Chapter 107 107
Catherine's POV
I lay on my back staring at the carved ceiling above Theron's bed, tracing the patterns with my eyes as my breathing slowly steadied. The storm outside had softened to a distant murmur, but my mind was louder than thunder.
This was not where a princess of the West was meant to be.
Not in the South.
Not in the wolf king's bed.
Not with my husband's arch-nemesis
And yet here I was.
My fingers drifted absently over the silk sheets, cool against my skin, while my thoughts churned with sharp impatience.
Weeks.
It had been weeks.
I turned my head to look at him. Theron reclined against the headboard with infuriating ease, one arm behind his head, looking entirely untroubled, as if the world bent itself to his comfort.
I did not share that luxury.
"Will this plan truly work?" I asked at last, my voice cutting through the quiet.
His eyes slid toward me, lazy but alert beneath the surface.
"What plan troubles you tonight, little flame?" he asked.
I sat up, pulling the sheet around myself.
"You know exactly which one," I said. "We have been doing this for weeks now, Theron. Weeks. And I have not seen a single sign of a child."
There. I said it.
The real reason I kept coming back to this den of wolves.
His lips curved into that infuriating, knowing smirk.
"You just have to keep coming back," he said smoothly. "These things require… persistence."
The way he said it, paired with the wicked glint in his eyes, made irritation crawl up my spine.
I swung my legs off the bed.
"This was a mistake," I muttered, reaching for my robe. "I could have found another way. Another man. Another solution."
His chuckle followed me like a shadow.
"Another man?" he echoed. "And you think you could do that without eyes on you?"
I paused.
He rose from the bed in one fluid motion and crossed the room with a predator's calm.
"You are only safe attempting this in my territory," he said. "Anywhere else, your little nightly adventures would be discovered before sunrise."
I hated how reasonable that sounded.
He leaned closer, brushing a strand of hair from my shoulder, his voice lowering.
"You need the South more than you admit."
Before I could retort, he tilted my chin and pressed his lips to mine.
I should have pulled away.
Instead, I froze for half a heartbeat too long.
His kiss was biting, seductive and evil. The kind meant to unravel thought. I despised how effective it was. My pulse betrayed me, fluttering traitorously.
When I finally stepped back, I frowned at him.
"Do not kiss me like I am one of your whores," I said sharply.
His brow arched slightly in amusement.
"I know you are keeping Amarien safe within these walls," I added.
His expression did not change, but something in his eyes sharpened.
"Who I keep," he said calmly, "is none of your business."
I folded my arms.
"I know your hiding spot," I said coolly. "I could reveal it to Daevir. He would march south any moment and have your head."
For the first time, silence stretched.
Then Theron smiled.
He leaned in close to my ear, his voice a soft murmur.
"That would mean I tell him first who has been wandering his borders at night under a red cloak."
My stomach tightened.
His knowing look told me everything.
He knew.
Of course, he knew.
He knew it was me who…
I exhaled slowly, annoyed at being cornered.
"Fine!" I spat. "I just want that child of his gone. I will do anything."
Theron watched me for a long second, then his expression shifted to more certain.
"Relax," he said.
I frowned. "Relax?"
"You have your baby now," he said simply. "So you need not worry about him."
My heart skipped.
I stared at him.
"What?"
He nodded once, completely assured.
"Yes," he said. "You are pregnant."
The room seemed to tilt.
For a moment, I could only hear the echo of my own heartbeat.
Pregnant.
The word bloomed in my chest like fire and fear and triumph tangled together.
My hand instinctively moved to my stomach.
"Are you certain?" I whispered.
Theron's gaze was steady. "I do not make silly guesses or predictions. I am the powerful Alpha. I know you're pregnant right now."
A breath left me in a soft gasp.
"We did it!" Tears burned in my eyes. I embraced Theron and quickly pulled back from him.
This was it.
The leverage Daevir won't dare give me!
Relief washed over me first, sweet and dizzying.
"Let's hope it's a son. Daevir will be so pleased to have a son!" I squealed absentmindedly.
"My son." Theron breathed. "That will be my son waiting to take his throne."
Fear gripped me. But I nodded in approval. "Yes, Theron. Your son, heir to the human empire."