…

    bChapter /bb231 /b

    bra’s /bPOV

    :

    ?

    54

    55 vouchers

    My bheart /bwas a drum in my chest, thundering with fury. I wanted to scream, to strike back, but all I could do bwas /bstare at him. His eyesb, /bburning with rage, narrowed into slits.

    “My child is not a bastard child!” bI /bspat, fury cutting through my voice.

    His sneer could’ve split stone. “It bis /ba bastard in my kingdom,” he growled, his voice a jagged edge. “I will not let you my mate, MY QUEEN–give birth to that lowborn werewolf’s child.”

    A cold shudder ran through me, but I refused to back down. “I didn’t even want to be your queen!” I cried, my voice cracking. “bIf /bI had a choice, I wouldn’t have chosen you, Dorian!”

    bTears /bstreamed down my bface/b, hot and relentless. But what did I have to fear now? Now that he knew the truth, there was nothing left to hide.

    Nothing to lose.

    His chest heaved with fury, his breathing fast. Without a word, he swung his arm, sweeping everything off the operation desk. The crash of metal and papers echoed through the room.

    “That was another lie, wasn’t it?” His voice was low, dangerous. “When you said you were willing to try… to love me again? That was all a fucking lie, wasn’t it?” His eyes, bloodshot and wild, bore into mine. “I can’t believe I let you fool me again!”

    More tears fell. I didn’t try to stop them.

    I didn’t deny it.

    His hands raked through his hair, and he began pacing like a trapped animal, every movement sharp with anger. b“/bI should have never trusted you… I should’ve imed you as mine the moment we met in Grace Ruin!” His voice was ragged, his words biting. “I’ve given you too many chances. The only option you should bhave /bhad was me. Only me.”

    I braced myself. My hands instinctively covered my belly, protecting it like a shield. I couldn’t let him hurt my child.

    “I’m not going to let you touch my child,” I warned, my voice cold, steady.

    Hisugh was a hollow mockery. “You think you have a choice?” He eyed me, his gaze cold as ice. “You’re strapped to an operation bed, surrounded by doctors and nurses waiting outside to finish what I started.”

    I clenched my fists, my breathing sharp and quick. “If you try that, I’ll kill myself right hereb. /bYou’ll bget /bmy dead body, but nothing elseb./bb” /b

    For a moment, he froze. His lips trembled, his anger warping into something belse/b.

    “Looks like we’ve hit an impasseb, /bhaven’t we, my love?” He leaned close, bhis /bbvoice /bblow/bb, /bguttural. “I’ll never let you go, nor will I let that child liveb. /bBut I can’t bbear /bto watch you hurt byourself/b. So what bnow/bb?/bb” /b

    …

    :

    b54 /b

    55 vouchers

    He reached out to stroke my face, his touch like ice against my skin. A chill crawled through me at the feel of him, but I held my ground.

    “Maybe I should chain you to my bed,” he murmured, his voice almost too casual, like a sick joke. “Keep you close, where I can see you whenever I want, and make sure you don’t hurt yourself. You’d be mine, in every way.”

    The thought of it made my skin crawl. A ve, chained to him? No. Never.

    I shook my head, my voice trembling with anger. “I won’t live like that.”

    I swallowed hard, my mind racing. There had to be another way. I couldn’t let him have control like that. Not over me, and not over my child.

    “Or… maybe I have a better solution,” I said, my heart thundering.

    He raised an eyebrow, a sneer curling on his lips. “I’m not interested in your solutions, ra. I’m perfectly fine with the one I’ve got.”

    I felt the weight of his words, heavy in the air between us. But I couldn’t give up. Not now.

    “Dorian, please—”

    “No more lies!” he snapped, his voice harsh. “You’ve fooled me long enough. I’m done falling for it. I’m not stupid. I let you do this because I love you, but that stops now.”

    He turned, the sound of his boots against the floor like a hammer pounding my chest. He was going to end it all. The operation. The child. My life as I knew it.

    “…Wait,” I blurted out. “It can be your child.”

    His hand froze on the doorknob, and slowly, he turned back to me, eyes dark with suspicion.

    “What did you just say?” His voice was deadly, a low growl in his throat.

    Taking a deep breath, I forced the words out. “The child… it can be yours, Dorian.”

    His stare was cold, vacant. “Are you out of your mind, ra? That’s Thorne’s child, for fuck’s sake.”

    “I know,” I said, my heart sinking with the weight of the lie. “But the rest of the kingdom doesn’t. And you need an heir, don’t you?”

    I saw it in his eyes then–the flicker of desperation. The elders were on him, pressuring him for an heir. This could work. I had to make him believe me.

    “Think about it, Dorian. If you im my child as your own, the pressure from the elders disappears. You get your heir, and I get to keep my child. We both win.”

    He sneered, his face twisting in disgust. “Why the hell would I want Thorne’s kid? And why would I give up my crown to his son?b” /b

    14:28 bSun/bb, /bSep 7

    …

    :

    b54 /b

    55 vouchers

    “Because you need an heir, Dorian. You need this child to be your legacy. And I’ll make it happen,” I said, my voice steady despite the panic racing through me.

    I saw it then–the crack in his armour. The hesitation. He was desperate, and I could use that.

    “No,” he snarled, voice thick with rage. “I won’t raise Thorne’s child. I want my own, with you.”

    His anger burned through me like wildfire, but I couldn’t back down.

    “If you want to kill my child, you’ll have to do it over my dead body,” I shot back.

    He stiffened. “Don’t fucking threaten me with your life, ra.”

    “I’m not threatening you,” I said, my heart pounding in my chest. “Just think about it. This child could end your problems with the elders. Haven’t you had enough of their demands?”

    His lips curled into a snarl. “I don’t give a fuck about the elders!”

    “Then recognize our mate bond,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

    His eyes widened, disbelief shing in his gaze. “You’ll recognize it?”

    I let out a bitterugh. “Yes, I will. And I’ll stay. I’ll be your queen… if you recognize my child as your heir and treat him as your own.”

    He moved closer, his expression filled with suspicion. “How do I know this isn’t another lie?”

    “Once I recognize the mate bond, it’s done. No turning back. You’ll have my child as your heir.”

    I could see the struggle in his eyes. He was torn, fighting against the truth. But there was no other way.

    He grabbed my wrist, his grip like iron. “You’re asking me to raise Thorne’s child,” he whispered, pain bleeding into his voice. “You want me, a Lycan King, to raise someone else’s son?”

    I stared him down, unwavering. “You don’t have to raise him, Dorian. Just let me go. Let me die with my child, or… give me this one chance.”

    “NO!” He snarled again, eyes zing. “Swear to me. Swear it’s mine.”

    My breath caught in my throat. He wanted me to swear on everything–on my parents, my unborn child, on the Moon Goddess herself.

    “I swear,” I said, my voice shaky, “that I will never tell another living soul. You will be my child’s only father. No one else. And if I break this vow, let the Moon Goddess strike me down.”

    He nodded, his expression cold. “Good.”

    His hand reached out, pulling mine to his lips. He kissed my fingers with finality.

    “Now, recognize the bond,” hemanded.

    My heart raced, but I didn’t hesitate.

    :

    b54 /b

    55 vouchers

    “I, ra Manning, recognize Dorian Greg as my mate, to cherish and to hold, till death do us part.”

    He smiled, dark and knowing. “Now, we’re bound, ra. There’s no turning back.”

    b14:28 /bbSun/bb, /bbSep /bb7 /b