Chapter 2- Labor

Camilla's POV

The next time I was woken up by a sharp pain coursing through my body, my eyes flickered open and I found myself staring at the sterile surroundings of a hospital room. At least they had brought me to the hospital. The news of the passing of the Alpha and the accusation, and worse of all, Enzo's rejection, must have forced me into labor.

I felt tears dropping from my eyes due to the pain I had to endure right now. I was so scared of losing the one thing that kept me going, which was my child. I was only four months gone, and wolf pregnancy takes six months, and mine was just four. The chances of my kid’s survival were at stake.

I was in the throes of painful contractions. As each one hit, I would throw my head back and let out a scream. I felt quite grateful for whoever had changed me out of my pajamas and into the hospital wear.

“Breathe slowly,” a nurse stood by me as she assured me. I counted three nurses in the room.

“Please tell me my baby would be okay,” I asked as I glanced up at her while breathing hard from the contraction.

I could see how the nurses surrounding me exchanged glances, their eyes laden with a mix of concern and pity. I groaned, the pain intensifying with each passing second.

Collapsing back onto the bed, a guttural scream escaped me as the agony pushed through me like a relentless tide. I was scared. I couldn’t lose my child no matter what. It can’t happen, but I knew I had to be strong if I wanted the baby to be born safe.

The nurse, her gaze fixed on me, urged, "Take a deep breath.” She said as she held my hand.

“Don’t push just yet, we will tell you when to,” one of the nurses said as I nodded at her.

It wasn’t long until she asked me to push. I pushed with all the strength I could muster. The room echoed with my cries as I pushed as hard as I could. The pain of rejection and loss in my heart as I pushed.

Suddenly, silence descended, and the air grew thick with uncertainty. I could tell that my baby was born, but there were no cries from it. I lifted my body from the bed, sitting up as I turned to catch a glimpse of my newborn, but the nurse's figure blocked my view.

A knot tightened in my chest as I strained to hear any sign of life. The room held its breath, and the nurses were whispering between themselves.

“Please tell me what’s going on,” I cried out.

Just then another contraction seized me, and as I fell back to the bed, the nurse worked frantically to revive my silent child. A scream escaped me, torn between the pain and the fear that gripped my heart.

“What’s happening?” I cried out as another contraction hit me.

“Looks like we have another one coming,” one of the nurses tells me. My eyes widened at the news. I had always thought that I would have to give birth to one child, but two kids were out of my equation.

I let out a cry as I pushed with all my might, and a small cry pierced the air. I strained to see, my eyes filling with tears as the nurse, now with a mixture of relief and joy, handed me my newborn. The delicate life in my arms brought a surge of emotions. I held him as I let out a loud cry.

In the chaos of the moment, I looked around, desperation evident in my voice. "What's happening? Is my baby okay?" The nurses exchanged glances, words unspoken yet heavy in the air.

The nurses exchanged glances once more, which made me fear even more about the outcome of what may have become of my first child. The baby in my arms began to wail, and I had to hand him over to one of the nurses as she carefully took him from my arms.

"Please, tell me what's going on," I implored, my voice barely audible, as I looked at the nurses who seemed to be working on my first child.

A nurse, her eyes filled with a mix of sympathy and joy, said, "Your premature labor caught us off guard, and there were complications with the first baby. We can’t tell if he is stable now, but we will know soon. Meanwhile, you should rest,” she said as she stared at me with a smile.

Weakness washed over me, and I stumbled into unconsciousness, the last sound resonating being the soft cries of my children.

The next time I woke up, I could see that I was cleaned and in a new hospital wear. I looked all around the room and I saw no signs of my babies. Just as I was about to get off the bed, the door opened, and Enzo stepped into the room, I noticed a baby wrapped in a blanket.

I looked up at him, but all his attention was on the child in his arms. When he felt my eyes on him, he looked at me, and I could feel my heart stop at his glare. I could see hatred and disgust in his glare.

“Enzo…” I began…

“You have to believe me, please,” I whispered to him, even though we were the only ones in the room.

“You will have no access to the children. They are still weak, but thanks to their werewolf genes, they will survive. You are expected to resume your responsibilities at the end of tomorrow. I don’t care how you do it, but I advise you to rest for the rest of today,” he spat at me with so much anger, and with each word that left his lips, my heart broke even more.

“Please, forgive me. I don’t know what I will be without my children,” I begged as I got on my knees, ignoring the pains that shot through my body from my recent labor. I knew I would heal before the end of today. Werewolf women were known to heal faster than humans.

“I am keeping you alive for the sake of the children and for the bond we once shared. Do not cross the line on this,” he replied, and I broke down in tears.

“Who would take care of my children if I were to be a slave?” I asked as I looked up at him.

“Ravana. She would see to that as she has assumed the role of the Luna of the pack,” he said, and my eyes widened at the news. Fear gripped me as I began to panic. Ravana would kill my children in the fastest go, and I would rather die than see that happen.

“Please, give me a few months with them,” I said, and I could see him scoff at my request. Without another word, he turned and left the room. I knew that he had stationed guards to watch me right outside my room.

The next few hours were the worst of my life. I was chained to the bed to stop myself from escaping as if I would ever leave my children in the hands of a monster. Soon, as it was getting to midnight, the door opened, and I was surprised to see Ravena step into the room. She smirked at me, and for a moment, I thought she was here to kill me.

“What do you want?” I spat the question at her, and I could see her grin widen at my words.

“You still got the sharp mouth. I can see you're never going to learn to respect those above you,” she replied as she took a seat at the foot of the bed.

“You won. You killed the Alpha and pinned it on me. What more could you want from me?” I asked her as I glared at her.

“Everything,” she said as she let out a laugh. I wished that Enzo could see her for the devil she truly is, but all he saw was how sweet she was to him.

“My children will never be yours,” I growled out, and I could feel my wolf come to the surface. She was, after all, pissed off by the whole event.

“Did I hear you say children? Oh dear, you're not aware, are you? I can see that,” she said as she smirked at the piece of information she was withholding.

“Aware of what?” I asked, and I could tell she could hear how my heart raced at the mention of my children.

“One of the kids died, the one with the weak heart,” she let out, and I held my pose, looking at her, but I could tell she wasn’t lying. At that point, I couldn’t move or say a word. I just sat by my bed as I stared into space, tears rolled out of my eyes, the pain of losing a child hitting me as I stayed still.

I don’t know how many minutes had gone by, but

Ravana had long left when she discovered I wasn’t responding to her mockery anymore.

I sat in the dim hospital room, my mind heavy with grief as I processed the tragic loss of my child.

Tears stained my cheeks, and I had lost my strength to sob or say a word. I just sat still, staring into space.

Soon, I could hear distant screams and haunting howls reached my ears. Panic clawed at my chest, and I could hear Enzo howl, which meant the pack was being attacked. I made no attempts to leave the bed as I sat still, not caring about anything. Even the fear of death left me.

The door burst open, revealing masked men who came in so fast. I watched as they came beside me, without saying a word. My heart raced as they broke my chains, their faces obscured by a mask.

“We wouldn’t hurt you, okay? We would like if you come with us,” one of the men said in a gentle voice as he reached out to me. I made no move as he lifted me from the bed and cradled me against his chest.

As he took me out of the pack house, the place was filled with wolves fighting each other, and the scent of blood lingered in the air. Suddenly, I remembered my baby. I couldn’t leave without him.

“Wait…My baby!” I said as I found strength to struggle against his hold.

“Hey, it’s okay. We got him. He is waiting for us outside the pack lands,” he said, and for the first time, I became curious about who this person was and what they wanted with me. I knew that they clearly wouldn’t hurt me.

“Who are you?” I asked, looking up at the man in the mask. I searched his eyes, and I failed to recognize him.

“We will explain everything soon enough,” he said as he and his colleagues walked me out of the pack house. We were being attacked from all sides, but the men surrounded me, not allowing any harm to come near me.

Soon after so much fighting, we made it to the edge of the pack lands, and that’s where I smelt him. He was right in front of us as the men held him back. He looked at them, and I could tell he didn’t want to fight, he knew he would lose as he was outnumbered.

My heart skipped a beat as he locked eyes with me. "I, Alpha Enzo, disband you from this pack and ban you from ever stepping foot here anymore," he declared, and I could feel my pack link break at that moment.

“You dare bring these rogues to attack my pack. If I ever see you, Camilla, I will kill you,” he screamed at me as he turned and returned to the pack.

The last thing I remember was a burning in my chest that made me let out a scream as I lost consciousness in the arms of a stranger.