“Like I told your mate before, as soon as she conceives an heir, you will put more guards on her to make sure that nothing worse than her actually caring your pup will hurt her.” the sadistic smile that covers his face as he speaks makes me queasy. “And once it’s actually born, if it’s as strong as what the prophecy suggests they will never get the throne. Where’s the need for a fight.” “I’m not going to force her to do something that she doesn’t want. I’m not you.” Ryder tried to throw his father off but he takes the hateful words in stride. “I must admit I did underestimate both her and your bond. I would have sedated her heavier.” “You sedated my mate!” I jump at the volume level of his voice and Reynolds gives me a squeeze. “If she doesn’t want to do it then she doesn’t have to know about it.” Alexander’s eyes flick over me for a second and I try to hide in my guards touch. “Just get her pregnant.” The guards watch Ryder carefully as Alexander gives a fleeting smile and leaves up the stairs quickly, leaving no time for Ryder to say anything back to him. Ryder lets out a deep growl and I grow scared as he turns to walk towards Reynolds and me. He’s livid. He moves to go to take me from Reynolds but my guard steps back and I’m glad because right now I don’t want to be anywhere near him. Alexander suggested that he get me pregnant while I was unconscious just because I wasn’t ready to complete the mating process with him. “Give her to me.” Gulping at the sound of Ryder’s voice, I feel the way that Reynolds body goes to obey his King’s order and internally beg that he doesn’t. “Ryder,” Reynolds voice is calm, almost begging Ryder to become the same. “Give her to me, now?” He growls out. Ryder is warm when he possessively pulls me into his arms. No matter how scared I am off him in this moment it doesn’t stop me as I wrap my arms around his neck to hold myself to him. The intense feelings that he has feel greater with me pressed to his chest but I can’t make sense on whether he’s going to do what his father said or not. “Get Eleanor to the hospital wing now.” Ryder is already halfway up the stairs and the guards are a step behind as he carries me to a place I don’t want to go. “You can’t do this to her Ryder.” It’s Charlie’s voice that is trying to persuade him now but he continues to the hospital wing of the castle. “Do it.” The guards are quiet with a final order and I bury my head in to his chest to hide the tears that are begging to slip from my eyes. “Just relax baby,” Ryder whispers in my ear for only me to hear. “Please,” “Shh, it’s going to be alright.” It doesn’t take as long to get to the room and Ryder’s warmth to disappear as he slips me onto the bed softly. The room is easily big enough to accommodate all five of my guards plus the tanned woman whose mess off ash blonde hair has been pulled up into a ponytail on top of her head the tendrils that has fallen out framing the blue-green of her eyes. “Shut the doors.” The guards look confused but they do as he says. “Get ready to give her the injections.” The woman nods at him and she slides up my shirt exposing my stomach. Ryder’s hand slides up over my cheek rubbing at my cheek bone to get him to look him in the eyes. He’s calmed down. “It’s all going to be okay baby.” Ryder says but when the woman comes back with a trolley filled with three needles. “What are you going to do?” “I will never do what he’s suggested Lottie. This is something different though.” He bits his lip before he continues. “This fight is closer than what I expected and we need to be prepared. This is a little uncomfortable to talk about but my semen is only responsive to your eggs and your eggs are only responsive to my semen. It’s just insure that are blood line is true and because of it so if something were to happen to me they have a number of my sperm frozen and now we need some of your eggs,” he reaches over to grab one of the needles and I’m surprised by how calm I am and how the distance between him and his father has calmed him. “And three of these every morning and night will give us enough. The kingdom needs any heir no matter what happens to us.” He’s nervous as he waits for my answer which I confirm with a squeeze of my hand around his. My guards at the door look confused but have visibly relaxed by the turn of events, all of them but Cole leave now that they see that Ryder isn’t going to hurt me the way Alexander wants him to. Ryder lies in the bed next to me and tries to relax me like Eleanor told me to as she slowly and surely inserts the needles into my lower abdomen to assure that they take properly. The idea behind what they’re doing makes sense but it seemed like I didn’t have a chose in the matter and it also didn’t help that there was a strong part of me telling me to do so. “Lottie baby, Charlotte, try to stay awake.” He’s concerned as my eyes drift shut and I feel myself dropping in and out. “I’m tired.” It barley comes out but her hears it. He says something else to me but his warm arms squeezing me and another prick of a sharp needle is all I notice before I’m again claimed by the darkness.