Mirabella Panic seized the room. Within minutes, everything blurred into a rush—voices shouting, Alex scooping me into his arms without a second thought, soldiers and staff scrambling out of our way as he sprinted through the halls of the estate toward the clinic wing inside the mansion. I saw everyone rushing behind him with scared face.. It was early.. I wasn't due in two weeks.. I wasn't ready yet.. The pain came in waves, stronger and closer together, knocking the air from my lungs. I clutched at Alex’s shirt, biting down a scream as another contraction tore through me. "You’re okay, Luna," Alex said over and over again, his voice steady even though his eyes were wild with fear. "I’m right here. I’ve got you." The doctors were waiting. They pulled me onto a gurney, shouting or

