I struggled upright. "Sable came. She forced an entire bowl of that concentrated wolfsbane tincture down my throat. Did you know?"
Caelan's expression faltered for a moment. He lowered his gaze. "I knew."
"You knew?"
I clenched every muscle in my body to keep the tears from falling.
He reached for my hand. I pulled away.
"Seraphina, she was only protecting herself. If you'd given birth to the pup, where would that leave her and her child? It's only natural."
I let out a hollow laugh. Natural. What a convenient excuse.
Caelan set the bowl down and continued. "After Sable went home, she had terrible stomach pains. It's possible our pup's spirit unsettled her..."
He looked at me, hesitating, then pressed on.
"There's an elder at the Moonstone Shrine. Go to him and ask him to perform rites for the pup's soul. Then climb all nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine steps of the Wolf's Fang ascent on your hands and knees, one bow per step, and bring back a Moon Goddess blessing token for Sable. Do that, and we can put this whole matter behind us. Alright?"
I stared at him, my eyes burning red.
"Caelan Blackthorn, you and I are finished. If you want a blessing token, go get it yourself."