Chapter 19

SCARLETT

“Christopher!” His name tore from me, a desperate cry that seemed to come from every part of my being.

I was frantic to hear his voice, to know he was safe, as my body was caught in a haze of pain and fear.

“Christopher.” My second call was louder, more forceful than the first—a plea for his safety.

A plea for his life.

“Scarlett,” his voice echoed back, and relief washed over me in a wave of tears. “Scarlett, are you okay? Is Caroline okay?” His voice seemed to come from behind the fallen wall.

“She’s fine,” I managed to reply, unable to mask the truth—I was far from okay.

“Scarlett!” His voice was strained; he knew I was holding back. “Scarlett, are you okay?”

I took a deep breath, unsure of how to respond.

“I broke my leg, and I think I got hit by some of the debris.” As I spoke, the pain intensified; the silver was taking effect, and then a sharp pain shot through my abdomen. I tried to suppress the scream, but it was too powerful.

“Ahhhh.” The pain was intense, and from everything I knew, there was no mistaking it.

It was a contraction.

“What?” he stammered, still processing my words. “Scarlett, what’s wrong?” His voice echoed through the rubble, as if he was trying to find a way to me.

“Someone got hurt?” A weak, distant male voice asked. It was familiar, but I couldn’t place it.

As the dust began to settle, a figure emerged, and relief washed over me—it was Nurse Jack.

“Luna Scarlett, are you okay?” he knelt beside me, his gaze shifting from my face to my leg.

“Who’s there?” Christopher’s voice echoed, filled with worry.

“It’s me, Alpha, Nurse Jack. I was in the infirmary,” Jack replied, struggling to remove the stone pinning my leg.

“Thank the Goddess,” Christopher murmured. “We’re trying to find a way out; we’ll get you out of there,” he promised, his voice fading.

Then the pain hit again.

“Ahhh.” I couldn’t control my scream or my breathing.

“Luna Scarlett, are you…?” Jack began to ask.

“I think so, Jack, I think I’m going into labor,” I admitted, trying to keep my voice steady. I didn’t want to alarm Christopher without being certain.

“But it’s too early,” Jack whispered, looking at my belly.

The pain was sharp, coming in waves like intense menstrual cramps. I could feel my uterus contracting, but they were still irregular. I had some time, but not much. I couldn’t give birth here—in the mine.

I needed to get to the hospital.

Jack tried again to move the stone, and after a couple of attempts, he managed to roll it away. The sight of my crushed leg was horrifying. Given the severity of the fracture, I would need at least two hours for my bones to heal, but the silver was slowing the process.

Damn it.

“I’m going to immobilize your leg, and I’m going to try to take you to the gurney in the infirmary. Is that okay?” Jack explained his plan, and I nodded.

“Mommy?” Caroline’s voice was small and scared. She had been by my side the whole time, her eyes wide with fear.

“Don’t look there, honey, look at Mommy. It’s going to be okay. Jack worked with Mommy at the hospital; he’s a very good nurse,” I reassured her, trying to ease the tension.

I tried to focus, but the pain in my leg and the burning sensation on my back were overwhelming. Then another contraction hit.

“Ahhh.” I tried to suppress the scream, but it was too strong. When I opened my eyes, Caroline was staring at me, terrified.

She shouldn’t have to see me like this, to be this scared.

“Sweetheart, Mommy is fine, it’s just contractions,” I tried to reassure her, but the words felt hollow. My son couldn’t be born now, not here.

He needed to be okay. Anthony needed to be okay.

Jack returned with an immobilizer and a sling.

“Jack, I think I’m really in labor, and what splashed on me is silver, I…” I couldn’t finish my sentence; another contraction hit. They were coming too close together.

Jack took a deep breath.

“I know, Scarlett, I’m trying to handle one problem at a time. By immobilizing you, I can get you to the infirmary to treat the rest,” he said calmly. His calm demeanor was one of his best qualities, and I was grateful he was here.

As he worked on my leg, I held Caroline’s hand, praying for our safety, and especially for Anthony’s.

I tried not to panic, but the fear was overwhelming. I was terrified of losing him.

“Scarlett, there’s no way out.” Christopher’s voice usually calmed me, but now it filled me with dread. “The walls have collapsed, trapping you in this part of the tunnel and the infirmary. We’ve called two rescue teams and experts, but they need to stabilize the structure first. It should take about two hours.”

~Two hours.~

I didn’t have two hours. I was trapped, in pain, burned by silver, and in labor. Anthony was probably in distress from the silver burn. I couldn’t imagine a worse scenario.

“Are you guys okay there? Can we wait two hours?” he asked, and I looked at Jack as he finished immobilizing my leg.

“Alpha, I don’t want to scare you, but we definitely don’t have two hours,” Jack said, sending a chill down my spine.

Jack completed the makeshift splint on my leg, causing a wave of pain to ripple through me. I couldn’t help but let out a low groan.

“Apologies, Scarlett. Ready to give standing a shot?” He extended both arms, offering to hoist me up from the cold ground. I took his hands, bracing myself on my good leg, and managed to get to my feet.

The moment I tried to put weight on my injured leg, a searing pain shot through me. I bit back a scream, not wanting to frighten Caroline. She was there, clutching my other hand with her tiny fingers. It wasn’t physical support she was providing, but emotional.

The infirmary was just a short distance away, accessible through a narrow passage created by the explosion. But getting there would require some maneuvering.

“Scarlett?” Christopher’s voice, laced with worry, reached my ears.

“We’re heading to the infirmary. Jack’s done a decent job with my leg…” I began but was cut off by another contraction. I clenched my teeth, trying to ride out the pain, but it was nearly unbearable.

“Another contraction?” Jack queried, and I could only nod in response.

“They’re coming in pretty close, Scarlett…”

I was aware.

Labor shouldn’t have progressed this quickly.

Unless I was…

“Preeclampsia.”