Page 14 of Their Crowned Mate
"Not exactly," I murmured, realizing I was going to have to explain everything from the beginning.
I started with how the priestess had outed the fact that I was pregnant. And how Aurelius had covered for it by saying the baby was his. That part seemed to trigger both their instincts, but they didn't interrupt me. By the time I was finished explaining, I felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders even though the water was starting to get cooler. I hadn’t even realized that was possible in this place, but the warmth from their bodies made it impossible to care.
"I'm sorry," I murmured. "I should have told you before."
"Yeah," Cole growled. "You should have. Anything could’ve happened, Lavinia." His voice and his gaze softened. "But you're here now. That's what matters. And I hope you know we're never letting you out of our sight again."
"No doubt about that," Marcus grunted, slipping his hands around my waist. "Especially now that you're having our kid."
“I don’t think it works that way,” I said with a wary laugh, wondering if that was why they were being so supportive when it could be any of theirs.
“Doesn’t matter whose sperm it is,” Cole grunted. “Does Alexander know?"
I hesitated, because Alexander and the baby was definitely a sore spot for reasons I wasn't even sure I wanted to get into. "Yeah, he was there. He overheard at the pack meeting. But I really don't know whose it is yet," I warned them. "Sam thinks it's probably Cole's, because we... um... you know, while I was in heat."
"Wait, Sam knew before I did?" Cole blurted out, seemingly more upset by that than anything.
I gave him an apologetic smile. "I mean, she's my best friend. I needed advice."
He just grunted in acknowledgment. "Yeah, I guess. She's never gonna let me live this down."
"For the record, I don't care who the father is on a biological level," said Marcus. "The baby is still all of ours."
"Obviously," said Cole.
It was rare for them to agree on anything, so that was saying a lot. If nothing else, I had their support, and that meant more than I could say. I sighed in relief, nestled between them both.
"Thank you," I murmured. "I love you both so much."
"And we love you," Cole said, nuzzling my neck.
"Always," Marcus agreed. "But the water is getting cold, so can we get out of here before I freeze my dick off? I'm not a shifter. I don't function as a heater."
I laughed, turning off the water. "Yeah. I could definitely use a good night's sleep after that."
And I couldn't think of a better way to get it than cuddled up between them.
CHAPTER8
LAVINIA
Islipped out of bed around two in the morning, restless and hungry. That was more common than not lately, and I had a feeling it was only going to get worse the further my pregnancy progressed.
While there was always a chef on call in the kitchen downstairs, I really would have preferred my go-to chocolate rice cake with Nutella and mini M&Ms back at my apartment to any of the gourmet stuff she had going on down there. The maid who was stationed in the kitchen hastily offered to make me something, or call the chef, and I felt bad for her obvious distress when I insisted on just raiding the fridge for some chocolate-covered fruit on a platter left over from one of the endless string of events the mansion seemed to be host to.
Alexander had a point about this place being a safer base for us right now, as long as we had to worry about the fae emperor's minions coming through the portal, but I actually missed my tiny apartment above the bar. And I missed the fact that either Sam or Cole were usually downstairs to talk to whenever I needed it.
Sometimes I just wished I could go back to my new old life. The one I had somehow not only gotten used to despite thinking getting kicked out of my pack was the end of the world, but also come to own and love more than the one that had been ripped away from me by my so-called father and mates.
With my delayed midnight snack in hand, I went back upstairs and out onto the balcony for a little fresh air since that usually helped prevent the nausea that liked to creep up whenever I ate anything. Morning sickness was the most heinous case of bait-and-switch advertising ever.
The gardens below were like something from a fairy tale, illuminated by the moonlight and dew-beaded hedges. The paths wound around in an intricate labyrinth of fragrant blossoms and lush greenery. I could make out the edge of the fountain pool in the center, with lily pads dotted across the surface of the water and a great stone statue of a beautiful woman pouring out water from a vase in her arms.
Alexander’s mansion was the kind of place that seemed too perfect to belong on earth. The kind of place that seemed like it belonged in the realm of the fae.
The realm of my ancestors, apparently.
I was still reeling from the revelation that I was one of them, at least partly. And that my mother had kept it all from me.
