Chapter 4 - The Bursting Vessel
The silence inside the safe room was deafening compared to the horrific chaos outside.
Samuel was shaking violently. The terror of the battle, the loud explosions, and the stench of blood had triggered his unstable infant core once again.
"Shh, shh, I'm here... Mama's here," Reena choked out, sliding against the base of the sealed iron door.
energy crackled wildly around the baby. Sharp black claws sprouted from his tiny fingers, scratching deep into Reena’s arms. Golden light burst from his eyes. His body began to overheat, radiating a terrifying amount of volatile energy that threatened to burn his tiny heart to ashes.
The binding spell activated automatically.
Suddenly, Reena felt a violent, blinding surge of raw power pull from Samuel's body directly into her own.
AAARGH!
Reena screamed, arching her back as blue-and-gold lightning exploded across her skin.
It wasn't like before—a gentle, slow absorption. Because Samuel was in a state of mortal panic, his infant wolf was unleashing everything. A torrential flood of unrefined, apex Alpha magic poured through the invisible binding bond, crashing straight into Reena’s wolfless body.
Her veins bulged against her skin, glowing with a terrifying, luminescent light. The pain was beyond anything she had ever imagined. It felt as though her organs were being dissolved in acid, as though her bones were being ground into powder.
All three vessels died... Jacob’s tragic confession echoed in her mind.
She was filling up. Her body was a simple glass cup, and Samuel was an ocean of fire pouring into it. She could feel her life force splintering. She was dying.
"Mama!" Samuel sobbed, his baby eyes clearing for a moment as he sensed her agony. He tried to pull his hands back, as if instinctively realizing he was destroying her. "Mama, no!"
"No... sweet boy..." Reena gasped, tears of blood leaking from the corners of her eyes. She forced her trembling arms to wrap tighter around him, pulling him flush against her chest. "Don't... don't pull back..."
If she broke the connection, the magic would bounce back into Samuel's tiny frame, and his heart would explode. She was a vessel. That was her purpose. Even if she was brought here as an unwitting sacrifice, she chose this end. She would protect this child with her last breath.
"I love you, Samuel..." she whispered, her vision fading into a hazy white void. "I love you..."
She surrendered to the tide. Instead of fighting the overwhelming force of the Alpha magic, Reena opened her heart entirely. She embraced the burning fire. She accepted the pain, swallowing the infant's curse into the deepest depths of her soul.
BOOM!
A blinding shockwave of golden light erupted from Reena’s chest, blasting outward and illuminating the entire room. The sheer pressure blew away the heavy stone furniture, shattering the sconces along the walls.
Outside the door, the assassins stopped pounding, horrified by the monstrous energy radiating through the iron seams.
Inside the room, the blinding light slowly began to recede.
Samuel ceased his crying. He lay softly in Reena’s lap, breathing steadily, his skin normal, his claws completely gone. He was entirely calm, his infant core stabilized, peaceful as a sleeping fawn.
In the center of the room, Reena lay motionless on the cold floor.
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Her eyes were closed. Her chest was completely still. Her skin was pale as marble, cold to the touch.
The glass vessel had finally broken.
