Chapter 90

Chapter 90
Felicia’s POV

The hospital room was quiet, save for the soft beeping of the machines and Lucien’s steady breathing as he slept in the chair beside me. The night had passed without much change. I had slept through most of it, exhausted from the ordeal of childbirth, but now that the fog of sleep was lifting, my mind was awake, alive with thoughts I couldn’t escape.

I shifted in the bed, careful not to disturb Lucien. He looked peaceful, his head tilted slightly back as he slept, his face relaxed for once. But as I lay there, staring at the ceiling, a dark weight settled in my chest. I had to hide the dream I had last night, the dream that had shaken me to my core. I couldn’t let him know. I couldn’t let him see the fear in my eyes. Lucien had enough to deal with, and the last thing he needed was to see how truly afraid I was.

But the fear wasn’t just from the dream. It was from the truth I was hiding, the truth about Aurora. I closed my eyes, trying to block out the image of her tiny face, her innocent eyes. Everyone in the pack thought she was Lucien’s daughter. They didn’t know the truth.

Aurora wasn’t Lucien’s child. She wasn’t Darren’s either, as my father had hoped. She was Kael’s. Lucien’s best friend, his loyal bodyguard. Kael.

I could feel a cold shiver crawl down my spine as I thought about him. What should I do now? I had no idea how to navigate this web of lies I had tangled myself in. The truth seemed too dangerous, too monstrous to reveal, but the lies were even worse.

I turned to face the wall, my back to Lucien, keeping my thoughts locked inside. The sound of his soft snoring barely reached me, but it felt like a reminder of how far I had fallen. How deep the lies had rooted themselves in my life. And then, there was Aurora.

I glanced at her tiny form in the crib next to me, her chest rising and falling with each soft breath. She was so small, so fragile, and yet, she was a living, breathing testament to everything I had hidden.

I swallowed hard. Should I kill Kael too?

The thought was dark and unsettling, but it lingered there, stubborn. A part of me wondered if that would solve everything, if I could just erase the man who had unknowingly ruined everything. But the other part of me knew that wasn’t the answer. Killing him wouldn’t change anything, wouldn’t take back the betrayal that had already happened.

I need to heal first. I can’t let this consume me. I need to get better, to get my strength back before I make any decisions.

But the truth was, I didn’t know what I was supposed to do. I didn’t know if I could face Lucien with the weight of this lie pressing down on me. How could I tell him that the child he thought was his wasn’t? How could I ever look him in the eye and explain that the only thing I had ever wanted from him was a place of safety and power, and that I’d gotten it by deceiving him?

The weight of the guilt was suffocating, but there was something else in me, something darker that refused to be silenced. It was the desire for control, for power. I had given birth to a daughter, but she wasn’t the key to securing Lucien’s affection, no, that role would be taken by the child I would give him next. His real son, born of me. That would be my true victory.

I could make him love me, make him want me. All I had to do was be patient, play the role of the devoted mother, the devoted mate. I could double the affection I showed him. I could show him everything he needed to see to keep him with me, to keep him wanting me.

I could make him copulate with me again and again, until I gave him the heir he truly desired. That child, that son, would cement my place in his life, in the pack. Nothing else would matter. Not Aurora, not the lies.

I turned back to look at her, feeling a knot twist in my stomach. She wasn’t the one who would save me. She was a pawn, a tool in this twisted game. The true prize would be the son I would carry. The son who would be Lucien’s.

I shifted uncomfortably in bed, but my thoughts refused to settle. I couldn’t relax,not with this gnawing feeling in my chest, not with the truth clawing at me from every angle.

Lucien stirred slightly, and I froze, holding my breath, hoping he wouldn’t wake. His hand shifted in the air, reaching for mine. I let him, not pulling away, though I felt distant, a part of me lost in the dark thoughts swirling around in my mind.

When his fingers brushed against mine, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt. A part of me wanted to tell him the truth, to confess everything and beg for his forgiveness. But the other part of me was afraid, afraid of losing everything I had gained, afraid of being abandoned, alone once again.

And so, I lay there in the darkness of the hospital room, holding Lucien’s hand, a smile on my lips, even though my heart was anything but at ease. I wasn’t sure what the future held. But I knew one thing: the game was far from over. And I was going to win