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Methis Delis POV

I walked on, taking little notice of my surroundings, with my head spinning from all that Laura had said few minutes ago. I had always known it was a bad decision to be a surrogate mother for a man entirely of my race, but hearing the stranger say it out loud was disgraceful. I was sure that soon, the encounter would be all over the kingdom, further tarnishing my image.

"I wish I had vehemently opposed my stepmother when I found out what she had done," I said softly, tears threatening to flow down behind my eyes. I had always known the woman hated me, but trading me for a measly sum?

I raised my head to look at the sky, to prevent the tears from flowing out. That was never a good look. When I was sure the tears were at bay, I took in my surroundings for the first time this evening. I was outside the main house and in the garden. I did not realize that I had walked that far. I walked a little farther and found the long white bench, that was kept in the garden.

Sitting down, I kept asking myself "Why would Jamal want a human to bear his pups?" He could easily have any she-wolf here as his wife, and as many as he desires, but he chose me, a mere human. It just doesn't make sense. Maybe he needed someone he could easily discard once his pups were birthed.

"That must be it," I said, the tears coming down freely and forcefully now. I could not stop them now no matter how hard I tried. I let them flow, the sky is all dark now, no one would wander into the garden at this time of the night. The more I cried, the more I hated the place. Although the people were all nice to me, maybe because I was the king's guest, I was still the only human in the entire kingdom. I felt lonely most of the time, even though I had several maids tending to my every need. I could not wait to be out of here and back to my usual life and to my friends.

The tears kept coming even when I heard a familiar voice call out my name.

"Methis?" Jamal called in his deep, commanding voice. I did not answer, by now my chest was heaving painful emotions. He walked closer to me, his voice softening when he noticed I was crying,

"What's wrong, Methis?" I opened my lips to reply but the train of cough followed instead. He sat beside me and patted my back till the cough subsided.

"It is okay, darling" He said, and kissed my hair. "you're okay, now"

"What happened, Methis?" He asked after I stopped carrying.

"Nothing happened, Jamal" I answered, not in the mood to talk about the incident as it will probably bring back the tears.

"Did anyone bully you?" His voice was rising up a notch. It sounded dangerous. I didn't want to see him angry, even if it wasn't at me. I shook my head, "No"

"Then who was it that made you cry?"

"No one bullied me, Jamal. You made sure of that."

"Alright, darling." We stayed that way in silence for a while. Before he said,

"Come, I will see you to bed." He gently helped me up and carried me in his arms, as if I weighed nothing.

Jamal Kunis POV

"She looked so fragile and beautiful in my arms," I thought to myself as I carried her to the room. She curled up like a baby immediately after I laid her on the bed. I traced the outlines of her face with my fingers. She was s so beautiful and she reminded me so much of my former lover, now turned enemy.

"You're so special to me, you know?" I said softly, wondering as always if the attraction was due to her resemblance to the dark witch. The question had one my mind, since I started being attracted to her. I quickly pushed the question to the back of my mind, where I had harbored it.

I took off the footwear she wore and massaged her feet a bit. She was asleep within minutes and that gave me more space to admire her.

I placed my hands gingerly on her slightly protruded tummy and gently moved it around... it's still a wonder how fast it is growing. I caressed her stomach all the while thinking of how much I longed to have to build a family with this human. It would really be something out of a fairy tale... a human being my Luna and our little son crawling around her legs. It was almost unthinkable and would be frowned upon by many.

"No," I thought out loud. "She will go back to her life and her family after she gives birth" My mind was made up.

I stroked her lips gently, my eyes fixated on her lovely face and taking every little detail in. It took me a long while to tear my eyes from her face and prepare for bed.

As I left the room quietly, one of the maids approached me.

"Can I talk to you, sir?" She asked.

"Sure, you can."

That was all I could get out before she launched into a full story about the day's incident. By the time she was done, I already knew what to do.

"Thank you very much for telling me this". I said while she bowed and left.

***

I called for a meeting, a banishment decree heavy on my tongue. I knew it was going to be a bit of a challenge, and I knew she was definitely going to push back, at the very least, if not outright refuse. But I didn't care, this madness of hers, this path she had chosen to go down, it all ended here and now. She had gone too far, and I wasn't going to let it go any further.

The house staff was small, just the ones that were absolutely necessary. I had given the rest of them a day off, to at the very least spare her the embarrassment. It was the least I could do.

My voice rang out, firm and hard. "Laura, due to your continuous provocations against Methis, I hereby confine you to the house for three months as punishment."

I paused a bit as a collective gasp rang out in the room. Good, the intended effect was being had. Laura, herself just stared at me, speechless her mouth hanging open like she couldn't believe what she just heard.

Ignoring her, I continued, "You shall not step foot outside or engage in any interaction that might cause harm or distress to anyone."

Laura's eyes widened, anger and frustration emanating from her like a volatile storm. "What? This is absurd, Jamal! How can you do this to me?"

I maintained a steadfast gaze, my voice tinged with a bit of warning. "You have pushed the boundaries, Laura. Your actions cannot go unchecked. This is your punishment, a chance for you to reflect on your behavior."

"But-"

"This is your final warning, Laura." I interjected, unwilling to hear what she had to say, it was way past time she was reminded of her place here, and I was absolutely done tolerating her nonsense. That was over.

She clenched her fists, tears mixing with her fury. "You're protecting her, aren't you? This Methis. Why? What's so special about her?"

My jaw tightened, the weight of my decision heavy on my shoulders. "Methis is going to be with me for a long time, Laura. She deserves respect and protection. I won't allow anyone to cause her harm."

Laura's eyes brimmed with tears, but her anger persisted. "And what about me? What about us? We were together first, Jamal!"

A pang of guilt shot through my chest, but I had made my choice. "That," I said slowly and carefully, to make sure she got the message, "Is irrelevant, and it definitely doesn't give you free rein to treat her whichever way you please."

Her cry of frustration echoed through the room. "This is not fair! I won't accept it!"

I stepped closer, my voice lowering dangerously. "You will accept it, Laura. You will learn to control your anger and jealousy. The consequences of your actions have brought you here."

She sank to her knees, the anger in her eyes slowly fading into despair. "I can't believe you've chosen her over me. After all we've been through."

I extended a hand, but she swatted it away, tears streaming down her face. "No! I don't need your pity. I don't want to see your face again."

As she sobbed, I turned back to Methis's room, my thoughts consumed with the uncertainty of my own heart. The decisions I had made weighed heavily on my conscience, but I believed deep down that I had done what was necessary.