Chapter 81 Chapter 81

Chapter 81 Chapter 81
~NYRA~

"Olive, stop," I cautioned my daughter, who kept tugging my blouse. She had dragged me into the woods saying she had a surprise for me, and as soon as we got there she kept asking me to change because she wanted us to go for a run together.

The rate at which my heart sank was alarming. Two days — I had gone two days without thinking about my wolf because Mikael had made sure I felt comfortable.

He had become my companion, always at my beck and call. But he wasn't with me today because he had a meeting with O'Lean and Natalie. He had asked me to join them, but I was feeling tired.

"I can't, Olive! We could play a game that doesn't need me to change," I tried to coax her. Olive stomped her feet on the ground; I had never seen her act this way before.

She pulled her lips into a pout as she moved away from where I stood. "You don't want to play with me anymore. Other children go for runs with their parents, but you have never had a run with me — it's unfair," she grumbled. Her words cut like sharp claws digging into my skin.

How could she say that?

I closed my eyes, swallowing. I needed to be calm before I let my emotions override me.

She's just a pup, I tried to remind myself.

"Come here, Olive," I called out to her, but she wouldn't budge. Instead she turned her back to me; I bit my lower lip.

Olive, don't make things hard for me, please.

It was unnerving to see that my wolf had disappeared, and now my daughter was angry with me for something I had no power over.

Was there a way I could reach out to Emilia?

I looked at the sky. Selene, please bring Emilia back, I pleaded inwardly, before tearing my gaze away to focus on my child.

Closing the distance between Olive and me, I placed my hands on her shoulders then lifted her chin up so she would look my way. Olive's cheeks were stained with tears and her eyes were red. "I just want to play with you," she murmured.

I pulled her into a hug. My throat tightened as I wrapped my arms around her back; I felt my eyes growing wet as the moments passed.

The trees swayed a little, leaves drifting down. The birds kept chirping. "I know, I know you just wanted to play with me. But I do not feel well, and shifting could be harmful to my health," I explained.

She raised her head. "You are sick?"

I nodded. Olive wiped her tears. "Sorry, Mommy," she apologized. I smiled, though it didn't quite reach my eyes.

"It's okay."

"I am no longer angry with you, Mommy. You are sick — you should be in bed. Maybe later we could run together," she suggested. I patted her hair softly. "Yes, we will do that later," I responded.

Olive took my hand; we were about to leave when Josie showed up. Her eyes wandered down to my stomach before searching my face for something I couldn't quite decipher.

"Olive, baby, can you go back to the pack with Chila? Mummy and I want to talk," Josie said warmly. My daughter looked at me and I gave her the go-ahead to leave with my handmaiden. I squatted so she could place a kiss on my cheek, as she always did before departing.

I watched my daughter leave, and when she was out of view, I turned to Josie. I wondered what she was doing here and, more importantly, why she wanted to speak with me.

Was she here to ask me to change Mikael's mind about the treaty with the other kingdoms?

"I heard your conversation with your child, Nyra," she began. I gripped my fingers tightly, enough to feel the pain.

My legs quivered; however, I tried to hide any hint of the fear surging within me.

Does she know something?

She snickered. "Are you sick or pregnant? Is that why you can't change?" Her question threw me off guard.

Pregnant?

I darted my gaze from side to side, wondering how she had come to that conclusion.

"You can't shift because you are carrying Mikael's child?" Her words sounded like an interrogation.

If I confirmed I was not pregnant, Josie might ask why I hadn't come out during the mating hunt, or why I had refused to change and go for a run with my daughter. She wouldn't accept that I was sick and might try to force me to shift.

But if I claimed to be pregnant, it would be easier to explain why I hadn't shown up — however, there was a problem. I couldn't hide a pregnancy for long.

Given two or three months at most, I should have a visible bump.

I bit my lower lip as I tried to come up with a reasonable excuse. "Answer me, Nyra," her pitch rose sharply, dragging me out of my thoughts.

"Yes — yes, I am pregnant, Josie. I can't shift because of my pup," I blurted out. My blood ran cold; I scolded myself internally.

Look at what Emilia was putting me through. She had led me into an even deeper pit, and I couldn't hide it anymore.

What was I going to do?

Would Josie try to harm me?

Natalie had told me how obsessed she was with my mate. I couldn't stay here any longer — her presence was suffocating.

"Wow! Amazing," she smiled at me. The smile made me uneasy — what was behind it?

"Congratulations," she said.

I couldn't believe Josie would say that. Wasn't she supposed to pounce on me? Why was she being so calm about this news?

"T-thank you," I responded, readying myself to leave.

This vampire is spiteful. I should be careful around her.

Josie's eyes glinted, sparkling as she pushed her loose red hair back. "I have to leave — see you at court," she uttered, as if she knew exactly what I had in mind.