I curled up under the covers, nothing showing of me as I rubbed at my rolling stomach. It had been troubling me for a long time. Months it seemed. The doctor didn't seem concerned about it. He said that the damage my organs sustained would cause some issues and that if I were to be sick sometimes, it would be okay, expected even. I just needed to make sure I ate smaller, healthy meals of things that wouldn't trouble my stomach. But this morning even the thought of crackers had my stomach rolling, if felt so much worse in the morning despite the nausea lasting all day.

"Magdalene, get out of bed." Malak's voice was sharp and I shook under the heavy blankets. I didn't wish to deal with him. I just wanted him to go so I could be around Arlo. He seemed to make the nausea lessen slightly. He truly was a sweet male. I repeated it again and again but he was. I wished and prayed with all my heart that he would find a female that was just a strong as him, someone he could speak to, who could stand with him in his struggles. I wanted him to have a female of merit, one who had a good soul. Even though I wished sometimes that Arlo was my mate, I knew it could never be, so I wished for him to have someone perfect for him. Someone who would make him think, smile, and laugh even when he wanted to be mad.

The blankets were torn off of me and I curled up tighter as the cold room air rolled over my naked flesh. "I said out, Magdalene." Malak's voice held a warning and I slowly lifted my head to look at him.

"I want to stay in bed." My voice croaked slightly and he raised an eyebrow at me, his dark eyes coldly amused.

"Why is that, Maggie?" He leaned against the bed, his hands spread out on the blankets he tore off of me.

"Because you don't hurt me here." I didn't care if he knew it anymore. I just wanted to stay there. I just wanted to sink into the mattress until I felt better.

"Because I don't hurt you here?" He gave a low laugh as he crawled onto the bed with me. I watched him with wary eyes as he moved to hover over me. "I don't hurt you here..." He brushed some hair from my face before nuzzling me, scratching my skin with his stubble. He quickly wrapped his arms around me and tucked me close to his chest, encasing me in his arms.

"I would never hurt you here, Maggie. Some days all I want to do I lay in bed with you, learning every inch of your skin and never letting you go." His words would have been sweet if not for the stench of possessiveness that coated them thickly. It wasn't love he felt for me, it was possesion. I was a thing, an object he owned. "You are turning me into a very selfish man, Maggie." I doubted that. I knew he was more than likely just as selfish before me. He just wasn't aware of how selfish he had been.

He smoothed my hair down, tucking it behind my ears. "I like your hair. Its soft." He buried his face into it. "Silky. It reminds me of water rolling over my skin. I wanted you to keep it back so no one else could see it like this. When it's down all I want to do is bury my hands in it and kiss you breathless." My mind twisted and screamed at the imagery it brought and my body heated up even as my stomach rolled violently.

"But you need to eat, my little one. You are putting on weight but it's not enough." He sat up, pulling me with him as he lifted me off of the bed and set me on the floor. I looked at the bed in longing, I just wanted to crawl back on it and sleep until my stomach didn't hurt anymore. "Come on. Get dressed." Malak pushed me towards the dresser and I slowly pulled the middle drawer open. It was where Malak had all my clothes.

His hot hands grabbed my hips and he pressed himself to my back. "You have no idea how much I love seeing you naked. There isn't an inch of you I don't want to touch and when I see you like this all I want to do is bend you over and slide deep into you." I could feel his arousal pressed against my back as his hands slowly rubbed my hips. He moved my hair over one shoulder and pressed kisses up and down my neck. "We could go back to bed, Maggie..." His voice held a breathless sort of expectation but with the suddenly raging chaos of my mind and how it twisted my stomach. I fought back a gag.

"I should eat, Alpha. I threw up supper last night." Malak had fed me and I knew he had given me too much. I was fairly positive that was why I had been bent over the toilet heaving before bed. Too much food packed into too small of a space.

"As much as I want to ignore you and convince you that you want to have some fun with me, I know you are right. Your health comes first." He let me go and I pulled out a dress. I held it out towards Malak and he made a sound of disinterest.

"Too purple." He waved the first one off and I pulled out another dress as I stuffed the purple one back in the drawer. "Too dark." I put it back and pulled out another one.

Malak was suddenly beside me and my heart jumped in fright as he pulled the dress from my hand and tossed it onto the bed. "No. Put on this and this." He yanked a white long sleeved blouse from drawer as well as a brown skirt before he shoved them at me. I nodded, my head down as I took them from him.

"I'll be in the dining room." He left and I let out a deep breath, looking at the outfit he picked for me. I thought nothing of it as I pulled it on. I was just thankful he was gone and my mind stopped rattling with the buzzing pain.

I made sure everything was buttoned properly and everything was wrinkle free before I braided my hair back. I didn't doubt for a moment that Malak would cut my hair off. He was just as touched in the head as I was. Normal did not apply to him. I doubted it ever did. My stomach protested and rolled as I turned and headed out into the hallway.

"You look like a fucking nun." Nexus' voice was rumbling and I lowered my gaze to the floor as I stood in front of him. "Here." He held something out for me and I hesitantly reached out and took it. It was a jeweled hair pin. I looked at it in surprise and he stared down at me, his eyes hard.

"Its a mating decoration. I can clearly tell Malak hasn't gotten you one yet. You wear it in your hair to show you are mated." He took it from me and then made me turn around. I felt a bit uncomfortable with him at my back but I doubted he would try anything. "One would have thought he would have gotten you something to show you were taken with how fucking possessive he is but Malak isn't known for being smart." The insult was cutting as he fiddled with my hair, placing the pin into the black strands.

"There. Makes you look less like a virgin prude." Nexus brushed by me as he started down the hall. My throat tightened slightly with his gift.

"Thank you." I followed behind him and he faltered in his steps, as if he hadn't expected gratitude for what he had done. He came to a stop, his hands curling into fists. I stopped as well, staring warily at the large fists connected to equally large arms. He could do serious damage to Malak and he had in the past, one hit from him and I would be broken.

"Arlo speaks of you highly. I doubt I will ever see what he does in you. He is a kind man, always seeing the best in people. Even in Malak." His shoulders tightened and I rolled mine forward in response. "I have no love for my twin, Magdalene. I have none and now he is threatening my beloved little brother over a female who belongs body and soul to him. I dislike you because you put Arlo on the wrong side of Malak. I will never forgive that. So do not give me your thanks." He looked at me over his shoulder, dark eyes glinting like obsidian. I blinked at him before taking a tentative step forward.

"Malak is a great storm intent on tearing apart everything in its path." I took another step forward. "Arlo is a gentle breeze that calms one down." Another step that brought me within touching distance.

"But you are a stone. Hard and unyielding." I tilted my head the other way as I lowered my voice. "Stone is my favourite." His expression twitched, a barest hint of confusion for his mad queen's words. "It is my favourite because a single stone can bring down a king if it strikes hard enough, true enough." I tried to show him all I could with my gaze, all that my mouth wouldn't say. I wanted him to know that I believed, I wanted him to know that I truly believed, he could take down his king. Recognition filled his eyes and I blinked, letting my gaze fall to the floor once more.

"Thank you, Master-at-Arms. Your gift is beautiful." I moved passed him and down the hall. I had nothing else to say to him. He understood all that I had said and hadn't been able too. I wanted the king dead and I believed the stone that always stood unmoving in the training field could be the one to take him down.

I shook out the thoughts as I moved into the dining room, ignoring the looks I received as I slowly made my way towards Malak, my stomach cramping with the various smells of the room. I just wanted to go back to the bedroom and sleep for a few more hours. Malak's eyes followed me, burning a trail of pain across my nerves as my mind twisted and screamed at my body. Never in balance. Never again.

He grabbed my wrist in a hard grip when I got close and pulled me down into the chair beside him. "Where did the pin come from?" His finger flicked the jewelled hair piece as I sat down and I glanced up right as Nexus came into the room.

"Master Nexus gave it to me." My words were quiet but the Master-at-Arms stiffened slightly in response to his name. I knew Malak now had his predatory gaze on his brother as he drew closer, his steps even and purposeful.

"Why?" It was a gritted and growled and Nexus waved the question away as he reached over, grabbing a slice of toast from the plate of it in the middle of the table.

"Because I wasn't using it and her hair looked plain." He took a bite of the food, staring down at Malak with a bored expression. Malak gave a low growl at the disrespect.

"It is not your job to give-"

"You weren't giving her anything. Females like pretty things. As I had no use for it, I gave it to her." He shrugged, as if he had only done it for himself. He dished himself up a plate. "Perhaps you should gather her some pretty things. She was quite thankful for scrap of glass and metal." He threw Malak a look and then walked away. The hostility between the two of them was thick and I stared at my lap, twisting my fingers together.

Malak yanked my chair closer to himself as he glowered at Nexus as he walked away. A plate of food sat in front of me and he stabbed a piece of egg with his fork and held it to my mouth. I dutifully opened it and took the offering he had given me. My stomach seized as I chewed and I tried several times to swallow but my stomach rebelled heavily. I heaved slightly and Malak's hand gripped the back of my neck tightly.

"You will swallow it or I will make you eat it again." His words were a dark hiss and I attempted to swallow it again. My stomach twisted violently and I grabbed the edge of the table as his grip grew tighter. I tried to push past it and swallow what he had given me but my stomach refused.

A wrinkled, age spotted hand appeared in front of my mouth. "Spit it out." At her surprising command my mouth opened and the partially chewed egg fell into her palm as I heaved, gagging as my stomach recoiled at the sustenance.

Malak's grip had become bruising. "That is enough, Lara." His words seemed to do nothing against the old healer as with one movement the ancient woman flicked his grip off. I had seen her around but Malak had always kept me away from her. Her sharp silver eyes followed me around and a part of me ached to go to her. As if there were something in her that called to something in me.

She ignored Malak entirely. "Come, child." She lifted me out of the chair and to my feet with a surprising strength. Malak reached for me and she slapped his hand away as if he were an unruly pup. "I need to tend to her. Eat your breakfast." One of her hands came up and cupped my nose and mouth. "Inhale." I dutifully did as she led me away. My head suddenly swam as the heady scent of the herbs entered my lungs. She guided me away and I inhaled again, taking the scent of the herbs into me again. They made me feel light and tingly and relaxed. She pulled her hand away from my face and tsked softly.

"Thinks he can hide you away from me." She gave a rasping bark of laughter. "I am too old to be fooled by such blatancy. The moon's pull would have drawn you to me sooner or later." She gave another rasping bark of laughter as she lead me towards the front door. I glanced at her and she had a small smile on her face.

"It feels nice to be around someone similar. It has been too long." She looked at me, her silver eyes probing my gaze. "Must feel nice to you, yes?" Her expression was soft and I nodded hesitantly. There was a part of me that was settled by her presence. She smelled faintly of the moon and of sharp herbs. It was almost a kinship with her. She gave me a sharp nod in return as she lead me outside and towards the forest. I didn't feel wary as she lead me into the dark canopy, there was a calm silence to it as a small hut came into view.

"Malak does not like my presence in the pack's area. Those tainted by darkness usually cannot handle too bright of a light." She pushed the small door open and I tilted my head as I stepped into her small house. The air smelled of herbs and of the moon. I felt my body almost becoming boneless as Lara pulled me inside and settled me in a chair. "You were unlucky to be tied to such a thing. There will be no balance between the two of you. No balance within yourself. The moon has told me this story, has told me how it will play out." I gave a small nod as I looked around, the interior was slightly dim but she had a crackling fire in her fireplace that kept the space warm.

Her hands grasped my stomach with a faint hum as she slowly nodded. "Strong blood she will have." I blinked up at her and she shuffled away and pulled some herbs down from her ceiling. "Will not grow strong if her mother is unable to eat." I blinked at her again, confusion swirling around inside of me.

"Pardon?" I watched as she absently tossed some dried herbs into a mortar before digging in various other bowls on a cluttered work table.

"Pregnancy, child. Just over three months if I felt right. A sweet little girl you will be having." At her words I heaved heavily as my mind suddenly seized and twisted and tore to the point a cry escaped my mouth. I clutched at it, feeling like my head was going to split down the middle. Her hand touched my forehead as she murmured under her breath, pulling her hand back, drawing the pain with it as she did so. "Pesky darkness likes to separate us, twist us, and break us. You are a child of the moon, Magdalene, should be in the temples serving our goddess but you sit with a broken mind and a weeping soul because of a creature made in the darkness." She tsked softly as she ran her hands down my arms, drawing more aches from me as I felt the moon given magic flow through her.

"I am making you a tea. Until your mind settles with the thoughts of your daughter, it will pain you. Separated you are, torn in two. Can see it." She tsked again as she shook out her wrinkled hands before grabbing one wrist and lifting my chin with her other hand. Her white hair was like a cloud around her weather worn face. She had the face of someone who had lived many years. "Listen to me carefully, spirit sister. You must not let anyone know what this child is." Her words were like steel and I frowned slightly. I didn't understand what she meant.

"No one is to know she is female. The moon has a plan for this child, for you, but if the darkness in Malak knows that she is female in this fragile state, he will harm her." She shushed me as a made a small sound of distress at the words. I pressed my hand to my belly. I couldn't let him take that away from me. "She is needed in helping break the old ways. The moon has a plan for us, every time they break one of her children she creates one that will break them in return. Your path has been written and will be followed. Her's will waver, will weave around and around but she is needed." Her words were a low hum in my mind and I nodded. I would protect her as the moon bade me. I would ensure her survival.

I swallowed thickly even as no tears filled my eyes. "What about when I have her? Will Malak harm her then?"

She gave me a soft smile. "She will be raised with love and kindness. She will be adored. Do not worry for her future, she will be well taken care of by her daddy." Her smile slid off her face as she let me go and muttered under her breath, returning to her mortar. I watched her toss various things into it as I slowly rubbed my belly. A child grew within me, a little female that would help shape the world she would live in.

The door opened and Lara threw what looked to be a stone at the person entering. "Knock, you mannerless wretch." Malak just barely managed to dodge the projectile.

"Do not push me, witch." He flung the word with distaste towards the stooped female.

"Hah! I am no witch. A witch has rules that would forbid she kill you. If the moon asked it of me you would be dead before she sank over the horizon." She gave a cackling sound of laughter and Malak shifted on his feet. He did not like the small house or the woman inside of it. He seemed almost... wary of her.

"Maggie." He held his hand out towards me and I stared at it, blinking but not moving.

"You cannot be rid of me that easily, boy." She moved towards the fire and I swallowed thickly as Malak came closer, grasping my wrist in his hand tightly. I slowly stroked my covered belly with my other hand, my eyes almost unseeing. It was a hard thing to take in. My body, despite the current state it was in, loved the child growing within it. My mind... My mind did not. It was an invasion, a parasite my mind detested, another claim Malak had over me. "Her and that pup of yours are going to need me." She cackled again as moved closer.

Malak gave a deep growl. "What are you muttering on about?" He snapped his teeth and I slowly looked up at him, looking at him but not truly seeing him. It felt like Lara had placed a haze over my mind, dulling everything.

"Your heir, boy. The one she is carrying in her belly. Over three months from what I can sense." The sound of her mortar and pestle grinding what she had place within it filled the air and Malak blinked down at me, his face paling rapidly.

"What?" He sounded breathless and his grip loosened and then dropped from my wrist.

"Oh yes, boy. Your female is creating an heir within that belly of hers." At the words I had to swallow back another heaving gag. Malak slowly sunk to his knees, trembling hands reaching out to touch my stomach. I looked away from him, seeking out Lara's form. She came towards me, a stone bowl in her hand that had steam curling off of it. Her silver eyes flashed in the darkness and I swallowed down the bile that was rising in my throat. A child born to a world that would despise her. That was the legacy I would be leaving her.

Lara walked around Malak and behind me. She gripped my chin, tilting my head back. "Oh yes, Malak of the dark. She and this pup will be needing me in the months to come. The moon is not so easily shaken off." The words were a cold whisper that moved across my ear and down my neck as she pressed the bowl to my lips and urged me to drink. I could feel Malak caressing my stomach, as if he could feel the child that grew within it.

For the moon I would do what was required.

I opened my mouth and I drank.