Lirien's POV
The afternoon had been deceptive. I had felt a dull, persistent ache in my lower back, a tightening across my belly that came and went like a slow, rhythmic wave. I had dismissed it as exhaustion, curling up in the oversized armchair with a book, never suspecting that my body was already beginning its quiet, monumental preparation.
By midnight, the house was silent, bathed in the cool shadows of moonlight. I lay in the large bed, wedged between the solid, comforting warmth of my mates, Vael and Davis. I had finally drifted into a restless sleep, my hand subconsciously resting on the taut, heavy swell of my belly.
Then, the world shattered.
A sharp, lightning-hot cramp tore through my abdomen, so intense it felt like my insides were being wrung out by iron hands. My eyes flew open, my breath hitching in a strangled gasp. Before I could even process the pain, I felt a sudden, unmistakable *pop* low in my body, followed by a warm gush of fluid soaking into the sheets.
