9: Shadows of the Unborn
The news of the pregnancy spread through the Shadow Pack like wildfire. At first, there were celebrations—bonfires, howls under the moon, feasts that lasted until dawn. The pack had not seen a pup born of two full Shadow Alphas in living memory. It was a sign, they said. A blessing from the Moon Goddess herself.
But beneath the joy ran a current of fear.
Elena felt it in every glance, every whispered conversation that stopped when she entered the room. The elders watched her with new wariness. Warriors trained harder, as if preparing for an enemy already among them.
And the dreams grew worse.
Every night, she stood in the sealed cave. The crack in the altar widened a little more each time. The red eye stared, unblinking.
*Your child…* it whispered, voice like silk over broken glass. *So much power… so pure… give it to me…*
She woke screaming, shadows exploding from her body in uncontrolled waves. Kaelan was always there, pulling her back, his own shadows wrapping around her like armor.
But even he could not hide his worry anymore.
One afternoon, three weeks after the Seer's visit, Kaelan found Elena in the pack's ancient library—a cavernous room filled with crumbling scrolls and leather-bound tomes. She sat cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by open books, her hand resting protectively on the slight swell of her belly.
"What are you looking for?" he asked softly, kneeling beside her.
"Answers," she said without looking up. "Something that tells us how to end this forever. Not just seal it again."
Kaelan picked up one of the books. The title was in a language older than any living wolf. "The Covenant took most of the dangerous texts after the first sealing. What remains is… fragments."
Elena slammed a book shut, frustration etched on her face. "Then we're fighting blind. The Void knows everything about us—our bond, our bloodline, our child. And we know nothing about it."
Kaelan pulled her into his arms. "We know one thing. It fears us. It fears what our pup will become."
She leaned into him, breathing in his scent. "That's what terrifies me. What if the prophecy is right? What if our child is the key to destroying it… or unleashing it?"
He was quiet for a long moment.
"Then we make sure they're raised to choose light," he said finally. "We teach them control. Strength. Love."
Elena pulled back, searching his face. "And if the Void tries to corrupt them before they're even born?"
Kaelan's eyes darkened. "Then I'll tear the mountain apart with my bare hands to stop it."
That night, the first attack came—not from outside, but from within.
Elena woke gasping, pain lancing through her abdomen. Shadows poured from her uncontrollably, blacker than ever before. They lashed at the walls, cracking stone.
Kaelan leapt from bed, wrapping her in his arms. "Elena! Breathe—focus on me!"
But the pain intensified. She felt something pulling—tugging—at the tiny life inside her.
*Give it to me…* the Void whispered, louder than ever. *So much power… wasted on light…*
Kaelan roared, his own shadows exploding outward. He pressed his palm to Elena's belly, pouring everything into the bond—his strength, his love, his fury.
The shadows clashed. Light against dark. Bond against hunger.
Elena screamed as the tug-of-war raged inside her body.
Then—silence.
The shadows retreated. The pain eased.
Elena collapsed against Kaelan, sobbing. He held her tightly, shaking with rage and relief.
"It touched the baby," she whispered. "It tried to…"
"But it failed," Kaelan said fiercely. "Because we're stronger together."
Lira burst into the room, summoned by the commotion. She examined Elena quickly, face paling.
"The pup is strong," she said. "But the Void's reach is growing. Every time you use your power—even to protect yourselves—you feed it."
Elena laughed bitterly. "So we're supposed to do nothing? Let it win?"
"No," Lira said. "There's another way. An old ritual—dangerous, forbidden. It severs the connection between shadow bearer and the Void completely."
Kaelan's eyes narrowed. "Why was it forbidden?"
"Because it requires a sacrifice," Lira whispered. "The life of one Shadow Alpha… to save the other. And the child."
The room went cold.
Elena stared at Kaelan. He stared back, expression unreadable.
"No," he said flatly. "There has to be another way."
But Elena saw the truth in his eyes. He would do it. If it came to choosing between himself and her—their child—he would choose them.
She took his hand, placing it on her belly. Beneath his palm, the pup kicked—strong, defiant.
"We'll find another way," she said firmly. "All three of us are surviving this."
Kaelan nodded, but the fear in his bond told her he wasn't sure.
Outside, dark clouds gathered over the mountain. Unnatural. Unseasonal.
In the sealed cave, the crack widened another inch.
The red eye smiled.
The child's power was growing.
And with it, the Void's strength.
War was coming.
Not between packs.
But between light and dark—inside Elena's own blood.