LYRA – POV
I woke to a sharp, twisting pain low in my belly—like a vise tightening around my core. It yanked me from the depths of sleep, leaving me breathless and disoriented.
For a moment, I lay still, hoping it was just a cramp. A fleeting discomfort. Maybe even a false alarm.
But then it came again—stronger. More insistent.
A wave of pressure radiated from my lower back through my abdomen, stealing the air from my lungs.
I gasped, one hand instinctively clutching my belly.
The room was dark, the only light a silver shimmer from the moon filtering through the curtains. I turned toward Hunter, who was sleeping peacefully beside me, his chest rising and falling with each breath.
“Hunter,” I whispered, nudging his shoulder.
He stirred but didn’t wake.
“Hunter,” I said again, more
