The Alpha's Fated Outcast Rise Of The Moonsinger novel Chapter 316

Lyla

I came awake groaning with pain. Every muscle in my body ached, and a sharp, stabbing sensation radiated from my chest. Instinctively, I tried to sit up.

Strong hands immediately clamped down on my shoulders, urging me back onto the bed. "Lie still, Lyla. You'll tear the stitches."

I blinked, trying to focus on the face hovering over me. It wasn't Nanny, but her friend, the Wise Woman. "Terra?"

She nodded, adjusting something on the IV drip attached to my arm. "You've been unconscious for two days."

"Two days?" I tried to sit up again. "I need to go help them fight!"

Terra shook her head firmly. "No. The fight is over. The Ferals all retreated after you fell."

The memories of the fight flooded back—the battle, the strange encounter with Nymeris, the blue flames erupting from my hands, and then... Cassidy and her blade piercing through my chest.

At that moment, I felt agitated. I sat up despite Terra's protests and reached for the IV in my hand, intent on pulling it out. "I need to find Nathan and that snake, Cassidy. She attacked me. She's working with him."

"You need to forget about all that, at least for now," Terra said with a gentle but firm tone "Besides, you cannot leave this room. Your mother locked the door from outside to make sure you rest properly."

"Bullshit," I muttered, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. I pushed Terra aside and tried to stand.

The moment my feet hit the floor, the room spun violently. My vision swam, colours blurring together as vertigo hit me. I collapsed back onto the bed with a heavy thump, clutching my head and groaning.

"What was that?" I gasped when the spinning finally slowed.

Terra gave me a knowing look as she checked my pulse. "Elderberry root mixed with Wolfsbane. It would cause instant death in someone beyond salvage, but for you, not even a scratch. You're only suffering from the side effects. That's why you need to lie still."

I lay back, too dizzy to argue further. As the room gradually stopped spinning, another memory flitted into my mind—the white light in the darkness, the familiar form.

"Terra, my wolf is alive," I said suddenly. "Nymeris came back. When I was about to collapse during the battle, she appeared to me."

Terra gave me a contemplative stare before looking away, busying herself with checking my bandages.

"You don't believe me?" I pressed. "I know I sound crazy, but she came. She was the one who told me to stop feeding my energy to the Dark One and fight using my training and powers instead."

"I believe you," Terra said quietly, still not meeting my eyes. "That would explain why your wolf suddenly came back from the dead. It actually had something worth protecting."

I shrugged, wincing as the movement pulled at my stitches. "Nymeris and I share a very special bond."

Terra turned to me then, a strange smile playing on her lips. "She didn't come for you, Lyla."

"What do you mean?"

"She came for your baby." Terra's eyes dropped to my stomach. "You're with child."

I stared at her, certain I'd misheard. "That's not possible."

"I am not a midwife, and I've never gotten pregnant, but I know when a woman is pregnant. I had enough practice with your mom," Terra replied calmly. "Trust me, it's possible. I don't know how far gone you are, but there's another heartbeat inside you. I'd guess six weeks."

My mind raced, counting back. Six weeks would put it right around the time Ramsey and I reunited after the saga of me going back to Blue Ridge after finding Neriah's sword in the Northern Forest.