She could still feel the dull ache in her lower abdomen. Tears welled up in her eyes, blurring her vision. She tried to swallow the lump in her throat, but it was no use. The pain was too fresh, too raw.
Her hand instinctively moved to her stomach, resting on the place where life had once been. The emptiness was overwhelming, a void that seemed to swallow her whole.
As she lay there, staring at the ceiling, a single tear slipped down her cheek. She didn't wipe it away. Instead, she let it fall, the grief consuming her whole that she could not breathe.
For a moment, she allowed herself to feel the pain, to mourn the child she would never hold. But she knew she had to get up because the last thing she wanted was for Andros to see how miserable she was. So, with a deep, shuddering breath, she wiped her tears and slowly sat up.
Following her second miscarriage, Celes found herself under the care of Old Sage, the pack's stern and dedicated Head Healer. As she reclined on the bed, her body still weak and her heart heavier than ever, she overheard Sage discussing the growing tension within the pack due to the Alpha's disappearance. Rumors of strange disturbances in the forest had been circulating, and Sage had his suspicions about the real cause. The words seemed distant to Celes, like echoes in a vast, empty room.
This is for the better, she forced herself to believe.
When Andros arrived to collect her, he was noticeably distracted, checking his watch repeatedly.
"I received urgent news from the scouts," he said, the same excuse he used every time he wanted to leave. His eyes barely met hers as he spoke. "I need to leave."
Celes, now hardened by his repeated absences, gave him a detached nod, her emotions buried deep within her. He left quickly, slipping into his wolf form as he exited the healer’s quarters, his eyes briefly meeting Sage’s. There was an unspoken understanding between them, but Celes was too weary to ponder it.
After resting for an hour longer, Celes decided to head back to their home. She signed out in the official entry logbook at the reception, but her hand paused as she saw three familiar names written.
Szarina and Reign.
With Andros.
For a moment, she just stood there, unmoving. Her heart clenched, a mixture of anger and pain welling up inside her. But she clamped down on the emotions, wrote her name, and left without a word.