That night, after Helena declared me stable and everyone else had left, Kael sat beside my cot in the darkness.
"I need to tell you something," he said quietly.
"Okay."
"About my mother. About what carrying Royal blood did to her."
He took a breath.
"When my mother was pregnant with me, the pack healers thought she was being poisoned. She'd scream in pain for hours. Her magic would surge uncontrollably. She couldn't sleep, could barely eat. Lost so much weight they thought she'd waste away."
I listened, holding his hand.
"My father tried everything. Every healer, every shaman, every ancient ritual they could find. Nothing worked. For five months, she suffered. By the end, she barely recognized him. The pain had driven her half-mad."
"But she survived."
"Barely. When she finally g
