What have I done?!

Mira's POV,

I hold my breath, holding even my thoughts frozen, forcing myself not to think about what just occured as I walk into the servants' quarters.

The narrow halls feel suffocating, the worn floorboards groaning beneath my feet as I pass.

But no matter how hard I try to keep myself steady, my wolf won't stop howling inside me, its voice rising like a chorus I can't silence.

~You know he loves us, it insists, fierce and relentless. You know he can never leave us. Of course the elders and the council will try to push him to pick a mate, but he alone gets to choose, and we are the only ones he will ever choose.

My wolf sounds so certain, so completely sure that there is no question about where Theo's heart belongs.

~Think about it, it urges me, claws scraping at my mind. If he didn't genuinely want us, why would an Alpha like him bother to pretend to love us? There is nothing he could gain from faking it. Nothing. He has no reason to lie. What do you have that he wants- making him pretend to love us?!

But my thoughts still fight, twisting against the reassurance.

What if it's about my virginity?

That ugly doubt coils like a snake in my gut.

~Oh Come on, my wolf counters again, exasperated, he didn't even know you were a virgin when he first came after you. He found out later, after you accepted him.

I keep pacing across the small space, staring at the rough-woven curtains, the thin blankets folded on the single narrow bed. Everything feels too tight, too small, as if the walls might crush me.

What if I'm just fooling myself? What if I'm setting myself up for heartbreak I will never recover from?

How dare I even imagine that an Alpha's brother would stand before the world and choose me? Announce me, a servant, an omega with no name or legacy, as his mate?

A bitter, hopeless laugh spills from my lips before I can stop it. I must truly be mad.

I have to think. I have to wake up from this dream before it turns into a nightmare.

But then a wave of nausea slams through me, rising so sharply I nearly choke on it. My stomach twists and burns, something moving inside me like a restless storm.

I rush to the bathroom, collapsing in front of the toilet as I throw up so hard my ribs ache.

Pain ripples through my abdomen, a deep, gnawing ache that almost feels like something shifting, but not really.

A strangled groan breaks free as I lean over the sink to rinse my mouth, but the dizziness nearly knocks me off my feet.

I stagger, grabbing the peeling paint on the wall for balance, and drag myself back to the bed. The mattress squeaks as I sink onto it, cold sweat clinging to my skin.

What is this?

For one terrifying moment, I feel like I could lift an entire house, a hot surge of energy, or rather.. power pulsing through my muscles.

My limbs buzz, a tingling fire sparking under my skin. But just as quickly, exhaustion crashes down on me, dizzying and heavy, leaving me breathless.

Another violent wave of nausea churns, but I can't get up this time. I yank the small trash bin closer and gag into it, though nothing comes out except bitter acid and a cough that shakes my whole chest.

The creaking door swings open with no warning. Morgana stands there, nose wrinkled in a show of disgust, glaring down at me like I'm a filthy stray dog.

"Stuffing yourself until your stomach can't handle it? You must be enjoying life here as a servant. Of course you do, being a servant is what you were born for after all, isn't it?" she sneers, her voice dripping with venom. "So why are you vomiting all over the place instead of going to the bathroom, you filthy little thing?"

I force myself upright, my heartbeat thundering. What is she even doing here? She never comes down to this part of the pack house.

She steps inside with deliberate distaste, pressing a hand over her nose.

"I'm going out," she says, her tone so sharp it feels like glass in my ears. "And I don't want Eryx to know that I'm gone from the pack house. So you will do whatever you have to do to make sure he keeps thinking I'm here. I don't know how long I'll be gone, but don't even think of letting him find out that I'm not around the pack house."

My mouth moves before I can stop it. "But he told me to watch over you, to keep you safe. He said it was dangerous for you to move around alone while pregnant."

My voice sounds alien to me, stronger than I expected, and for a split second I see something flicker in her eyes, a flinch, so quick I almost doubt it.

Then her face hardens, lips curling into a cold sneer. "Do I need to repeat myself?" she growls, stepping toward me with a predator's grace.

I feel panic rise like bile in my throat. "But I can't lie to the Alpha!" I cry out, louder than I mean to, fear twisting my words as she reaches for the door. "How can I possibly hide the fact that you aren't around? He will find ou.."

She moves faster than I can see, a blur of motion, and her hand clamps around my neck, slamming me back against the cracked plaster so hard the wall trembles behind me.

"Keep your filthy voice low, you worthless little witch!" she hisses, her grip tightening until black spots spark in my vision. "Since when do you speak back at me?"

I claw at her wrist, but her fingers are iron, cutting off my air.

Terror roars through me, but then from deep in my belly, a flash of heat explodes outward, an unstoppable surge, wild and blinding.

Before I even understand what I'm doing, my arms push forward, fueled by the energy I've never felt before.

Morgana is ripped from me, her body flung across the room, crashing into the opposite wall with a sickening thud.

She lets out a single sharp cry before her body goes limp, slumping down, eyes closed, eerily still.

My stomach flips, nausea mixing with horror.

"Morgana? Morgana!" I call, my voice shaking, terror splintering through me as I rush to her side.

She's breathing, thank the goddess, but not responding, her eyelids fluttering but refusing to open.

Two guards slam into the room a second later, wide-eyed, taking in the scene. One drops to his knees to check on Morgana, while the other spins around and bolts back out, probably to summon Alpha.

My pulse pounds so hard it feels like it might shatter my ribs.

What have I done?

My hands tremble, reaching out toward Morgana but pulling back in fear.

Where did I get that strength to do that!?

I stare down at her, her head lolling against the wall, her breathing shallow but steady. Blood oozing from the back.

I'm just a weak omega, I remind myself, over and over, my mind reeling. I've always been a weak omega.

So why for the first time do I feel so strong that I was able to do this? Where did I get the guts to do it?!

My wolf stirs in the back of my mind, quiet but awake, aware, as if she has all the answers of the questions I'm asking myself.