Chapter 17: Final Echoes
(Elina’s POV)
The weight of my fabricated story clung to me like a heavy fog as I sat beside my mother in the healing garden of the pack hospital. She sat quietly on a wooden bench under the arching canopy of moonflowers.
I adjusted the thick blanket draped over her legs, trying to focus on the simple actions to drown out the chaos in my chest. Damon’s words still echoed—I know you’re pregnant, Elina. They struck me with every inhale.
To push the sound from my head, I pulled out my phone. I swiped quickly, avoiding any notifications that could anchor me back to reality. My thumb hesitated over one message, bright and unignorable.
"Submission Confirmed - Inter-Pack Design Council."
My chest squeezed. That design wasn’t just work—it was personal. It was t
