Aria’s POV
“No!”
The scream tore from my throat, raw and broken, as the healer’s words echoed in my ears.
Tears streamed down my face, hot and bitter. I couldn’t stop them, not when my entire world had shattered in a moment. The child I had carried, the little heartbeat I’d felt fluttering inside me for months, was gone.
Kael rushed to my side, pulling me into his arms. I clung to him, but I was numb.
“I’m so sorry, Aria,” he whispered into my hair. His voice cracked, even though he didn’t cry. I could feel the pain rolling off him in waves, deep and restrained.
“You have to take heart,” he said again.
Take heart?
How could I take heart when the pup I had loved before even seeing her face… was dead?
I carried her through war, betrayal, exile. I starved to keep her fed. I fought to
