Page 79 of Rejected and Pregnant By the Alpha King

I raise a brow. “They did notice us bringing you in, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“No.” She rolls her eyes. “I mean about this child not being yours.”

I shrug. “The people who need to know, do. The people who don’t will figure it out eventually.”

“How?!”

I simply smile.

Honestly, what does it matter? In the end, both of us are getting what we want. Me, an heir and her, being able to keep her love child. Aside from that, the rest of the details don’t matter. Once I claim this child as my own, no other male will be able to, even if they were to suspect it was theirs.

I’d kill them before any accusations could fester and bleed into the packs under my rule. Raine may hate me at that point, but by then, hopefully we will have come to some kind of understanding.

I don’t wish to be enemies in all of this.

“Your Grace—” She cuts herself off when my face shifts. “...Nyx.You…do realize this plan is ridiculous, right? You can’t parade a child around that isn’t actually yours to put on the throne.”

“Sure, I can. I already have so far.”

She lets out a slow breath. “So far. What happens if people find out?”

My eyes narrow. “They won’t. Unless someone was stupid enough to let this secret slip past pack borders.”

Raine’s eyes go wide at the drop in my voice. Surprisingly though, she stands her ground, not moving an inch back from me even when I grow closer.

“Right?” I say.

She nods mechanically, her fear permeating the air around us.

“Good.” I draw back again, giving her space to breathe. “In the morning, I’ll send you to Eris so we can get a full check on you. Your previous alpha sent you with no medical information for whatever reason, so we’ll need to start from the beginning.”

She doesn’t give me any indication that she heard me, other than her remaining steadfast in her eye contact with me. A small frown tugs at her lips.

After a moment though, she finally does speak. “Will…you love this baby after it’s born? Even if it isn’t yours?”

That question has me reeling for a second. I never once considered that at all. Loving and taking care of a child are both subjective in their own right, and also two vastly different things.

WhatdoI want from this, other than my pack’s guaranteed survival?

“Hm.”

“You don’t know?” she asks.

“No, I don’t.”

She sighs. “Can you think about it? I don’t want to get my hopes up about this.”

My brows rise. “About what?”

She coughs into her arm, suddenly seeming very uncomfortable. “It’s nothing. Just…please think about it. So I know.”

Assigning me homework already?I want to say it, but hold back from doing so.

For now, I’ve done enough testing the waters with her. So far, I’ve come to understand two things about Raine that I hadn’t before. One: that she’s desperate to keep this child and two: she wants me to be a part of its life outside of raising it to be my heir.

Whether she tells me why is a question for another day, however.

I reach over and pluck the food container out of her hand. “Let’s get you back. You need to rest for tomorrow.”

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