Chapter 121

Chapter 121
WINTER

I don’t know how much longer I can keep avoiding this truth.

I know the day will come when I’ll have to tell Valtor about the possibility that I may never give him a child. But with every passing day, the weight of it grows heavier, pressing against my chest until it’s hard to breathe. Especially when I remember the way his eyes light up whenever someone speaks of an heir. Our child. The successor to his throne.

And it isn’t only him. Everywhere we go, people look at me the same way, as if the future of the kingdom depends on me.

What if I finally tell him, he can’t accept it?

I could endure his anger. I could survive his frustration. But the thought of disappointment in his eyes terrifies me more than anything.

'Goddess, I don’t want to hide this forever. Please help me find the strength.'

I opened my eyes and stepped out of the steaming bath, water sliding down my skin. I reached for my robe, wrapped it tightly around myself, and tied it shut. Then I heard my chamber door open.

Assuming it was Eira, I walked out of the bathing room without hesitation.

But the sight that greeted me stole the breath from my lungs.

Several women stood inside my bedchamber—my private space. Freya was at the front, beside her stood Rosentine and Cressida. Lilith lingered near the foot of my bed, eyes alight with unsettling interest. Then, an elderly woman I had never seen before, her hair completely white, her back hunched and her eyes eerily vacant.

My heart slammed against my ribs.

“Who the hell allowed all of you in here?” I hissed, my shock twisting quickly into fury. My gaze locked on Freya, knowing this was her idea. “Get out of my room now. I did not summon any of you. If you wished to see me, you should have asked.”

Freya didn’t flinch. Instead, she turned slightly toward the old strange woman, “This is the new Queen, Our King’s mate, Winter. Ignore her outburst, she’s indeed childish and prone to tantrums.”

My jaw dropped. “W-what?” 

My hands curled into fists as I strode toward her until we stood face to face. “You’ve crossed a line, Freya.”

“Calm yourself,” Rosentine interjected smoothly, her hands folded before her, "We’re only here to help you. Remember you’re a Queen now, so you don’t have the luxury of thinking only about what you want.”

Something was wrong. Deeply wrong.

Lilith’s eyes gleamed with open malice, Cressida looked eager, as if she was waiting for a spectacle to begin. And the old woman stared at nothing at all, yet her presence made my skin crawl.

Then Freya spoke again.

“Rosentine, Lilith, Hold her!"

Everything happened too fast. They lunged at me, each grabbing one of my arms. Their nails dug painfully into my skin as they dragged me toward the bed. Panic exploded inside me. 

I fought, twisting and thrashing, my heart racing as terror clawed up my throat.

“Eira!” I screamed. “Guards! help!”

“Sssh,” Freya murmured coldly. “Your little friend won’t help you now. Just lie down. We’re not here to hurt you, Winter, only need to check something.”

“I don’t want to be checked!” I snarled, a low, feral sound tearing from my chest as my wolf stirred violently beneath my skin.

Freya froze for a split second, shock flashing across her face, then it hardened.

“Keep your beast locked up. The King has already approved this. You’re being examined for pregnancy. This is his order.”

Pregnancy?

I remembered this morning. Valtor’s silence, the way he hadn’t spoken directly about heirs. 

Had he been thinking about it all along? And he sent them to do this to me?

Pain burned fiercely in my chest.

“Though I cannot see, the Goddess has gifted me sight beyond the present. I see what is yet to come. I can tell you what kind of heir you will give this kingdom.” the old woman rasped, her voice trembling and thin. “Lie still, my Queen. If you submit, it will be over quickly.”

“And now everyone will know the truth,” Rosentine hissed against my ear, satisfaction glittering in her eyes. Her smile stretched wider, convinced at last that I would break and surrender.

She was wrong.

With a sudden burst of strength, I drove my foot hard into Lilith’s leg. 

She cried out and released me.  I spun and kicked Rosentine next, forcing her back. 

Cressida lunged for me but missed as I tore free from their grasp.

“Come back here!” Freya snarled, her hand snapping around my wrist.

I whirled on her, rage blazing through every vein. My claws burst forth as I slashed my hand upward, ripping free of her grip.