Darius had a headache.
The past few hours had chewed him up and spat him back out.
Not only had his wedding ended in a complete disaster, but he had also discovered he was going to be a father.
A father!
The word still felt strange in his head.
And worse, he was having a child with the one woman who got off irritating his soul.
Then came Alpha Frisk , another headache entirely.
The man had spent the better part of an hour demanding explanations and threatening to withdraw every agreement they had made over the marriage.
Meanwhile Elena had locked herself in one of the guest chambers and cried all over his carpets.
Darius was beginning to miss the simplicity of fighting rogues.
At least rogues only tried to kill him.
He pushed open the door to his study.
Immediately he found Nicolas and Nathan waiting inside.
Nicolas looked far too excited for someone witnessing the collapse of his Alpha’s life.
Nathan looked concerned as usual.
The moment Nicolas saw him, his grin widened “Oh good, you’re alive.”
Darius glared at him.
“I was wondering if Alpha Frisk finally strangled you.”
Nathan shot Nicolas a look.
“What?
We were all thinking it.”
Darius walked past them and dropped heavily into his chair, he leaned back and massaged his brows together as he to keep the headache away.
Nathan sat on the edge of the table with his arms folded tightly across his chest.
“So what’s your plan, great Alpha?”
Darius’s hand paused mid-air.
For a second, he just stared at the map spread across his desk.
“I don’t have one,” he admitted, dragging a hand down his face as he leaned back in his chair.
“Not your day, Darius.”
Darius looked up and shot Nicolas a glare.
like he said before, his beta looked far too entertained for someone witnessing his Alpha’s downfall.
Nathan, on the other hand, looked genuinely concerned.
Darius turned away from Nicolas and focused on him instead.
Nathan had picked up one of the maps from the desk and was tracing a route with his finger, brow furrowed in thought.
“Frisk might block access to the southern trade lands after this,” Nathan said.
His eyes stayed on the map as he spoke.
Darius exhaled slowly.
“That means we lose the Alza lands too.”
Nathan nodded.
The room felt heavier with every word.
Darius leaned forward, elbows on his knees, staring at the same map now scattered with inked borders and trade lines.
His marriage to Elena was supposed to fix all of this.
It was supposed to strengthen alliances, open trade routes, secure fertile land in the north.
Especially land that could actually grow something.
Their territory had never been kind to crops.
The soil was too cold, too stubborn.
Most attempts at farming ended the same way: wilted stalks and empty harvests.
They had tried grains once.
It had failed badly.
“Marrying Miss Elena would still be the best outcome for the pack,” Nathan said carefully.
“But that could also start a war with the witches,” Nicolas cut in immediately.
He leaned forward, watching Darius closely.
“Let’s not forget, you still got one of their priestesses pregnant.”
The words settled in the room like a weight. Read this novel at novelping.com for the best experience.
Both of them looked at him then, waiting.
Darius felt the expectations in their gaze.
It made the pressure of alpha settle on his shoulders.
He dragged a hand through his hair and looked back down at the map.
On one side, expansion.
Security.
Stability.
A future for his pack.
On the other, uncertainty.
Magic.
A witch who appeared out of nowhere and turned his entire life upside down.
He could see it clearly now, laid out like the borders on the table.
Aurelia.
Elena.
The pack.
He exhaled slowly.
Elena had already lost her mate.
Ending the marriage would devastate her further.
That much was obvious.
And Aurelia—
No.
Not just Aurelia.
His child.
That thought landed heavier than the rest.
He could abandon the child.
The option was cold and practical but still existed.
Yet it sat wrong in his chest.
He straightened slightly, rubbing his jaw as he thought.
He may hate everything about the witch but she was still the mother of his child.
His mind reeled back to what Aurelia had said earlier, males weren’t allowed on her isle.
That meant she wouldn’t be keeping the child there.
So she intended to leave after it was born.
Which meant—
He could raise the child here.
With Elena.
A practical solution.
Clean.
Controlled.
Beneficial for the pack.
Yes.
That made sense.
It made perfect sense.
“We’ll postpone the c—”
A low growl tore through his mind before he could finish the sentence.
Not from the room but inside him.
Kyle.
Darius froze.
The pressure in his chest shifted violently, like something waking up after being forced asleep.
“Don’t you dare, Darius.”
The voice was sharp and lethal.
“I swear,” Kyle growled, “you will never transform again if you finish that sentence.”
___
She had spent half the night in tears and the other half staring at the ceiling, thinking herself in circles.
By the time she finally stopped trying to make sense of her life, a crow was cawing outside her window to announce the morning.
She descended the stairs slowly.
A thick cloak was wrapped around her shoulders and her mind still felt slightly muddled from the lack of sleep.
Apart from that, she was reasonably certain she would survive the morning.
Probably.
She reached the bottom of the stairs and found Diane waiting there.
One look at her sister and Aurelia frowned.
Diane’s nose was red, her eyes were puffy and she looked thoroughly miserable.
“A cold?” Aurelia asked as she approached.
Diane nodded before letting out a violent sneeze into a handkerchief.
“I shouldn’t be near you,” she sniffled.
“You’re pregnant.
What if you catch whatever this is?”
Aurelia opened her mouth.
Then closed it again.
She wasn’t even sure where to begin with that statement.
Before she could respond, Clover emerged from a nearby corridor carrying a small pouch.
The healer looked far too cheerful for this hour of the morning.
“I made these yesterday.”
She opened the pouch and handed each of them a piece of amber-colored hard candy.
“What are they?” Aurelia asked.
“Eat it.”
Never one to question free food, Aurelia popped it into her mouth.
Diane and Clover did the same.
The moment the candy touched her tongue, warmth spread through her body.
It started in her mouth before sinking into her chest and limbs like liquid sunlight.
Aurelia let out a surprised hum.
The chill that had settled into her bones since arriving in the North immediately eased.
“Mm…” she murmured.
“Nice.”
Clover looked entirely too pleased with herself.
“I know.”
They eventually made their way toward the dining hall after several wrong turns and one heated debate about whether they had already walked down the same corridor twice.
Aurelia was starving.
Thirty minutes earlier she had been kneeling over a basin in her bathroom, convinced her stomach was trying to escape her body.
Now it had apparently decided it wanted food.
Pregnancy was ridiculous.
The moment they stepped into the dining hall, conversation died.
Every head turned.
Servants paused mid-step.
Several warriors looked up from their meals.
Aurelia felt their cold hostile gazes on her immediately.
The servants quickly looked away and resumed working, but not before sending a few pointed glares toward the outsiders.
Aurelia wasn’t surprised.
She had interrupted a wedding.
People tended to remember things like that.
What did surprise her was the woman standing near the head table directing servants around as though she belonged there.
Elena Frisk.
The blonde stood perfectly composed despite the disaster of yesterday.
She was speaking quietly to one of the servants when her gaze lifted.
She met Aurelia’s eyes and for a moment Aurelia could swear she saw a murderous look in them.
Well what beautiful hospitality!
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