The first contraction came just before sunrise.
Nova gasped, one hand flying to the edge of the bed while the other clutched her stomach. It was deep, pulsing—not quite pain, but something deeper. A signal. A warning bell inside her body, ringing louder than fear.
“Kade,” she whispered.
He was already sitting up beside her. His senses had sharpened the moment she stirred. “What is it?” His hand was on her back in an instant. “Nova?”
She nodded, eyes wide. “It’s time.”
He leapt out of bed, voice rising. “Sienna! June!” He was out the door a heartbeat later, barefoot, yelling through the early morning fog that clung to the cabin porch.
Nova struggled to sit up, sweat already forming at her temples. The pain was beginning to spike—sharper now, shorter in time. Her hands trembled as she
