The sky was heavy with the scent of smoke and fresh earth, a strange mix of endings and beginnings. Sienna stood at the edge of what used to be the High Council chamber, now a hollow shell of crumbled stone and silence. Her hands rested gently over her stomach, her thoughts a storm she couldn't quiet.
Behind her, Kael approached. His steps were quieter now. Less warrior. More... weary.
She didn't turn, but she knew he was there. She could feel his presence, his tension.
"I think I'm pregnant," she said softly.
The words hit the air like a shift in the wind. Kael stopped in his tracks.
For a moment, the silence between them stretched like a thin wire. Then, slowly, he stepped closer. "You're sure?"
She nodded, still not facing him. "I feel it. Deep. It's not just instinct. It's... different."
Now he was beside her. She finally looked at him. His eyes, usually so sharp, softened with something she couldn't quite read. Shock. Fear. Awe.
