older woman with years of experience, sighed as she washed her hands. "It's strange, isn't it?" she mused, mostly to herself. "Your family's luck has been rather unfortunate."
Cassian's gaze flickered to her. "What do you mean?"
The healer wiped her hands clean before turning to him. "First, Anna had an illness before and went over a couple of miscarriages. We weren't sure if she would recover. Good thing it went well for her. And now, Vivian ends up here the very next day." She shook her head. "These sisters are unlucky."
Something in Cassian's stance shifted. "What? What do you mean by it went well with Anna?"
"She recovered her hearing yesterday. She is quite ecstatic after hearing for the first time," the old healer gave Cassian a look. "I thought she would tell you firsthand since she quickly left before I could give her prescriptions."
Cassian sweated. "She recovered her hearing... yesterday?"
The healer nodded absentmindedly. "Yes, yesterday. Quite a miracle, really. We had almost given up hope, but then, all of a sudden, her hearing was restored. In time, it will return to normal entirely."
The room turned deathly quiet. Cassian's body went rigid, his eyes darkening as her words settled over him.
Anna… could hear?
Realization slammed into him like a crushing wave. If she had heard—
His stomach dropped.
A sudden chill crept over him, his body shuddering as if the temperature had plummeted. Despite Vivian's voice calling out from the cot, Cassian barely registered it. Without a word, he turned on his heel and stormed out, his movements fueled by a growing sense of dread.
He reached his den within minutes, faster than he ever had before. The door loomed before him. Unlocked.
A sharp pang of unease clawed at his chest.
With a slow, deliberate motion, he pushed it open.
Silence greeted him. The air inside was still, the space eerily vacant.
She was gone.
