Hattie:
I woke to the weight of silence.
Not the peaceful kind that comes with safety, but the eerie hush that follows battle. Like the world was holding its breath, waiting for the next blow.
My body ached.
Not just from the pregnancy, but from the tension that had never left me since the first rogue attack. My daughter—my child—had kicked so fiercely last night, it was like she was reacting to the chaos, the blood, the fear rippling through the walls of our packhouse.
I pressed a palm to my belly now, breathing slow, willing her to feel my calm.
“We’re okay,” I whispered. “I’ve got you.”
There was a knock on the door.
Three soft taps.
Not urgent, but deliberate.
I sat up, instinct already humming beneath my skin. I could hear my heartbeat in my ears, feel my thoughts racing, pr
