POV: Alex
The nursery had never feared me before.
It should have been calm—softly glowing moonstones in the ceiling, enchanted lullabies humming through the air, silver wards etched delicately into every wall for protection. It had always been a place of peace.
Now the magic was screaming.
The moment I crossed the threshold, every rune flared blinding white. The temperature dropped ten degrees in a breath. The cradle at the center of the room vibrated with pulsing light—slow, steady, powerful.
A heartbeat not yet born.
Riley lay on the bed just beyond the cradle, pale and exhausted from the attack, Mason seated at her side holding her hand with a grip that looked like it was the only thing keeping him standing. Her eyes met mine instantly.
“It won’t stop,” she whispered. “Every time
