Chapter 210 A Family


    Chapter 210 A Family


    “What?” The three of them eximed at the same time, their voices echoing in the small clinic


    room.


    My ears rang painfully because I had picked up my senses to hear the heartbeat. I was already hearing every small sound in the room, and their collective outburst felt like a bomb had gone off in my ear.


    “Shhh!” I hissed, shooting them all a re. My focus didn’t waver. I bent down slightly, pressing my ear gently against Arden’s abdomen, careful not to hurt her.


    And there it was again. So soft, so faint that for a moment, I worried I had imagined it. But no -there it was, fluttering like a bird’s wing, fragile but present. My heart squeezed in my chest.


    “There’s a heartbeat,” I said finally. I lifted my head slowly, my gaze snapping to Cade. “You said she’s been fatiguedtely?”


    Cade nodded instantly, his throat bobbing as he swallowed hard. “Yes–she’s been so tired these days. She’s also been very sensitive. To scents, to food, to everything. Even to me.” His voice dropped, sounding guilty. “I didn’t think it would be this.”


    Arden covered her mouth with both hands, holding back a sob. But her shoulders trembled, and tears pooled at the corners of her eyes.


    “We’ve been trying for so long,” she whispered, breaking through the quiet. “I can’t believe this. I can’t believe it’s happening now.”


    Her voice trembled, and Cade was by her side in an instant, crouching down and taking her face in his hands.


    “Baby,” he said, his voice gentler now, no trace of the storm that had raged through him earlier. “Baby, it’s okay. It’s okay–we’ll be careful. I’m so proud of you. We finally have a little


    one.”


    She didn’t push him away this time. Instead, she clung to him, burying her face in his chest and allowing him to hold her. I saw Cade’s throat move as he pressed a shaky kiss to the top of her head, his arms tightening around her protectively.


    When Cade finally stood, Rowan’s brow furrowed as he tilted his head at him.


    “You’re crying?” Rowan said in an incredulous tone.


    Cade turned to him sharply. “Just wait for your turn, you idiot,” he snapped, subtly wiping the tears from his eyes.


    I bit my lip hard to stop a bitterugh, though the sound that left me was closer to a soft huff. If only Rowan knew. If only he knew he already had a child out there. But that secret wasn’t ready toe out yet, and I wasn’t about to let it slip.


    Still, there was a strange heaviness that lingered in my chest, pressing against my ribs. My instincts wouldn’t calm down. Something didn’t feel right.


    I found myself reaching out again, my hand brushing over Arden’s abdomen.


    “Can I see?” I asked softly.


    She hesitated for a moment, then nodded and gently lifted the hem of her shirt.


    The gash had already begun to close, the way it always did with werewolves, but it wasn’t normal. The edges looked darker, almost bruised, and there was a faint purplish shadow creeping along the skin around it.


    Cade’s breath hitched audibly beside me.


    I frowned as I stared at the wound. My healer’s instinct was screaming that something was wrong.


    “I knew it,” I muttered, my voice grim.


    “What?” Cade demanded, rmed.


    “The heartbeat,” I said quietly, not taking my eyes off Arden’s abdomen. “It’s too thready. I can hear it, but it’s faint–like it’s struggling.”


    I swallowed hard, fighting the sudden lump in my throat.


    “I think…” My voice wavered before I steadied it, ncing at Cade and Rowan in turn. “I think the baby might have been affected by this wound.”


    “What do you mean?” Cade asked sharply.


    I turned to him, then to Rowan, my healer instincts buzzing so loudly I could barely think straight. “Those rogues,” I said quietly, stepping closer to Rowan. His eyes widened slightly as I approached, but he didn’t move away.


    I was close enough now to feel the heat radiating from him. For a moment, I was distracted by how tense he was. But I forced my focus back to what mattered.


    Without asking, I reached for his chin and carefully peeled back the bandaid I had ced on his wound earlier. My heart sank as soon as I saw it.


    It was still there.


    The w mark should have been faint by now, a pink scar at most. But it hadn’t faded at all. If anything, the edges seemed darker, the tissue looking angry and irritated despite the time that had passed.


    I shook my head, frustration twisting in my gut.


    “It’s still not better?” Rowan muttered. I could feel his breath near the crown of my head as he leaned slightly closer to see for himself.


    “No,” I said grimly, nodding. “It should have recovered by now. Especially for you.”


    Rowan’s brows drew together. “I could tell there was something different about them,” he admitted quietly. “Those rogues weren’t normal. Another evolution, perhaps. Their ws and fangs didn’t look quite right.”


    I nodded in agreement, my mind racing. “It has silver–like characteristics,” I murmured, thinking out loud.


    That made everyone in the room tense. Arden, who was still holding her abdomen, winced slightly and spoke through gritted teeth. “But it seemed to seep through,” she said softly.


    I nced at her and immediately softened. “Fortunately, there are herbs that can help pull this kind of poison out. Combined with some internal healing, it should stop the spread.”


    “Tell us,” Cade said quickly, stepping forward like a man desperate for something to hold onto. “Where can I get it? I’ll go right now.”


    “You wouldn’t know what it looks like. It’s something my mentor discovered before she died, and I’ve been looking into it,” I told him carefully.


    Due to humans‘ love for silver, we had to adapt to the exposure, and naturally, we looked for a solution. I was sure not a lot of wolves, or even creatures, knew about it.


    “But it should be here, somewhere in Fenra. I’ve seen some before, when I was younger–but it grows further away from the forest, past the river bend.”


    “I’ll go,” I said firmly, already making up my mind.


    “Tessa…” Arden’s voice was small, and when I looked back at her, her eyes were glossy, tears slipping down her cheeks.


    I swallowed hard at the sight.


    I knew how much she wanted this. How much she had hoped for this day, and how much she deserved this child. Cade did too, I could tell by the way he hovered near her like a man ready to guard his entire world.


    They deserved a family.


    At least, Arden did.


    Even though mine was still iplete. Even though Ca didn’t know about Rowan yet, and I didn’t know if I’d ever get that picture–perfect ending I secretly dreamed about.


    “The two of you are going to be okay,” I told her, mustering the most reassuring smile I could manage. I grabbed my small bag and slung it over my shoulder. “I’ll be back before dark.”


    I had just taken a step toward the door when Rowan’s voice broke through.


    “I’ming with you.”


    I froze, ncing back at him in surprise.


    “I can handle this on my own,” I said cautiously.


    He shook his head, stepping toward me. “I’m not taking no as an answer.”