Prologue
“I can’t breathe… my chest feels so crushed!”
I choked on my own words, begging him, pleading for help with every gasp of air left in my lungs. But why was he just standing there? Why was he leaving me to suffer like this?!
“You monster! You damn monster!” I screamed internally, my voice rasping into nothingness. “You really want me dead! You want to murder me, and your own flesh and blood!”
Tears blurred my vision as I forced my bloodshot eyes toward him. With trembling hands, I cradled my barely showing belly, the silent sanctuary where our unborn baby was meant to grow safely. How could you do this to us? Please… if not for me, at least save our baby! Help me!
My sight flickered and dissolved into complete darkness. The erratic pounding in my chest slowed to a faint, hollow thud, until my heart stopped entirely. My life faded away into the cold shadow of betrayal.
A violent gasp wracked my lungs as my consciousness slammed back into existence.
I took a deep, desperate breath. Air flooded my chest with incredible ease, soothing the burning agony that had been there just moments before. As my breathing settled and the panic slowly washed away, I looked up and realized where I was standing… a breathtaking, ethereal garden.
The sky above was a striking, brilliant blue. Lush, vibrant green flora stretched as far as the eye could see, and thousands of flowers bloomed in full, radiant color. It felt impossibly serene. The heavy weight that had burdened my chest for years was entirely gone.
Then, my gaze landed on a small, arched white bridge in the distance. Beyond its far edge glowed a blinding, divine light.
I’m dead… aren’t I?
Panic surged through me again as I reflexively pressed both hands against my stomach. I looked down. Tears spilled unchecked over my cheeks as the agonizing truth settled in: my belly was flat. My baby was gone. The precious little pup I had fought so hard to protect had vanished with my life.
He didn’t even get the chance to take his first breath. Why couldn’t it have just been me? I would have gladly traded my existence a thousand times over just so my child could live.
Falling to my knees, I lifted my tear-streaked face toward the heavens.
“Please, Goddess… I’m begging You. I’m not ready,” I sobbed, clutching my heart. “Give me and my child a second chance… Please… please… We don’t deserve this fate. Please, Goddess, if you’re there… If you can hear me… please…”
“AHHHHHHH! Just kill me instead!”
A blood-curdling scream pierced the calm of the sanctuary. It was a cry steeped in raw, agonizing pain and utter agony.
“Just kill me! Anything is better than enduring this torture! AHHHHHHH!”
I froze. Stiffening, I scrambled to my feet and scanned the peaceful landscape. The agonizing screams vanished as quickly as they had come.
Then, near the base of the white bridge, a woman appeared. She wore a flowing white dress, her long dark hair falling down her back. She kept her face turned away from me, walking with heavy, burdened steps toward the blinding light at the bridge’s end. Step by step, she allowed the radiant glow to swallow her completely until she was gone.
I took a cautious step forward, staring at the empty bridge.
Is this really the end? Do I truly have to cross over?
My mind raced to my family, my parents, my older brother, my pack. They would be broken. I never even got the chance to say goodbye…
Suddenly, an ethereal, booming voice resonated within the quiet expanse of the garden, echoing directly in my soul:
“He needs love to live again… This is your chance.”
Before I could process the words, the ground beneath my feet dissolved. I gasped as I plunged backward, falling headfirst into a vast, bottomless abyss.
