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He fell silent, and I collapsed on my bed, curling under the blankets with the remote control in my hand.
No sooner did I find a good comedy to ease my mind than my phone dinged from where it was charging on the nightstand.
It wasn’t a text or phone call. It was a notification from one of my apps.
For a long moment, I merely gaped at the words, seeing them but not truly comprehending their meaning even though I fully expected them.
You are seven days past your period’s expected start date.
Without pausing or stopping my show, I threw the duvet aside and rose, not feeling my toes on the wood floors as I padded toward the bathroom in a daze.
I pulled out two unmarked vials from the medicine cabinet behind the mirror.
“Congratulations! You don’t have to play coy. I can smell the new life inside you, and your face is glowing.”
It all made sense now, the tight dress, the nausea and upset stomach, the grumpiness and overly emotional responses.
My hormones were all over the place.
Slowly, I mixed the two potions together and waved my hands over the top of the newly formed concoction before downing the acrid liquid in a single gulp. I squeezed my eyes closed and held my breath for thirty seconds before exhaling and opening my eyes.
Swirls of pink and blue twined in glittering strands into the air, their definition unmistakable. My home-magic pregnancy test was a hundred percent accurate.
I was pregnant with the king’s baby and the next heir to Steelshire.
Chapter 12
Nyx
On the drive home from my day with the cabinet, I found myself thinking about cutting down on my presence there.
Did I really need to be there every day? I could easily cut it back to two days a week, and just get the highlights.
I hadn’t heard half of what was being said, my mind on Maren and what she was doing all day in the castle. We’d stayed in touch through texts, but her messages had been short. And texts did not convey any emotion, anyway.
The SUV barely stopped before I had the door open and strode toward the front doors, the sun already disappearing for the day.
“Good evening, Alpha,” one of the maids greeted nervously, taking my jacket as I entered.
“Hi,” I replied, glancing at her face, peculiarly. My well-honed instincts sensed something amiss immediately. “Everything all right?”
“Oh, yes, Alpha,” she mumbled, shuffling back to glance at another nearby servant who turned scarlet under my stare. I knew them both well enough. They had been on the staff rosterfor over a year. It wasn’t like them to act so awkwardly in my presence.
“Where is Miss Maren?” I asked.
“I don’t know, Alpha,” she replied, her voice rising an octave, and my brow rose higher when she again shot her companion a look.
“Why are you two looking at one another like you’re hiding something?” I growled. “If there’s a problem, spit it out.”
“No, Alpha, there’s no problem,” they chorused in unison.
I glanced back at my guards, who offered me nothing else, and I sighed, stalking forward toward the dining room in case Maren had already started dinner without me. I never knew exactly what time I would be done with the ministers, so I didn’t expect her to wait.
No one was in the dining room, but hints of dinner wafted through the air, along with the faintest hint of Odette’s lingering magic. She had been there recently, but I had no interest in crossing paths with my enchantress, who would undoubtedly complain about Maren—again.
Instead, I pivoted toward the servant stairs, ensuring I wouldn’t encounter Odette in the main hallways, and took the back way up to the second floor and Maren’s suite.
Her personal guard stood at the door, and I relaxed, knowing I’d found her.
