Chapter 58
ELARA’S POV
I rested in the garden, the bright hues of the blossoms a sharp opposition to the turmoil brewing within me.
I was pregnant.
The term resounded in my thoughts, rendering me mute, completely perplexed. Should I inform Ronan? The idea caused a chill along my back. How would he respond? Would he even trust me? More crucially, would he bother? Was it even secure to contact him? The Mountain Dew Pack had turned into a mark due to me, it would be even graver now that I bore his offspring.
The positive aspect is Kael directed the physician not to proclaim the announcement. Solely Kael, I and Clara were aware of my gestation. But over time, others will discover. That was inevitable, until that point and even beyond, what ought I do to safeguard myself and my infant?
From the periphery of my vision, I spotted Kael nearing, his typically assured gait tentative, his features taut and grave. It had been that way since the physician revealed my pregnancy.
“What’s amiss?” I inquired in a gentle tone tinged with worry. It clearly couldn’t be the gestation that rendered him thus.
He shook his head, his stare now anchored to the earth. “Nothing,” he muttered, his tone scarcely audible. He settled beside me, his posture sagging. “It’s just…” He halted, his customary smooth allure missing. “How do you feel?”
“I feel….alright,” I answered, compelling a grin. My palm reflexively shifted and placed on my yet-level abdomen. “Just perplexed.”
“Why?” His tone was soft, nearly cautious, as though fearful of disrupting my tranquility.
“Because…” I released a prolonged, fatigued exhale, my posture drooping. “It’s simply difficult, you understand? I’m expectant, and I lack knowledge how to manage this. Should I inform him or not? Should I even hazard reaching him?”
“If news spreads regarding your gestation and Darius catches word of it….” His tone faded, his look somber.
My expression dropped. I grasped precisely what he meant. Darius who has been fixated on acquiring a blood healer for his offspring’s sake. My capacity to mend with my blood rendered me a perilous reward, one that nearly cost Ronan his existence and his pack. And now, bearing his offspring I was an even more precious mark both to Darius and others who might oppose Ronan and would employ me and this offspring against him.
It was nearly as though every chance was opposed to me.
“He will perform the inconceivable regardless of the expense.” I concluded his phrase, the terms laden with fear.
“Precisely,” Kael affirmed darkly, his stare solidifying. He then clasped my palm in his, his contact unexpectedly tender, he employed his thumb to stroke the creases on my hand. “Nevertheless, you needn’t fret about it. I’m present now.”
I twisted my palm loose, my scowl intensifying. “Kael, please don’t,” I stated with a tense tone. “I’ve endured sufficient already. I require room, adequate time to absorb all. I can’t cope with this atop everything else.”
“I understand,” He exhaled, his stare falling to his knees. “It’s entirely my responsibility, Elara. I grasp that, and I’m prepared to alter that.” A spark of resolve, of authentic regret gleamed through his grave look.
“How?”
He glanced upward, a determined look supplanting the prior hopelessness. I gazed profoundly into his eyes that contained a fresh potency, an iron will that was both appealing and concerning. “I’ll discover a method,” he stated. “For the moment, all that counts is your security. On the positive note, now that you’ve departed the Mountain Dew Pack, Darius won’t possess any motive to assault any longer.”
My gaze expanded in astonishment and comfort. “Are you sure? Are you absolutely certain? He’d never assault them once more?”
“Absolutely sure. I’m fairly confident he possessed a spy directly beneath Ronan’s awareness. Now that you’ve left, it’s pointless to him. All he desires is a blood healer, and now that you bear an offspring…you must remain concealed, secure, distant from any peril.”
I moved restlessly, his terms were comforting and I felt eased when he mentioned Ronan and his pack won’t face assault again but yet… “Wouldn’t he pursue you then?” I questioned.
He released an unsteady exhale, his gaze faltering briefly, a brief view of fragility before his determination firmed once more. “He will, he could. But I’ll be prepared, regardless of the cost. I’ll be prepared to shield you. I won’t be a weakling as I once was.” He extended and seized my palm again, his hold firming, his gaze brimming with a fervor that caused my respiration to snag in my chest. “Elara, I vow that to you. You and your offspring will be secure.”
I gazed into his eyes, probing for any sign of trickery, but discovered solely honesty, a profundity of emotion that was both modest and overpowering. Despite the fact I remained furious with him, and my core was entwined with Ronan’s in spite of what transpired between us. The reality was irrefutable. I yet harbored emotions for Kael, interred under strata of bitterness and disarray. The reality that I was expectant with another male’s offspring rendered it unfeasible to return his emotions. That awareness was a pain, a perpetual cue of the intricacy of my circumstance. It did ache, it sensed asphyxiating, but there was naught I could accomplish but attempt to proceed.
“Thank you, Kael,” I stated gently, softly extracting my palm from his, my tone quivering lightly. “But you needn’t fret about me so greatly.” I rose, brushing the soil from my dress. He rose as well, his features a veil of indecipherable feeling.
“I’ll be departing now,” I stated, my tone scarcely audible, the terms lingered heavily amid us. “See you later.” I grinned mournfully and gestured at him, then departed, abandoning him positioned there.
I’m truly regretful Kael. But at this moment my core was a blend of remorse and the irrefutable reality that I needed to select my route, even if it signified abandoning him… Which truthfully was painful, since he was also my companion, my initial companion.