Liam (POV)
I have led warriors into blood-soaked battles and never once questioned my strength.
Watching Krystal nearly collapse after defending herself against a rogue made me realize just how fragile strength truly is—and how terrifying it becomes when it is bound to someone you love.
She slept most of the next day.
Not the restless, fitful sleep she had endured since the pregnancy pains began, but a deep, heavy slumber that worried me more than any scream could have. The healer assured me it was necessary—that whatever power Krystal had drawn on during the attack had drained her far beyond what her body was used to holding.
“She did not merely defend herself,” Elder Maeve told me quietly. “She awakened something.”
I hadn’t left Krystal’s side.
Not when the healers came and
