The Alpha's Fated Outcast: Rise Of The Moonsinger.-Chapter 316: Unexpected News

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.

After Ramsey sent Lenny to rescue me from Nathan at Blue Ridge, aside from that, we've been actively intimate. But still, it couldn't be. I wasn't expecting a baby. I've never thought of having one. There was no single record of a Moonsinger getting pregnant.

After all this while… after all my sexual escapades with Ramsey… I never got pregnant, so I assumed that I couldn't. Additionally, a book in the library at Blue Ridge had confirmed this as well. Although it had said it was an unverified statement.

"Moonsingers do not conceive; they cannot have offspring. I've never read that any of them had " I argued. "It's documented in all the texts."

"They all died young, and because they never had the time to be with their mates," Terra shrugged.

"Do you know the first thing, Mother Liora asked me when we met?" I interrupted Terra. "She asked me about my mate. She said every Moonsinger must have a mate because they play a vital role. There is no way a Moonsinger would mate without conceiving. But there is nothing written about pregnant Moonsingers, or Moonsingers as parents. I'm sure our power makes it almost impossible."

"Almost," Terra emphasised. "Not completely. You're saying all of these things as assumptions. There is no proof."

"I don't need proofs", I fired back, already getting irritated. "If we had babies from Moonsingers, their children would become the next Moonsingers rather than getting randomly selected by the Moon Goddess. I think you're wrong."

I placed a hand on my stomach, trying to sense any change, any presence. There was nothing unusual, no sudden connection: just my own body, sore and healing.

"That was exactly what your mother said when she found out she was pregnant. She didn't think Sigmas could fall pregnant," Terra said, rolling her eyes. "Every woman is capable of being pregnant. It's the law of nature, irrespective of our roles in our world. As much as you have heat, you can be pregnant."

"I've never heard of a pregnant Moonsinger, though," I murmured.

"Lyla," Terra ran a hand through her hair. "Can you just take deep breaths and relax? I know the news is overwhelming, but take a moment to reflect on everything I've said. Please…"

I did as she said and closed my eyes, allowing a few seconds, maybe twenty seconds, to pass before I spoke again.

"Are you sure?" I asked, my voice smaller than I intended.

Terra nodded. "The healing spell I used confirmed it. The life inside you is what saved you from Cassidy's blade. It is the reason Nymeris came back, I'm sure. Wolves are very protective of their host's offspring. Nymeris is a two-tailed wolf. They may disappear, but they can never die."

"What sort of analogy is that?" I frowned. "Disappear but not die?"

"The Moon Goddess does not make them. They're a product of your father and your mother's intimacy. You named her… you're its goddess. So, she may have disappeared from you. Miriam told me you killed her, but that doesn't mean she's gone."

"But I can't feel her?"

"She'll come to you whenever there's need," Terra sighed. "So many questions, Lyla. Didn't Nanny tell you all these?"

"She never tells me anything," I sighed. "That's her way of protecting me, and it's so wrong."

I exhaled deeply and closed my eyes, willing my brain to settle, but I couldn't stop thinking.

A baby. Ramsey's baby. The thought was simultaneously terrifying and wonderful. In the midst of war, prophecy, and death, I was carrying a life.

"Does Ramsey know?" I asked.

"No," Terra replied. "Only I know so far. I found out today. Miriam would be here any moment now. We can tell her and your mate too."

"No!" I grabbed her hand. "Not yet. We can't tell anyone."

"Why not?" she stared at me strangely. "Are you worried because of the war?"

"Not that!" I shook my head. "I'm going to die anyway. It'll be useless, getting everyone excited for nothing."