The inn is exactly what I need—warm, quiet, anonymous. I stable the mare and enter, drawing a few curious glances but nothing more. Boundary dwellers are used to strangers passing through.
I find a corner table, positioning myself to watch the room. A serving girl brings mulled wine and stew without being asked, her eyes kind but incurious.
The warmth of the mug in my hands is almost painful after hours in the cold. I should eat. Should rest. Should figure out what comes next.
But all I can think about is the pattern. Julia, pregnant and dying while Malakai lost control. His shadows attacking without his command. The east wing collapsing from the force of his grief.
Is that my future? Our child's future?
Through the bond, I feel Malakai stirring—morning is coming, and he'll wake soon to find me gone. The realization sends a pang of guilt through me, but I push it down. I need this time. Need to think clearly without his emotions overwhelming mine.
I'm halfway through my stew when an elderly woman slides into the seat across from me. I didn't see her approach, didn't hear her sit down. Her face is a map of wrinkles, her eyes cloudy blue but somehow piercing. She wears layers of mismatched fabrics in faded purples and grays, adorned with trinkets that catch the firelight.
"That's a heavy burden you're carrying, child."
I nearly knock over my wine. "I didn't ask for company."
"No. But you need it all the same." She folds her gnarled hands on the table, studying me with those unsettling eyes. "They call me Mother Wren around these parts. I read fortunes, mix remedies, deliver babies when needed."
"I don't need my fortune read."
"Don't you?" Her head tilts, bird-like. "A pregnant Omega, fleeing her Alpha, carrying fear and doubt in equal measure. Seems to me you're standing at a crossroads, child. And crossroads are exactly where fortunes matter most."
Ice runs through my veins. "How do you know?—"
"I see what others miss." She gestures vaguely. "The bond practically screams from you. So does the new life in your womb. And the fear..." Her expression turns grave. "You're afraid he'll hurt you. Hurt the child. Aren't you?"
I should leave. Should get up and walk away from this woman with her knowing eyes and her unsettling perceptions. But exhaustion anchors me to the chair, and something in her voice holds me still.
"His shadows," I whisper. "They're out of control. Getting worse. And I'm pregnant, and the same thing happened to his first mate, and she died, and I don't know if I'm next."
Mother Wren is quiet for a long moment, her cloudy eyes studying me with what might be sympathy. "Shadow poison," she finally says. "That's what you're describing. Rare, but not unheard of in demon bloodlines. It responds to strong emotion—particularly love, particularly the bond. The more he cares, the more unstable it becomes."
"Can it be cured?"
"Sometimes. With the right magic, the right sacrifice." She pauses. "But not always. And not easily."
"His first mate died trying to break the curse. She thought her death would end it."
"And did it?"
"No. It's still inside him. Still getting worse." My voice breaks. "I don't want to die like she did. I don't want my child to die before it's even born."
Mother Wren reaches across the table, her gnarled hand covering mine. "Then you need to think very carefully about your choices, child. These decisions—they change everything. There's no going back once certain paths are taken."
"I know." My hand moves unconsciously to the hidden pocket in my cloak where the vial rests—the bond-severing elixir Ivy gave me. "I just... I don't know what to do."
Her sharp eyes catch the movement. "You have something. Something you're considering."
I hesitate, then slowly draw out the crystal vial. The iridescent purple liquid inside seems to shimmer even in the dim firelight. "A friend gave it to me. For emergencies. She said it could... sever the bond. If I needed to escape."
Mother Wren's expression shifts—something flickers in those cloudy eyes that I can't quite read. "Bond severance elixir," she says softly. "Dangerous magic, child. Very dangerous."
"Have you seen it before?"
"Used it, once. Long ago." She touches her chest briefly, something haunted crossing her face. "I was like you. Young. Pregnant. Bonded to an Alpha whose darkness was consuming him. I thought severing the bond would save us both."
My breath catches. "Did it work?"
