As consciousness slipped away, I saw a healer's apprentice passing by the open door. She froze, then rushed in.
"What happened? Someone help! Miss, don't be scared. Why are you here alone? Where's your mate? Do you remember his contact sigil? I'll reach him for you!"
"I... don't have a mate..."
Then everything went black.
My pup was gone.
Four moon cycles along. Just barely formed.
The healer said it would have been a girl.
I stayed in the Healing Hall for three days. My wolf did not speak to me once during that time. She lay curled at the very bottom of my consciousness, utterly still, and I could not tell if she was grieving or if something in her had simply stopped.
In those three days, Theron didn't reach out to me once.
But I saw his announcement on the spirit network.
Blessed with a pup.
Four words. Accompanied by a captured image of a woman and child sleeping, taken from behind. The woman's hair fanned across a pillow. The pup was swaddled in Ironmaw colors.
The comments were flooded with congratulations. Pack members, allied Alphas, wolves I'd personally brokered alliances with on Theron's behalf, all falling over themselves to celebrate.
I stared at that image. The tears came anyway.