The sickened luna’s last chance

Chapter 81

Ella

BS]

| was lying on the examination table in a hospital gown with my feet up in the stirrups, staring at the ceiling tiles

and trying to convince myself that this was the right thing to do. Dr. Evelyn said the procedure would be quick

and relatively painless this early in the pregnancy. | could go hwithin a few hours, and it would be like it

never happened.

Did | want that?

“Are you ready, Ella?” Dr. Evelyn asked as she pulled on a fresh pair of gloves.

| opened my mouth to say yes, but the word wouldn't cout.

Instead, | found myself thinking about the tiny life growing inside of me. About the child who would have a

perfect mixture of mine and Alexander's features. About family dinners and bedtstories and first steps

all the moments | would never get to experience.

“Ella?” Lilith squeezed my hand.

“I...” My throat felt tight, like | couldn’t breathe properly. “I can’t,” | whispered, and then louder, “I can’t do

this.”

| sat up abruptly, swinging my legs over the side of the examination table. The hospital gown was barely

covering me, but | didn’t care. | had to get out of there.

“Ella, wait,” Dr. Evelyn called out as | stumbled toward the door. “We should talk about this-"

“Ella, dear, please,” Lilith added, but | was already pushing through the door and into the hallway.

| ran barefoot down the corridor, my hospital gown flapping behind me, completely ignoring the startled looks

from the nurses and patients. All | could think about was getting away from that room, away from the

choice I'd almost made.

When | burst through the doors into the waiting room, | expected to find it empty except for maybe a few

random patients. The last person | expected to see was Alexander, sitting in one of the chairs with his head

in his hands.

But there he was.

“Alexander!” | cried his nout like it was the one thing that could keeptethered to this world.

His head snapped up at the sound of my voice, and for a moment we just stared at each other across the

room.

Without thinking, | launched myself across the room and into his arms.

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Alexander shot to his feet and caughteasily, pullingagainst his chest as | dissolved into tears. | buried

my face in his shoulder, breathing in his familiar scent.

“I couldn't do it,” | sobbed against his shirt. “I was lying there and I just couldn't”

“Shh,” Alexander murmured, his arms tightening around me. “It’s okay. You don’t have to.”

“But the baby-my condition-I don’t know what to do-"

“Ella, look at me.” Alexander pulled back just enough to cup my face in his hands, forcingto meet his eyes. “I

found the test. And the pamphlet.” His thumbs brushed away my tears, “I don’t want you to have an abortion. |

want us to raise this child together.”

The words sent a shock through my body. “You... what?”

“I want to mark you. Complete our bond properly. | want to give you the family you deserve.”

For a moment, hope bloomed in my chest so fierce it was almost painful. Maybe Alexander had finally realized he

loved me. Maybe our night together had meant as much to him as it had to me.

“We'll need to extend our contract, of course,” Alexander continued, and my heart immediately sank. “It will

need to be much longer than before.”

The contract. Of course. Even now, even when he was offering to save our baby’s life, Alexander was thinking

about legal documents and binding agreements. Not love. Not the family we could build together out of genuine

affection.

But at least he didn’t hate me. At least he wanted to be responsible for our child.

And most importantly, he was offeringa way to save the baby I'd already fallen in love with.

“Yes,” | said without hesitation. “Yes, | agree.”

Alexander's eyes searched mine. “Are you sure? Once | mark you, there's no going back. We'll be bonded for

life.”

| thought about the alternative-watching our child grow up knowing their father had rejected us both, or worse,

not growing up at all because we had both died from this fucking illness.

“I'm sure.”

Alexander nodded once, then looked around the waiting room. There were a few other people scattered

throughout the space, but he didn’t seem to care about the audience.

“This might hurt,” he warned, his hands moving to frmy neck.

“I know.”

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Alexander's eyes flashed a brilliant green for just a moment before he leaned down and pressed his lips to the

spot where my neck met my shoulder. | felt his canines extend, sharp points against my skin, and then

he bit down.

The pain was immediate and intense, like being struck by lightning. But it only lasted a second before it

transformed into something else entirely-a rush of energy so powerful it made my knees buckle.

| felt it the moment our bond snapped into place. Like a missing piece of myself had suddenly been returned.

The hollow ache that had been living in my chest for months, no, years, was gone, replaced by warmth and

strength and a connection to Alexander that felt as natural as breathing.

But the energy kept building, flooding through my system faster than | could process it. My vision went white

around the edges, and | felt myself falling.

The last thing | remembered was Alexander calling my nas everything went dark.

| woke up to the sensation of strong arms holdingand a sharp, stinging pain in my neck. My body felt tired,

but also humming with a strange energy...

“What... happened...?” | groaned, pressing my hand to my aching neck. When | cracked my eyes open, | found

that my fingers had caway bloody.

| blinked slowly, trying to focus on the faces hovering above me. Alexander was cradlingagainst his chest,

backlit by the fluorescent hospital lights. Lilith was there too, her hand pressed to her mouth as she

stared down at me.

“You passed out,” Alexander said gently. “Right after | marked you. You've been unconscious for about thirty

seconds.”

| tried to sit up, wincing as my newly marked neck throbbed with the movement. The bite was still tender, but

underneath the pain was something else.

Completeness.

And a pulse that wasn’t mine.

“How do you feel?” That was Dr. Evelyn's voice, and | looked over to see that she was kneeling overtoo. She

was... smiling. Had | ever even seen her smile?

Furrowing my brow, | took mental/inventory of my body. The constant fatigue that had been weighingdown

for so long was gone.

“| feel...” | paused, trying to find the right words. “Amazing.”

Lilith, Dr. Evelyn, and Alexander all beamed. “Look,” Dr. Evelyn said, holding up the metal piece of her

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Chapter 81

stethoscope so | could see my eyes. They were glowing a bright golden color, like molten honey. My breath

caught, and | shakily lifted my hand to touch my cheek, just below my left eye.

“Miss me?” a familiar voice purred in the back of my mind.

My wolf had returned.

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