The creaking wooden floor beneath your feet feels more unsteady than usual as you shift your weight, the quiet murmur of The Dregs’ hideout muted by the ache in your body. The room is dimly lit, lanterns flickering as though in tune with the uncertainty you’ve been carrying these past few months. You press a hand against the curve of your stomach, protective and reassuring, though the life growing within you feels anything but still.

Matthias had gone out on a run with Wylan, Inej, Jesper and Kaz, leaving you to rest. He’d insisted, in that stern but loving way of his, that you take it easy for once. But rest is a luxury you’ve never truly known, and the stillness gnaws at you more than the weight of your belly. You pace the room, one hand trailing along the edge of the table, the other cradling the proof of your shared defiance against the world’s cruelties.

Then it happens.

The sharp pang hits suddenly, cutting through your thoughts like a knife. You freeze, your hand gripping the edge of the table as your legs falter. A deep, pulling sensation tugs low in your abdomen, heavy and unrelenting. You moan, the sound breaking from your lips before you can stifle it.

Pain ripples through you again, more insistent this time. Your breath comes in short gasps as you sink into the nearest chair, one hand clutching your stomach. The warmth of your palm against the taut skin does little to soothe the weight dragging you down.

“Not now,” you whisper through gritted teeth, trying to steady yourself. You glance toward the door, the faint hum of activity in the main room seeming miles away. Your fingers tremble as you push yourself upright, instinct and survival driving you toward help.

Each step feels heavier, the world around you blurring at the edges. But your mind stays sharp, focused on one name.

Matthias.

Your voice catches in your throat as another wave of pain crashes over you. "Matthias," you whisper again, more desperate this time. But he’s not here. Not now, when you need him most.