h4Chapter 153: Young Lilith XXIV/h4

    strong*~Young Lilith’s POV~*/strong

    My legs couldn’t carry me any further, but I kept running. My breath was heavy, my eyes dizzy. I clung to a tree for support, gasping, as every part of my body screamed at me to stop.

    But I couldn’t stop. Not now. Not when they were after my family. Not when they had already taken down so many, and I might be thest one left—with a baby inside me.

    I couldn’t give up.

    I pushed forward, stumbling, each step heavier than thest. I couldn’t even summon enough strength to cast a spell. No teleportation. No defense. Nothing. I was too drained, too heavy with child.

    For the first time, I truly thought—I might not make it out alive.

    Then, I heard movement behind me.

    My heart stopped. They had noticed someone was missing. They were tracking me now.

    This was bad. This was very, very bad.

    "No... no," I whispered, forcing my legs faster. "They can’t catch me. They can’t."

    But the thought of what they would do to me if they did... it made my skin crawl. It made me shiver so violently my teeth almost chattered.

    I stumbled behind a huge rock, crouching low, fighting for breath. My chest rose and fell in frantic bursts.

    That’s when I felt it....Wetness between my legs. I looked down and my heart shattered. iWater. Gushing. My water had broken./i

    "No... no, no, no," I gasped. My baby wasing—now.

    "This is bad," I whispered, tears burning down my cheeks. "This is so, so bad."

    This wasn’t the life I had promised my child. Not in the middle of a war. Not with wolves and witches hunting us down. I had promised safety.

    And now...this.

    I pressed both hands protectively against my stomach, crying as pain rippled through me.

    Then a sharp sound split the air. A rock mmed against the boulder I hid behind.

    My entire body froze.

    "Crescent!" a voice snarled. "Come out, you damn fool. Come out!"

    Another stone hit...My breath hitched. They had found me.

    "Will youe out willingly?" the voice growled. "All Crescents must die." I dared to peek around the rock.

    Wolves. Their hulking forms gleamed under the moonlight, their teeth bared, saliva dripping, eyes hungry with bloodlust.

    And me...broken water, broken body, and a baby forcing its way into this cruel world.

    But still, I struggled to get up—using every ounce of my strength, I forced myself onto my feet and stepped out from behind the rock.

    And then I froze.

    These weren’t strangers. These were my old friends—wolves I had once trained with back in the Wolf Academy. I knew every single face. Carter. Anthony. The others were familiar too, though not as close.

    "Carter, Anthony—please, stop!" I cried out, my voice desperate. "It’s me. Lilith!"

    For a moment, Carter’s face softened. His brows furrowed, uncertainty flickering in his eyes. "Lilith..." he whispered, almost as though remembering the girl I used to be.

    But Anthony pped a hand on his shoulder, shoving him back. His eyes burned with rage. "She is no longer Lilith. She’s a Crescent now. Don’t forget that." His voice deepened into a growl. "She’s manipting you."

    He raised his arm, signaling. "Wolves—attack!"

    Snarls erupted around me as ws scraped the dirt. They lunged, teeth bared, eyes wild.

    "Versa!" I screamed.

    Power red, throwing them backward in a violent st. Bodies mmed against trees, yelps echoing in the night.

    Anthony chuckled darkly as he steadied himself, his lips twisting into a cruel smile. "Pathetic. A wolf with magic spells. Look at you. Neither wolf, nor witch. Just broken."

    And then he shifted.

    Before my eyes, Anthony transformed into a wolfrger than any I had ever seen. His muscles swelled, fur bristling, his growl vibrating the ground beneath my feet.

    "Let me handle you myself," he snarled, saliva dripping from his massive jaws.

    Then he pounced.

    But just before his teeth could tear into me, an arrow whistled through the air—swift, sharp, and true.

    It sank deep behind his ear.

    I turned sharply, desperate to see who had saved me.

    And then I saw him.

    Marcus.

    He burst from the shadows, bow drawn, arrows slicing through the night. One after another flew with deadly precision, striking down the wolves that had cornered me. He attacked them with the arrows with him... when the arrows were gone, he shifted, using his own strength, ripping into them, tearing their heads apart as though they were nothing more than paper.

    Carter was thest.

    He staggered, blood staining his lips, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Marcus... are you also one of them?"

    Marcus’s gaze hardened. "No. But you made the mistake of attacking my wife."

    And with a swift, merciless twist, he snapped Carter’s neck. The wolf copsed, lifeless.

    Then Marcus rushed to me.

    His hands cupped my cheeks, warm and trembling. He kissed my face, then pulled me into his chest, holding me as though I were the only thing left in this cursed world.

    "Lilith," he whispered desperately, "I promise you—I had nothing to do with this. I didn’t know. I didn’t lead them here. But when you came to the party... they must have figured it out. They must have realized you were a Crescent. And they followed you." His voice cracked. "I swear, I didn’t lead them. I didn’t."

    I was too exhausted to question him. Too broken. Too scared. So I just held him tighter, burying my face into the safety of his chest. His scent filled my lungs, his heartbeat steady against mine. For a moment, I let myself forget the blood and fire.

    But then he stiffened. "Marcus, Alice, Ruby... everyone—they’re gone," I choked.

    He shook his head fiercely. "No. They’re not dead. They can’t die."

    "What?" I whispered.

    "They can’t kill Crescents," he exined quickly, his eyes zing. "Not directly. They’ll freeze their bodies—trap them in time, maybe for eternity."

    My stomach flipped violently. "No..."

    "You saw Dahlia, didn’t you?" he asked.

    I nodded. "She was holding a bell."

    His jaw clenched. "That bell. That’s how she does it. The sound—it signifies time. It freezes them, locks their bodies in endless agony." His grip tightened on me. "Thank the Moon you weren’t caught. Thank the Moon my child wasn’t caught."

    His eyes softened then, almost breaking. "I can’t lose you. I can’t lose you both."

    He cupped my face again. "It’s time to leave, Lilith. Now. I promised I’de for you—and now I’m here. We’re leaving this ce tonight."

    But inside, I knew I couldn’t.

    Not because I didn’t want him. Not because I didn’t crave the safety of his arms. But because I carried destruction with me. Everywhere I went, death followed. Wendy—the sweet old woman who had helped me—died because of me. Alice—was at risk because she followed me. And now Marcus... if he stayed with me, if he tried to protect me...

    He would be next.... I couldn’t do that to him.

    But before I could even speak my doubts, agony ripped through me.

    I gasped, clutching my stomach. My knees buckled.

    "Marcus," I whimpered. "I... I’m inbor. The baby—it’sing now."

    His eyes widened, his face draining of color. "Now?"

    "Yes—" I screamed as another contraction tore through me, my voice echoing through the trees. "It’s happening now!"

    Marcus’s panic vanished instantly, reced by steel determination. He lowered me carefully onto the ground, his hands gentle but firm.

    "You can do this," he said, his voice trembling but steady. "We can do this. Push, Lilith. Push for me. Push for our baby."