Chapter 69 THE CHILD BETWEEN US
Ginnie
Lily runs toward me immediately after she utters that name, her small feet pounding against the polished floors, eyes wide and terrified.
And in that single heartbeat—
Everything shatters.
Varkos stiffens beside me…his entire body goes still
“They said you were badly hurt,” Lily sobs into my chest, she throws herself onto the bed and into my arms, wrapping around me like she’s afraid I’ll disappear. “I wanted to see you…I was so scared.” She throws her
I hold her tightly, burying my face in her hair. “I’m okay, baby,” I whisper. “I’m right here.”
But the moment I lift my head, I meet his eyes. Varkos is staring at us with an expression on his face that I couldn't quite figure out yet.
Not angry.
But something much darker.
“Mommy?” he repeats quietly, the word sounds strange as it rolls off his tongue. My pulse begins to pound so loudly I swear he could hear it too.
Shit!
What the fuck has Lily just—
“Lily,” Varkos’s voice shatters through my thoughts, a suspicious look etched across his face. “Why are you calling her that?”
Lily looks up at him, confused.
“Because she’s my—”
“She just calls me that sometimes,” I cut her off instantly, forcing a small, breathless laugh. “It’s just something we do.”
Varkos’ gaze snaps to mine.
Sharp.
“Something you do?”
“Yes,” I nod too fast. “She’s young and I’ve…I’ve always felt like a mother to her. Especially after everything we’ve been through.”
My fingers tighten subtly in Lily’s curls.
Please.
Please don’t ask more questions.
Lily looks between us, sensing something strange.
For a moment, Varkos doesn’t move, nor does he blink. “That is not how a sister behaves,” he says slowly, then he leans closer. “And that,” he continues, his eyes flicking to Lily’s arms wrapped around me, “is not how a sister runs to another sister.”
“You’re just surprised because this is the first time she’s called me that in front of you.” I force myself to breathe. “That’s all. It’s not a big secret.”
He studies my face like he’s searching for cracks.
“You expect me to believe that?”
The question is quiet.
But it feels like a blade at my throat.
“I’ve never lied to you about her,” the words taste bitter as it rolls off my tongue. None of anything I said is entirely true…But I cling to the parts that are.
“She looks at you like a child looks at her mother,” Varkos pressed.
“Why are you reading too much into it?”
He leans down slightly, his face closer to mine now, his voice dropping lower. “Am I?”
The tone of his voice forces Lily to flinch, she shifts nervously in my arms. But I smooth her hair, forcing calm into my expression.
“I almost died, Varkos,” I whisper. “Lily was terrified by that experience, that’s why she ran in here scared. You’re seeing emotion and turning it into suspicion.”
His jaw tightens.
He doesn’t look convinced at all by what I just said. There’s something in his eyes now, and that terrifies me more than his anger ever could.
“Look at her,” he says quietly.
“I am.”
“No,” he murmurs, “Really look at her.”
For a while, I hesitate. But I do…and suddenly I see it through his eyes.
The dark curls.
The shape of her nose.
The intensity in her stare.
He’s starting to see—
My heart stumbles violently.
Stop.
Stop thinking about it, Ginnie!
“It's a coincidence,” I force the words out quickly. “You’re imagining resemblance because you’re too emotional right—“
Before I can finish my words, his hand lifts slightly, brushing a curl from Lily’s face. His fingers freeze mid-air, and something shifts in his expression.
“Coincidence,” he repeats, straightening up slowly. “I want the truth, Ginnie,” The softness in his voice from earlier is gone. “I don’t believe any damn lies you just said.”
My throat tightens painfully.
“I told you the truth.”
“No,” he says quietly. “You told me something that was meant to sound like the truth.” Silence swallows the entire room, and we just sit there, our eyes saying much more than our lips could.
Before he can open his mouth to speak again—
KNOCK!
The sound of the knock on the door breaks the tension. Sharp. Urgent. But Varkos doesn’t break eye contact with me.
“Enter,” he commands.
The door opens instantly, and Khael steps inside, with nothing good about the expression on his face. “Alpha,” Khael begins, bowing slightly.
“What is it?” Varkos asks, his voice clipped.
“T…” Khael hesitates for half a second, “the council of Elders is here. They are demanding to see you,” Kael continues carefully. “And… Ginnie.”
My fingers tighten in the sheets.
The Council?
What the hell do those devils in human form want from me?
Varkos’ eyes darken instantly.
“What do they want?”
“They didn’t say anything,” Khael replies. “But the look on their faces…” He pauses, “It says they did not come for pleasantries.”
A cold realization settles into my bones.
Lady Ravena.
Of course, she has invited them because she’s gotten to know about the affair between Varkos and me.
Meanwhile, Varkos turns slightly toward the window, his shoulders going still. “Is my mother with them?” he asks.
“Yes, Alpha.”
I try to sit up straighter, but pain shoots through me again, and I ignore it. “I’ll go with you, “ I say quickly.
Varkos turns sharply toward me.
“No.”
“I have to.”
“You’re still healing,” he snaps.
“This concerns me too.”
His gaze softens only slightly.
“I will handle it.”
“What if they try to do something—“
“They won’t dare,” he interrupts me flatly, then he steps closer to the bed. “You’re not leaving this room.”
“Varkos—”
“You are injured,” he maintains firmly. “And until I know exactly what they’re planning, you and Lily will stay here and dare not leave this room.”
Fear coils tightly in my stomach.
“What if they try to use me against you?”
“They won’t.”
The certainty in his tone should comfort me, but it doesn’t. Because I know the council…and I know Lady Ravena too well to know that she’s planned all these carefully.
He reaches out, brushing his fingers lightly over my cheek in a soft motion of rare tenderness.
“I will go alone.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
But then his eyes darken again, landing instantly on Lily. “When I return,” he continues quietly, “we are not finished. Because I don’t believe your explanation,” his voice drops to a low, and dangerous whisper. “ Not for a second.”
He leans down, pressing a brief kiss to my forehead. It’s meant to feel like reassurance, but instead it feels like a warning.
Then he steps back.
“Kael.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
“Take me to see the guests.”
Varkos looks at Lily once more, then at me. And something unreadable passes through his expression before he turns and walks out of the room.
The door closes behind him.
And the silence that follows feels louder than any scream.