Third Person POV

Lila stood in the middle of her room, her eyes fixed on the once brilliant Moon Gem that lay on her dresser. It dimmed and pulsed weakly, almost like it was angry. The skin at the base of her throat was red and blistered from when it burned her only moments ago. She hadn’t bothered to wear the gem since she attempted to activate it using her blood. It should have worked… it should have been activated.

It was her birthright after all.

It was said that her magic was stored inside this gem from the moment she was born because her magic was too powerful for her infant body, so the witches took it and put it inside this gem until she was old enough. According to one of the witches, close to the family, in order to activate it, her blood is required. However, it didn’t work. It only seemed to anger the moon gem.

Since she burned it in that small ritual she had in the woods with Daisy, it’s been too hot for her to put the gem back around her neck. Today, it seemed as though it had finally cooled enough where she could put it back on, but she was wrong. The second it touched her neck, it scorched her hotter than it’s ever been. The chain lay broken on the ground from when she ripped it off.

“Put it back on,” a voice said from the balcony doorway. Lila turned to see Daisy leaning against the

doorframe.

Her eyes were red from the tears she had previously cried, and her cheeks were flushed from climbing up the side of the manor to reach Lila’s bedroom balcony. This wasn’t the first time Daisy had come to see her this way; she wasn’t allowed to just walk in through the front door, and she did

what she could to avoid Noah.

Lila couldn’t blame her for that, though; her brother was an asshole and had no business doing what he did to Daisy.

Lila’s laughter was bitter, cracked.

“You think I didn’t try? The damned thing burned me.”

Lila turned so Daisy could see the burn mark on her chest from the gem.

Daisy stepped forward, her eyes narrowed.

“How is that possible?” She whispered.

“It’s rejecting me,” Lila said, tears filling her eyes. “I have no idea what it means. It was supposed to be my birthright… my blood.”

Daisy continued to stare at the burn mark on Lila’s chest before her eyes turned towards the gem on the dresser.

“Maybe it isn’t your blood it needs,” she said, her voice sounding almost distant. “Perhaps it was never yours to begin with.”

“Then if it’s not mine… who’s is it??”

Before Daisy could reply, movement caught her attention, and her eyes turned towards the door to Lila’s room, her words getting caught in her throat. Lila turned as well, only to see Esme sitting in

her wheelchair at the door.

“Grandma?” Lila asked, her voice coming out as a hoarse whisper.

Though her grandmother said nothing per usual, her eyes, void of emotions, were penetrating, and there was no mistaking that she was looking directly at Lila.

Gavin’s POV

“Why hasn’t she woken up yet? It’s been an hour, and she’s completely passed out,” I said as I paced the bedroom. Judy was lying on the bed where I had left her, tucked beneath the covers.

Eliza was by her bedside, rechecking her heart rate and ensuring that the baby was okay, and Taylor was trying to get me to calm the fuck down, but without any luck.

“She’s exhausted,” Eliza explained, turning to look at me. “We all are. Just give her some time to

rest.”

“She was in pain, Eliza,” I said through my teeth, not wanting to raise my voice and cause issues with Taylor, but at this moment, I was starting to care less about upsetting anyone. “You didn’t see her, okay? She was in pain. She screamed, held her head, and then passed out.‘

“She’s not currently showing any signs of discomfort. Just extreme exhaustion. The pain medicine I gave her helped ease that pain, it seems,” Eliza said, putting away her equipment. “As far as I can tell, both she and the baby are okay. There’s nothing more for us to do but let her rest and maybe get

some rest ourselves.”

I shake my head, my wolf growing even more restless with each passing moment.

“Something is wrong,” I murmured. “Something is wrong.”

“I’ll come check on you later,” Eliza said, joining Taylor at the doorway. “If there are any changes, come get me right away.”

I don’t say anything as they leave; I stare down at my mate, who remains motionless on the bed, her

eyes closed. To anyone else, she looked like she was only sleeping. But I knew there was more to it. She was in pain, and just before she passed out, she murmured something that sounded like “blood call to blood.”

I had no idea what that meant, but I knew it was something serious. I sat down on the bed beside her, and, against my better judgment, I pulled her into my arms. I just needed to ensure that she was right here and that she was safe.

I’m not sure how long we stayed like that. I found myself drifting in and out of sleep as her scent wrapped around me. I kept my hand on my belly, feeling the soft flutter of our baby kicking, just to ensure that he was also okay. 1