86

Eighty six
*Freya*
I rolled carefully out of bed so as not to disturb Rafe’s slumber, I tiptoed across the chamber to the window. The morning’s first light was just starting to paint the sky in streaks of rose and amber. I placed a palm on the cool glass and closed my eyes.
“Please,” I prayed on a thread of a whisper. “Please let me get pregnant soon. Let me bear Rafe’s heir and fulfill my destiny at his side. And keep our future child safe from those who might wish them harm.”
I didn’t know if the Moon Goddess could hear my plea. But I had to hope. For myself, for Rafe, for our love. For the kingdom pack and kingdom.
Opening my eyes, I squared my shoulders with determination. No matter what enemies lurked in the shadows, seen or unseen, I would face them head on. I would fight to my very last breath to protect those I loved and the future we were destined to build together.
With a newfound resolve flowing through my veins, I stood up carefully and made my way to the bathroom, intent on washing the sleep from my eyes and beginning this new day with a sense of purpose. But as I leaned over the basin and cupped cool water in my palms, a searing pain suddenly pierced through my chest, stealing my breath. It felt like a jagged blade was twisting between my ribs. I tried to cry out but my throat was clenched tight, voice choked off before it could escape. What was happening??
Spots danced before my eyes as I gasped for air that wouldn’t come. My legs buckled and I crumpled to the cold stone floor, trembling fingers scrabbling for purchase on the smooth tiles.
Rafe… I mouthed his name, but no sound passed my lips. Darkness encroached at the edges of my vision. I fought against the looming blackness, desperate to stay conscious. To call for help. But an intangible force seemed to drag me down, down, into a yawning abyss.
Through the descending darkness, a memory surfaced – Rafe’s warm voice echoing in my mind from not so long ago.
“If you’re ever in trouble and I’m not there, you can reach me through our bond. Speak my name in your thoughts and I will hear you, my love.”
At the time, the idea of telepathic communication had unnerved me. It felt too intimate, too invasive. I had dismissed it, telling Rafe I preferred speaking face-to-face.
But now, as I stood on the knife’s edge between awareness and oblivion, I held onto that memory with every shred of my fading strength. It was my only hope. I had to try.
Fixing Rafe’s handsome face in my mind’s eye, I focused every ounce of my being on projecting his name into the void, praying it would reach him.
“Rafe…” I called out mentally, my inner voice trembling and faint to my own senses. “Rafe, help me! Please…”
The effort drained what little energy I had left. My body went slack against the tiles as I surrendered to the intruding darkness, Rafe’s name a dying ember in my mind.
“Rafe…”
“Freya!”
Rafe’s voice cut through the void like a beacon, strong and clear. A lifeline thrown to my drowning soul. Relief crashed over me in dizzying waves as the bathroom door burst open and Rafe rushed to my side, his features etched with heart-wrenching concern.
“Freya! I’m here, baby. I’ve got you,” he murmured, scooping me into his strong arms with infinite tenderness.
I wanted to respond, to tell him how frightened I’d been, but my body refused to cooperate. As Rafe carried me back to our bed, I could only cling to him, my anchor in the storm.
He laid me down gently, his eyes roving over my face searchingly. “What happened, Freya? What’s wrong?”
I parted my lips, but no words came. Instead, a violent tremor seized my body, my limbs jerking and twitching beyond my control. Panic flared in Rafe’s gaze. His eyes widened in terror.
***
*Rafe*
“Freya! Freya?!”
I struggled to comprehend what was happening to this innocent human. Freya had never mentioned feeling unwell, yet here she was, quaking like a leaf in a storm, her complexion ashen and her eyes glazed with unspeakable terror.
When I’d heard her desperate plea echoing through our bond, I had feared the worst. Now, seeing her like this, those fears took on a chilling reality.
“Shh, it’s alright. We’ll figure this out,” I soothed, gathering her shuddering form into my embrace.
I smoothed her hair back from her sweat-dampened brow, my heart clenching at her pitiful whimpers. Freya had always been so strong, so vibrant. To see her reduced to this quivering, helpless creature was more than I could bear.
What could have caused this? Some strange illness? Or, a darker possibility whispered, poison?
The thought made my blood run cold. If someone had dared to harm my precious woman, I would rip them apart with my bare hands.
But I couldn’t afford to give in to rage now. Freya needed me. I had to be strong for her.
Cradling her close, I sent a silent prayer to the Moon Goddess, pleading for guidance and the strength to see my love through this terrifying ordeal.
“I’m right here, Freya. I won’t let anything happen to you,” I vowed. “We’ll get through this together. I swear it.”
“Connor!” I roared, my voice raw with desperation and barely suppressed panic.
Within moments, my beta burst through the door, his eyes widening in shock as he took in the scene before him.
“What in the world happened?” he demanded, rushing to the bedside. He looked like he could punch a hole through the wall. I knew Freya was also important to him.
“I don’t know,” I admitted, my hands still stroking Freya’s hair in a futile attempt at comfort. “I found her collapsed on the bathroom floor, gasping for breath. And now she won’t stop shaking.”
Connor pressed his fingers to Freya’s neck, feeling for her pulse. His brow furrowed in concern.
“Her heartbeat is erratic,” he murmured, his hand pressed against Freya’s chest. “We need to stabilize her, and fast.”
Together, we piled blankets on top of Freya’s trembling form, trying to ward off the chill that seemed to have seeped into her very bones. I held her hand, whispering soothing words of love and reassurance, while Connor prepared a tea of valerian root and chamomile, herbs known for their calming properties.
But despite our best efforts, Freya’s condition only seemed to worsen. Her breathing grew more labored, her skin taking on a sickly grayish hue.
“We need help,” I said desperately. “We need a healer.”
Connor’s jaw tightened as he nodded in grim agreement. “I’ll go find someone,” he said, his voice tinged with worry.
He rose to his feet and hurried off into the night, leaving me alone with Freya. I brushed a strand of hair from her forehead and looked down at her face – so pale and still now, compared to the vibrant woman she had been just hours ago.
When Connor returned with his face looking gloomy, I knew he hadn’t found anyone to help us.
“Well?!” I yelled at him. My face blazing with anger. I was losing Freya by the second.
“I sent for two healers already. They might take a while to get here because they don’t live in the palace..” Connor answered, his voice low with sadness.
I turned to Freya. I felt utterly helpless, watching the life drain out of my beloved with each passing minute. There had to be something more I could do, some way to save her.
And then it hit me. A name I had hoped never to utter again. A name that tasted like ashes on my tongue. A name even Connor wouldn’t like.
But did I have a choice?
****