Grace POV

The pain is all-consuming, but underneath it, there's anticipation, fierce joy, the primal knowledge that my body is doing exactly what it was meant to do.

They rush me back to the manor, Ethan carrying me while healers run alongside us. The birthing chamber has been prepared, and Ethan refuses to leave my side, his hand gripping mine through every contraction.

Hours blur together. Pain and pressure and the overwhelming urge to push. Ethan's voice in ...