"Evan Aldren’s first daughter was apparently born still, her heart not beating. That is what Ember knew. Because they were of mixed blood, my mother believed that the babies were not carried to full term, and that was what caused their death. She thought it was fate... or rather the weakness in the bloodline. But it wasn’t that at all.
It was Evan’s doing. His hate for the Dark Master was much greater than his love for his children. Of course he loved his mate, and so he never told her that he was the one who killed the baby as the child was being pushed out of her mother’s body..."
The words hung heavy in the room.
Lance, Kael and Zen, all three felt their hearts chill. Their bodies went rigid around her as they heard the grim words.
They were no strangers to violence, or to the cold reality of war. They had killed when it was needed, when a threat had to be removed. They had seen cruelty and blood and betrayal. But this... this was different. To kill your own child so cruelly, and to do it with such certainty, such quiet purpose... it made something inside each of them twist painfully.
Meanwhile the wolf Emira continued, her tone steady even as the story grew darker.
"Ember was soon pregnant again, and once again, her child was killed... born with a birth defect apparently. That is what everyone believed. There was no defect, of course. Evan had planned it. This time, Ember drowned in guilt and shame. She thought she had failed. She kept asking herself why she, a proud witch, could not give birth to a child for her mate when even weak humans could do it so easily. She began questioning her own worth."
Lancelot let out a low, rumbling growl. Zen pressed closer to Emira’s side while Kael’s claws dug deeper into the floor as he had to forcefully suppress the urge to kill Evan Aldren himself.
"So, when she became pregnant for the third time in two years," Emira continued softly, "Ember did not tell Evan. She hid it. Completely. For the last few months, he had been avoiding going on hunts to stay with her and support her. He was careful, always around her. So this time, she encouraged him to go. She pushed him. And he agreed, because there was news that the Dark Master’s power was increasing slowly, and he was eager to go and quash him. He left quickly, leaving his beta with strict orders to guard his mate."
The wolf Emira paused for a moment and continued, "As soon as he was gone, Ember began meditating. She wanted a boon, a blessing, anything that would keep her child alive. She reached out to the Moon Goddess, begging her to protect the life inside her. Like most wolves, Aldren’s pack kept witches at a distance, so they did not trouble her much during those days. She meditated without stopping, day after day, until finally she received a blessing."
Her voice softened.
"A strong wolf spirit... one that would heal the children in the womb so that they would be born safely, without any defects. Without any weaknesses."
"Ecstatic with this, Ember reached out to Evan the moment he returned," she said. "She shared her good news, her voice shaking because she truly believed everything would finally be right. She thought he would be happy too. And he seemed happy... even proud of her."
"But later that night," Emira whispered, "she heard him planning with his beta on how to kill this child. How to do it without his mate getting suspicious... without her ever learning the truth."
Her voice broke for a moment before steadying again.
"That was when Ember finally understood who her mate truly was. To him, his revenge, making sure that the Dark Master would never have a bride was much more important than his own children."
"After that, there was only little time left for her to plan things to protect her children. And that is when she made the ultimate sacrifice. She... planned her own death and that of one of her children... And for that, she used dark magic for the first time..."
She used her own blood to create an illusion of rogues attacking Aldren’s pack and then forced her own labour ahead of time...
At this, all three wolves stiffened before returning to their human form.. Without a word, Lance gathered Emira in his arms, pulling her onto his lap while Zen and Kael surrounded them, as if creating a cocoon of warmth...
Slowly, Lance spoke," There is no need to say more, Emira. Sshhh..."
But the dam seemed to have already been broken...
"Our mother killed her third child with her own hands... all so she could protect at least one of us. But what she did not realise was that the wolf boon she had begged for would only belong to one child... And that child was already the one destined to be sacrificed. Furious and terrified that she would once again lose her children, Ember did something forbidden, something no mother should ever be forced to even think of."
"She tore the wolf spirit from her own child—the one fated to die—and tied that spirit to her second child instead. She ripped the blessing away and bound it where it was never meant to go, all so her surviving baby would be stronger... strong enough to live, strong enough to escape Evan, and strong enough to carry the burden of what she had done."
"Is that why you are not able to shift?" Kael asked quietly and Emira nodded her head against Lance’s chest.
"Hmm. My mother’s actions angered the Moon Goddess so much that she wanted to take me back. But my mother was stubborn so she tied me to Emira firmly... leaving Moon Goddess the only way to show her anger was to not let Emira shift..."