CHAPTER 1: THE PRISON

Serena shifted her weight on the ground, the cold biting into her skin, forcing consciousness back to her mind.

Her eyes flew open, met with a suffocating darkness and the metallic smell of blood assaulted her senses.

Where was she?

She lifted her weight off the ground, her hand supporting her protruding belly, and walked forward, grabbing the cell bars.

What's going on? How did she get here?

She leaned against the bars, her mind churning.

She recalled receiving a message from her husband and Alpha, Ashton telling her to meet him at the garden.

She was unwilling to go due to the contractions that had begun to ravage her body but summoned the strength to walk there.

She had taken a few steps out of her bedroom when darkness claimed her and that was where the memory ended.

She pulled the bars, rattling them as hard as she could.

“Hello? Who's out there? Let me out of here!” She screamed.

Her knees suddenly buckled, making her lean against the wall as liquid trickled down her legs and a contraction seized her.

“Argh,” she bellowed, crouching down while supporting her weight with the bars.

The baby was coming!

“Not now, please. Mommy can't give birth to you here—Argh, Ashton!” she screamed, sweat pouring down her face as her legs gave way.

She collapsed to the floor, feeling around until her hand grasped a brick.

“Help me! M..my baby is coming please!” She screamed as she banged the brick against the iron bars repeatedly.

A chill traveled down her spine, her heart seized with dread of bringing forth her child in a cell that has seen countless amounts of death.

“Help—”

A shadow crossed the part and a guard appeared, his face stoic and scarred.

The mere sight of him sent Serena cradling her tummy securely, her hands shaky and her breath caught in her throat.

“Please…my baby—”

Serena's head was thrown to the side, and the sound of wood hitting flesh echoed in the cell as she spat out a good amount of blood with a tooth in the mix.

The guard stood back, eyeing her with a murderous look in his eyes as he wiped the blood off the baton.

“Keep it quiet. No one is coming to save you!” He spat and slammed the iron bars so much that they rattled.

But that wasn't compared to the rattling that shook Serena.

Her whole body convulsed with pain, her eyes swollen shut, her mouth raw and bleeding and her abdomen felt like a thousand knives were poked through.

She held onto the brick, tightening her grip around it as a conduit to hold on to her consciousness as another contraction seized.

“Ahh!” She gritted her teeth, her breaths coming out in heavy gasps as she leaned against the wall.

“What's happening? Why am I here?” She moaned, her fingers curled around the brick beginning to bleed.

“I don't know Serena, but your pup is coming,” Zora, her wolf, answered in a sympathetic voice.

“I...I can't Zora, I can't give birth to my child in this filthy place.

I can't do this!” She wailed, fear clouding her heart.

Has Ashton noticed she was gone? He should have since he was expecting her.

But why hasn't he come to look for her? He knew she was on her due date!

“You have to Serena. If you don't, you and your pup are going to die!” Zora replied, lending her strength to Serena.

The action seemed to restore her energy as she sat up and pulled off her sweater, spreading it on the ground.

“Good, now sit behind it with your legs open and begin to push.

I can feel you're fully dilated,” Zora instructed.

Serena carried out the instructions, her heart racing loudly as she sent up prayers to the moon goddess to assist her and send Ashton here soon.

“Push now!”

“Aghh!” She screamed, the brick nearly crumbling to powder from the force she used in squeezing.

She threw her head back, her hair slicked to her forehead with sweat and her chest heaving.

“It's not coming. It can sense this is a bad place.

I need to go to a hospital Zora. I can't do this,” she wailed, leaning back on the wall.

“You can do this Serena. Just try,” Zora panted as she pushed more of her strength into Serena.

Serena sat up, her fingers curled around the brick once more as she concentrated her strength on her opening.

“AHH!” She growled as she pushed, Zora pushing her strength into her as she felt the baby's head gradually push out of her opening.

“D.. don't give me any more energy Zora. You're going to be weak,” she moaned, panting to catch her breath.

“I'll be fine. Just one more and it's out,” Zora's voice was faint but regardless she sent Serena her strength as she pushed once more.

It was the hardest push of all. With no help from anyone, she was forced to push out the shoulders, leading to a tear in her opening.

Blood and sweat dripped down her face, her grip on the brick weakening with each second and just as she was about to surrender to the darkness that called her, the shrill cry of a newborn echoed in the cell.