SERAPHINA
The contractions started three hours ago.
I've been hiding in these chambers since my belly started to show, living behind the lie that I'm too traumatized from my time in the North to face the court. Father announced it with such conviction that no one dared question him.
They have no idea what I've really been hiding.
I'm pacing between the bed and the window while Old Mara prepares her supplies. Elena holds my hand through each wave of pain, her grip steady even when mine threatens to crush her fingers.
"You're doing wonderfully, Princess," Mara says in her cracked, ancient voice. She's been my secret keeper throughout this pregnancy, the only healer allowed near me. "The pup is eager to meet you."
Another contraction rips through me, and I double over with a gasp. Luna
