GWEN
The healer’s question did not surprise me in the slightest. I had been expecting it from the moment I stepped inside her chamber, because news travels fast in every pack, but I had not really formed the answer in my mind before she asked me the question.
I kept my eyes on her calm but searching expression and said in a firm tone, “I had no choice. If I refused, I would have been forced to endure challenges over and over again until the day I gave birth, maybe even after birth. This is not about pride. It is about ending it now so I can have some peace for myself and for my child. I cannot spend the rest of this pregnancy in fear or constant defense. I need to do this once and for all.”
The healer did not respond right away. She continued arranging the small bowls of herbs on the ta
