Chapter 5: The Power Awakens
883 Words
“Three?”
Irala's throat felt raw. The word came out scraped and weak.
Her nails dug into the rusted metal bed frame. Rust flaked under her fingertips, cutting her skin. Blood beads formed and ran down her fingers in thin lines.
“Impossible.”
She shook her head. Her lips cracked, trembling as she licked them—and the taste of blood returned.
Cade's cold face flashed in her mind. His voice repeated in her ears, sharp and unforgiving: “I don't need a defective mate.”
The cedar scent seemed to linger in her nose. Her stomach spasmed, acid rising in her throat. She swallowed hard, and it burned going down.
“Blood tests don't lie.”
The doctor pulled back the blanket. “To imaging. Now.”
The gurney crashed through the ward door, wheels scraping the floor. The sound echoed down the hall.
Cold wind rushed into her torn gown. Irala hugged her arms, goosebumps rising on her skin, her teeth chattering.
“Doctor, my fertility rate is zero. The Elder Council's report said so.” Her voice trembled, her breath coming in short bursts.
“That was a misdiagnosis.” The doctor pushed the gurney faster, his shoes squeaking on the tile.
“Or something interfered with the test.” He panted, sweat dripping from his forehead. “If this is real... it's a miracle.”
The smell of disinfectant stung her nose. Irala dry-heaved, her stomach clenching tight.
The imaging room door slammed open. The room temperature was low, cold air hitting her skin and making her shiver harder.
Blue screen light hit her pale face, making her eyes water. She blinked against the glare.
“Lie flat.”
The doctor pulled open her gown, exposing her sunken abdomen to the cold air. Goosebumps rose all over her body, her skin tightening as she shivered.
Cold gel squeezed onto her skin—icy, making her shrink back, her teeth chattering louder.
“Hold still.”
The probe pressed against her abdomen, a faint ache spreading. Irala bit her lower lip as the probe slid across her skin, her muscles tensing.
“Look at the screen.” The doctor's voice trembled.
Irala turned her head, staring at the display. A blurry black-and-white shadow stared back at her.
The doctor pressed a button. The machine made a low-frequency noise, and the image cleared.
Three tiny silver dots pulsed. Flash. Flash. Flash.
“One, two, three.” The doctor's fingertip pointed at the screen. “Three. It's really three.”
Irala held her breath. All sound around her vanished—only those three dots remained, pulsing steadily.
“My... babies?”
She lifted her hand, fingertips touching the cold screen. The glass felt icy, her fingers shaking as tears fell, running down her cheeks. She wiped them with her sleeve, leaving it wet.
This wasn't a dream. Three lives. Inside her body.
“Turn on the sound.” Irala grabbed the doctor's white coat. “Please. Let me hear them.”
The doctor wiped sweat from his forehead, his hand shaking badly. Sweat dripped onto the floor, his breathing fast as he turned the knob.
Thump. Thump. Heavy. Strong. Then the second set. The third set.
Three unsynchronized heartbeats intertwined, filling the entire room. Pure Alpha pressure spread from the sound, tightening the air.
Irala's chest rose and fell sharply. Her blood heated, her skin flushing, fingers tingling, legs warming. Three waves of hot warmth spread from her abdomen, traveling through her body, making her muscles relax slightly, her breathing slowing.
“My children.”
She covered her face, tears slipping through her fingers. She wiped them again, her hands still shaking.
Cade. You severed the bond. You called me defective. The Moon Goddess gave me three children.
“Something's wrong.” The doctor's voice rose, sharp with panic.
Irala lowered her hand, her heartbeat skipping. “What is it?”
“Energy readings are spiking.” The doctor stared at the secondary monitor, where the red line shot straight up.
Beep. Beep. A sharp alarm sounded.
“What's happening?” Irala tried to sit up, her arms shaking, elbows buckling as she fell back.
The doctor pressed her shoulders down, his own body trembling. “They're absorbing energy.”
He stepped back two paces, bumping into the metal cabinet. It rattled loudly.
“The machine's power. The whole building's electricity.”
The screen flashed wildly. The three dots shifted from silver to dark red, edged with gold—a dangerous, menacing gold light.
Suffocating pressure filled the room. It wasn't Cade's cedar scent. It was purer. More violent. The pressure of an ancient wolf king.
Crack.
Ceiling light tubes exploded, glass fragments falling. Irala curled her body to protect her abdomen, covering her head with her arms as glass bounced off the floor.
The room plunged into darkness. Only the ultrasound screen stayed lit, casting a faint glow.
A loud buzzing filled the air. The smell of burning plastic spread, stinging her nose.
“Monster...”
The doctor collapsed to the floor, his face turning pale blue. He raised a trembling finger, pointing at the examination bed.
“They're drawing life energy.” The doctor's teeth chattered, his voice barely audible.
“Those three...”
“Are monsters.”
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