“You're bringing her into camp?" Captain Merin hissed beside Kael. “The Omega? The one no one recognizes?"
“She saved my life," Kael said evenly. “She's a skilled healer. She stays."
Merin's eyes flicked toward Elara as she stepped from the transport wagon, hood drawn low. “You're risking rumors."
“Let them talk," Kael said, then added quietly, “She's under my protection."
Merin grunted, unconvinced.
---
Elara barely set foot in the medic tent before the whispers started.
“Who is she?"
“Never seen her before the border."
“She smells like trouble."
“Or like she's trying to hide something."
She ignored them all, sorting bandages with mechanical focus. Her stomach churned. Whether from the pregnancy or the mounting tension, she couldn't say.
A familiar voice slithered into the ten
