Cold, damp stone pressed against my cheek.

I opened my eyes to absolute darkness. A sharp, tearing pain ripped through my skull, a brutal reminder of the memory extraction machine. I dragged my heavy body forward, my fingernails scraping against the rough floor of the dungeon.

"Water," I croaked.

I reached the iron bars and wrapped my bleeding fingers around the freezing metal.

"Please." My throat felt like sandpaper. "Just a drop of water."

A guard stood a few feet away, his arms crossed over his chest. He didn't move. He didn't even look at me.

"Did you hear me?" I whispered.

The guard turned his head toward the heavy wooden door at the end of the hall. "The princess is awake!" he shouted to the upper level.

"Help me," I begged.

He scoffed, turning his back on my cell. "Save your breath, rat."

Heavy footsteps echoed down the stone stairwell. The cell door swung open with a screech of rusted hinges. Two new guards stepped inside.

"Get up," the first one ordered.

Before I could move, they grabbed my armpits and hauled me off the ground. My legs gave out instantly. They didn't care. They dragged me out of the dungeon, my bare toes bouncing off the jagged stone steps as we ascended.

Bright, artificial light blinded me.

The guards tossed me onto a narrow examination table. I blinked against the harsh glare, my eyes watering. The stench of rubbing alcohol filled the small clinic room.

Lucien stood near the door, his posture rigid. Duke Alistair and Duchess Evelyn flanked him.

"Strap her down," Lucien ordered.

Nurses rushed forward, securing thick nylon belts across my wrists and ankles.

A doctor stood by a metal tray covered in sharp, gleaming instruments. He checked the monitors beeping frantically next to my head.

"Lord Ashford," the doctor began, his voice tight with hesitation. "Are we proceeding with the induced abortion?"

The word slammed into my chest like a battering ram.

"Abortion?" I gasped.

I twisted my neck, looking wildly from the doctor to my mother.

"My baby?" I asked, my voice trembling. "I'm... I'm pregnant?"

Evelyn stepped forward. Her pristine gown brushed against the metal table. "Do not speak of that abomination as if it is a child."

"Mother, what are you saying?"

"You have no choice in this matter," Evelyn stated, her tone pure ice. "The procedure will happen immediately."

"No!" I thrashed against the straps. "You can't take my baby! Father, tell her!"

Alistair refused to meet my eyes. He stared at the blank wall above my head.

"Seraphina saw you," Evelyn continued.

"Saw me do what?"

"She saw you mating with rogues in the border woods," Evelyn said. "She witnessed your disgusting display. The mutt in your womb is a bastard. It is a stain on this family."

"That's a lie!" I screamed. "Seraphina is lying!"

"Do not slander your sister," Alistair bellowed, finally looking at me. His eyes held pure disgust.

"I haven't been past the borders! I haven't touched anyone!" I turned my frantic gaze to the tall man by the door. "Lucien. Tell them. You know it's yours."

Lucien stepped into the harsh overhead light. His jaw was locked tight.

"Mine?" he scoffed.

"That night after the solstice gala," I cried, tears spilling over my cheeks. "You came to my chambers. You said we didn't need to wait for the wedding."

A muscle jumped in Lucien's cheek. "A desperate fabrication to save your bastard pup."

"You kissed my neck! You told me I was your true mate!"

"I would never touch a traitor," Lucien growled.

"You did! You know you did!"

"If she keeps it, the Ashford and Veyne names will be ruined," Evelyn told him, ignoring my pleas. "The scandal would destroy Seraphina. She is already fragile from the torment Elara put her through."

"Please!" I shook my head wildly, my wet hair slapping my face. "I have never been with anyone but you, Lucien! Please, let me keep my baby!"

Lucien stared down at me. He offered nothing.

"I swear I will leave this country with him!" I sobbed, pulling at the restraints until my skin tore. "I will take the baby and leave! I will never come back! You will never see me again!"

"Start the surgery," Lucien ordered the doctor.

"Lord Ashford, her vitals are crashing," the doctor warned. "Her body is entirely too weak to handle an induced miscarriage right now. She might not survive the shock."

"I said start."

"Lucien, no!" I shrieked.

Lucien leaned over the table, his face inches from mine. "Perform the surgery. And do not use anesthesia."

The doctor dropped a scalpel onto the metal tray. It clattered loudly. "My Lord?"

"I want her to pay for her body's betrayal," Lucien said, his voice slicing through my screams. "And she will pay for her bullying of Seraphina."

He straightened up and turned toward the door.

"Lucien! Come back!"

The heavy door clicked shut behind him. Alistair and Evelyn followed, leaving me alone with the medical staff.

"Hold her down," the doctor commanded.

Two nurses grabbed my knees, forcing my legs apart.

"Don't touch me!" I fought with every ounce of strength I had left. The metal frame of the table rattled violently. "Don't hurt my baby!"

Cold metal slid between my thighs.

Agony ripped through my center.

A scream tore from my lungs, vibrating off the sterile walls. It felt like a knife carving out my insides.

"Please stop!" I begged.

The doctor didn't look at my face. He twisted the instrument.

Fire exploded in my abdomen. My spine arched off the table. Blood pooled beneath me, warm and thick, soaking into the thin paper lining the mattress.

My baby. My innocent child.

The heart monitors screamed, a frantic, high-pitched wail that matched the ringing in my ears.

"Heart rate is dropping rapidly!" a nurse shouted.

"Clamp the artery," the doctor ordered.

Another blinding wave of pain crashed over me. My vision tunneled. The bright white lights above fractured into gray shards.

I stopped fighting the straps. My hands fell open.

As the blackness rushed up to claim me, the agonizing physical pain morphed into a hardened spike of pure hatred in my chest.

*I will kill them.*

The thought echoed in the fading silence of my mind.

*I will make them bleed for my child. I will tear their lives apart.*

The monitors flatlined, and the world went entirely dark.

***

A strange, unnatural warmth began to pulse deep within my chest, weaving through the fading beats of my broken heart. Death had come for me, but something else was answering the call.