Pauline's POV
The collective gasp from all three of them hit my enhanced hearing like a thunderclap. I winced, my sensitive ears ringing from the sudden outburst that seemed to bounce off every surface in the cramped clinic room.
"Keep it down," I snapped, giving them each a warning look before turning my attention back to what mattered. Leaning closer to Windsor, I pressed my ear against her abdomen with the gentleness of someone handling glass. My heightened senses picked up every subtle sound within her body.
There it was again. The rhythm was delicate, almost ethereal, like the whisper of butterfly wings against silk. For a terrifying moment, I wondered if my mind was playing tricks on me. But no, the sound persisted, faint but undeniably real.
Something twisted deep in my chest, a mixture of joy and apprehension.
"There's definitely a heartbeat," I confirmed, pulling back to meet Zion's anxious stare. "You mentioned she's been exhausted recently?"
