Haven't Seen The Light In A While

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Melody

I pulled in a deep breath as Odin helped me to my feet, Sam's coat still wrapped snug around my shoulders. The air was cool against my damp skin, but I barely noticed.

The moment I stood up straight, something shifted.

It was subtle at first—just a tug deep in my core. But then a heat wave rolled through me, settling low in my belly. My muscles twitched. My legs went rigid. I sucked in a sharp breath.

What... the hell?

My mates noticed it immediately. Odin's hand tightened at my back, steadying me. Vince was already stepping closer, eyes narrowed.

"Mel?" Sam's voice was low, concerned. "What's wrong?"

I shook my head slowly, lips parting but no words coming. "I don't... I don't know," I said truthfully, blinking at the ground as my whole body buzzed with a strange tension. "I just... feel different."

"Different how?" Rory asked gently, stepping in beside Vince. "Are you in pain?"

"No," I whispered. I wasn't in pain. Not exactly.

I could feel it now—slick heat between my thighs. Wetness sliding down in a way that made my breath catch. My heart thudded.

I froze.

My mates couldn't see it. Sam's long coat covered everything, but I felt it. My face flushed, burning with embarrassment.

"Mel?" Vince's voice came sharp now. Protective. "Talk to us. What's happening?"

I swallowed hard and clenched my jaw.

"I'm..." My voice cracked, and I pressed my thighs together on instinct. "I'm wet."

That made everyone pause.

"What?" Odin asked, voice gentler now, brow furrowed in confusion.

"I don't know why," I whispered, my eyes wide. "I just—my body—it's... slick." I looked up at them, panicked. "I'm not in heat. I'm not even aroused! It just—started."

Sam stepped forward slowly, gaze softening as realization started to dawn. "You said you felt different," he murmured.

I nodded. "Yeah. That's what it feels like. Like something that was broken isn't anymore."

A heavy silence settled over them, and I saw the understanding click into place behind Rory's eyes first. His mouth opened, closed, and then he blinked at me.

"She healed you, right?" he said softly. "The Moon Goddess... she fixed your womb."

My stomach turned, and that warmth bloomed deeper. Overwhelmed, my hands fisted into the coat around me.

Fixed.

My womb, fixed.

And now... wet.

The air seemed to pulse around us, and my mates drew closer without touching, giving me space but letting me feel them there.

My heart was pounding, and my slickness was dripping slowly down my thighs.

My chest rose and fell too fast. The weight of what Rory had said slammed into me like a punch to the gut.

"She fixed your womb."

My breath caught, trembling on the edge of breaking.

"No."

"No, no, no, no, no—"

The words spilled from my lips, at first just under my breath, then louder, firmer, spiraling like a mantra I couldn't stop. I took a step back, then another, legs shaking as the coat around me clung to my damp skin.